On the road, encountering Turkey

Turkey's beauty is not only in the domes of mosques, nor just in the light and shadow of the Blue Coast.
What moves the heart most are the roads stretching endlessly into the distance.
Starting from Ankara, heading west—the wind blows past your ears, mountains, seas, villages, and ancient sites slowly passing by the car window.

🕌 Ankara: The prologue of the city
As the car leaves the urban area, the sky over Ankara is still light blue. The roads are wide, and the entire city is clean and orderly.
Stopping in front of Atatürk Mausoleum, gazing at the solemn stone pillars and fluttering flags, you can almost feel the resilience and pride of a nation.
Turkey’s story begins here.

⛰️ Cappadocia: Where the wind brushes the surface of the planet
The further you drive toward the center, the more desolate the scenery becomes. The rocks take on strange shapes, like fortresses carved by the wind.
Arriving in Cappadocia at dusk, the lights on the horizon twinkle sparsely.
At dawn, balloons rise. Colorful balloons float in the morning mist, with sunlight slowly spilling from afar.
At that moment, everyone falls silent—it feels like entering a dream or returning to some prehistoric world.

💦 Pamukkale: The hot springs in the clouds
Continuing west, the road winds. Hills gradually become covered in white—that’s Pamukkale in the distance.
The snow-white travertine layers stack upon each other, and hot spring water flows gently down the terraces, reflecting soft light.
Walking in the warm water underfoot feels like walking on clouds. Time slows here, and the wind softens.

🏛 Ephesus: Echoes in the stone
Heading southwest, you reach the ancient ruins of Ephesus.
Stone pillars, arches, and the amphitheater remain, with statues that seem to still tell stories of Greece and Rome.
The wind blows from the Mediterranean, carrying a hint of salt and traces of time.

🌅 On the road: The shape of freedom
The scenery outside the window changes from golden to blue, with villages, olive trees, and distant coastlines weaving into a flowing painting.
No preset destination, no tight schedule.
Driving in Turkey, the most beautiful thing is not just the scenery, but the calmness of going with the flow.

As night falls, the car stops at a mountaintop viewpoint.
City lights gradually turn on in the distance, and the starry sky unfolds overhead.
At that moment, all the rushing and fatigue turn into the song of the wind.
—This is the meaning of travel.

Recommended route

Ankara → Cappadocia → Pamukkale → Ephesus → Izmir

🧭 Driving Tips

Driver’s license: Chinese licenses require an English notarized document or an international driving permit translation certification.

Navigation: It is recommended to use Google Maps + offline maps, as signals in some mountainous areas are unstable.

Fuel: Gas prices in Turkey are relatively high, but the road conditions are excellent, and service areas are densely distributed.

Accommodation: Cave hotels in Cappadocia offer a strong experience; hot spring hotels are recommended in Pamukkale.

Turkey’s roads are like a flowing poem, filled with wind, time, and vastness.
Perhaps the meaning of travel is not to reach a certain place, but to rediscover the vastness and gentleness of the world along the way. Black Diamond Release Turkey·Asia