Cappadocia, the Impression

A Youth Backpacker in Europe

Part III Chapter V-I

Cappadocia, the Impression

Remained stagnant on the back of a hardy black horse at the top edge of an endless cliff formation where the eerie lunar landscape was crafted. Gazing under the blazing hot sun, the even land encompassed by the breathtaking cliff formation showed no sign of vegetation and was equally unbounded. The occasional breeze that soothed the scorching heat in a bright summer day was accompanied by the inner rhythms that yearned for eternal freedom.

It was the identical film setting which one would find in one of those Eastern big budget epic productions that guaranteed a wow from the audiences. But it was this kind of impressiveness that imposed my mind with an unexplainable imagination during my fortuitous Cappadocia encounter.

Perhaps it was the picturesque scenery that had driven the imagination engine to mass produce such incredible images. Or maybe it was the implication of the name Cappadocia, or Katpatuka that means the land of beautiful horses. Cappadocia surged from the middle of nowhere to an inconvertible choice for holiday destination. I was reassured after my trip, despite the terribly wrong setting, that Cappadocia should remain at the very top on the list of everyone visiting Turkey.

Reminisce the very first sight that came into the curtains of my eyes on a late afternoon short bus journey to Göreme village, the hidden city, it was an absolutely dazzling and gasping welcome.

Wow… It was the lengthy sigh uttered coincidently by almost every single passenger in the bus, followed by a bizarre silence. Everyone, including myself was mesmerised to the extent that our eyes were literally glued to the offer outside the window.

Regardless of the meandering direction led by the bus, passengers were turning their heads from left to right, from front to back in a near perfect synchronised movement. No one wanted to miss a sight of this drop dead gorgeous and absolutely stunning surrounding, even when everyone was spending at least a day for a proper digestion of the beauty of nature.

Yes, it was undoubtedly the charm of Cappadocia that had awakened the greedy human nature and you have to experience it personally the diversity of the attractions around Cappadocia in order to comprehensively fathom how it could dominate the realm of natural beauty.

Bewildered, I wasn’t sure should I consider my three and half day stay in Cappadocia a fortunate event. The torrid romance with horses which I had created in my mind prior to my arrival varnished after the first night. The possibly last snow marking the end of winter paid an unsolicited visit at the first night of my visit.

The snow was heavy enough to result the entire Cappadocia being snow capped after a night – a disastrous setting for my own film set. Speechless at first, I was then slowly picked up the momentum to appreciate the completely different facet of Cappadocia.

The longed intimate action with the unique eerie lunar landscape formed by the combining agents of volcanic eruption and weathering process was dismissed due to the blizzard. Fortunately, my loss was compensated by the plentiful unforgettable activities during the remaining of the trip.

Although it was not the faultless setting I would like to engage myself in, Cappadocia remains as the ultimate destination for travel in my opinion. Thanks Fiona for the recommendation.