When I reached Göremë, I knew it was worth it. Arriving in late afternoon, about 3 hours before sunset, magnified the magnetism, uniqueness, attractiveness and picturesqueness of this stupendous place on Earth. I dropped my bag at the pension on the northern fringe of the town and embarked on a hike to the Love Valley in Çavusin, 4 kilometres north from Göremë. This was what my plan for Capadocia said anyway, but I passed the village on the the way from the airport and it looked gorgeous. On the way, I passed the Rose Valley, as the pension owner recommended the 'garden' dirt road rather than the main highway. It was a great valley and it reminded me of the Isalo National Park of Madagascar. Right next to the rose stones, there were also pure white rock formations creating superb contrast. I even thought that the white rocks, which looked like vanilla ice-cream, made a greater impression on me than the rose-coloured ones. It was a good hike.
When I got to the Love Valley, I was on my own. The entire atmosphere and the incredibleness of the spot were for my eyes only. That was a great feeling. I expected hordes of people walking around the majestic fairy chimneys. It was. not so. I was there alone. Completely on my own. And that was almost eerie. Being surrounded by otherworldly rock formations as if they were a set of a fantasy or intergalactic film. No official paths were present, so I just wandered around, sometimes drowning in loose sand, sometimes being caught by ivy or other low growing plants. And the sun was going down giving long shadows and perfect lighting conditions.
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