landscapes

, , , , , , , , , ,

Positano in the Amalfi Coast - Vertical village

, , , , , , , , , ,

The previous post in this series is here..

After Jr.’s scaring us with her health the previous night post kayaking into the sunset, we tried to get her back in shape with EmergenC, tylenol etc. and by morning she was in better shape.

We had one last breakfast at the Angelino Hotel, said bye to the staff. Loaded our luggage and started driving to Positano. It was a tense drive on windy roads along the coast. Once we reached Positano we found a paid parking garage and walked the entire vertical village up and down a few times.

Thoroughly enjoyed the churches, the lanes, the cute shops, and had a fabulous pasta lunch.

The gallery of photos , mostly in portrait format..

A video highlights reel..

Then we walked back in the hot sun to the car. It was already close to 2 PM when we started. The original plan was to go sleep in Naples close to the airport and catch the early morning flight out. Given the heat and need for some chai, we skipped the gelato plan and drove straight to Naples.

Positano was amazing. It felt like an action replay of Sorrento at placed but the vertical village has its own charm! Do not miss visiting Positano if you go on a trip to the Sorrento area.

, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Kayaking into the sunset - an amazing experience in Sorrento

, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The previous post in this series is here..

We were to drive to the starting point for the Kayaking and be there before 5PM. We ended up in a wrong parking lot somewhere in the middle of the hillside. Finally after calling the Kayak place we found a parking lot below at the sea level. Turned out we were not the last ones to arrive. This was booked through Viator. So we know it will be good.

We were asked to change in a small change room, leave everything there, given life vests, a hanging cover for our phones, paddles and when the entire group of 14 was ready, there were three guides who joined us. Once our vests were checked, we got a lesson on paddling and off we went. San and me in one kayak with her insisting that she will be in the front (which meant I got to direct the kayak.. you cannot have your cake and eat it too!) and the kids in another double kayak.

We kayaked along the coast line into a grotto. It was a thrilling experience. Once there, folks who wanted to swim there were allowed 20 minutes. There is a path from the grotto to go up the hill to a villa and see the sunset from there. San and me raced up. I thought I could make it to the villas front doors, but there wasn’t enough time. So we ran to the other side, got some pics and raced back.

San had a narrow escape as she fell when trying to get back on the kayak (it was unfortunately captured on video like a drishti parigaram) but recovered okay.

When we made it back and changed, Jr. was really sick. She was miserable. So we ate at the restaurant that was new (same owners as kayak place) and it was made fresh. Loved the pasta here. Then with wet clothes it was a race back to the hotel. By the time we reached the hotel the kid was really miserable. We had two more days of travel left. So we focussed on getting her better and went to bed early. When we got to the hotel I realized that my hard earned new challenge shirt was gone!

We had to take the next days plans depending on how things turned out in the morning..

A video highlight reel

In a way it was good we missed our original appointment and went to kayak at sunset. It was fantastic.

, , , , , , , , , , ,

Living under a rock gets a new meaning - Kaymakli and a few more stop

, , , , , , , , , , ,

Previous post on this all day tour of Kapadokya is here..

It was very hot outside and thankfully we were visiting the biggest attraction in this area. The underground cave city of Kaymakli. Three floors down are open to visitors, the rest are still being inspected for safety. It goes down more floors.

The locals used to live underground while waring armies would cross the surface, sometimes for months. It was temporary refuge, built with a lot of safety features. You enter it through an un assuming gap in the top of what looks like an animal shelter. They would put the animals there and no one would walk past the dung into this hole.. once in, it opened up to so many chambers. 30,000 people lived here to survive. There were rooms, kitchens, labor delivery places, wine storage, water storage, all cramped for space and not easy to navigate without bumping your head but survival demanded it and they managed it within these confines. There was ventilation and temperatures were controlled. Human ingenuity at its best thousands of years ago!

Again, the pictures and videos do NOT even come close to the experience of walking through these underground dwellings. We are a resilient species, but we are also our worst enemy as a species. No other organism kills more of its own kind like we do.

Here are the photos..

and a video highlights reel..

If you go to Kapadokya (or Cappadocia) please make it a point to visit this cave city!

After the cave city tour, we got to drive a bit and get to Pidgeon valley. The whole place has the birds taking over small caves in the wall faces of the rocks. There was a jewelry store across this stop. They sell a gemstone found only in that area that changes color in sunlight. This is called Zultanite! They also mine Onyx which is local to the region. The jewelry was gorgeous and tasteful. If you take a bunch of ladies with you into a store like that.. be mentally prepared for what is to follow.

After this stop we went to the Uchisar castle, which is now a police lookout point. We can only see it from below. It is yet another cone which has been holed out into a castle! Got some photos from this place including the dunes facing it. We drove back to our hotel to see a gorgeous sunset, said bye to our fellow tourists and tourguide.

The little one was not feeling well. She wanted local cuisine and I wanted Indian food which would be safe. Was also feeling weird what with going in and out of air conditioning, caves etc. So we went to an Indian place in the village. It was a steep walk down. It was good food. Good service. San walked back up with the little one, while Jr. and me went shopping in the village for magnets and a T-shirt.

We were worried about what was to come the next day.

Copyright © 2012, Sundar Narayanan. All rights reserved.