Day 3: Monday 31st October 2022

Start: Istanbul, Turkey

Finish: Cappadocia, Turkey

Currency: Turkish Lira

Temperature: 10 Degrees departing Istanbul, high of 20.

Welcome back my literary friends!

This morning we were up at 6.30am for a 7.30am departure on our long drive day today to Cappadocia. We were extremely surprised to see a 54-seater bus arrive at the hotel at 7am, where my roommate and I climbed on board to reserve our seats before making our final bathroom breaks.

The bus is incredibly comfortable, with USB chargers and plugs for charging larger devices such as laptops (thank goodness!). I’m astounded at how lucky we are with this bus. Also due to the long drive days, we have two drivers who will take turns, which as a particularly safety conscious individual, makes me extremely happy.

Two hours in and we stopped at a very generous sized truck stop for a bathroom break, coffee and snacks. I bought a few dates, given I’d managed to eat all the ones I’d purchased the other night already.

Another two hours later we stopped for lunch, where we were able to order from a Doner Kebab menu. I opted for chicken (48TRY) and bought my first pumpkin spice latte for the season from a conveniently located Starbucks (49TRY).

Two more hours of driving and another stop later, I realised I’d mashed out 5,700 words on this drive! (Stay tuned for a new WIP update!) At this stop, we used the bathrooms and visited the underground city of Derinkuyu, about 45 minutes out of Avanos, Cappadocia. The caves were dug over four thousand years ago and used by local farmers to hide when armies passed through their land. We descended the stairs into the abyss and at the base of the caves we visited, we stood at 55 metres below ground level. Entry cost 100TRY and after arriving just before 5pm we had about 45 minutes to wander through the caves before the site closed.

During our drive across to Cappadocia, Mustafa arranged an extra stop for us at a lookout on the edge of the town, Goreme, where we took photos of the town below, nestled amongst the stone and sand pillars.

By 7pm we were checked into the Avrasya hotel, which is lovely from the outside with reasonable size rooms and clean functional bathrooms. Dinner is served at all the hotels on this tour except in Istanbul, so we had a window between 7pm and 9pm to make our way downstairs. The spread was unbelievable, with table after table of salad, vegetable, soups, rice and pasta and more desserts than we could try in one plate!

Tomorrow we are up early for the sunrise hot air balloons. Having only done a balloon ride in Egypt in April, I have opted not to participate (as the price for this balloon ride is 220 Euro!) instead opting for a private taxi hire which will take me to the launch site to watch the balloons take off before the dawn, and then take me to a viewing point for photos of the balloons in the air across the skyline. Having just now checked the weather forecast, it looks like the launch should go ahead, however, with a sunrise temperature of zero degrees, it is safe to say I’ve pulled out my thermals and gloves!

Tips: Wear comfortable clothes on the bus today. Mustafa joked that he wanted people to wear their pyjamas, but I was not joking when I wore my gym tights and trackies (sweatpants). Wear fresh socks so you can kick your shoes off as soon as you board.

Accommodation: Avrasya Hotel, Cappadocia