2geonomads

Thursday 14th June 2012

If the alarm on both our mobiles hadn’t done the job the Imam calling the believers to prayer at 4 am would certainly done the trick.
Balloon flight with Kappadokya Ballons duly took off at 5.30 and for the next 1 hour and fifty minutes we were treated to an unforgettable experience, made all the better by the skill and personality of the pilot Serhan. Seeing the valleys and rock formations from the air after we had seen them from the ground the previous day was extra special.
What seemed to be of particular interest to many of the ladies on board was Love Valley with its ‘ impressive’ phallic rock pillars. Gail will be able to send a selection from the hundreds of photos taken of this valley when we get back.

The flight was neatly rounded off with a glass of champagne and then it was back to our various hotels for breakfast.

A clapped-out rental car arrived for us at 9.00 so an hour later we were ready to head first south past the rock castle at Uchisar, then west towards Aksaray before finally driving south to the beautiful Ihlara Valley. Tucked away at the bottom of a gorge Belisarma was an unexpected delight, as was a 4 kms walk along the valley floor.
Lunch was a snack of the local dish ,goremes cooked over an open fire by local villagers.
Last visit of the day is to the fascinating underground city of Kaymakli. It’s on such occasions that it’s quite an advantage to be a dwarf and the very tall Dutch group in front of us came out very Quasimodo-like after negotiating the maze of very low tunnels built by the Hittites close to 2000 years BC.
Our car is now sounding decidedly sick and is proving to be very thirsty . Petrol in Turkey is about $2.50 per liter so it’s a sobering thought that our Prado would cost $450 to fill in this part of the world.
The car holds on long enough to get us back to Goreme and after yet another lovely meal we turn in early, partly to make up for the 4.30 am start and also to prepare for a 7.00 am taxi to the airport the next day.

Tomorrow should see us in Modena, Italy,ahead of a week in northern Tuscana with my brother Tony and his wife Marg.

We leave Turkey full of fond memories of a country that has far exceeded our expectations. We have been met with kindness throughout our trip and it comes as no surprise to learn that Turkey currently has the second fastest economic growth rate in the world after China. Hopefully they will not snatch defeat from the jaws of victory by joining the European Community!

Cheers

The Obese Ferret