The Journey From Pamukkale To Cappadocia

We travelled a long distance from Pamukkale to Cappadocia. The road journey took more than 8 hours but I didn't find it a bit boring as it was deemed a great opportunity to see Turkey's countryside and small towns that dot the route. We made several stops, had a delectable lunch, visited a butterfly garden and even a historical site.

Beautiful Countryside

The countryside of Turkey is quite enchanting. I took a number of beautiful photos from the bus I was travelling in and will create a special post later on to display my collection.

Marble Mine

I have never seen a marble mine before and along the route I saw the first one.

Ozkan Dinlenme Tesisleri Restaurant

We stopped at a restaurant called Ozkan Dinlenme Tesisleri in Aksehir, a small town in the district of Konya. The restaurant will be remembered for its  awesome white blossoms at its backyard and great tasting food.

The meal we had was simple but delectable.   

 Konya Tropical Butterfly Garden

Enroute we also visited Konya Tropical Butterfly Garden (Konya Tropikal Kelebek Bahçesi). Opened in 2015, this building that houses a variety of tropical butterflies is located in Selçuklu district of Konya Province. The building, which is designed in the form of a butterfly and covered with a glass roof won the prestigious Turkish Best Architectural Design award in the Public Buildings category in 2018. 

This Tropical Butterfly Garden is apparently not a very popular attraction as there were hardly any visitors around. 

The set up is nice but it was very warm and humid inside (as it is meant to be tropical) in contrast to the weather outside which was cold during the time of my visit. We were soon sweating because of the thick clothes we were wearing. 

For Malaysians like us, the butterfly house was nothing too impressive. The plants used in landscaping the place are all common plants seen back home, so we hurried through the complex as the humidity was getting unbearable.

There was a good display of preserved butterflies but the collection of live butterflies was rather pathetic. We only saw half a dozen not so attractive butterflies flying around.

One of the few things we like are the eccentric-shaped showrooms.

Glimpses Of Konya City

We passed Konya City without stopping. Konya is famous for its museums and mosques. Even the not so famous mosques look beautiful. 

The topography of Konya appears flat and I find the general landscape just mediocre.

Sultanhani

We also made a stop at Sultahani, a small town in Aksaray Province. There is a famous historical site here but unfortunately it was undergoing restoration.

Sultanhani Caravanserai is a 13th century building which appeared well preserved but undergoing some restoration during our visit.  By the way a caravanserai is a roadside inn where travelers could rest and recover from the day's journey during historical times.  This caravanserai served as an inn for the early merchants and also housed their animals that were plying the ancient Silk Road.

The stone carvings on the ceiling and walls near the entrance look very intricate and impressive.

It was closed to visitors at the time of my visit but I got the permission to take a few photos of the inside.

Just opposite the caravanserai is a bustling restaurant and souvenir shop selling some mouth watering Turkish delights and cute souvenirs. We spent half an hour here before proceeding the rest of the journey to Cappadocia.

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