Day 1,453
Selime
After another bad night for Tom it was decision time again, to ride or rest? Our campsite was somewhat uninviting so to ride won the day. The route took us past rainbow covered mountains, but we didn't linger, we had a film set to visit. Those of a certain age will remember the first Star Wars film, well technically Episode 4 I think, but the first all the same. The desert scene with the weird shaped buildings was filmed at Selime and that's where we were heading.
It was another long and tiring day, with the heat wearing us both down and with any food Tom ate rapidly passing through his body his energy levels were low. Our mood lifted as the awesome scenery unfolded before us. The valley that Selime was built in was surrounded by hills covered with thousands of weird and wonderful shapes. Some just natural rock shapes, others carved out to create dwellings, churches and monasteries.
We paused to take it all in when a guy walking past stopped to chat. “Did we want to camp in his garden?. Hike the Ihlara Canyon and visit the cave churches? Explore where they filmed Star Wars, clamber through the Selime Cathedral? Visit the Church of the Virgin Mary?”. Yes please. “Did we want dinner and beer?”. No!
This chance meeting made for an amazing two nights for us. We soon had the tent set up, and with the luxury of being able to leave the bikes and kit, headed off to explore. Over the years Mother Nature has created a surreal landscape with the sandstone rock worn into fairy castle shapes, man has carved inside these and the cliffs themselves, creating vast buildings able to house thousands to simple one room dwellings. Over the years their uses have changed. The arrival of Christianity led to many being used as churches decorated with wonderful frescos. As we had arrived late in the afternoon we only had time to explore some fairy castles and the Church of the Virgin Mary. The rest would have to wait for tomorrow. We looked for Luke Skywalker and Co, but they were nowhere to be seen, shame, maybe tomorrow!
A magical world of fairy chimneys
The Church of the Virgin Mary, carved into the cliff
