TURKEY - CAPPADOCIA Day 38 - 41 We got up early (for the first time!) and left the campsite before 9am for a full day's driving to Cappadocia - we drove for 9 hours in shifts and managed to listen to the whole of an audio version of 'Anna Karenina' on the Ipod! We have resolved to listen to more classics on our route down to Africa. We drove through some spectacular scenery as we approached Cappadocia, right in the centre of Turkey, and camped at the bottom of the Ilhara Gorge - our cheapest night yet at under £2! The next day we walked the 16km gorge which was lovely and shady, with 4th century frescoed churches built into the rock - as we were walking along we heard a distinct knocking sound and realised it was two tortoises - one literally head banging the other so that it moved about a foot each time it was knocked! After about ten minutes of being fascinated by what we thought was fighting one clambered on top of the other so we can only presume that this banging about is tortoise foreplay! It is not everyday you get to see rutting tortoises! We visited a fantastic underground city at Kaymakli - where steep tunnels led to cavernous rooms used as churches, kitchens, living quarters and wine cellars. It was incredible - a real Indiana Jones experience! We were expecting rolling boulders and giant spiders at every turn. We drove into the Valley of Goreme - an extraordinary landscape of volcanic layers of tuff which have been eroded into fantastic, eerie shapes - it looks like a science fiction setting at times! The locals call them 'fairy chimneys' and over the centuries have carved their houses, churches and monasteries - and later mosques, into the soft rock. It really is an incredible and weird sight - made even more beautiful at sunset when the huge valleys turn a pinkish hue. We enjoyed a couple of days of in the Goreme area driving around to the nearby villages of Uchisar and Ortahisar. The views from the top of the fortresses of each town gave the most incredible 360 degree views of thıs extraordinary lunar landscape. We did lots of walks through valleys and into the most incredible caves at Zelve Valley - with torches we took secret underground passages which led to amazing chambers. A particular highlight was walking in the Rose Valley which we walked with Richard and Jo - the scenery was stunning and went a beautiful pink as the sun went down. We ended up walking back to Goreme in pitch darkness! It was fun camping amid the wonderful rock formations and watching the hot air balloons float by at dawn - definitely a place we won't forget and recommend anyone to make the trip to this magical area. We have enjoyed our time in Turkey but are now looking forward to moving on to our next ports of call, Syria and Jordan!! Next Stop - Aleppo in Syria. Chocks away.....!