. OnHiatus.com > Journal 1 > Day Index > Journal Entry: March 8, 1998

Sunday, March 8, 1998
Istanbul to Göreme (Cappadocia), Turkey
Turkey's FlagCentral Anatolia's Flag

Map
Göreme (Cappadocia), Turkey:
Latitude: 38° 38' 8" North
Longitude: 34° 49' 26" East
Altitude: 4002 feet
From Seattle: 7892 miles
Lodging: Hostel - Panoramic Pension

Map
Today's Travel:
Country: Turkey
Region: Central Anatolia
Route: Bus: Istanbul - Ankara - Göreme
Path:Istanbul - Göreme (Cappadocia), Turkey
Linear:360 miles
Weather: Sunny

Available Photos:

Cave dwellings with frescos Göreme Open air museum, Göreme, Turkey

The Monastery of Nuns Göreme Open air museum, Göreme, Turkey

Chapel Göreme Open air museum, Göreme, Turkey

Frescos in the Çarikli Church Göreme Open air museum, Göreme, Turkey

Door Göreme Open air museum, Göreme, Turkey

The Çarikli Church Göreme Open air museum, Göreme, Turkey

Exterior wall of cave church with moon Göreme Open air museum, Göreme, Turkey

Moon through open door Göreme Open air museum, Göreme, Turkey

All photo images © 1997-2000 Anthony Jones - Images may not be used without prior written approval.

Click on map to Zoom in...
Map
Trip Stats to Date:
Day: 332
Linear Dist: 95640
Countries Visited: 27
Regions Visited: 107
More stats...
Hotels: 52
Friends / Family: 98
Camping: 38
Hostels: 112
Transit: 32
Beers: 1407
Hide...

Journal Entry:
Annoyed with bus companies in general. They lie about the length of the bus ride, and about connecting buses so you'll go with thier company. I was supposed to get to Ankara at 5am, and catch another bus to Göreme (for one million lira) at 5:50, putting me in Göreme at 9am. I got there at 5am, but the first bus to Göreme wasn't until 7:30am (and for 1.5 million), though they claimed it would only take until 9 to get there (even though the guide book said 4 hours). Anyway I won't be using Özen bus company again. Sat and drank tea at the Otogar (bus station) and watched the sun rise (nice sun rise, ugly landscape). Caught the 90 minute bus to Göreme, and 4 hours later we're still not there. Finally right at about noon I climb out of the bus. My first view of the Göreme Valley is pretty striking, it's a huge rock face (maybe five or six hundred feet high) with hundreds of windows carved in it,it looks like something from downtown Bedrock.

Met Jeann, Laura, and Rachel (from Budapest, and Olimpos), dumped my stuff in the cave I'm staying in and went with them to the Göreme Open Air Museum. The Museum is just an old village that was carved out of the rock formations. The striking part is that many of the churches (there must be 10 of them) still have well preserved frescos. After we went to dinner and talked about the middle east (they are also headed that way). If the timing works out with my visas we'll probably start off together.


Paging: [⇚ Mar 7] | [Mar 9 ⇛] OnHiatus.com > Journal 1 > Day Index > Journal Entry: March 8, 1998