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Stone Circles used to close Passageways - Derinkulu Underground City |
A Larger Room Derinkulu Underground City |
27 October - Saturday - Full breakfast buffet today. I pack myself a lunch from it. German and Turkish tourists came in for the weekend. Took the car to Derinkulu underground city. The manager, Fatih Gokgoz, at the pension recommends going to Derinkulu because it’s the biggest complex open to the public.
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| Thought the most interesting part was the narrow stairs that went down, down, down - Derinkulu Underground City |
The complex has several floors and is a major tourist site. Happily I only got stuck in one stairwell with tourists trying to pass. I understand it can get very claustrophobic when there’s lots of tour groups.
Found out I didn’t know how to put the rental car in reverse. Had to ask a bus driver how to manage it.
Then drove to Mazikoy which was recommended by Frommers and the internet as an underground city worth exploring because one also get to climb up into the hillside. The turnoff wasn’t well marked but I was on alert for it. As I drove into the village there was a big sign in English advertising the site. The guide, Gavdar Phsan, turns on his coleman lantern and proceeds to give me the Indiana Jones tour. It was lots of fun with climbing, crawling and even being lifted up through the tunnels. Mazikoy had more artifacts in place so you could see how the people lived and defended their property. I'm too busy having fun with the hands-on experience of Mazikoy to take photographs.
It’s Gavdar’s last day in town as he’s leaving for the winter. It's the end of tourist season. He offers to take me around to see other local sights for the rest of the day. Sounds good. Stopped to visit some local ladies who were roasting pumpkin seeds.
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| Take as many pumpkin seeds as you can hold |
Saw the Roman bath ruins at Sahinefendi.
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| Sandals - Perhaps the owner liked shoes? |
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Visited a huge rock monastery complex (Keslik Manastiri). A stop for tea at the Greek village.
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Treated to a saz recital by Gavdar’s friend. |
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| A quick look at ruined Greek churches. |
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| Gavdar’s friend points out the spigot for the holy water where babies used to be brought to cure their yellowness. Perhaps the mineral water had health benefits. |
A brisk hike through a lush valley in Mustafapasa (similar in morphology to the famous Ilhara Valley) and a climb over the hills to see more hidden rock churches.
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| Gavdar makes a bridge of tree branches so I can cross the stream without getting my feet wet |
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| Gavdar takes a ciggy break |
Gavdar tells me that when he was a boy he and two friends got lost in the caves for over eight hours. After they ran out of candle and torch light, they burned their clothes to see. They finally found their way out because he fell down a hole that he remembered falling into on the way into the caves.
Treated to simit (the sesame seed round pretzel bread) and ayran (yogurt drink) on the way back. Gavdar offered to give me his headlamp as a remembrance, I had to firmly refuse. Gavdar is off to Istanbul by bus and eventually should meet up with his Russian girlfriend.