Summer before last my son and I went to Cappadocia. We entered by land from northern Syria, and then flew from Gazientep to Ankara, overall a long, complicated and arduous journey but a fascinating one. We joined up with a small group for a 3 day tour leaving from Ankara. The ding-a-ling guide left us at a roadside rest stop the first day out, but soon came back thanks to the urging of one of the passengers. So much for worry-free tours. I will stick to my independent travel, thank you.

Cappadocia is worth the effort of journeying there. It is visually one of the unique places of the world. Quite safe, easily seen via rental car if that is your desire but the sights are spread out over a fairly large area so I was glad we signed up for a tour package. It maximized the use of our time, we made some new friends, and my son and I still had a little time for hiking. Of course you learn a lot about the local history but you can always hire local guides for that.

We stayed at the Hotel Cappadocia, a little pricier than some other hotels, but still moderate by US standards. Cannot say enough good things about it. A delightful jewel of a hotel with an inviting pool and fabulous Turkish poolside buffet every evening with soft candlelight tablecloth dining. This hotel was way out of town so you need a car or must belong to a group otherwise you are stuck with cab fares.

If you do not take a tour, you should visit the underground caves where people used to live, see the little Byzantine churches located inside the rocks, visit at least one rug merchant, and visit at least one pottery shop.. There are still many funky restaurants located inside the "fairy chimneys." There are several small towns in the area where you can browse around but the main attractions are the omnipresent fairy chimneys. Oh, we also visited a local "disco" inside one of the chimneys. There was local entertainment which was lots of fun.

If you do spend some time in Ankara there is a wonderful history museum (Anatolian civilizations) as well as a fabulous momument and museum to Turkey's most famous leader, Ataturk, who brought that country into the 20th century almost overnight. His accomplishments were admirable. Try to be there for the Changing of the Guard.

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