Haydarpasa, Kayseri to Goreme

1st class seat from Istanbul, 17 Lira plus 10.5 for the bike. 20 hours of couchette bound travel, far from the Orient Express, but cheaper than a bus and a lot less hassle. I could have gone for the Transasya Express, arriving in Tehran a long time later... not so long ago the Transasya was driven onto a boat to cross Lake Van and then off again to cross Iranian border, sadly a more effecient alternative has been found using two trains on either side of the lake/

I however, was heading to Central Anatolia for a few nights in Kayseri, followed by a days cycle into Goreme, a small village in the middle of Capadoccia. Lunar landscapes, underground cities, fairy chimneys and phallic rock formations - a world away from the chaos of Istanbul, and the painful delayed 20 hour train journey emphasised this.

It was a strange sensation being back on the bike, mostly down to the 5 weeks of relative inactivity in Istanbul and along the Black Sea Coast, but the kilos I and the bike seemed to have gained during this time didnt help either. Cyclists with too much cash to burn would think nothing of paying an extra 500 pounds to reduce their bike weight by 1 kg and heres me with a winters supply of walnuts, sun dried apricots, extra warm trousers and a new library, donated by kind souls leaving for home from Istanbul..

My map of Turkey at 1:1000000 scale, doesnt make for easy navigation away from the main roads and I spent a frustrating hour or so circling Goreme before my final descent into town... ending the day freewheeling is the best way to forget noncy navigation, even if it was a hill I didnt need to climb.

I ll be here a little while longer, plenty to see and a good chance for some off road cycling without the baggage which is a far easier prospect.

Departures from Istanbul's Asian train terminal, Haydarpasa

Entering Capadoccia

Caves and Vistas of Capadoccia

Underground City at Derinkuyu, 9 stories in total. Started by the Hittites and continued by the Romans to provide refuge from various military conquests

Cave church near Goreme, Capadoccia