Hot Air Balloons to Uchisar

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Walking where other believers walked over a thousand years ago made us feel somehow connected to them, and passing through the cave homes yesterday had been a rich experience for all of us. After the frantic pace of Istanbul, this ancient land with it’s golden hued landscape was surreal. What could be better?

How about a hot-air balloon ride through the canyons, rocks, and hills of this magnificent landscape? Joe, Don B., Lynne, Gina, and Dan got up before dawn to take a sunrise flight.




Joe had made arrangements for anyone in the group who’d like to take one to participate (at their own expense). Every one of them came back saying it was the experience of a lifetime. While in the air, they flew over the city of Uchisar, which for some reason known only to Don B., became the word most commonly used on the bus for the rest of the trip. Every time someone would ask about the next day’s itinerary, or where we should stop for a meal, bathroom, or snack, everyone would shout “Uchisar!” Why? Because it was fun.



They were back at the hotel by 9:00 am, and we set off as a group once again-- this time to see the underground cities that provided refuge for tens of thousands of people during times of invasion and persecution.

A little more Cappadocian trivia: There are about 200 underground cities. Most were built between the 6th and 10th centuries AD. Christians hid in them during the Arab and Persian invasions, as well as the Ottoman invasion. Here you can see a big millstone that had been carved on the spot. The refugees would roll it into place and it would perfectly seal the cave.


We headed up the road to pigeon valley for a scenic photo stop and then to a nearby town for a buffet lunch. The food was delicious—there were some very tasty little meat nuggets that Don and Joe tried to convince me was camel. Sigh.

Afterwards we moved to another valley with Fairy Chimneys that had been used by monks for solitude. The roadside merchants were everywhere, working the tourists and trying to get lots of lira for their wares. The rock formation we stopped to see was called “Camel Rock”.


The sun was setting as we drove back to our hotel for the final night’s stay in Cappadocia. Our hosts were gracious and served us a lovely dinner on the terrace again, depite the fact that they would be arising early with us the next day to see us off with cookies and coffee. The group was really having a great time together and the meal was punctuated with the sound of laughter. What a great day we’d had. Joe announced at dinner that we had to leave the hotel at 5:00 am to catch an early flight to the coast. We’d next be visiting Pergamum, Laodecea, and Ephesus.

Packing up our things, we prepared for a really early morning. We’d spent the past two days walking, climbing, riding, and eating. We’d had no idea this part of our experience would be this grand. Only one thing could have improved it—a stop in Uchisar.