The Splendid Turkey - Capadoccia

18th March 2014

As early as 4.30 in the morning, we left the hotel to catch the morning Turkish Airlines flight to Kayseri. It was not something pleasant to do but thinking that we would have so much to do in Cappadocia, things would be much improved later.

The flight time was around 1 hour 15 minutes and it was a smooth one. We reached Kayseri Airport, a small airport but the moment we exited the arrival hall, we were impressed with the stunning snow-capped mountain in front of us. I've seen Mt. Fuji and this view is something extra. Didn't expect to see this at this point in time because, in my head, I was imagining rocks and stones everywhere.

Kayseri Airport

Kayseri Airport, one of the gateways to Cappadocia

The amazing snow-capped mountain.

We boarded the shuttle to Goreme and it took around 1 hour plus to reach Goreme. The view along the highway was pretty dull, though I was hoping to see something beautiful along the way. But waking up early in the morning did make me feel a little sleepy and I took a nap for a while, 10 to 15 minutes maybe.

The only picture I have along the way from Kayseri to Cappadocia

When the non-English speaking driver made a loud phone call, I woke up and saw the landscape had changed. We have already entered Cappadocia. Mind that Cappadocia is not a city, but rather a huge region, covering Goreme, Kaymakli, Urgup, Nevsehir, and several others.

We were brought further to a place where the rocky structures in conical shape were visible. Several tourist buses and shuttles were parked on the roadside and we got down here. We were waiting for our tour guide to arrive and while waiting, we enjoyed the view right in front of us. In our group, there was a Japanese solo lady traveler and several other guys from India

Goreme

Let the pictures do the talking.

Weathering caused this formation and it took hundred or thousands of years 

"They are just rocks". Most people say that but if you appreciate the power of nature, you won't be saying that.

Erosion of the yellow sandstone

Another view from inside the shuttle

Cave houses were abundant here but they were vacated now.

Fairy Chimneys

This is another point of attraction visited in Capadoccia. Seriously, I love this place. Looks like mushrooms and of course, the famous cute bluish cartoon character appeared in my mind, The Smurfs, and they live in mushrooms. These structures served not only as shelters but also as a religious place where one of these mushrooms was actually a chapel.

Once again, visitors can observe the power of nature that has created these wonderful structures. Besides the amazing structure, these Fairy Chimneys are also able to keep the residents comfortable, be it winter or summer. Since we were unable to access this chimney, we were not so convinced on the fact that this structure could actually do so. But the visit to the Underground City of Kaymakli has actually supported the fact of these special cave-houses.

The only thing that intrigues me until today is the access to the chimneys. As you can see below, there are no stairs or any structures in which one can gain entrance. Unless the stairs have been eroded due to weathering, then things are much more logical.

The day was really sunny with cloudless blue sky and I love it a lot. I took the chance to inhale fresh air, though occasionally fumes from the tourist buses did choke me a bit, occasionally

There are several small shops selling typical Turkish souvenirs but they are lot more expensive compared to the shop at the first stop at Goreme. So word of advice, don't spend here but spend at Goreme.

I thought it was about time to have Turkish ice cream so I bought one. And guess what, it costed me 7.50 Lira!! I was about to throw the ice-cream to the ice-cream vendor. No wonder he didn't answer when I ask for the price, instead mumbling in his Turkish language with friendly gesture. There were two vendors and I bought it from the 'noisiest' vendor. I was told that the other vendor sells it for 4 Lira only. If anyone happens to visit this place, by all means, avoid buying ice-cream from the 'loud' vendor, or if you insist, ask for he price first and if he doesn't want to tell, then ignore it. Sadly, the ice-cream bought was not so Turkish at all.

The next attraction is Goreme Open Air Museum.

Goreme Open Air Museum

This is another amazing place that is worth visiting to grasp the idea of how Christianity was practiced previously. This museum consists of convents and shrines, several chapels, and churches. The chapels and churches have paintings that have stories to tell though some paintings were vandalized and faded due to weathering.

This museum sits on Goreme National Park and it is gazetted as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is good that it is declared as a heritage site so that no one could vandalize this wonderful place and the future generation will be able to see this unique place.

The entrance fee is 15 Lira but I didn't have to pay as it was already included in the package.

This is where the priests stayed

Goreme Open Air Museum is part of Goreme National Park 

To experience Capadoccia better, a minimum of 3 days and 2 nights are recommended. For me, this short visit is always a reason to come back and enjoy this paradise on earth.

The Pink City of Rajasthan - Jaipur

Lovely Jaipur!! That is what I can remember about Jaipur after more than a year visiting this city. Iy has everything as far as I concern, I mean, there are many interesting places, the heritage site, good restaurant and nice shopping places for cheap stuffs. The Amber fort is amazing though the horrible heat might be too much to adapt with, and the amazing Hawa Mahal is just as stunning though the bamboo scaffolder covering the whole palace was a little upsetting. I spent the most in this city and bought myself fancy sandel, skirts, colourful umbrella (not to be used in the rain though) and lots of souvenirs.  

We started our city trip pretty early in the morning, around 8.30 am. And our first destination was the Amber Fort. To get to the fort, all visitors need to ride an elephant uphill and it was pretty fun. The elephant ride costed Rps 200 per person, and the entrance fee itself is Rps 250 per person. And you have to tip the elephant 'rider' as well. If you don't, they will ask, and if you give too little, they will ask for more. You can either ignore him, or give more. Elephant rides are only available until certain period of time and each elephant has limited number of trips allowed. There was an incident where one of the elephant ran amok after making quite a number of trips ups and down, to and from the fort. 

Like any other forts, Amber fort is very unique and really. I can't recall the overall size of the fort. Not all area is accessible, though if one has a lot of time to kill, exploring the underground tunnel may be a good idea. The tunnel leads to the other fort at the upper hill, Jaigarh Fort. I have the feeling that tunnel is spooky, dark and narrow. I think I am beginning to feel claustrophobic. 

Amber Fort

Magnificient Amber Fort 

It was hot, but will be very pleasant during winter

Elephants on duty

Lining up to pick up curious visitors

Nice make up for the elephant

A garden on the lake

My favorite building in Amber Fort. Lovely paintings and decoration@Ganesh Pol entrance

Another area of the fort on the upper hill

Ceiling with pieces of small mirrors and really beautiful decorations

Another masterpiece

Sheesh Mahal

Observation tower, I presume

Please be reminded not to spend money here yet. Items sold by the street sellers are considerably cheap but will be much cheaper to shop in the town.

Jal Mahal

From Amber Fort to Jaipur city, we stopped by the road just to have a glimpse on a palace built in the middle of a lake, called Jal Mahal. Not sure what was the history, or facts about this palace but Google would definitely be helpful on this.

Jantar Mantar

After a few minutes drive from Jal Mahal, our driver dropped us at Jaipur city and we were on our own since the major attractions are close to each other, and the shopping arcades as well. We did the shopping first before visiting the attractions. I was so tempted with the fancy umbrella (made of embroidered cloth), although some people think it was pretty impractical to buy an umbrella which can't keep you from being wet. But during this mid day, this fancy, colourful umbrella helped a lot in protecting me from the extreme sun ray and I was glad to buy several umbrellas (love the patterns, colours and embroidery).

So we visited Jantar Mantar to get some information on the astronomy. Most of the structures are huge and I thought people in the past was brilliant. The visit to Jantar Mantar, which is the UNESCO World Heritage Site, would be fun if if we can totally understand the function of each structure. There are descriptions written but more on the history of each structure rather then the operational explanation.

We spent quite some times here as there were benches under the trees and we were able to shelter from the extreme sunlight and mid day heat. We haven't had lunch yet so we munched on the tit bits just and drank lots of mineral water to refresh ourselves. 

Near Jantar Mantar, there is another attraction, the City Palace, just less than 100 m away. But we were not interested to see merely because of the more expensive entrance fee than Jantar Mantar. And on top of that, we have visited the amazing Amber Fort so we thought it would be less impressive. So we headed to Hawa Mahal. By the way, the entrance fee for Jantar Mantar is Rps 200.

Palace of the Wind (Hawa Mahal)

Hawa Mahal is the most important landmark for Jaipur city. No one will forget this lovely palace whenever visiting Jaipur. But during this visit, I was so disappointed to see those bamboo scaffolders covering the palace. I didn't expect this but seeing the palace had already made me drop my jaw. Entrance fee is Rps 300 but like any other attractions in India (most of them), additional charge is applied to video camera.

After Hawa Mahal, we walked around the bazaar and bought several items before heading back to our room. That was the end of our day in Jaipur.

The Monkey Temple

We left Jaipur around 8.30 am to get to Fatehpur Sikri, and the to Agra. On our way to Fatehpur Sikri, we stopped at a temple, the Monkey Temple, which is 45 minutes from Jaipur city. The temple was interesting and as the name implies, there are a lot of monkeys there, especially at the pool. I think this place is more like a shrine.

The temple was built in between to hills. It was very calm and not many people there. There is no entrance fee but donation is anticipated, though we were charged for Rps 50 for our camera., each Ouchhh....

The monkeys here were not the tame monkeys and they seemed to be very aggressive and fierce. Most probably it was the mating period, or maybe the females protecting their babies. But whatever it was, we didn't want to get involve in this monkey business, so we left the temple in less than 15 minutes.

Four hours later, we reached Fatehpur Sikri, another UNESCO World Heritage site in the state of Uttar Pradesh.