Early this morning, at 5am, we left the MV and headed for Istanbul's Ataturk Airport. We hopped on the 7am flight to Kayseri and by around 845 we were en route to Gerome, the valley town built into volcanic ash flows. It was a nice drive and we arrived at the Kismet hotel and were welcomed with a round of tea and coffee while we got settled. We conversed with the owner of the family run place for a while about activities in the area and began making some plans for the day. We decided a hike across the basin and then up Rose Canyon would be good and after getting organized we set out. Stopping in town for a meal and to load up on water bottles we poked around and made some arrangements for the next morning, hot air ballooning at sunrise!
Once out of the town we trekked across beautiful expanses of rocks and crawled into many of the 3rd-5th century chapels, which are sculpted into the giant sandstone columns. Each has about 4 or 5 levels inside and you work your way up through small footholds in the dusty stone and then pull yourself through small square openings to access the rooms. Truly unbelievable!! Keep in mind that we didn't see anybody else out here doing this and there were no established tour groups or anything of the sort, which was very refreshing. After exploring through the "village" of columns we began working across the Rose Canyon ridge. With stunning views on either side it is really hard to describe what it was actually like up there. Hopefully I can get some photos up to show you. We met a man at the very top who was tending to his crops. He said in the little English he spoke that he either grows tomatoes, or grapes for wine depending on the expected rainfall and texture of the land he is farming. The whole area was created by weathered volcanic ash settlements so the rock is very dusty and the loose ground makes for good farming I suppose. After a while up there we began the hike back into town as our water was about gone and everyone was getting pretty tired. The whole trek took about three hours and we covered some serious ground. Once back into town we wandered through the small village shops and then took a light nap at the hotel. The hotel had a great view of the basin and structures so I sat and read for a while during happy hour before we went back to town for some dinner. Gerome is a truly majestic place and after dinner we sat for a while on the hotel patio for some stargazing.
7/23 – The best and longest day of this log to date.
At 445am we woke up and hopped in the shuttle to our hot air balloon ride. Ballooning is the main industry in the region and Gerome is known for hosting one of the world's largest festivals each year. By 5 we were having coffee in the desert watching the locals inflate our balloon and set up the basket. I thought I would be more nervous to go floating around in a wicker bucket but the scenery is simply too stunning to be afraid of. Our balloon was the very first in the sky this morning and we lifted off over many other companies who were getting set up. The sun began to rise as we took off and made for epic views of the areas we had hiked through yesterday. Our flight lasted just over an hour and we made a large loop of all the different areas of Cappadocia. Once back on the ground we were treated to some sour nectar juice and then were driven back to the hotel where we sat down to breakfast. Breakfast at a hotel you would think to be fairly standard but not the case at the Kismet. They have a sign telling you that the yogurt comes from their family cow. The marmalades are from the friend's farm down the road and all the honey from another close friend in town! By this point it was about 830am so we went back to bed for a quick hour then set out for more adventuring. We had arranged a driver to take our group of eight around to the major sights all day but at our own pace, which was great. We began by driving to an underground city. You literally walk to a stone door and descend via rock staircase, 160 feet below ground! As you descend there are many layers and levels to explore and it was mostly based around a central well, which we assumed to be the major water source for the inhabitants long ago. We asked the guard when this spot was built and he casually replied, 2000 BC, a nice 4000 years ago! Once we were through the maze of the underground area we climbed out and got back in the van. The next stop was a 4km hike along a river in the bottom of a large canyon. We meandered along at a nice pace and passed many small local restaurants that are built on stilts over the shallow river. They use the no furniture traditional approach so customers sit on large cushions on the ground while eating off the low table. Once we had made it from the starting point of Ilhara to Belisirma we stopped for lunch ourselves and relaxed for a bit. Our driver was very friendly and was basically at our disposal for the whole day. At around 3pm we set out for a lake that is very unknown to tourists and when we arrived there was not a soul to be seen. Once down by the water level a group of local Turks drove up on some old dirt bikes. They were about 15-20 in age and quickly joined us for a swim, in their jeans, even though they weren't the best swimmers. The rest of their family must have gotten the word somehow because a mother, father, and two more children arrived. They seemed fascinated by us and not a single one spoke any English, nor did we stand a chance at communicating in Turkish. We sat for about two hours just reading, watching the lake, and interacting with these locals. They offered us rides around the small lake on their bikes and some people jumped at the chance. I hung back and just took in the whole scene, which was really cool. Finally our van driver was able to serve as a bit of a translator and he explained to me that these Turks had in fact, never seen Americans before! It was very humbling and we communicated mostly through hand motions and took a few more swims before packing it up. As we left we took a couple pictures and they invited us back to their village for tea but because time was wearing thin we had to pass unfortunately. On the hour drive back to town everyone was pretty silent and reflected on what a humbling two days it had been all around. We made it back in town, grabbed a local beer for happy hour and then sent it for the airport. After dinner and getting checked in we flew back to Istanbul on the last flight out. Finally after our exhausting, jam-packed trip we arrived back on the MV around 2am.
In the last 48 hours I have visited places that some could only dream of and experienced culture shock at its very furthest extremes. In reflection I would say that if you have trouble traveling without more than just a backpack, let go of the materialism we've been raised on and if you can't be content without technology or constant Wi-Fi, loosen your grip on your iphone and aim for something with more substance. Exchange sleep for sunrises and the longer days that come with such habits, you'll be happy you did.
Humbled in Cappadocia,
Jeff
