Hot Air and Cool Caves

July 24

Waking up at 4am is worth it if by 5:30 you're in a balloon sailing over fairy chimneys and farmland. I can't capture the experience in any other word than breathtaking. I took great joy in looking straight down imagining what it would be like to fly over the countryside. Fear of falling? Maybe a little but I'm a firm believer in grasping the moment, so lean over the side I did... safely of course. *wink*

If being 1100m in the air wasn't enough, within 3 hours we were 50m underground exploring a small section of a sprawling 3 mile UNDERGROUND city. Holly knew immediately that I was going to want to wander off, and she was right, so I agreed to stay with the group. Within reason, anyway. The 30 minutes we had needed to be 2 hours but I won't deny that our time there was very cool, literally and figuratively. Animal stables, churches, kitchens, grain storage, cisterns and more all carved out of the bedrock going down 12 stories. It was created a long time ago and saw its prime in the 13th century by Christians escaping persecution. I found my way into some side passages away from the group and Holly got some fun shots of my returns. I loved it. It reminded me of crawling about the sewer pipes in Poway with Rob when we were young. When I return to Turkey I will hire a guide to take me down to the burial chambers and river.

Off to a rug making coop where we were wined and dined while introduced to the fascinating world of Turkish rugs. The craftsmanship is a real art. He explained that the only real difference between Turkish rugs and Persian or Indian rugs is the patterning and the shapes. Holly fell in love and we purchased a beautiful one for our living room.

The driver did us a favor by stopping at a rock formation known as the Three Graces. You know I took advantage of some climbing.

Rounded out the day with a great hike through a local valley. Isa took about 10 of us on a very scenic and awe inspiring back country trail. Caves, beautiful plants and an amazing sunset. I began and ended the day with the sun beautiful Turkish son. Very nice, indeed.