RTW Trip Roundup

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My year (plus some) trip over three continents has finished and I’m still processing everything I saw and learned! I visited 20 countries in total. Here’s a list of each country with something I will remember about it, as well as a gallery of photos which hadn’t previously made it onto the blog.

Turkey Roundup

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The Yank without a Chain at Pamukkale in Turkey

The Yank without a Chain at Pamukkale in Turkey

I spent 18 days in Turkey and an average of $50 per day. The hot air balloon ride increased that average pretty significantly, and I also treated myself to a lot of amazing Turkish food! I absolutely loved exploring Cappadocia and kayaking on the Mediterranean. The UNESCO sites of Ephesus and Pamukkale/Hierapolis were also places that I will remember forever.

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Cappadocia Day 4: Chasing the Balloons in Love Valley

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Watching the balloons taking off from up close

Watching the balloons taking off from up close

On my final day in Cappadocia I woke up early once again, this time to watch the hot air balloons from the ground and do a hike in Love Valley before my noon bus to Ankara. It was great to get a last view of the incredible scenery. I was sad to leave the area, as I definitely only scratched the surface of things to see and explore there. Alas, my flight to Hong Kong awaited me and it was time to move on from Turkey!

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Cappadocia Day 3: The Green Tour

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Sitting in a window in the Selime Monastery in Cappadocia

Sitting in a window in the Selime Monastery in Cappadocia

On my third day in Cappadocia I went on the Green Tour, a popular option to get out of the Goreme region and see some of the more far flung sites in area. It doesn’t really matter which tour agency you go with, as the tour will be practically identical with all of them. You shouldn’t pay more than 100 Turkish Lira, though (book directly with the tour agency and not through your hotel).

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Cappadocia Day 2: Hiking in the Red and Rose Valleys

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The Yank without a Chain standing at the entrance to a cave monastery in Cappadocia's Red Valley

The Yank without a Chain standing at the entrance to a cave monastery in Cappadocia’s Red Valley

On my second day in the Cappadocia region I wanted to hike around some of the valleys, observe the rock formations close up and get some good exercise. After only an hour of walking around, my day was kind of hijacked by Faruk, the owner of a cafe in the park who passed by me on a motorbike. He stopped and asked where I was going and asked if I wanted a ride. I thought, “sure, why not!” thinking I’d give him a little tip for taking me to the Red Valley and then be on my way. That little ride turned into five hours of Faruk showing me different places, giving me more and more of his homemade wine, and basically refusing to let me go off on my own. It was a bit frustrating, although not quite as creepy as it might sound written out here. I finally split from Faruk when his car ran out of gas on the way to the Love Valley, although at this point it was nearly sunset so I didn’t get to do the hiking I’d wanted to do.

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