The word is a very exciting place

Antalya is pretty much the home of all inclusive faux Turkish holidays. The city is noisy, fill of drinks and party goes, and is rather expensive, expecially when compared with other close by cities like Konya and Adana. In the city itself, it has a rather good archaeological museum, the world's most expensive aquarium, and a few little sights dotted around the city. The archaeological museum is a must see. It contains lots of statues and other art forms, as well as coins and burial goods from the nearby ancient cities of Perge, Aspendos and Termassos, all of which are easy day trips from Antalya and have thier own separate posts.                     (I tried to ask the museum curator a questions but they were asleep!!!) Now, for the world's biggest robbery. Claiming to be the world's largest underwater tunnel aquarium, also is rather dodgy. I was in a queue for the main ticket ...

Now Göreme, and indeed the whole of Cappadocia is filled with incredible little cave churches, caves, rock formations, and valleys that take your breath away. Al Nazar church is only a 15/20 minute walk from the centre of Göreme, it's a pretty little church with an interesting history There's a very friendly security guard (at times a little over friendly) who's English is very good. If you sit and have chai with him talk for a bit, then receive a rather uncomfortable massage, then he might give you the keys to the hidden church, a beautiful little church further up the valley, filled with stunning wall paintings. For me, Göreme is the place I recommend to people the most. It's a serene and stunning area, easily accessible, and unforgettable. Also, The Dorm cave by travellers is an incredible hostel, where the rooms are actually inside a rock formation, plentiful clean bathrooms, and an incredibly friendly and beautiful doggie, who helped me ...

Göreme is a city in Cappadocia, one of the most stunning landscapes of Turkey, if not the world. Words can't accurately describe the beauty of Cappadocia, so I'm just going to post a few photos so you can see. The landscape is stunning, a visit to the Open Air Museums is really worth a visit. Pictures inside the churches and caves arnt allowed, but it's a stunning place to visit. It's 30 Lira Turkish to enter, and it's more than worth it!

Konya is a fantastic city,  it's charming, busy and with a whole lot of character. Without a doubt, it's main highlight is the Mevlana Museum, but it has a whole lot else to see as well. The Mevlana museum is stunning, a place where the whirling dervishes lived according to tradition, and later converted into a museum, the complex is stunning. From the beautiful scents of lavender, the beautiful jade colour tiles, to the general chatter and noise there, it's worthy of a visit. You'll even come out chilled and feeling a whole lot more on control of your own destiny, than what you felt before you went in. The other two stand out sights at Konya is the butterfly centre. Now the staff don't speak much English, but they tried thier best to make sure I had a great visit. It's a great huge almost greenhouse construction, and filled with beautiful butterflies, and also some parrots too. Aside from a weird video in the middle, the whole experience was ...

Tarsus is another easy day trip from Adana. It's a small town with a few little sights, the most notable being the tomb of the prophet Daniel. Other than that, it has a small museum (with a mummified hand) lots of little shops and dotted with roman remains, the most notable being the roman road. Here's a few pictures for you: And that was about it! Still, I ate lots of yummy food and spent some time exploring, so it wasn't a waste of a day.

Yilan kale is a Armenian castle fortress an hour or so drive from Adana. Though partially ruined, it's a small and interesting castle. Perhaps a word of caution. To enter the castle, you have to walk maybe 40 minutes walk from the main road where the bus will drop you, before reaching the castle. There is a small cafe there, but it was closed when I was there, and it looked as though it had been closed for a long time. Make sure you have water with you, there is little shade and it's a very physical place to visit. To enter the castle, it's a strenuous climb up a steepish wall of rubble to get inside. It's not spectacular, but it's free, easy and gives some good views over the valleys.

Anavarza is a semi easy day trip from Adana. It's the remains of a huge Roman settlement, and excavations only started recently, giving the whole place a feeling of discovery. Just head to the local service Otogar (not the main one, the local service Otogar is very near the Optimum shopping centre) just ask for Anavarza, it's a hour long bus ride, but it's worth it. It's then a 5 kilometer walk from the road, just follow the signs. Big tip for you, try to go on a cooler day, when I was there, it was 40 degrees centigrade and it nearly killed me! It's fragmentary, but an incredibly interesting place to visit. There's also archologists working there, so feel free to ask questions, and watch them carry out digs and explorations.