Cappadocia: Day 1

Best weekend ever. We went to the very interior of Turkiye called Cappadocia. Millions of years ago, Cappadocia was a volcanically active region of the earth. Eruptions were perhaps common place and over time ash built up and formulated different stone and rock shapes and gave the surface of Cappadocia a setting that looks as if you on Earth's moon. The landscape is surreal. It looks like a dry area with little vegetation but that is a false reality. This place is known for its vineyards and wine industry. However what was by far the most facinating aspect about this area were the thousands of cliff and cave housings/dwelling that littered all the canyons in the area. Apparently Christians of the thrid and fourth century AD built them in order to hide from the Pagan Roman Empire that was killing them at the time. During the time up to when the Arab Muslim Empire invaded, the area flourished with its underground cave systems, carved out society, and how churches flourished. After the Arab invasion by the Mameluks, it became known as a place of tranquility where Muslim, Christian, and Jews lived together in harmony and they still do. My friend Lessa described me as being in my element here and she was right.
This place is loaded with valleys to hike down and explore, abandoned carved out homes within the cliff ledges to spend the night in, and tons of sites to see! This place is a must see for any outdoor adventurer. However the true beauty of this place is in its simplicity, its village atmoshpere, and the fact that civilization here coexists with nature rather then imposing on it. This place has modern technology just like almost every other place in Turkiye but it is viewed as a means to an end, and not a form of entertainment or something to utilize for personal well being. This is a chill place very much like Assos, and I was welcomed by every single Turkish person living there. It was amazing. It is funny because I have never felt homesick being here except at first when I was extremely shy and didn't know anyone. I now realize why. In Turkish culture, there must be some unwritten rule that encourages Turks to make guests feel like home in their country. This is something America might be lacking.
Also this place coexist with its surrounding instead of destroying the natural environment to make room for human expansion and productivity. I can see it on the top of the roofs. Almost every roof has solar panels either for electricity or for heating water. America wants to go green where as this place has been green for about 50 years now. Take that America. Also many families still use the dugged out caverns and homes to actually live in. Granted living conditions in these Fairy Chimneys, as they're called, aren't extravagent but they have actually made them livable by installing electricity and AC/Heating units in some. Most now are just used for storing things in, but some business actually operate out of them. The other thing I like about this place is the village life style. This place has a village atmosphere that forces you to slow down a lot. It was calming and relaxing. I was allowed to enjoy this place at my own pace, where as in the city of Istanbul, the pace is set for everyone it seems.
Our group of students from Bogaziçi and Kaç Universities left Istanbul around 10:00pm and arrived in the area of Cappadocia at around 7:30 in the morning. It was a horrible bus ride! I tried getting to sleep but the road was bumpy and the Thijs's–a friend from Holland who sat in front of me–seat was malfunctioning and it kept leaning back when it wasn't suppose to. Since I sat in the back I couldn't recline my seet so I had no leg room and was stuck between three other girls and two big guys in front of me. I tried to get some sleep but It never germinated. I was tired but when we reached the Hotel and then the Pigeon Valley I became wide awake. There was so much to do and see. I loved it. The valley was litterally covered in random little dwelling carved out of the sandstone rock. Also apparently the people who lived in these dwellings were probably excellent climbers. They built there homes to have different levels and to get one level, one would have to litterally climb up a small little hole using the small dug out holes where one would place their foot or hand. It was actually quite cool. It made me feel like I was at Upper Limits. There were litterally hundreds of places in climb in and out of. I eventually even got to the top of some and was able to look down upon my fellow travelers in superiority because I was the one brave enough to climb all of those floors. My experience at rock climbing really paid off. At one point I was climbing straight up a narrow shaft that extended about 20 yards until it reached the next floor. I performed some pretty interesting manuvers actually in order to prevent a 40 ft fall to my doom. It was fun though. However I was disgusted with Mert though for calling us back so soon but he definitely had his reasons.

We then went to Uçhisar to visit the Uçhisar Castle and to have lunch. Lunch was good, and filling. Remeber I was running on only like 2 hours of sleep so food was very important to me, and I became a machine when the food was served. We went to a place where you pay a certain amount and they would then bring out several small dishes of food ranging from tavuk (chicken) to liver and from pasta to rice. It was amazing and it gave me enough energy to soldier through the day thank god. The castle was cool though. Not much climbing though which was somewhat disapointing. We had to follow a fixed path because all other paths were blocked by metal gates. But the view from the top was unparralled. I also got to goof off because there were a lot of ledges to stand on and over, which, by the way, generated some excellent photo oppurtunities. For instance I got one photo of me taken where I was sitting on the ledge of the castle cliff side that had a straight 200ft drop. Feel the adrenaline! I took a picture of that just for mom...
After the castle, we went behind it to the Red Valley. That was really fun. There were a lot of Fairy Chimneys to climb. However I got a little pissed at Mert because he didn't let us spend a whole lot of time there. It was frustrating. Some people wanted to go back and sleep where as I, the person who only had about 2 hours of sleep, felt more alive then ever. I was running around, hopping from one opening to another, climbing through small little holes that I shouldn't have been climbing into, and climbed up to heights my fellow comrades wouldn't dare climb up. I actually managed to climb up on one the higher Chimneys to get close to the top. I could have gone longer, but Mert was honking the horn on the bus telling me to get my ass back to the bus. Anyway, that day was glorious.