Sleeping in a cave with only one window makes it a bit hard to gauge what time it is. My body clock, however, woke me up about 7am on Tuesday morning and there was little chance of getting back to sleep. I was starting to feel anxious about what we were going to get done over the next three days. I’m glad to say that after today, it’s eased a bit.

We had breakfast at the hotel and then spent a little while relaxing out the front of our room, on the balcony, in deck chairs, looking over the magnificent view of Urgup and to the mountains beyond. The only thing that ruined it was the stench of cat pee. I swear some tom cat—or seven—must come by regularly to spray the pot plant that’s here. After a while, despite how lovely everything else is there, I went inside. 

Apparently I was restless too as Glen decided that, at 9:30, with enough resting done, we should go do something. I was ready in five minutes.

Urgup

Despite my earlier belief that our hotel was in the middle of nowhere, Urgup is actually a fairly big town with its own centre full of shops and restaurants, even a tourist information centre. We got directions and set off along winding streets lined with limestone hotels. 

We got some drinks and ambled along, going into the tourist information centre and grabbing some pamphlets before deciding that we could squeeze in at least one tourist stop today. 

I’d been told by the concierge that a taxi to Kaymakli Underground City and Ihlara Valley would cost 200 TKL (about $80) but wasn’t sure if that was return as well. Anyway, there was a taxi rank in the town so I asked one how much and he said 120 TKL. That sounded good enough for us for a half-hour ride to Kaymakli so off we went. (We weren’t going to do the valley as that’s a minimum of a 7km walk and today was meant to be a rest day.) 

Shortly after starting our drive, the taxi driver said he’d stay and wait for us at Kaymakli for about an hour and drive us back, all for 180 TKL. That was fine with us too, and solved the problem of how we were going to get back.

Kaymakli Underground City

The drive out was pleasant, through green countryside with fruit trees, wheat fields and blooming red poppies. It was a treat to just look out the window.

We arrive at Kaymakli, a massive eight-storey complex built into the rock. Four storeys are open to visitors. We paid our tickets and went in. A guide offered services but we declined and he went away. Very different from India and Jordan where you’re hounded.

There were red arrows to go down and blue arrows to come back up. The trail had rooms leading off it called ‘living room’, ‘kitchen’, ‘church’, that sort of thing. The ceilings were low and you’d expect people were much shorter then. There were also narrow tunnels everywhere and steps leading down. And there was also a ventilation shaft that we could look up and down… all the way down.

It was impressive to think how they’d built everything, that it hadn’t all collapsed. I had to focus on this rather than worry about how deep underground we were going, how much stone was heaped above us, how narrow these tunnels were and that we’d never see the sky again. It also didn’t help that a women in a small group in front of us also appeared to be freaking out, which made it worse for me. There was also a moment when I felt incredibly woozy.

The guide offered us a tour that would last 30–40 minutes; we were down there for about 15–20. I don’t think I could have done anymore. I never used to be this bad with closed-in spaces; it’s gotten worse. Definitely never going spelunking.

Our self-directed tour over, we wandered around the stalls out the front, each one selling the same thing. Then we returned to the taxi and he drove us back to Urgup. Along the way he suggested going to see more things but we were happy to head back and get some food. He’s given us his card and we’ll call him tomorrow to take us to Ihlara Valley after our balloon ride.

Lunch, Nap, Dinner, Sleep

We had lunch at a Turkish restaurant in the town that initially looked like some hole in the wall place but that was just the kitchen downstairs, while upstairs was a big restaurant. They served these kebab things in clay pots which looked interesting but were for two people and made of beef so we didn’t get one (despite me assuring Glen he could probably eat enough for two). Instead we went for a chicken claypot dish and a chicken shish kebab. Tasty.

We wandered back to the hotel, stopping in a shop that sold everything by bulk like nuts, dried fruit, potpourri, that sort of thing. We bought a small selection of tasty things to nibble on, but what was most interesting was the attractiveness of the display, the earthy and vibrant colours, and the variety available.

On the way back was also went via a lookout (with a tomb on top) over Urgup, and then, strangely, once we’d returned to our room, I fell asleep. I must have napped for about three or four hours. How did I get so tired? Glen went for a massage which was an experience in itself, while I worked on proofs for my book which is coming out in August.

After Glen returned, I went for a swim in the pool, which was colder than expected but a beautiful setting. We went for dinner at the hotel restaurant again, rather than go further afield. This is because we were told that the balloon company will be picking us up at 3:35am. Ugh! I know we want to be up in the air before sunrise but still… Brutal!

Dinner was pleasant as it’s on a high point over the town and has a stunning view of the hills. The light was perfect and it all felt amazingly relaxing, which has made a nice change after the go-go-go of the past week. No wonder I found it so easy to nap. Let’s hope I can fall asleep at 9pm too.