Suitcase and World: Sunset over the Red Valley.

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Sunset over the Red Valley.

Panorama Red Valley
Panoramic view of the Red Valley at sunset. Use the scroll bars to pan to see the entire photo.

We arrived at the Red Valley in the very late afternoon.  Bro had read that this is the place to be to see the sun set so that's why we came.  I guess it's a popular place to be as we had to pay an entry fee, all of 2TL!


From the main road, we drove along a narrow ridge to arrive in to a parking lot where there were just a few cars parked.


It had been a nice day all day long but as I got out of the car, I could feel the wind blowing and a chill coming on.  On the other side of the parking lot was a small row of vendors.  Actually, just two vendors.  One sold juices and the other, dried fruits and nuts.  We walked past them for now to take in the view of the valley.

The Red Valley is located adjacent to the Rose Valley.  You can walk from one to the other so I don't know why they name it as a separate valley.  Perhaps the rock formations are different but to an untrained eye like mine, it all looks the same.


Near the vendors were some picnic tables and near the edge of the plateau we were on was row of sofas and chairs.  Nothing matched so it was obvious it was an assemblage over time.  It felt a bit like a lounge area in a dive bar.  The few people who were around had made themselves comfortable - plopped down and relaxed on the sofas and chairs which had a *front row* view overlooking the valley.


We spent a few minutes checking out the vendors.  I was tempted to buy a small cup of pomegranate juice but for 4 lira decided not to.  Instead, I asked the juiceman how much he charged for his very large pomegranates and when he said 2 lira, I went ahead and got two of them.  At today's exchange rate, 2 lira comes to about 44 US cents!  Bro loves, loves, loves pomegranates so it was worth the buy!


The dried fruit and nut seller was the smart one.  You could sample all his stuff.  We tried a bit of this and a bit of that.  In the end, I got a bag of, of all things, corn nuts!  I love corn nuts.  So addictive! Bro had never had never eaten them before and after a few, he too was hooked!

We also followed suit and took our spots on a couch.  I have to admit, it was comfortable.   It was a peaceful place and time to take in the view.


As time passed, more and more people began showing up.  My peaceful spot was quickly turning in to  a not so enjoyable place to be.


Bro and I decided to escape the noise and explore the area.






By the time we returned to where the couches were, it was crowded with tourists.  I looked like a couple of tour buses had recently arrived.  That's when we decided to leave.  I took one last look at the spectacular view before walking back to our car.  I can't say it enough. I absolutely love this place....Cappadocia!


It had been a long day and truthfully, we were ready to call it a day.  Tomorrow, we have more of this wonderful region to explore.  We're on to the Green Tour itinerary tomorrow and we didn't get to Uçhisar Castle today which is on the Rose Tour so we'll have to make up for it.