Cappodacia

In a word, stunning. 

I'm not even going to try to describe it, because the best I can do is say it's like the drumheller badlands meets the Grand Canyon meets the smurf's village. I'll just scribe a few quick comments and then post a schwack of photos you can shift through yourself. Just keep in mind that pictures never come close to really capturing something and then go book your flights here :)

- when I last left you we were nearing the end of an 11-12 hour drive and just about to stop at derynkuru. I knew it was an underground city that went some 10 stories down, but it was way bigger than I expected. It apparently housed 3-4,000 people, and even had tunnels that extended 10 kms to other underground cities. It's an amazing amount of rock they carved through. 

- cappadocia's geology is apparently owed to volcanic activity several million years ago. Earlier deposits laid down volcanic ash that, once rockified (is that a word?), would erode faster than the basalt stone over top of it from later lava flows, leaving behind the world famous "fairy chimneys". More recently (as in thousands instead of millions of years ago) people would chisel their homes, churches, and pigeon holes (used to collect poop for fertilizer) into the soft rock as well. Far from the dark and tiny caves you'd expect, some more closely resemble massive and ornately adorned basilicas that surprise you with their size and grandeur. 

- our intinerary here included a hot air balloon ride (the undisputed highlight thus far), a hike through the beautiful rose valley where we also snatched a few delicious grapes from the wine yards as we passed by, a Turkish hammam (bath house with a bubble massage), and a trip to a Turkish rug workshop. I usually hate those types of things but I actually have a new found admiration for that handicraft and was more then slightly tempted to drop 4 figures on an authentic one. Must be another side effect of getting old. 

- ok, here's the pictures:

https://picasaweb.google.com/105776517996378672019/Cappodacia?authkey=Gv1sRgCKjKna_uv8C9uwE

Or some of them anyway. I've been trying to upload this for 2 days now but the network at this hotel blows. Check it back in a while and there'll be more photos :)

MOVING ON

Today we are on the road again, heading to Konya, the modern agricultural Center and ancient home to the whirling dervishes. Enroute we intersected the impressive Silk Road caravanassi of Sultanhami, built in 1229 AD. Trip planning is a precarious balance of researching enough to know what you want to do, but not so much you leave no surprises because those are always the best parts. Sultanhami, albeit a small one, was 1 of those. Fortress, mosque and market all rolled into 1 building. 

Tonight we stay in the home of a local villager where I'll probably share a good chest cold with them because (a) I've caught a whopper and (b) you are supposed to bring a gift. Then tomorrow we head back south for some Mediterranean coast and beaches to start the second third of our trip. 

P. S. I keep hearing this Turkish song in the cafés that has the exact same melody as Rasputin. I thought it was an instrumental version but Ibrahim tells me it's an old Turkish song. Either way it's firmly stuck in my head. Poor Jaimie.