Drive Around Ankara, Turkey, Nov 2012

Dear Diary,

The next morning, we woke up early feeling fresh and looking forward to seeing more of Turkey’s wonders. At the same time, we mentally prepared ourselves for another day full of activities. Our 6^th day in Turkey began with a long drive to Ankara.

Ankara, the capital of Turkey, is the second largest city after Istanbul. It is divided into two sections, namely old and new section. In the old section, visitors can roam and marvel at ancient buildings on narrow winding streets. While in the new section, modern buildings, shopping malls, government agencies and foreign embassies are located. For more information on Ankara, please click here.

Sharing more pictures of Ankara…

...an antique shop

...spices, nuts, dried fruits

...row of shops in the old section of Ankara

...a copper shop, i think

Traditional Dances at Altinocak Restaurant, Cappadocia, Turkey, Nov 2012

Dear Diary,

Our fifth day in Turkey was pack with activities from early morning up until middle of the night. After a pit stop at Pasabag Valley for taking pictures, we went back to our hotel, refreshed ourselves, dined scrumptious buffet dinner then we gathered at the lobby for another activity. Remember our lunch at an underground cave restaurant, Altinocak Restaurant. That night after dinner, we went to the restaurant again. This time not for culinary experience but for cultural and folklore shows.

Light refreshments of mixed nuts, fresh fruits and Turkish Delights were served to us. From the listed shows, I was looking forward to watching Sufi whirling and belly dancing. Whirling dance was the first performance. There were two male dancers. One of them looked very deep in trance. It seemed as if he was hypnotized and was in another realm. It was surreal. For more in depth info, please click here.

Next, we enjoyed several upbeat traditional dances. The performances were lively and pleasurable.

As the night grew longer, our eyes were droopier. We were up from before dawn and we were dead tired! Furthermore, the kids started to act up. In the middle of the show, all of us unanimously agreed to call it a day. We longed for our beds and rests.

By going back early, we didn’t get to watch belly dancing though. Lucky, I already watched it at Colossae Spa & Thermal Hotel in Pamukkale.

Pasabag Valley, Cappadocia, Turkey, Nov 2012

Dear Diary,

We didn’t stay very long at the underground house in Cappadocia since we had a tight schedule to follow. Before heading back to our hotel, we made another photo stop at Pasabag Valley. In Turkish, Pasabag Valley means General's Vineyard.

Subhanallah was the first word that I uttered when I laid eyes on the landscape. Pasabag Valley, also known as Monks Valley, contains some of the most incredible fairy chimneys, with twin and triple rock caps. There before my eyes standing tall was pillars of rocks (fairy chimneys) with cone shaped black stones (rock caps) on top. These fairy chimneys are called mushroom shaped fairy chimneys. It seems like some magic hands work wonders by placing all the stones fittingly in place.

Volcano eruption and later erosion shaped this landscape to what it is today, a natural process that took million of years to materialize.

Betapa besar ciptaan dan kuasa Allah

Source: www.goreme.com

Tea Drinking at a Local House, Cappadocia, Turkey, Nov 2012

Dear Diary,

Not only we visited an underground city and lunched inside an underground cave restaurant, we were also welcomed into a local house (an underground one). This is an actual underground house with people still living in it. What an experience!

Pathway leading to the house

It was a simple house with minimal furniture and adornment

A heater in the middle of the living room…very useful during winter

The hospitable owner who has 2 children

Nice, hot tea

Zarra and Irfan enjoying their teas. Nak jadi cerita si Irfan dah bagi tumpah teh tu ataih carpet yang tuan rumah tu hand made. Masa tu rasa nak ja meresap masuk dalam tanah. Malu weh!

Hand made crafts by the landlady (bought few items....dah anak bagi tumpah teh kan)

Can you spot all the hanging grapes?

Blue Art Center, Cappadocia, Turkey, Nov 2012

Dear Diary,

Stuffed with delicious foods and done with lunch at an underground cave restaurant, we hopped on to our tour bus. Ibrahim, our quiet driver, drove us to Blue Art Center.

Blue Art Center is a jewelry production center, located in the heart of Anatolian region. Assorted types of jewelry are produced here using gems such as turquoise, lapis, emerald, amber, amethyst, onyx that come from all over the world.

A representative of the center briefed us on their products. All female member of our tour group were ecstatic, me including, listening attentively to the explanation given. Girls being girls kan.

Turquoise is a very important stone for Turks and plays an important role in their lives traditionally.

In the end, I didn’t get anything. Too expensive la, better I buy 916 kan :-)

Altinocak Restaurant, Cappadocia, Turkey, Nov 2012

Dear Diary,

Having experience moon-like landscapes at Uchisar Castle,Pigeon Valley and Goreme Open Air Museum, we were all geared up for our next unique experience.

Destination: Altinocak Restaurant

Description: An underground cave restaurant

For lunch, we devoured bread with soup, salad, rice with fish and pudding.

For a while there, we got to experience “living” in a cave.

Address: Yeni Mahalle Hasankalesi Mevkii Eski Tuz Yolu No. 95 50500 Avanos Cappadocia. Website: www.cappadociarestaurants.com

Goreme Open Air Museum, Cappadocia, Turkey, Nov 2012

Dear Diary,

When you hear or read the word MUSEUM, what images usually come into your mind? What appears in my mind is usually an image of a building or room that displays old historical stuffs. Imagine my awe when we were told that we’d be going to an open air museum. No wonder Turkey is a popular choice among tourists because the country is blessed with many natural marvels.

Buckle or Tokali Church

Goreme Open Air Museum, a World Heritage Site, is an extensive cluster of cave churches with original wall paintings. Visitors can explore and marvel at many churches and chapels carved side by side into the rocks, such as Nunnery, St. Barbara Church, Apple Church, Dark Church, Buckle (Tokali) Church, etc.

Other worldly landscape of Goreme Open Air Museum

Merchandise sold at the museum's gift shop

Once again, we didn’t join the tour inside the rock-carved churches. Do, however, enjoy few photos that I snapped around the museum’s entrance and gift shop.

Tok dengan cucu-cucu

While waiting for the rest of the group finished the tour, we warmed ourselves inside a café. It’s heavenly sipping hot chocolate in cold weather.

Sources: www.goreme.com, www.muze.gov.tr