The Wenzel’s Big Adventure

Our next stop in Turkey led us to the distinctive region of Cappadocia, specifically the city of Uchisar. Given that the drive would take about six hours, we decided to split the journey and pause at the midway point in Ankara. Having just departed from a major city, we didn’t feel the urge to explore this one extensively.

The journey from Istanbul to Uchisar introduced us to a variety of landscapes reminiscent of Alberta. Beyond Istanbul, imposing mountains surrounded us, gradually transitioning to the gentle foothills near Ankara. The highway wound through agricultural areas, dotting the countryside between Ankara and Uchisar. After months of navigating narrow, winding roads, cruising on a straight, open highway was refreshing. Our travel-related stress lessened significantly once we acquired the Clio, allowing us to follow our own timetable. This freedom enabled us to explore off the typical path and create our own adventures. 

Driving in central Türkiye felt quite familiar. Most of the highways we used were dual-lane toll roads, allowing for a cruising speed of 120 km/h and a passing speed of 130 km/h. We found numerous well-equipped rest stops along our route, typically positioned every 20-30 km. These stops offered markets with fresh fruits and vegetables, fuel stations, food options, clean restrooms, and even some outlet shopping. While the first part of our journey (between Istanbul and Ankara) featured plenty of these stops, they became less frequent between Ankara and Uchisar, as many are currently under construction. 

About halfway through our journey to Uchisar, we veered off the main highway in search of fuel and a meal. Following Google Maps’ suggestions, we first stopped in a small farming community reminiscent of Consul. In this town, tractors were the primary means of transportation, and the only people we noticed were a group of men gathered around a table enjoying beer. Although Google said the town had two fuel stations, it became pretty apparent as we neared them that they hadn’t been operational in half a decade. 

A bit further along the way, we arrived in the town of Ortakoy, a larger farming community with more amenities, such as a fully operational fuel station and a quaint restaurant. After fueling up, we popped into a family-run establishment for lunch. As I’ve mentioned in a previous blog, the real adventure begins when you dine at a place where you can’t decipher the menu or understand the cook or host (even when using Google Translate). Luckily, this restaurant wasn’t as unfamiliar as some others we’ve encountered, and the kitchen was centrally located, allowing us to see the dishes and their preparation. Our attempts at communicating proved fruitless, so we resorted to hand gestures and head nods. In the end, Cor and I enjoyed chicken, rice gyros, and a couple of çay teas, and the kids had grilled cheese with pastrami. The food was delicious, and the owners were very polite and accommodating.  Before leaving, we snapped a photo with the team and left them their first Google review so that more people have the chance to experience the restaurant in rural Türkiye. 

Arriving in the Cappadocia region, we were met with a breathtaking landscape of rolling hills, valleys, and vast open skies. The area has many alien rock formations, and the canyons are peppered with dwellings carved into the valley hills. Troglodytes initially carved the caves during the Bronze Age, and Christians fleeing persecution used them again in the 4th century.  

Our home base while in Cappadocia was the town of Uçhisar. It is located on the edge of the Göreme National Park and has a massive rock cone in the center of the town, known as the Uçhisar Castle. The 60-meter-tall formation was carved out during the Byzantine era and was once home to approximately 1,000 people. To end one of our days, we climbed the Kalesi (castle) to watch the sunset and drink in the view of the surrounding valley.  It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience we all loved, even if the climb was slightly sketchy. 

In North America, we are so used to safety being over the top that we expect every experience to be bubble-wrapped. This climb’s lack of safety controls was similar to others we’d completed on our trip. There were tons of tripping hazards leading to steep drop-offs and open holes.  A single wire cable roped off most places, and the top was the only place they installed a second cable.  Not only did Cor and I have to watch our footing, but we also had to stop the kids, who were, at one point, attempting to do breakdancing moves while climbing the stairs.  Once at the top, they felt the need to try and run around, weaving in and out of people.  We quickly tamed them down before they toppled over a side. Ultimately, we survived and didn’t knock anyone off the big rock. 

Our Uçhisar accommodations were unique and so rustic that we didn’t even have cell or wifi reception; I loved it. Our room was built into the ground and had a brick-and-mortar castle feel.  It stayed cool because it was in the ground, and the bed was quite comfortable.  The only issue we faced was a mouse on our last night.  While relaxing before bed, Corey noticed movement along the roof and, paying closer attention, found it was a tiny mouse checking us out.  At first, we didn’t pay much attention to it, but then it started getting closer to going into our room, where the kids were sleeping.  Being the big hunter I am, I assured her I would take care of it; it was a tiny mouse. How hard could it be to catch?  After 15 minutes of chasing and trying to trap it with some Tupperware and peanut butter, the mouse found its way to our room.  It ran along the headboards on the kid’s beds and then under ours.  I messed around some more, finally cornered it, and told it to say its last prayers.  With a sneaker, I made my move to exterminate, and when I lifted it, the mouse was gone; missing, not dead.  I searched high and low but never found him again and did not see him again.  

With the Clio, we explored a considerable amount of the Cappadocia region.  On our first day, we wandered around the Zelve Open Air Museum and Pasabag Valley, home to miles of dwellings cut into the valley walls and numerous fairy chimneys.  The kids loved running in and out of all the little caves and hiking up the valley walls.  Back in town, we ended our day by making a meal in the hotel kitchen and enjoying a gorgeous sunset with some wine and dried apricots, compliments of the hotel owners. 

On our second day, we met a local travel guide at breakfast who helped develop a plan to explore the area further.  Our first stop was at an underground city in the town of Mazi.  This underground site consisted of five levels and was once connected to an underground network that once housed between 20,000 and 30,000 people.  Our guide took us into a part of the city typically only accessed by locals and required us to use our phones for lights.  Once we were out, he told us a story of when he was younger and with friends exploring the underground caves, and their flashlights died.  These underground tunnels are a labyrinth; it is a miracle that they made it out without getting lost.  Talk about a scary moment! Next, we made our way to the town of Soganli.  Here, we stopped for an authentic Türkish lunch of clay pot cooked stews, bread and a type of pancakes for the kids.  The meal was way too large for us, and we didn’t finish it.  After the meal, we hiked the area and stopped to walk around an abandoned town.  Before leaving, we stopped to purchase handmade mittens from a group of local ladies.  They are best known for making handmade dolls, but the kids didn’t want them; they wanted gloves.  Learning its best not to argue and realizing that we would eventually return to Canada, we let them get the mittens. 

For our third day, we drove to the town of Avanos.  While here, we had lunch, walked around the downtown area and found a pottery store operated by a father and two sons that offered pottery lessons.  The kids had been looking forward to this, and we didn’t think we would find a place that didn’t cost an arm and a leg.  The boys, who shared the same first name, did a fantastic job teaching the kids how to make pottery and assisting the kids in making small clay pots. On our return trip to Uçhisar, we stopped at the Imagination Valley to hike again and explore the area. 

Although Cappadocia was a fantastic experience, we did not get to do what had initially brought us to the area: ride in a hot air balloon.  The balloon ride was one of the main things that brought us to this area and Türkiye.  The rides usually occur at sunrise, when the weather is the calmest.  Unfortunately, it rained early each morning, preventing the balloons from taking flight.  Companies were also backed up because other trips had also been postponed and pushed to different days due to the weather.  We considered sticking it out for one more day, but we couldn’t rearrange our days at our next stop, Antalya, and the city was a six-hour drive away.  Corey later discovered that the day after we left, the weather smartened up, and the balloons could fly.  Understandably, she was crushed by missing out on the opportunity.  I hold onto the idea that we will be back there again, even if it’s to float in a balloon.