Raki bad....

Trip Start May 04, 2005
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Trip End Jun 15, 2005


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Wednesday, May 18, 2005

So this is a post-humous entry for the Cappodocia area (Urgup, Goreme, Avanos etc). I took the bus from Ankara to Urgup on the 17th. A friend of a friend hooked me up with a tour agency that basically took care of everything for me. They picked me up at the bus stop, took me to my hotel and arranged all the details (hotel, tour, hot air balloon etc). The evening I got in, Mehmet, the tour guide, took me to see the sunset at Rose Valley. This was after we stopped for wine tasting and a complimentary bottle of wine (Turasan Seneler 1999 - a lovely red I must say). After testing the off-road capabilities of the car, we found a great spot to watch the sunset. This was the first time I'd been somewhere quite since arriving in Turkey and I'd forgotten how good it felt to be still.

Then, on to meze and dinner at a roof-top restaurant where I was introduced to Raki, a *very* potent drink. This was of course, after assurances from Mehmet that he could re-schedule my 5:15 am hot-air balloon ride the next morning if necessary. After dinner and Raki, on to a cave bar where one of the local guides was singing traditional Turkish music - amazing. Urgup, while catering to the tourist trade, is much less touristy than Goreme and my hotel (Hotel Janet) was within walking distance to the town centre and $15 US / night.

The next morning I bounded out of bed at 4:45 am (what WAS I thinking) and set off for my hot air balloon ride. At the moment it seemed like a good idea but once I got to the balloon site the after effects of the Raki set in and I had to head back to the hotel to recover. Yes, yes, laugh if you must...

Fortunately a few more hours of sleep solved the problem and I was able to make my 9:30 am tour. The Goreme Open Air Museum, Fairy Chimneys, Pigeon Valley, Urgup, Avanos (where I tried my hands at pottery - was thinking of Geraline! - and made a crazy bowl) etc, etc, etc... Dinner again that night and then a successful hot air balloon ride the next morning where I got to pull the gas thingys (some sort of control type device to make the balloon go up and down - ha ha ha - insert maniacal laughter here) Despite my best efforts however, I was unable to do much damage.

Then a personal tour of the underground city (K - something - sorry for the lack of detail, I'll add it later when I have my book) and back on the bus to Ankara to arrive at 5:30 pm and depart that night at 11pm for Antalya.

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