Another of these little details we often neglect on the road? Knowing what day of the week is it. Therefore we have missed not one, but two Photo Feature Mondays in a row. I’d apologize, but with the holidays and New Years, hosting the Travel Roulette Photo Contest, and the fact that we don’t own a calendar and our iPods are almost always low on battery, it was only a matter of time before we slipped up and fell out of our routine.

Speaking of Travel Photo Roulette, we chose a winner today. However all the photos were really quite inspiring – if you haven’t had a chance to check them out yet I urge you to head over there as soon as your done here. Today I thought I’d pay homage to our contest theme of light one last time with a photo from our time in Fethiye, Turkey.

On a beautifully sunny day, these dark clouds rolled in out of nowhere taking everyone by surprise, but no one more so than this poor fisherman. I love the strong beams of light breaking through the clouds and the loneliness of this single fisherman out at sea all by himself.

I can’t believe it’s been a whole month since we were there, basking in the warm sunshine, dodging the occasional freak rainstorm, and freezing our bare toes off while it snowed. And now our trip is nearing it’s final month and we will have to go home and act like grown ups!

The post Calli’s Photo Feature 06.01.2014 appeared first on Have Blog Will Travel.

The People

It’s our experience that the people in a country can either make it feel like home or convince you never to return. In Turkey everyone seemed very sincere and helpful – especially outside of Istanbul (which has its share of pushy vendors and carpet salesmen). Even aside from the owners of the hotels we stayed in or the restaurants we ate in (who were all wonderful beyond anything we could have imagined), we met countless locals who showed a genuine interest in striking up a conversation with us, sharing stories with us, or just pointing us in the right direction.

The Food

To say that Turkish food agreed with us would be an understatement. With kebabs already one of our travel diet staples, we tried to sample as many different Turkish dishes as possible and were very rarely disappointed.  Among our favorites were Gozleme (Turkish pancakes) and Pide (Turkish pizza). And let’s not even start back on the Adana Doner we had at Durumzade in Istanbul. Good Turkish food was easy to find, very affordable, and delicious, if not always full of variety. In addition to dining out, we discovered some wonderful markets while in Turkey – full of fresh produce and delicious local cheese. It’s also worth noting that Turkish oranges are some of the best we’ve ever eaten!

The Variety of Experiences

Perhaps the best part of Turkey for tourists is the incredible diversity in sites and attractions scattered throughout the country. From UNESCO World Heritage Sites to Ancient Roman, Ottoman, and Lycian Ruins to incredible natural wonders, endless beaches, and bustling cities, Turkey has something for everyone.

Endless beaches

Crazy rock formations

And enchanting bazaars

The Affordability

Being on a budget, the affordability of accommodation, food, and transportation – the travel basics – in Turkey was great. Not only did it allow us to spend more time in the country, but it also made splurging every now and then less stressful.

The Timing of our Visit

Although visiting Turkey in the off-season may not be everyone’s idea of perfect timing, we had a great time and would not have changed a thing. Overall, the weather was good, if not a little cold at higher elevations, and the smaller tourist crowds meant that we often had a site or attraction completely to ourselves.

Ephesus, calm and quiet

Pamukkale was nearly deserted

The Transportation System

Overall, we found the public transportation system in Turkey to be efficient and really user friendly – from long-distance buses and trains to local trams and mini-buses. Although bus travel isn’t our favorite way to get around, we were pleasantly surprised at how reliable,  affordable, and comfortable the Turkish bus system is for long-distance journeys – many of the buses were new and with Wi-fi, TV’s in the headrest, and an attendant serving snacks and drinks along the way. A great bonus were the rest stops the bus companies used – gone were the typical run-down, 3 Mars bars from 1997 left in the entire store, crapholes that we had experienced traveling with buses in previous countries. In their place were large, bustling centres with nearly everything you could need or imagine – warm meals, cold drinks, clothing, books, and clean bathrooms!

After our first couple of bus trips, we quickly learned there was no point worrying about missing a bus or getting confused or lost in the station. In Turkey it seems everyone at the bus station is there to help. The only comparable experience we’ve had is that of being fed by an Italian Grandmother – you remember walking in the front door and now all of a sudden you’ve got a fork-full of spaghetti in your mouth while being showered with attention. Many times in Turkey we simply arrived at the bus station and before we knew it we’d been taken care of and plopped on the right bus, hassle free!

There’s So Much Left To Explore…

We will definitely be back!

So there you go, our favorite Turkish experiences! Have you ever traveled to Turkey? What were you favorite places, experiences, meals, stories? Let us know in the comments!

If you haven’t read all of our adventures from Turkey yet, don’t panic, just click HERE!

The post Turkey Wrap Up – More Reasons to Love this Country appeared first on Have Blog Will Travel.

However, after a string of over four consecutive months on the road now, and our nearly constant ravings about the places we had been and the things we had seen, our travels were beginning to blend together and our initial excitement for travel (and therefore Ephesus) was waning. As we’ve mentioned before, Turkey always felt like the main bulk of our trip when we were planning. But now, with our time in Turkey about to wrap up, we felt lost – unsure about the future and wanting desperately to relive the past. Fortunately, any concerns that we may have had about Ephesus and its ability to stand up to our other incredible experiences in Turkey were completely unfounded. Ephesus was not only more interesting and impressive than we initially imagined, but it also provided a much needed spark to get us back on the (travel) horse.

A small part of the site, with the Library of Celsus in the background

The most recognizable structure in Ephesus is the Library of Celsus which dates to 125 AD and acts as the main tourist draw, enticing an average of 1.5 million visitors to the site each year. “Commanding” is the best way to describe the impressive facade of the Library, which has been carefully reconstructed from the original pieces. However even more impressive is the fact that the facade stands in its original location, exposed to the elements, yet with so much fine detail and decoration still present. We’ve only seen two other Turkish-Roman ruins of this magnitude – the Pergamon Altar and the Market Gate of Miletus – and they both reside in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin (and have been preserved there for over a hundred years).

The star of Ephesus – the Library of Celsus

Just some of the amazing detail in the structure!

While the Library of Celsus is the face of Ephesus, the site itself has so much more to offer visitors, including the ruins of two theaters and the Temple of Hadrian. Although large sections of the site have yet to be uncovered (only an estimated 15% of the site has been excavated), it’s still possible for visitors to get a sense for how large and important this city would have once been. Even more, the ruins speak to the grandeur and splendor of the city in its former life; a grandeur that included mosaic covered streets, something that has not been seen elsewhere, as well as numerous temples, fountains, and monuments erected in honor of the city’s elite or to commemorate important Imperial visits.

One of the many colonnaded streets at Ephesus

With so much to see, it may come as a surprise that our favorite area of the day was one very few people make time to visit, the Terrace Houses – a small section of ruins that lay hidden under a protective structure in the shadow of the Library of Celsus. Although we didn’t know much about the Terrace Houses before our visit, I happened to remember reading about them weeks earlier on one of the travel blogs we follow, and we decided to check them out. As it turned out, this was the best decision we made all day.

The frescoes and mosaics represented in the Terrace Houses

Originally the homes of the wealthiest and most powerful residents in Ephesus, the Terrace Houses all had their own heating systems and interior baths, a luxury well ahead of their time. However, in addition to these practical elements, the houses were also lavishly decorated with exquisite frescoed walls and mosaic floors. Today, these ruins are being painstakingly restored by archaeologists in what is likely the world’s most complex puzzle. Fortunately for visitors, the site is covered and, with the use of glass-floored walkways, the Terrace Houses can be fully explored.

The detail preserved is amazing

Although extremely impressive, the Terrace Houses were very quiet during our visit – even if the rest of Ephesus was not (I cringe to think about the crowds during the peak summer season). Perhaps the additional 15 Lira entrance fee discourages people from visiting the Terrace Houses, or maybe it’s the fact that the majority of visitors to Ephesus see the site as part of one of the large bus tours that skip this area completely. It was estimated that of the 1.5 million annual visitors to Ephesus, only about 90,000 people find their way into the Terrace Houses (a meager 6%!). This is a real shame. Although Ephesus is known best for the Library of Celsus, I wouldn’t be surprised to see this shift in the future as more and more visitors take note of the incredible Terrace Houses. Unfortunately, with this increased awareness, it’s likely that large tour operators will also begin adding this area to their routes, making the Terrace Houses as busy and crowded as the rest of the site.

The main areas of the site were still surprisingly busy for December

But others were empty…perfect for exploring!

Uncertain if Ephesus would stand up to our incredibly high standards of worthwhile Turkish attractions, we were bowled over by the level of reconstruction and preservation of the ruins. Although Turkey is home to plenty of attention-worthy sites, Ephesus is not to be missed for lovers of history – or those wishing to take a “selfie” on their cellphone in-front of the breathtaking Library of Celsus.

The cats of Ephesus love to pose in front of the library…for a fee of a head rub!

Logistics: Ephesus can be visited as an independent or guided daytrip from Izmir or Kusadasi, however we recommend staying in the surrounding town of Selcuk. From the Selcuk bus station, the site can be reached on foot in about 25 – 30 minutes (there is clear signage and the path is flat and easy to navigate). The site is explored by foot and is open daily from 08:00 – 17:30 (later in the summer). Admission is 25 TL, an additional 15 TL for the Terrace Houses.

While there are some small shops selling souvenirs and snacks on site, we recommend bringing water, especially if visiting in the summer, as well as a snack. Allow a couple hours to fully explore the site and take photos. For a sit down meal, head to Selcuk for delicious doner kebap or turkish pancakes!

The post Ephesus – More than the Library of Celsus appeared first on Have Blog Will Travel.

When preparing our balloon ride post, this photo presented the common problem of one-of-these-things-is-not-like-the-other. As with our writing, we want the photos in our posts to flow well and relate to the themes we discuss. However unlike the rest of our photos from the balloon ride, which are bright and cheerful, featuring clusters of brightly hued balloons, this photo just didn’t fit. While the pictures we used represented our feelings during the 60 minutes we spent in the air – jubilation, joy, excitement, energy – this photo has an entirely different feel.

In addition to feeling the thrill of soaring over Cappadocia,  at times we also felt isolated, small, and insignificant. Although we didn’t talk much about this while raving about the balloon ride, this photograph encapsulates all of those feelings. Of the hundred or so photos I took while up in the air, only a handful have less than five balloons in them. This is the only one with a single balloon. It was so rare to see a balloon on its own, and then the sky opened up…

Not wanting to randomly throw this picture into a post where it didn’t fit (for no other reason than fondness) I’m sharing it today. I’d love to hear what you think!

The post Calli’s Photo Feature 16.12.2013 appeared first on Have Blog Will Travel.

Pamukkale from the city…not as impressive as when you’re up there!

Unfortunately, deciding to visit in December, our timing was a bit off – or on, depending how you look at it. As it was the off-season, we didn’t have to battle large groups of visitors. In fact, at one point were were two of only four total people on the travertines. However, because of the unique process that occurs during the creation of the travertines (the sediments in the water etc…) visitors are prohibited from walking on the travertines and in the pools with shoes on. Even clean sandals aren’t allowed. As a result, we found ourselves rolling up our jeans and removing our warm shoes and socks at the base of the hillside in December. It was very, very cold, an attribute evident by the redness of our poor frozen toes.

Cold or warm? Who knows!

Although the rushing water starts off very warm, the hotsprings that supply the travertines with water range in temperature from 35 to 100 degrees celcius, it cools quite rapidly as it flows downhill – especially in December.  In some areas, where the water pools and sits for a while, it becomes very cold and even freezes – something we learned the hard way. It’s a fun game to guess where the nice warm water will be, and we had a great time watching each other test out possible routes.

Fortunately, while our feet were freezing at some points in the climb, the travertine itself is quite gentle to walk on, and not nearly as slippery as it looks. As we made our way up the hillside, the water feeding the pools became warmer and warmer, until we reached the top where the pools were warm enough to swim in (although we only saw one person partaking in a dip on this particular day). Steam rose off the water as we warmed our grateful feet and legs in the bright blue water. But our visit to the site wasn’t done yet.

Some of the myriad of colours seen in the old pools

The colour of the pools is unreal

A group of people enjoying the hot pools at the top

Perhaps the one thing that makes Pamukkale unrivaled by similar sites around the world are the acres of Roman ruins that cover the hillside surrounding it. Although the travertines would be enough to entice visitors from around the world on their own, it doesn’t hurt that the Roman city of Hierapolis once stood in all its grandeur right at the top.

Old Walls surrounding the ancient city

An ancient street

Hierapolis was one of the most important cities in the Roman Empire, receiving frequent Imperial visits which only helped to raise its stature and importance. Dating back to the 2nd Century AD, Hierapolis was initially a spa town, but it later became a major medical centre as it was believed that the underground thermal springs had incredible healing properties. Home to 100,000 people at its height, the city was also a major centre for arts and philosophy, and stayed so under the Byzantines until its destruction by the Persian army in the 7th century AD. The city survived in some part until the 12th and 13th centuries, when the damage caused by sackings and earthquakes rendered the city unlivable and it was abandoned and forgotten until its rediscovery in 1887.

The ancient theater – built for a visit by Emperor Hadrian

Today, visitors can still walk through the crumbled remains of this once great city. With a large theater still fairly intact, as well as impressive bath houses and a necropolis, it’s possible to get a feeling for just how large the city would have been. Unfortunately during our visit, the blue sky and sunshine of just 24 hours earlier was replaced with angry grey clouds and fat raindrops, making wandering around the ruins a little less comfortable. Nonetheless, we still made an effort to do the site justice, wandering through fields strewn with ruins and taking shelter under the odd tree.

The site is enormous!

Making our way back to the travertine pools, it was time to wander back down the travertine hillside in our bare feet. As we again exposed our feet to the cold, we noticed that the hillside was empty, it seemed that no one else was as crazy as us. And then it started snowing. slowly at first, but then a little harder. Large, perfect snowflakes floated down all around us, making our experience all the more magical. We took turns posing for pictures and catching snowflakes on our tongues, but eventually it was time to make the cold journey back down the hill.

Another couple braving the snow…but just for a few minutes before heading back to the top

When we finally reached the bottom, our feet were once again freezing. Even putting our socks and shoes back did little to help. We met a young Chinese man at the bottom psyching himself up to make the trek to the top, and we dutifully passed on our advice on where to walk to avoid too painful an ascent. Feeling ecstatic with how our day went we gingerly made our way back to our toasty room and under the covers to warm up.

The city and the pond at the bottom

Walking up Pamukkale was one of the most fun and enjoyable moments of our trip. With the silty sand squishing between our frozen toes, and our eyes trying to take in every spectacular view, we didn’t feel like tourists visiting a world famous attraction but instead like kids heading outside after the first snowfall of the year. It was SO much fun!

Logistics: The city of Pamukkale is about 20 minutes by Dolmus from Denizli, which can be easily reached by bus from a number of cities throughout Turkey. The majority of the buses belong to the Pamukkale Bus Company, and our ride from Antalya cost about $15 per person. The bus was very comfortable (as is the norm in Turkey) and included drinks and personal TV screens. The dolmus from Denizli costs about $2 per person and drops you off somewhere in the small town. I’m sure someone will try to scoop you up in their car and “help” you get to your hotel. They will probably try to get you to buy something or take their tour, but they seemed to be pretty harmless. Entrance to the Travertines and Hierapolis costs 20TL per person.

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A 4 hour bus ride from Fethiye and a 20 minute tram ride from the Antalya bus station later, we emerged into the quaint old town. Antalya was definitely not what we were expecting – in a good way.

It was pretty surreal to see a beach in the foreground and snow capped mountains in the background!

Other travelers had suggested that Antalya wasn’t worth the trouble, and with claims that the city was nothing more than a tourist haven full of over crowded resorts, traffic, and nightclubs, we were a bit worried at what we might find. However, after three beautiful days in the city we have nothing but positive things to say about it. Perhaps this is due to the fact that we visited in the off-season – it’s hard to chose a more out-of-peak-season time than we did – but we found the people friendly, the architecture interesting, the history fascinating, and the entire atmosphere very relaxing.

A souvenir store in the old town

Sailboat leaving the harbour

A fabulous look-out over the old town and harbour

Built up from a Greek city dating back to 150 BC, Antalya has lots of wonderful ruins – none more prominent than the giant walls that surround the city’s small harbour. There are also many nearby ruins that can be visited on day tours. However during our time in the city, we stuck close to home, taking lazy walks around the historic centre, looking out over the Mediterranean from several cliff-side vantage points, and even spending an afternoon at the beach where Travis was brave enough to go for a swim.

A day at the beach!

Travis claims the water was warm

Although a lot of people at home won’t understand our need for a vacation from our vacation, it was much needed (I’m sure there is little sympathy from those at home working full time and experiencing temperatures in the -20 degree Celsius range). Knowing that our time on the road will fly by, we try to see as much as possible while traveling and all this sightseeing eventually  takes a toll. Thankfully, after a few days on the Turkish coast, our batteries are recharged and we are ready for our next stop – the travertine pools of Pamukkale!

The traditional architecture of the old town

Carpet stores and quiet streets

A pier at the harbour

The post A Little R&R in Antalya appeared first on Have Blog Will Travel.

Fethiye would serve as the first stop of our 5 day mini vacation (in search of beaches and shopping we later moved on to Antalya). A popular destination for Brits in the Spring and Summer, Fethiye is known for its warm climate, access to ancient Lycian ruins, endless stretches of beach, and its proximity to Rhodes. However in December the city was all but deserted, with only locals and year-round expats milling about.

The marina is quiet this time of year

The almost deserted boardwalk

After stepping off the bus at 7am, we were picked up by the owner of our hotel, a chipper retired doctor (Dr. Can) who insisted on showing us the city, by car and on foot, before allowing us to crawl into bed. We were treated like family, and Dr. Can pointed out the best places to visit, walk, swim, and eat. Seeing as we arrived on a Sunday, and our room was equipped with a kitchen, we decided to make our way to the local produce market for some breakfast and groceries – the nap we so badly wanted would have to wait, again. After exploring the market and refueling with some delicious Turkish pancakes and fresh pomegranate juice, we headed home, the bags in our hands overflowing with fresh fruit, vegetables and local cheese; enough food to last us three days for the bargain price of just $5 CAD.

Fresh fruit and veggies overflowing in the market

A pile of turnip-like root vegetables

Mmmm breakfast!

Now that’s a lot of cheese!

Even though we wanted nothing more to sleep and catch up on our blogging duties during our three days in Fethiye, the good doctor had another idea. On our first day in the city, he insisted on leading us into his car for a personal tour of the surrounding hillsides. Our first stop of the day was a small beach, popular with locals in the summer but deserted in the off-season; with the exception of two men working at a small convenience stand and a lazy dog sleeping in the sun, we were the only people on the beautiful beach.

Such a beautiful beach – we love the orange cliffs and bright blue water

As the sun beat down and the water, swimmable by Canadian standards, crashed against the shoreline we wanted nothing more than to jump in and go for a swim. If only we’d remembered to bring our bathing suits. Apparently just last year, Demi Moore (vacationing aboard a yacht) had this same beach shut down for the evening so she and her posse could dine uninterrupted by the common folk.

Fethiye from the hillside

After marveling at the stunning sky-blue coloured water and orange hued cliffs, we regretfully loaded back into the car and set off for our second destination, the abandoned town of Karakoy. As it turns out, the doctor had a few tricks up his sleeve, one of which was a hidden admission free entrance to the deserted city.

Crumbling ruins, portions of the exterior paint are still visible

Once a thriving Greek city of about 2000 called Karmylissos, the city was transformed into a ghost town during the Greek-Turkish population exchange in 1923. Around 500 buildings remain today in varying levels of decay – including two Greek Orthodox churches. We wandered around the ruins for about an hour, marveling at the speed at which mother nature was reclaiming the abandoned buildings, and attempting to visually reconstruct the buildings using our imagination.

The largest intact building we found – unfortunately it was closed for repairs

A portion of the sprawling ruins

After a filling lunch of (more) homemade Turkish pancakes (we finally got to try a sweet one made with sweetened and thinned Tahina), we hit our third stop of the day, the Blue Lagoon near Oludeniz. After weaving our way down towards the water, we were greeted with one of the most spectacular beaches we had ever seen. And we had it all to ourselves (save for a couple friendly fishermen). Set in a secluded cover, the beach is set in protected nature reserve and construction is thankfully prohibited.

A gorgeous stretch of beach – the lagoon is tucked in behind at the far end

We wandered along the long pebbled beach on one side of the small peninsula, watching as the waves crashed into the beach and a lone fisherman sat patiently in his boat. Crossing over to the other side, we were immediately struck by the colour of the water in the lagoon. Blues and turquoises like we had never seen before sparkled in the sunlight. The only disturbance to the perfectly flat water were three fishermen plying their trade with the hopes of a tasty dinner.

A single fisherman paddles into the lagoon

Suddenly, and without warning, a torrential rain shower materialized from the ominous clouds that had been following our road-trip all day. Luckily, the fisherman waved us over to the shelter of a convenience stand, boarded up for the winter. A few minutes later, the storm dissipated as quickly as it began and we moved on to explore more of the lagoon, bidding our new friends goodbye.

Endless stretches of beach and sparkling turquoise waters just minutes from Fethiye

Finally, just as the sun started sinking into the Sea, we made our way to the final stop of our tour, Butterfly Valley. A 1km deep gorge opening up into the sea, the valley is renowned for it’s still (fairly) untouched beach with only bungalows or tents for sleeping, and it gets its name from the butterflies that congregate near the waterfall that crashes down into the valley.

A sliver of Butterfly Valley can be seen from the road

We took 20 minutes to watch the sun begin to set and stared down over the cliff edge, making Dr. Can even more and more nervous every time we inched out farther to get a better view. Alas, it was time to make our way back and call it a day.

Although we initially wanted to spend our days in Fethiye laying around, trying to write, our daytrip turned out to be an absolute blast! We had to thank Dr. Can for his insistence on getting out and exploring – and we were grateful as we would not have made it to the majority of the places we visited using just public transport. After a sunny second day in the city, where we made a half-hearted effort to explore the old town and harbour by foot, our third and final day was a complete write off. As the rain came down in sheets outside, pooling up to two inches deep in the streets, we found ourselves trapped in the hotel for most of our last day. Alas we were forced to do nothing but sleep, blog, and watch television all completely guilt-free.

Have you ever needed a “vacation” from traveling? How did you go about it? Let us know in the comments section!

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Foreword: To all my parents at home (biological, step, in-law, grand, and honorary), I am completely, 100% OK and there is nothing to worry about. Also I’m sorry you are finding out about this incident here and not over the phone – I chickened out, my bad.

With our last day in Cappadocia, we decided to explore Love Valley, home to Cappadocia’s unique and world-famous phallic rock formations. I’ll let you put two and two together as to the origins of the name “Love Valley”. It was sunny, for the first time in our five days in the area, and I immediately regretted wearing three layers – a common occurrence that completely mystifies Travis.

Where we were headed (a loonng way down)

I will glaze over the details of how I ended up in this particular predicament, because that isn’t really the moral of the story here, and simply say that only an hour into our hike I ended up precariously clinging to the side of a steep rock-face, 30 some feet above the ground below, with Travis out of reach and unable to help*. It was friggen scary.

Oh what I would have given for some goat-like climbing abilities

On my back, feet and hand planted under me, I was unable to get any traction in the sandy dirt that thinly covered the slippery rock-face. Unable to move, yet also unstable in my current position, I realized I was in trouble. I could start sliding down the steep mountain side at any minute and really hurt myself. Panic ensued as my Dad’s words (from our numerous Skype calls) rang through my head.

Take care of each other and be safe.

With my emotions running high, I blurted out something about not wanting to die and moved towards hysterics. Luckily, I didn’t really have time for a full breakdown (that would come later) and instead made a decision to get the heck off the mountainside. If it sounds like an episode of Bear Grylls or a scene from a Bourne film I can guarantee that this has everything to do with my writing and not my actions on that rock-face. Nothing that happened up there was calm, collected, or coordinated. Using my hands to shuffle backwards a few inches at a time, and trying to maintain some traction with the soles of my running shoes, I slowly made my way up the slope in some sort of unorthodox crab crawl.

I want to stress that the danger was real, scary, and really scary

Moral number one of the story: always wear appropriate footwear. Had I thrown on ballet flats, TOMS, or cute boots instead of runners that morning, I might not be here to recount my tale today. Or would be too high from the painkillers to give an accurate account.

Moral number two of the story: go to the gym. If you hate tricep dips (who doesn’t?) next time you hit a wall at the gym try fearing for your life and I guarantee it’ll keep you going. As much as my arms screamed out in pain and wanted to give out, they didn’t and I eventually scooted my way up the hillside. However they were more than a little sore the next day.

Once safe and sound in a big hug from Travis, the waterworks started. It didn’t help that my body was flooded with adrenalin.

Finally, the main moral of the story. After so many days of constant travel, keeping on our toes to avoid the most common scams and dangers, it is still so easy to let your guard down for only a moment and get into real trouble. No one travels to have a bad experience, be scammed, or get hurt, but it still happens. I won’t ever know what might have happened had I slipped and fallen down that mountainside, and although I likely wouldn’t have died, I could have been seriously injured, scaring my friends and family back home and putting an end to our travels.

Reason #1 to stay safe = Adorable puppies

Luckily I am ok and was able to walk away with only a good scare. I’m really grateful nothing bad happened and am taking this opportunity to learn, reflect on how I ended up in this situation, and be a smarter traveler moving forward. I hope you will to.

In the end, Love Valley was quite the sight to see and you can bet that a visit to the silver store for a new ring (or two…) was in order as soon as we returned to town – you know, to celebrate life!

*Travis is worried that he comes off poorly in this post, and as a result may receive some flack from family back home. However I want to clarify that he was a nervous wreck through this whole episode, even trying to climb over to me before I yelled at him to smarten up. Also, it was my stupid idea to try to climb down where we did.

The post The time I nearly fell to my death in Cappadocia appeared first on Have Blog Will Travel.

Be still my beating heart! A little friend we met along the way.

We were extremely excited about getting out and doing some hiking, and although the weather didn’t always feel like cooperating (such are the perils of traveling in the off-season), we still managed to spend three of our five days trekking gracefully and not-so-gracefully through this unique terrain.

Goreme Open Air Museum

While not technically a hiking area, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention the Goreme Open Air Museum. At it’s core, the museum is simply a fenced off portion featuring the best preserved of the 11th to 13th century cave churches. Many of the churches still feature stunning frescoes and exquisitely preserved wall carvings inside.

One of the cave churches showing the carvings around the entrance

The colourful frescoes inside

We had heard a few negative reviews about the site – mainly having to do with the small area, lack of toilets, and the fairly steep entry fee (15 TL). As we were there on a weekday in the off-season, many of these were non-issues for us. There was one tour bus in the parking and probably only 50 people in the whole site.

Another one of the cave churches

Red and Rose Valley

Probably our favorite hiking trail winds its way through the appropriately named Red and Rose Valleys. Containing countless ancient cave homes for the intrepid adventurer to explore, and set in a valley with colours reminiscent of the US Southwest, this region is a hiker’s dream.

The amazing rock formations in the valley

Cave homes to explore

We spent almost an entire day exploring this area. There are some general paths marked by a combination of trail markers and spray paint, but our enjoyment came from the freedom to explore wherever looked interesting to us. Plus, we made a canine friend in Goreme that decided we were worthy companions and joined us for our entire trip!

The view towards Uchisar Castle from Red Valley

The Red and Rose Valley hike traditionally starts near the Open Air Museum and ends at the nearby city of Cavusin. However, on our particular afternoon, some of the most ominous rain clouds we’ve ever seen started to thunder their way down the valley towards us and we decided to stop about 1km short of Cavusin and follow the main highway back to Goreme, just barely avoiding the impending storm by a few minutes!

The origin of the names, Red and Rose Valley, comes from the amazing colour of the cliffs

Love Valley

Oh Love Valley, the place where inappropriate travel photos come to life. Best known for its, um, “phallic” shaped columns – this is one of the most unique places to hike in the world. That is, if you don’t almost kill yourselves trying to get there (more on that in a later post, but let’s just say you should stick to the roads and paths and not take a shortcut over the ridges).

Love Valley – you can probably guess where the name came from!

Located just a short walk from Goreme, Love Valley is just one in a series of wonderful hiking valleys. Other than the hot air balloon pictures, this valley is probably the most common sight in a Google image search for Cappadocia.

The phallic columns of Love Valley

We spent about half a day exploring Love Valley and the surrounding area – taking funny photos and giggling all the while. It is definitely a place that will bring out your inner child. The hiking in this series of valleys is straightforward and very easy going.

Love valley makes for an easy and interesting hike

Funny pictures are an inevitability!

Around Goreme

If you don’t fancy committing to a longer day, or you aren’t sure the weather is going to hold for long enough, there are some absolutely amazing hikes to do simply by walking to the edges of Goreme. Hiking in the hills, or in one of the nearby valleys (Pigeon, Zemi, etc), can provide you with memories you will never forget. Plus, you can just wander back to town for a tea or some gozleme (aka Turkish Pancakes) whenever you want!

A rainbow just outside Goreme

 No matter how long you are in the region, hiking is one of the things you should make time to do. The landscapes in Cappadocia are truly one-of-a-kind and the hiking is generally straightforward and not very strenuous. As with most hiking, we would not recommend going it alone (especially if you are a female), and always ask your hosts about the areas you are heading to before taking off – many have wonderful insights and are extremely helpful. We also recommend not straying too far from hiking trails and be aware of stray dogs (the vast majority are friendly, but you can never be too sure!). 

Logistics: Hiking is one of the best FREE things to do in Cappadocia. The only place with an entrance fee is the Goreme Open Air Museum (15TL per person). Sometimes the best way to get to a hiking region may be taking a dolmus (i.e. dolmus up and hike back). Just ask your hosts or at the bus station and someone will point you in the right direction!

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A simple shoe shine may not seem like a big deal in North America, but in Turkey these portable stalls pop up everywhere. While some are as sparkling as the first day they were purchased, others are tarnished with years of polish, a badge of honor depicting the thousands of shoes that have found renewal in the hands of a talented shoe shiner.

The men who work these stalls are all different as well – their appearances seeming to mirror that of their stalls. Unfortunately, a search online only brings up warnings of shoe shining scams, nothing of their history or importance in Turkey. I assume that the practice relates back to religion, as so many things seem to, and the Muslim practices of Ablution – the necessity for cleanliness. Although this is simply my attempt to make sense of something unfamiliar and new.

Either way, this quiet moment between shoe shiner and customer was a welcome departure from the clamour of the Grand Bazaar, if only too short.

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