20 September - Cappadocia to Konya

We left Cappadocia in a rather dusty Renault Symbol. Yesterday we gave it it's first real test when we descended a narrow track beyond the point of no return leaving us with the task of climbing out of the extremely steep, loose graveled volcanic ash in a front wheel drive rental.

The trip to Konya passes through the Anatolian Steppe grasslands, which is another way to say dry, flat, and boring. Fortunately, I discovered soft centered dried figs and Lorna's favourite so far is sesame and honey coated peanuts which accompanied by our Turkish CD, helped the kilo's fly past.

The only place of real interest is the Sultanhani constructed in 1229 . These Caravanserais were built along the trade routes as a place to trade, rest and pray.

The courtyard is used in summer and the rooms for cooking, the animals and sleeping in winter

The turquoise roof of Mevlana's tomb.

Konya is the center of the Mevlana order, a very orthodox sect well known for their Whirling Dervishes, which is a ceremony that represents their union with God. The Mevlana museum is the former lodge of the Whirling Dervishes and houses the tomb of Mevlana making this place an extremely holy place for Muslims.

Taken from the internet

Mevlana lodge and mosque.

We drank çay pronounced chai with the locals and later ate Doner which is like a chicken schwarma. This extremely cheap meal costs the equivalent of R6.25 and is very popular in Konya, which the locals wash down with thick plain yogurt. For dessert we ate Ciziki, which is a honey pastry filled with pistachio served with a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream and a glass of water.