2012 Turkish Delights

9月 2012

In September I took a group of 19 Ghostriders to complete a three week trip around Turkey. The trip was to combine cycling, challenging trekking and lots of active sightseeing. もっと詳しく

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The World on Two Wheels 2012 Turkish Delights
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- 2012/09/08 2:40
- ⛅ 9 °C
- 海抜: 114 m
- オーストラリア State of Victoria Hume Melbourne Airport -37.674367, 144.84865337°40’28” S 144°50’55” E
日1
Goodbye Melbourne, Hello Istanbul
2012年9月8日, オーストラリア ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C
Two o'clock in the morning is certainly an early start to a long trip, but that was when our group of 19 was gathered at the departure gate for our flight to Dubai. Our final destination was Istanbul, but that was still a long, long way away.

Because of the mysteries of time zones, although we would be in transit for almost 24 hours, somehow we were due to touchdown in Istanbul about 6 pm the same afternoon.

I had been planning this trip for almost 2 years, and it is always a fantastic feeling of anticipation, knowing that all those plans are finally about to start coming to fruition.もっと詳しく
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The World on Two Wheels 2012 Turkish Delights
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- 2012/09/08 18:54
- ⛅ 23 °C
- 海抜: 44 m
- トルコ İstanbul Fatih Sultanahmet Hippodrome of Constantinople 41.006351, 28.97865941°0’23” N 28°58’43” E
日1
The Long Flight Over
2012年9月8日, トルコ ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
After arrival at Istanbul, we were whisked by minibus to our hotel in the Sultanahmet district of Istanbul. This is a superb location, with views over the Blue Mosque and down to the Bosporus Strait.

We had a little time to explore our new surroundings, before heading of to bed for a well deserved rest.もっと詳しく
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The World on Two Wheels 2012 Turkish Delights
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- 2012/09/09 20:56
- 🌙 22 °C
- 海抜: 9 m
- トルコ İstanbul Fatih Sultanahmet Ahırkapı Burnu 41.005105, 28.98244441°0’18” N 28°58’57” E
日2
Free Day in Istanbul
2012年9月9日, トルコ ⋅ 🌙 22 °C
Today was our chance to explore some parts of Istanbul, within walking distance of our hotel. The most unexpected of these was the huge underground water cistern. We were certainly not expecting to find a huge underground water cistern, built more like a cathedral than a water tank.

This was actually one of several such cisterns which were designed to store water for the inhabitants of Constantinople.

Fifty-two stone steps descend into the entrance of the cistern. The cistern is surrounded by a firebrick wall with a thickness of 4 metres (13 ft) and coated with a waterproofing mortar. The Basilica Cistern's water came from the Eğrikapı Water Distribution Center in the Belgrade Forest, which lie 19 kilometres (12 mi) north of the city. It traveled through the 971-metre-long (3,186 ft) Valens (Bozdoğan) Aqueduct, and the 115-metre-long (377 ft) Mağlova Aqueduct, which was built by the Emperor Justinian.[1]

The weight of the cistern lies on the columns by means of the cross-shaped vaults and round arches of its roof.

The Basilica Cistern has undergone several restorations since its foundation. The first of the repairs were carried out twice during the Ottoman State in the 18th century during the reign of Ahmed III in 1723 by the architect Muhammad Agha of Kayseri. The second major repair was completed during the 19th century during the reign of Sultan Abdulhamid II (1876–1909). Cracks to masonry and damaged columns were repaired in 1968, with additional restoration in 1985 by the Istanbul Metropolitan Museum. During the 1985 restoration, 50,000 tons of mud were removed from the cisterns, and platforms built throughout to replace the boats once used to tour the cistern.

The cistern was opened to the public in its current condition on 9 September 1987. In May 1994, the cistern underwent additional cleaning.

Tomorrow we catch a short domestic flight to Nevsehire.もっと詳しく
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The World on Two Wheels 2012 Turkish Delights
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- 2012/09/10 20:24
- 17 °C
- 海抜: 1,173 m
- トルコ Nevşehir 38.633388, 34.7176338°38’0” N 34°43’3” E
日3
Flight to Nevsihir
2012年9月10日, トルコ ⋅ 17 °C
After having most of the day free to explore Istanbul, a late afternoon flight took us to Nevsihir, in the east of Turkey. We then had a 70 km drive to Ihlara.
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The World on Two Wheels 2012 Turkish Delights
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- 2012/09/11 20:40
- 18 °C
- 海抜: 1,336 m
- トルコ Aksaray Ilısu Güvercinlik Deresi 38.24716, 34.32743938°14’50” N 34°19’39” E
日4
Drive to Ihlara
2012年9月11日, トルコ ⋅ 18 °C
The highlight of today was an extended walk down the magical Ihlara Valley. With its incredible protected microclimate and the towering rock walls pockmarked with carved dwelling places, there is little wonder why this location is often thought to be the location of the Garden of Eden.

We enjoyed lunch in the middle of the valley at a riverside restaurant and then carried on hiking in the valley to Selime Monastery.もっと詳しく
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The World on Two Wheels 2012 Turkish Delights
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- 2012/09/12 20:42
- 21 °C
- 海抜: 1,098 m
- トルコ Nevşehir Göreme 38.642759, 34.82996738°38’34” N 34°49’48” E
日5
Goreme, Cappadocia
2012年9月12日, トルコ ⋅ 21 °C
Today our journey took us to Goreme. The Göreme National Park was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985. This is a fascinating area of flute chimneys and stunning rock formations. Christianity was the prevailing religion in the region, which is evident from many rock churches that can still be seen today.

Goreme will be our home for the next three nights. Our hotel is literally built into a solid rock wall, with much of my room imbedded into the cliff. I had certainly never stayed anywhere like it.もっと詳しく
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The World on Two Wheels 2012 Turkish Delights
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- 2012/09/13 20:53
- 20 °C
- 海抜: 1,101 m
- トルコ Nevşehir Göreme 38.642089, 34.82962338°38’32” N 34°49’47” E
日6
Cycling in Cappadocia
2012年9月13日, トルコ ⋅ 20 °C
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The World on Two Wheels 2012 Turkish Delights
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- 2012/09/14 19:13
- 25 °C
- 海抜: 1,101 m
- トルコ Nevşehir Göreme 38.642089, 34.82962338°38’32” N 34°49’47” E
日7
Rose Valley Cappadocia
2012年9月14日, トルコ ⋅ 25 °C
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The World on Two Wheels 2012 Turkish Delights
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- 2012/09/15 20:43
- 🌙 21 °C
- 海抜: 1,352 m
- トルコ Nevşehir Derinkuyu 38.373576, 34.73512238°22’25” N 34°44’6” E
日8
Hot Air Balloon then an Underground City
2012年9月15日, トルコ ⋅ 🌙 21 °C
What better way to see the incredible sights of Cappodocia, than from the gondola of a hot air balloon ? Although our guide did not want us to leave the ground, he eventually gave in when I demanded that he make it happen.

We arose before dawn to join hundreds of other travellers, as they took an early morning flight over the region. It was an experience none of us will ever forget. Nothing can prepare you for the sight of hundreds of multi-coloured balloons filling the sky in all directions.

Later in the day we visited the underground city of Derinkuyu. This was once the home to around 10,000 inhabitants. Their sprawling underground metropolis is spread out over a dozen or more levels. I did deduce that they must have been much shorter than us, as the constant bashing of my head on the low roof demonstrated.

Unfortunately, by this time, our "guide" was in the midst of a full dummy spit (obviously still smarting from the fact that we did not heed his advice about the hot air ballooning) and refused to give us any information about the history of the place. Disappointing but true.

Later in the day we drove to the foothills of the Taurus Mountains to begin our four day trek in the wilderness. We set off with the sun already low in the sky, but the guide would not tell us how far we would be walking. And so it went.

On and one we walked in fading light. The pace started to take its toll on some of our participants, so much so that by the time we finally reached our campsite, about half the group decided that it was going to be just too difficult for them. It was not the way it was supposed to turn out, but there was little we could do about it.

What followed over the next four days was some of the toughest trekking any of us had ever done. The combination of high altitude, steep and rough terrain, and extended trekking meant that, by the end of each day, we were completely stuffed.もっと詳しく
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The World on Two Wheels 2012 Turkish Delights
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- 2012/09/16 20:45
- 16 °C
- 海抜: 1,231 m
- トルコ Malatya Aşağı Ulupınar 38.432178, 37.57082938°25’56” N 37°34’15” E
日9
Teke Kalesi Trek
2012年9月16日, トルコ ⋅ 16 °C
After an early start, our diminished group starting walking into the wilderness of the Taurus Mountains. It did not take long for us to leave any trace of green far behind. In all directions we were surrounded by a barren, rocky landscape. There was no defined trail, so had to scramble over the loose stones any way we could. At all times there was a real danger of slipping and breaking an arm or leg.

We walked for hours, always steadily gaining altitude. It really was heavy going and it was made worse by the fact that our guide would give us no meaningful information about how much further we would have to climb.

"How much further will we be walking ?" I asked
"Who can say ?", was his useless reply.

I felt like giving him a shake, but since he was the only one who knew where we were going, I did not want to aggravate him any further.

As we kept walking, the conditions started to take their toll. One of remaining trekkers doubled over and started vomiting from exhaustion. This was not really the outcome I had wanted. I asked again "How much further till we reach camp ?" The only response I got was to point towards the towering mountain that was still several hours away. I thought he was joking, but it turned out he wasn't.

Our group struggled on till lake in the afternoon, before we finally saw the row of tents that marked our campsite. We staggered the final few hundred metres and collapsed in a collective heap.

Although we had planned to continue the climb the following day, because we could get no proper information about how hard the next climb would be, we made the collective decision that, instead of climbing further, we would spend the time exploring the plateau where our camp was situated. It turned out to be a wise move.もっと詳しく
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