Hot air ballooning over Kapadokya, Turkey

     These two old codgers did something very adventurous in Kapadokya, Turkey. We went hot air ballooning. Now we had done this before over the fields of southeastern Wisconsin. When I retired 3 years ago, several of my doctor partners didn't know what to give me as a retirement gift so they got me two tickets to a hot air balloon ride. This local balloon is fairly small; the basket holds at most 8 people including the pilot. That trip was scheduled and postponed several times because of winds being too strong. The night that we went turned out to almost be too calm. We did stir up some white tailed deer. They seemed much more spooked by our balloon than they are by cars, people, or other suburban structures. We only traveled about 2 or 3 miles. Therefore we landed in a subdivision that usually doesn't see the balloon coming down. As we floated over houses many people came out and begged the pilot to land us in their backyard. Of course, he wants to put the balloon down on a street because then the trailer can get there to load up the basket. Otherwise, the basket would have to be carried to the trailer -- much more work. The ride was nice, but the neighborhood event that the landing turns into was also neat. Neighbors are hanging around watching the balloon pack up process. As they greeted us they say: "Are you new to the neighborhood?" "Yes," I said, "by about 5 minutes. We were in the balloon." Oooohhhh! They are all excited to find out how the ride was. So half of the fun is the after events.
     Things are different in Kapadokya. First of all the basket is divided into 5 sections, each section just a little smaller than our entire basket for the Wisconsin trip. Twenty-four people plus the pilot can go up. These are big balloons. My biggest concern was climbing into the basket. I knew the balloon operators would help but I expected maybe some portable steps. No such luck! There were two holes in the side of the basket but that side leaned outward toward you so it was very difficult to put feet in those holes while leaning backward and swing yourself over the edge. Of course, I couldn't understand the Turkish but I think when all the crew saw us two old fat fogies, a call went up in Turkish: "All hands on deck for these two!" Well, they pushed and they shoved and I went in. But my shoe would not slide on the plastic covered rim of the basket and as they shoved, my knee flexed more and more with my foot bent underneath. I began to cry out: "Ouch, Ouch, Ow!" The pilot who heard and knew English, made a face as he saw what was happening and said "Sorry!" Well, eventually I got my foot untangled and the other foot down inside. When I put my foot down, there was no pain in the knee and I thought I had lucked out. We enjoyed the 1 hour long balloon ride very much. Believe me riding over Kapadokya is a lot different than riding over southeastern Wisconsin farms. My husband shot lots of photos and I include a few here. The pilot pulls some little stunts which my husband said he could have done without. He brings the balloon close to one of the fairy chimneys or to a sharp ridge of the valley, makes it look like we are going to hit it, and then turns on the gas, and we rise quickly just clearing the natural structure. We saw foxes running down below instead of deer. Finally it came time to land. The chase vehicle becomes visible and the pilot is in contact with them, mutually deciding on a flat landing place. As we came up over a ridge and fairly large flat patch became visible, we saw the truck and trailer waiting. But the pilot could not quite make it to that spot. He landed us off road and in a very rough field. We had been instructed how to crouch down inside the basket when we land, sort of wedging ourselves below the rim of the basket. It was a rough landing but we were upright. Almost immediately 4 of the crew were there hanging on ropes to hold the balloon down. Then the truck pulled the trailer right up alongside the basket with us still crouched inside it. Now the pilot made one bad decision: He advised his crew that he was going to give the balloon some gas, to just raise it enough to place it on the trailer. That would have saved so much work because the basket would not have to be unloaded of all the gas canisters and manually lifted up on the trailer. What the pilot had not figured on was a sudden increase in wind just as he pumped more hot air up into that big balloon. Suddenly it became clear that those four guys were not going to be able to hold it. They tried but that balloon wanted to fly. We were cautioned to stay in our crouched positions, luckily. Because the balloon flew over the road and found another rough field, came to earth but with a couple of bounces and with some slight dragging of the basket sideways. It was scary. But finally the crew got the thing under control and decided it was better to deflate the thing right away -- so they would have to do some extra work since the basket was not on the trailer. Everybody was OK, and we got out of the basket pain free. After we were out, everyone was congratulating the pilot, but I saw his face. He was very happy to have us all safely with our feet on the ground. It was a great balloon ride but I think this may be the last one that my husband and I do. My knee started paining that afternoon and for the rest of the trip I hobbled. We saw a lot but it was somewhat of a struggle for me.

     I have enclosed some of the views of this amazing valley. These rock structures are of volcanic tufa rock which is very easy to carve. The nearest I can compare this valley to is Bryce Canyon in Utah, except that the hoodoos in Kapadokya are 5-10 times larger so that they can be hollowed out and lived in. The plateau and edge of the plateau is much like the South Dakota Badlands. That should give you some idea of what this area looked like. In the 2nd century AD,  some Christians running from Roman persecution first came here and established a monastery, with churches and chapels with their painted frescoes, monks quarters, dining rooms and guest rooms.  Then when the place got such a holy reputation people began to use the rock formations for homes; they wanted to live near all this spiritual activity. The two saints who came here and became famous were St. George, and St. Basil. But also St Paul was in the area though the monastery had not been created then yet, or it may have been in a very early stage.

Turkey: Interesting and confusing

     The topic of Islam and the Moslem lifestyle are very current today because of current events and the constant fear of increase in terrorism. We recently visited a country where 99.9% of the population is Moslem. That country is Turkey, where the desire to join the European Union has magnified all things European.. Istanbul is a very cosmopolitan city with all modern conveniences, up to date and even cutting edge public transportation, a desire to become a fashion leading city, and recently with a new nationalistic spirit in all things. When we were there, the annual Tulip Festival was apparent with beautiful beds in full bloom throughout the city. Our guide explained that Turkey wanted the world to know that the tulip originated in Turkey. Indeed the Ottoman Empire was the first to cultivate the tulip commercially. Of course, where did those hundreds of thousands of tulip bulbs planted around the city come from? Holland of course. Also while we were there a Shopping Festival was in progress. There were competitions for window decorations in shops and there were fashion shows and other events that celebrate the spirit of going out specifically to buy. What could be more Western and fit more into our known lifestyle than these two festivals?
     And yet in Istanbul and indeed in many Turkish cities there are mosques about every 10 to 20 blocks or so. Five times a day the recorded muezzin's call to prayer blares from the loudspeakers attached to the minarets. No longer does the muezzin need to climb up there and sing out his call to prayer. Someone just hits a button or more likely a timer turns the switch to play the recording. In one case, the call to prayer ended with three notes that were purely digital in sound, like the signals on a computer that ends a recording. Our guide told us that the current administration which is trying to increase the religious lifestyle has ordered that the volume on those loudspeakers be turned up. These calls to prayer are broadcast 5 times a day: at sunrise, at the zenith of the sun ie about noon, in the afternoon when an object's shadow reaches twice its own length, at sunset, and then when it is completely dark. The sunrise call to prayer seems to be a particularly long one or maybe that is just because that is when you most want the sound to cease. Our guide said that there are some extra sentences in that 5 AM call that say something to the affect: You must get up to pray. You would much rather be praying than sleeping. At any rate, hearing these loud broadcasts throughout the day and particularly at 5 AM makes you aware that you are not in a typical US or European city.     
     As a woman one thing that I was particularly conscious of was my own hair, and how the local women treated their own tresses, and for that matter their clothing and dress. My understanding is that in Islam a woman covers her hair to symbolize her purity and modesty, to indicate propriety, to demand the respect that a religious woman deserves, and to perhaps prevent the attraction or perhaps distraction that she would otherwise be to passing men. The degree of religious fervor varies from city to city and from one area to another in Turkey. Istanbul is decidedly cosmopolitan. Some interior cities are much more religious. Generally the cities along the Mediterranean, especially Antalya are much less religious. I only saw two women throughout our tour of turkey who wore the black hijab. But in general, I thought that about 60% of women covered their hair usually with decorative head scarves. Some of the older women wore typical silk head scarves, long coats, and long dresses underneath. They had sort of a "babushka" appearance. Many younger women wore a head scarf and even had an additional piece of head gear underneath like a wimple to hide the front hair more than the headscarf would do. And yet  with the head coverings, many of these young women wore very heavy facial makeup and wore fashionable boots, very close fitting leggings, and even blouses or tops that even this American would regard as revealing. I just am not sure what message this is sending. I asked our guide about this. He really didn't have an answer. He just said women tended to do what they wanted to do. I guess from my feminist Western view, this is a good sign. They are free to do what they want to do with their dress. There are certainly a fair percentage of women who do not wear any head covering at all. But inside the door of most mosques are head scarves provided for the member or visitor who enters.
     To increase the confusion, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, first President of the Republic of Turkey in 1923 started a vast reform of political, economic and social institutions in Turkey. He more or less abolished the Sharia type law of the Ottoman Empire and instituted a secular movement. His government made it illegal for women to wear headresses in the Universities and in public buildings in Turkey. This law is still on the books, though not everyone follows it. Now the current government is striving for an return to more religious standards.
     I learned a lot about the mosques. Islam is not allowed to have any images of God or Mohammad or any other being inside the mosque. Only calligraphic writing of the names of God and the prophets are allowed to be displayed. That is why the interior of many mosques is somewhat plain, at least compared to what the Roman or Orthodox Catholic are used to. I learned that in my travels around the world when I have entered a mosque I have inadvertently transgressed accepted politeness. When Islamic worshipers are kneeling and praying and bowing, facing the niche in the mosque located in whatever direction is Mecca, if anyone walks between the prayerful individual and the niche, that person has to start his whole sequence of prayers over. That is why often inside mosques, people are kneeling next to pillars or against a railing so that no one can walk immediately in front of them. I will certainly be more careful in the future knowing this little bit of information. We Americans are not very good at learning some of the basic cultural requirements to become polite and welcome visitors when we travel around the world.
    Below are just a smattering of photos of the "huge" sites in Turkey. More may appear later in my blog. Or perhaps you will see something in the future as one of my Mystery Photos.

From the Bosphorus: Blue mosque on the left, Hagia Sophia on the right.



The silk market in Bursa



Memorial to Ataturk, Ankara, the capitol city.



Sunset over Cappadoccia, one of the most unique places in the world.



The Celsus Library, in Ephesus, the best preserved and largest Roman city ruins in the world.