Fethiye, Oludeniz and Cappadocia
Highlights
In October, I went to Oludeniz, Fethiye, and Cappadocia in Turkey.
Oludeniz is known for its crystal blue waters, the Blue Lagoon, and the most epic paragliding experience. According to expert paraglider Fatih, it’s one of the top 3 paragliding experiences in the world (the other two are New Zealand and Brazil). I went coast-hopping and boating through small islands and bays of crystal-clear water. I jumped off the boat one too many times and even ended up with a scar on my cheek (I say it was a shark, but more likely a fierce anchovy). The food was glorious. Like Korean cuisine, we got to pick out different cuts of meat and fish to grill and enjoy with mezze.
After, we headed off to Cappadocia. Even if you have yet to hear of the region, you have seen the hot air balloon pictures. The area is made of smaller towns carved into giant boulders, and people lived there into the 50s! Now, many are converted into attractions and hotels. I got to stay in a stone hotel, and I can see the appeal — waking up surrounded by natural stones, skylight, ambient perfect temperature… I found some large-scale castles carved into rocks just as impressive as the pyramids.
The region's history dates back to about 4000 years, and many religious and political wars have occurred there since then. It led communities to build underground towns, some going as deep as nine floors and housing 3-5000 people! Imagine a design like an ant farm, at a human scale, with all the fixtures like the kitchen, air vents, and even wineries (I applaud them for having priorities even while underground).
Even the natural landscape was astounding, which is why hot air balloon rides are so popular there. The fairy chimneys, which are giant rock formations in the shape of mushrooms, umbrellas, or cones, do look like unearthly powers created them. If you can go to Turkey, I hope you can go beyond Istanbul and explore these regions full of history, love, and impressive human feats! Oh, Cappadocia is known for Turkish carpets (some were doweries made by nomadic tribes)—I may have brought more than one home :)