Day 1,451

Caravanserai

My birthday was over but as it had all been a wee bit of a disappointing time, Tom had booked us another treat - a night in, as my mother would say, a very posh hotel! We had managed to get a meal at our hotel the night before, but Tom woke at midnight with seriously bad tummy issues. We had eaten the same so we had no idea if somehow it had upset him but not me, though I still wasn't 100%. We debated cancelling our posh hotel but in the end we just wanted to get moving. 

Our destination was the Obruk Kervansaray. From Konya we rode across a great plain, surrounded by the Bozdaĝlari mountain range. This road, originally built by the Suljuks, has been an important trading link for Konya and many cities further east. It was part of the fabled Silk Road linking Asia and Europe. To aid the merchants the Seljuks built a fortified inn, a caravanserai, with a unique water source, a sinkhole, or ‘obruk’. 

The sinkhole behind the caravanserai

The original building dates from around 1220, obviously damaged over the years, however last year it was rebuilt, using many of the original stones and transformed into a museum and luxury hotel. Hotels.com had a 30% discount on offer for a night there, so though still expensive we decided we had earned a treat. 

Obruk Kervansaray Museum Hotel

It was simply beautiful, the building looked like a fort, a sanctuary from the heat. We were warmly greeted, and guided to our beautiful room through a tiny door cut into the main arched doors. Within the main area was the museum, full of artifacts discovered in the remains. We were offered a ‘snack’ and believing the restaurant closed at 5pm took up the offer. The food was 5*, but as we ate they asked, what time did we require dinner? Oops! Tom was wary about eating but the food was so good it was hard to turn it down. They explained that all meals were included in the price, so not so expensive after all. 

We explored the outside, admired the sinkhole and views from the ramparts. Then dinner. Tom knew his stomach would protest but we simply couldn't turn down such fine food. Dessert was one course too far, even for me though. 

After a somewhat disturbed night for poor Tom we dined again on probably the best breakfast of our lives, served with such kindness. I suggested staying another night, Tom could rest and I could catch up on desserts, but common sense prevailed and off we went, stopping multiple times for Tom’s visits behind bushes and in roadside ditches. 

The breakfast spread - not a good time to have a poorly tummy!

Our destination was yet another caravanserai, at Sultanhani. First though we had a few miles to cover on the Silk Road and decided to break the journey to visit a small museum. It had many artifacts which showcased the development of the first settlements in Turkey, and included some rather grim ‘mummies’ discovered in local tombs. 

Then we reached the town of Sultanhani. The caravanserai here was much larger, but no hotel this time, simply a beautiful building housing a stunning collection of antique Turkish carpets. We spent the night in the tent, back to reality. The battle between Tom and his stomach was still ongoing and Tom decided to adopt the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce and toast) though in reality it was the BB diet, bananas and dry bread, as that was all we could find. He wasn't happy!