Grad Trip Day 7 & 8: Cappadocia - Selcuk
DAY 7: 25 MAY 2014
Because Goreme is famous for its sunrise, we decided to wake up at 5am
again to catch it.
The morning temperature fluctuates at the low double digits, so a jacket is a must.
It took us 20 minutes to walk from our hotel to the sunrise point.
The base of the path to the sunrise point is situated behind the mosque,
and the roads were sufficiently lit up at that hour to navigate up.
We took a bus to Urgup and walked towards the direction of the fairy chimneys.
As the fairy chimneys were too far away and we were short of time, we decided to climb
up a plateau like rock structure and view it from there.
I must admit they looked kind of cute and different from the other rock formations
we have seen during our stay in Goreme.
Thereafter, we took the public bus back to Goreme and headed to the airport for our
next destination - Selcuk.
Selcuk is located south of Izmir and it is famous for the ruins of the Roman city of Ephesus.
To get to Selcuk, we flew into Izmir airport and boarded the local train
and alighted at Selcuk train station.
The train schedules can be found online.
The entire train ride took about an hour and costs 4 liras.
However, as the doors were closing, the train attendant immediately let
us in, without having to pay for the ride.
After alighting from the train, we took a 15 minutes walk to our accommodation - Rebetika Hotel.
Along the way, there were many locals greeting us and asking if we needed help.
The immediate reaction would be to either ignore or politely decline them.
However, later on, we discovered that the locals here are genuinely friendly.
There was a big event going on just outside the Isa bey mosque.
We practically ate our dinner there because they were giving out free food:
plates of chicken rice, fried dough snack and ayran
Initially we didn't want to take too much food as we did not pay or participate
in the prayers.
However, a Turkish boy came over with another plate of rice and utensils and
gestured that we should eat more.
And more locals came over to hand us ayran drinks too.
These simple gestures actually felt heartwarming to me.
Taking caution of the actions of the people around you is always key to ensure safety
when travelling.
And sometimes, we forget that there exists people who genuinely seek to offer their
help without asking for a favour in return.
--------------------------------------------------
DAY 8: 26 MAY 2014
The next day, we set off to visit the city of Ephesus.
We took the public bus from the otogar, which took us to the main entrance of Ephesus.
Each ticket costs 30 liras, which does not cover the entrance fee for the House of Virgin Mary.
The Great Theatre was built on the foor of Panayir mountain and its facade faced
Because Goreme is famous for its sunrise, we decided to wake up at 5am
again to catch it.
The morning temperature fluctuates at the low double digits, so a jacket is a must.
It took us 20 minutes to walk from our hotel to the sunrise point.
The base of the path to the sunrise point is situated behind the mosque,
and the roads were sufficiently lit up at that hour to navigate up.
 |
| View of Goreme in the early morning |
The view of all the cave hotels from the sunrise point was stunning.
It exudes a sense of serenity which is often missing in fast-paced societies.
So we found a spot and sat down while waiting for the sun to rise.
One of the main reasons why the sunrise here is beautiful is that dozens of
hot air balloons will paint the sky as the sun rises.
Unfortunately for us, we couldn't see the sunrise and all we could see was the
orange skyline.
However, the hot air balloons in the foreground definitely made up for it.
Watching the hot air balloons rise from a distance, and slowly drift above your
head is just amazing.
I could sit there the entire day if the hot air balloons were constantly in the air.
So after watching the sunrise, we went back to catch up on some sleep before checking out.
Thereafter, we decided to pop by another town in Cappadocia called Urgup.
This town houses many fairy chimneys and we catch a glimpse of it before leaving.
 |
| Fairy chimneys from afar |
We took a bus to Urgup and walked towards the direction of the fairy chimneys.
As the fairy chimneys were too far away and we were short of time, we decided to climb
up a plateau like rock structure and view it from there.
I must admit they looked kind of cute and different from the other rock formations
we have seen during our stay in Goreme.
Thereafter, we took the public bus back to Goreme and headed to the airport for our
next destination - Selcuk.
Selcuk is located south of Izmir and it is famous for the ruins of the Roman city of Ephesus.
To get to Selcuk, we flew into Izmir airport and boarded the local train
and alighted at Selcuk train station.
The train schedules can be found online.
The entire train ride took about an hour and costs 4 liras.
However, as the doors were closing, the train attendant immediately let
us in, without having to pay for the ride.
After alighting from the train, we took a 15 minutes walk to our accommodation - Rebetika Hotel.
Along the way, there were many locals greeting us and asking if we needed help.
The immediate reaction would be to either ignore or politely decline them.
However, later on, we discovered that the locals here are genuinely friendly.
 |
| Rooftop view of the mosque |
We practically ate our dinner there because they were giving out free food:
plates of chicken rice, fried dough snack and ayran
Initially we didn't want to take too much food as we did not pay or participate
in the prayers.
However, a Turkish boy came over with another plate of rice and utensils and
gestured that we should eat more.
And more locals came over to hand us ayran drinks too.
These simple gestures actually felt heartwarming to me.
Taking caution of the actions of the people around you is always key to ensure safety
when travelling.
And sometimes, we forget that there exists people who genuinely seek to offer their
help without asking for a favour in return.
--------------------------------------------------
DAY 8: 26 MAY 2014
The next day, we set off to visit the city of Ephesus.
We took the public bus from the otogar, which took us to the main entrance of Ephesus.
Each ticket costs 30 liras, which does not cover the entrance fee for the House of Virgin Mary.
 |
| Great Theatre |
the Harbour Street.
This theatre is considered to be the most impressive structure of Ephesus city.
It originally towered three storeys, however in present days, it is only preserved
to the height of the lowest storey.
The Library of Celsius was originally three storeys high and entirely faced with coloured marble.
 |
| Library of Celsius |
But similar to many ancient ruins, it is now preserved only to two storeys.
for tourists to learn about the history of each site.
Audio guides were available for rent, and I would recommend it if you are
going to visit Ephesus as it provides more information and structure to your visit.
After visiting Ephesus, we decided to explore the other attractions in Selcuk by foot.
 |
| Basilica of St. John |
 |
| Temple of Artemis |
I was a little shocked to see that only foundations and sculptural fragments remain
at this site because I have seen images of the original temple.
The temple was completely rebuilt three times before eventual destruction in 401.
After visiting the Temple of Artemis, we decided to get dinner as we were exhausted from
both the heat and the walking.
So, our day ended by watching the sunset from the rooftop of our hotel, completed
with many rounds of the game "taboo".
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