Cappadocia: Day Two
II.II.III
CAPPADOCIA DAY TWO
The following day, we set off to explore some of Göreme’s streets – a maze of narrow, dusty lanes winding between honey-coloured stone houses and cave hotels carved into the hills.
Being out and about again had me feeling more alive than ever – especially with the icy cold weather snapping us out of our grogginess. It felt so, so good to be away again. To take in the views of the surrounding hills and buildings draped in carpets and lamps. To smell the faint aroma of coffee, smoke, and incense. To hear the sound of a foreign language and the chatter on the streets. Man, I’d missed travelling. I swore I’d never neglect this aspect of my life ever again.
We spent the morning getting lost in the streets, shopping for souvenirs, and trying out local delicacies. The town was so charming I would’ve killed to be able to just hang out for a few more days!
Then, completely unaware of what our itinerary had in store for us, we were picked up in a fancy, limo-like shuttle that took us all the way to the valleys of Göreme – a landscape that seemed to belong on a movie set. Here, apparently, we’d be riding ATVs and touring the area.
As fate would have it, I’d be sharing my ATV with Priya. With her seated behind me and holding me by the waist, I can’t say my mind didn’t wander into more romantic territory. We rode off-road through dusty tracks and surreal rock formations, passing fairy chimneys, cave churches, and wide-open landscapes – coursing through the Red and Rose Valleys before ending up in the Love and Sword Valleys.
All the while, Priya kept telling me to slow down, holding onto me tighter every single time I revved the engine – screaming, laughing, and having the time of her life. If that’s not an incentive to speed up, I don’t know what is. My crush was intensifying by the second – something I realised when one of the guides offered Priya a free ride on his camel. And no, that’s not a euphemism.
All beat after an entire day of adventure, we treated ourselves to an early dinner and headed straight to bed. We’d have to wake up well before the break of dawn for something that would allegedly blow our minds – or at least that’s what Akash promised us.