We find ourselves tonight in a Prince of Persia complex in Capadoccia. Our room is carved out like a cave with an uneven floor that goes uphill to a tiny door into an old fashioned bathroom.
To go to the restaurant it was up steps and along Islamic arched verandahs and around corners and downsteps, past the pool to yet another exquisite buffet meal of Turkish food.
Tomorrow morning I must wake at 5am for a balloon flight that leaves at 5.30am before the sunrise. This has been something I've longed for my whole life. This kind of flight, but over the fairy chimneys of Capadoccia is something else.
Today we have been in a bus for the best part of 12 hours with a few toilet stops on the way and 2 very other special places.
The first was in Konya, the last stop on the Silk Road and the serchook capital. Mevelana del Aladdin I Rumi came here at the age of 12 in the 12th Century,a poet, a philosopher, who denounced material goods, in favour of the Love of God and Respect for All Living Creatures. It's where the swirling dervishes derive from.
Like all good prophets like Jesus, St Francis of Assissi and Rumi who live humble lives and refuse wealth, the followers tend to lavish wealth on idolising them, rather than follow in the footsteps of their teachings.
Same thing happened here with one of the first mosques built after Rumis death. The place had been turned into a museum, housing original hand inscribed and illuminated Korans, even a bit of the prophet Muhammeds beard and many artefacts of the derwishes.
The other special place we stopped was a caravansai. All along the silk route there were 100s of these enormous enclosures where traders and merchants could rest a night or three with their camels.
Inside were rooms, verandahs, trading halls and a mosque. Oh so beautiful in proportion and symmetry and detail, you could just imagine how it was 700 years ago
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