There are few other places like it on earth. You leave the drab neither here nor there city by bus in this remote eastern corner of Turkey then turn a corner into a vast valley. Suddenly large rock formations rise out of the earth like pink fingers instead of dry dusty desert. And you can see that actually they are ancient houses with little windows and doorways scraped into the soft sandy rock. This was my introduction to the bizarre yet alluring world of fairy chimneys, underground cities and village life in Cappadocia.
All Turkey holidays should include a visit to Cappadocia. My impression of the country had always been jaded by tabloid-style holidays brochures of tacky Brit-tastic resorts - something between the Costa Del Sol and a poor man's Greece. But Turkey has some secret treasures and Cappadocia come top of the list. Sure, it's not easy to reach - in fact it's a ten hour overnight bus journey from Istanbul or a long train ride from Ankara if you're not willing to catch the flight - but it shows a different side to Turkey holidays, one that's well worth discovering.
I was staying in Goreme close to the famous open air museum, a UNESCO world heritage site, filled with some of the most precious fairy chimneys that were once used as churches, whose walls are painted with wonderful frescoes. But I wasn't here simply to sightsee; I was on a local company's activity holidays. The first morning after our arrival we set off on bikes through the rose valley. True to its name the rock is a soft pink and stretches off into the far distance. We explored this surreal lunar landscape until lunch, when we stopped for a picnic overlooking the valley.
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