Central Anatolia: Konya-Coppadocia

Day 4 (Nov 16, 2012)

Colossae Hotel near Pamukkale

Wake-up call was early and baggage have to be put outside the rooms by 6.30 am. We started very early because the drive to Cappadocia was about 7 hours, the longest bus trip, stopping halfway at Konya. Breakfast was as usual with the same variety of  food. Temperature has dropped to 10 degree celcius from 18 degree last night. However as the day went on, it became warmer and I could feel the sun from inside the bus. I was wearing a turtleneck sweater and began to feel warm. Couldn’t take it off though, as I wore a sheer shirt underneath.

It would be a one-hour drive to our next stop which was ‘Dinar. The mountaneous landscape along the route is quite forested as we were then in the inner Anatolian region. 

 Stopped at Dinar for the delicious yogurt with honey and poppy seeds. 

 As we are going more and more into the hintherland, days became colder. At noon, it was already 8 degree celcius. Dominatn crop trees we saw alon the way were cherries. Halfway through Konya, we stopped to have served lunch at Cherry Garden/Kirazlibahce Restaurant which had a prayer area attached to it.

 Rice and chicken kebab

     

 Praying room (left) and ablution area (right) at Kirazlibahce restaurant

I was wondering at first of the spring 'cables'..see below :D. The instructions are given there but I dont understand Turkish. Anybody can enlighten me?

There is a story of The old man and the Donkey. I didnt listen when Ugur told us the story.

Cherry trees

Over one hour later, we arrived at Konya to visit Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi mausoleum, also known as the Green Mausoleum before proceeding to a 3-hour drive cappadocia. He was a sufi mystique who founded the sect of the 'Whirling Dervishes" (see the white-robed man below?) I didn't know anything about him until I heard it from Ugur. 

 

Dervishes mannequins 

 

There were a lot of visitors, local and tourists alike. We wrapped our shoes in plastics before entering the mausoleum and discarded them in the bins provided after we came out. 

To me, Konya mousoleum won't be a place I would like to go back again. The only thing that I like about it was the chance to see the tiny strands of hair of our prophet (SAW) and able to smell the fragrance that came out of from one of the cases that enclosed it. It was also crowded, understandably because people made a pilgrimage to it. On the hand, I had come to know about the Mevlana and his dancing dervishes, a type of sufism I have no inclination to follow. 

We continued our way towards Cappadocia or Kapadokya for another 3 hours and the bus sent straightaway those who wanted take the Turkish bath to Elise Hamam. The remaining eight of us went to check-in at Kaya Hotel at Uchisar.

next >> Cappadocia-Ankara.

Thank you for reading and visit me again.