On my last morning in Fethiye, I look up from my breakfast on the hotel roof to see Dr. Can heading towards me. He has had a change of plans, and apparently my hotel did not get his message to me. I am pre-coffee groggy, but finish up as we head off to visit Kayakoy, the Ghost Village some few kms inland.
Sitting high in the mountains, Kayakoy is an eerie sight, as the numerous stone houses that dot the landscape look as if they’ve been bombed out, most of them missing roofs and are only partial structures now. After the repatriation of the village’s Greek population, the village, whose buildings date back to as far as the 16thcentury, was abandoned as the Turks who moved into the area settled in the flatter, arable land. As in the other Greek village I visited, Sirinçe, the town was on the mountainside rather than on more easily navigable terrain. We think it’s because they wanted to maintain the available land as farmland. It must have been a very hard life, trekking up and down these treacherous inclines with or without donkeys.
During our tour, Dr. Can and I discuss some universal issues: politics, religion, mothers-in-law :)… And then I thank him for his hospitality and bid him farewell, in hopes that one day should I find myself in Fethiye, to see him again. He even offered up the hospitality of his son who lives in San Fran, should I ever find myself that way.
Now, the last leg of my journey begins – a 13-hour bus ride to central Turkey and the famed landscape of Kapadokya. As I board the bus, I can already tell this may not be the best ride. There is a slight musty smell, sort of like old man, and there of course is an old married couple sitting right across from me – he has a traditional knit hat, wiry beard and some unruly eyebrows. I wonder if it’s him, but who am I to complain, I haven’t done laundry since I’ve been here. I don’t think it was him ultimately, as this bus isn’t as nice as the last one I had. No tv per seat, just two screens playing bad Turkish programming, no snacks and one porter. I am grateful that the agent booked me next to an empty seat because the many stops dropped off but picked up quite a few passengers.
I was thinking I was being clever in combining travel and lodging together with this bus ride, but sleep was not to be. There were the many stops. There was a small group of young men traveling together and one insistent on getting my attention, which he does. He motions me to sit next to him and with the limited vocabulary in my guidebook, we do not accomplish much in terms of conversation. I almost wanted to say “I’m pregnant” as a joke, but don’t know how well that would go over. But as I said he is insistent and proceeds to talk to me in Turkish, repeating himself and speaking more loudly, as if that would somehow break the language, if not sound, barrier. No dice. I eventually move back to my seat, and try not to engage much as I am in need of sleep badly.
The further inland we go, the thermometer keeps dropping. Outside is quite dark, and as we drive through the city of Konya, the home of Sufism, the urban landscape is surreal. It is completely modern and industrial, miles and miles of highways and buildings and lights, but completely deserted and ironically, soul-less. It all looks abandoned and on the edge of nowhere.
Which makes my own arrival one hour earlier than expected in the village of Göreme under cover of night at 4 a.m., no less surreal. The best way I can describe it is that the landscape is sort of sci-fi and western, while the buildings and storefronts are sort of frontier/western. It brings to mind the Yul Brunner cult sci-fi western, Outland. Everything is closed and completely deserted save for the stray dog growling at me. Nothing is well–lit except for some of the chimney formations on the hills and I have no idea where my hotel is. It is also freezing, I am guessing in the 20’s. There are no maps at the bus stop. I head towards the chimney formations and make a turn to avoid the growling dog, which turns out to be a blessing as I see some signs that point to my hotel. Mind you, these are not your typical streets, through your typical town. They are mostly brick-like, and all you hear is the roll of my luggage echo through the air, streets split at houses, and thankfully, now there is enough of a sign trail to lead me to the hotel, most of which is carved out of caves, which is situated at the top of a steep incline. Pant, pant, pant. The very top is the reception area that also serves as the hotel’s eating area. The door is open and the lights are on. Access to all the guestrooms and ancillary areas is external. I need a WC desperately and am grateful to find one in the maze of stairs and rooms. Back at reception, I make myself at home with my head resting on a table until a hotel worker finds me at 5 a.m. and shows me to my room. I promptly bask in its cozy warmth and fall asleep… until the 5:30 prayer call through the village shatters my peaceful slumber. Day will be breaking soon, and I eventually fall asleep.
Is Kapadokya travel destination for Turks as well? Were fellow bus riders locals to the city or touristing like you? How have you been booking internal travel? Are there different prices for locals vs. foreigners? Will you try to join prayer service, a la Life of Pi?
ReplyDeleteThat's a lot of questions young lady. Um, I would say Kapadokya isn't so much a destination for Turks, at least from what I've seen. I'm sure many have or will see it in their lifetimes, if they don't already live here. Most riders were going to points before and after, all locals. But the bus system is very extensive if not centralized, with different bus companies running different routes, diff. prices, etc. All a bit confusing at first, but once you understand how it works, you just ask and figure it out. So fellow travelers have been using it very much, but locals use it as a daily way of travel. Internet for airplanes, bus station for buses. ONe typically doesn't even have to ask, someone will approach you and if they don't go to your destination, they'll point you in the right direction. Think prices are same for both, I hope. Will not be joining any services. S'only 5:30, a packed, have airport transfer lined up for 4:15 a.m., paid my bill, only need to eat and sleep some at this point.
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