Expectation

Here is how it was supposed to be.

My eyes opened at 4:30.  I was kinda excited about what would happen this morning, and I am lying there surprised how I was able to get any sleep at all, given my excitement!  I got up, walked to the bathroom, and took a nice hot shower in the über-shower in the Cave Hotel.  I dressed, added another layer to make sure I'd stay warm, and then I made my way to the lobby.  Scilla was right on my heels, and we both greeted our driver at 5:00.  We walked to his van, climbed in, and he drove us to the launch site.

In the early morning hours, as the sun was peeking over the hills, we watched as life was breathed into the hot air balloons.  As the hot air filled them, they looked like sleeping giants roused from their slumbers, their growing bodies lifting towards the sky.  The early light was lighting the surface of the inflating balloons, and we watched in awe as the balloons straightened themselves out and brushed off the dust and dew.

After getting a quick introduction, we were soon climbing into the basket of our balloon.  He was a handsome balloon, emblazoned with vertical stripes of primary colors and a perpendicular white line running along its highest diameter.  I felt a sense of pride that our balloon was more beautiful than the rest.

Once in safe and sound, the ropes were released, and our gentle giant lifted us skywards.  As we went up, the gentle breeze cradled us and guided us in the direction of the best views.  The roaring flame was keeping the chill out of the basket, and we were taken aback as we lifted over the mountains and canyons of Cappadocia.  The stunning views left me speechless, my eyes widening in a futile attempt to drive more of what they saw to my brain.  My camera shutter was whirring away as I tried to capture as many pictures as possible to record what I was seeing.

After a smooth float over the ground below, we descended, and our balloon brought us back to earth.  I silently thanked him as I got out of his cradle, battling a feeling of envy of his domain… of the skies that he floats in, and of the beauty he had only briefly shared with me.

Soon we were back at the hotel, and we met Wil and Becca at breakfast, trying to relay what we saw, but realizing that there are no words to describe what we had just experienced.

Wonderful, isn't it?

Well, that isn't how it happened.

Here is what actually happened.

I got to sleep last night kinda late, trying to get my blog and pictures published before I went to sleep.  The concierge had told us last night that this morning's Hot Air Balloon flight might be canceled due to weather.  We were to get a call to our rooms at 4:30 to let us know what the Hot Air Balloon operator's call was.  If the balloons were to be grounded or not, we were going to get a call.

Knowing this, I had set my alarm for 4:30, so that I'd be up to hear the phone.  After what felt like too little sleep, my alarm was blaring, and I laid in my bed, waiting to hear the phone ring.  After valiantly battling drowsiness for 10 minutes, I got up and called the front desk.  The woman there said that she hadn't heard form the Hot Air Balloon Operator, and that she was continuing to attempt to get through to them.  She said she might be able to work something out for us at 5:30.  I thanked her and set down the phone, thinking in my head that if we weren't on our way to the Ride at 5:30, then we'd impact our schedule.  I was disappointed, but there wasn't anything I could do, so I walked back to my bed, and climbed in.  Without thinking, I had my warm blanket on my again, and I was soon fast asleep.

The phone rang at 5:30, and as I got up, I heard Wil's voice say that Scilla was calling for me.  She apparently received the same information as I did from the front desk, but suggested that we get ready so that if the balloon company says "Yes" last-minute, we'd be ready.  I agreed, set down the phone, and was soon getting ready for the day.  As I was brushing my teeth, I heard Wil's voice on the phone.  He then passed the message along to me that the balloon flights had been canceled.

I finished dressing, and went to find Scilla.  She was in the lobby using the internet, and told me that the balloon flights had been canceled due to weather.  Apparently, it had been snowing just minutes before!  Not enough to stick to the ground, but it was precipitation nonetheless, and the balloon companies were not willing to fly in those conditions.

Suffice it to say, my expectations last night as I drifted off to sleep were not realized.  And I wouldn't have a Hot Air Balloon flight today.

But I was wrong.

###

I finished packing and made my way to breakfast, which was now being served.  It was a pretty impressive spread.  And I took FULL advantage of it.  Observe.

Omelet with salami (again, the mini hot dogs)

French fries with SPICY ketchup

Peanut butter

Chocolate

Chocolate Fudge

Peanut Butter Fudge

Pineapple

Banana

Cold cuts

Cheese

BREAD with BUTTER

Orange Juice

I had multiple servings of the above.  And it was delicious.

We putzed around on the internet for a bit (emails and whatnot), and then we grabbed our cameras and roamed around the village we were in.  We saw a lot of things.  One thing that we didn't see was people.  A lot of the houses (translation: shacks) were broken or empty.  I had asked Wil if he thought the houses were being deconstructed or constructed.  He simply said "De".  We saw a few people outside, we heard a few others, and we met a sweet little boy being walked to school by his Mother.  But for the size of the place, the silence and lack of movement was striking.

We made our way back to the hotel in time to see Usaf wedging the Benz in between the tight corners (I got a pic... check it out!).  We, of course, gave him a round of applause when he made it through.  We gathered up our things and checked out of the hotel.  We really had an amazing time there... I only wish we had more time to enjoy the beauty of the hotel!

Soon we were making our way back to the highway on our way to an Underground City.  Apparently, Christians used underground tunnels to hide from Romans.  They would go up to 10 stories deep!  They were cleverly constructed to allow oxygen to flow down, smoke from cooking fires to vent, and for cities of people (like 500 people or something crazy) to survive down there for up to 3 months!  And underground cities were interconnected, so people could escape an attack by moving to another city.  Clever!

There were stone doors to keep invaders out, peep holes to watch for attackers, holes to spear attackers with, false corridors, holes everywhere... it was nuts.  It made me feel like I was in a Hobbe Cave in Fable 2 or something!  I posted some of the pics from there... I had to squat-walk to make it through some of those corridors!

We then went to an Onyx factory to see how Onyx is turned from slab to salesworthy.  We were afraid to go to this because we didn't want it to turn into a hard sales pitch like the one at the Carpet store yesterday.  But the guy showing us around was nice, and he didn't put any pressure on.  They sold more than Onyx, as they had a wide selection of Turkish jewelry.  FUN FACT: Did you know that the word Turquoise comes from Turkey?  It was named as such in reference to the color of the eyes of many Turks.  Who knew?

Mehmet and Usef then took us to a place called Pigeon Valley, which is a canyon that had Pigeon Homes (described yesterday) all throughout it.  On one end of the canyon was a Cave City where people lived.  It was pretty neat, and there was much to see.  Check out the pictures for perhaps the most unusual sign we've seen yet!

So here is where I pick up where I left off above about the Hot Air Balloon ride.  We didn't get a chance to go this morning due to weather, so Scilla and I did the best we could to make up for it.  Check out our substitute Hot Air Balloon ride:

Awesome, isn't it?  Yeah, I know.  Even better than the real thing, y'all!

Back in the Benz, we were taken to a scenic point on the road, and we piled out to see what was shakin'.  Here's what we saw:  Caves, Camel, Asian Tourists, Silk Road, and the Beatles.  Confused?  Well, let me explain.

There were impressive cave formations near this location that made for great pictures.  Looking across the road, you could see a SPECTACULAR view of this portion of Cappadocia.  Truly beautiful!  There was camel there (who was foaming around the mouth, looked horribly grumpy, and actually spit on an Asian Tourist!) that could be ridden for 10 Lira.  Scilla threw the cash at the attendance and raced up the ladder to jump on the camel!  The timing couldn't have been more perfect.  As Becca, Wil, and I were taking pictures of Scilla getting on the camel, we suddenly heard squealing and stomping behind us.  We turned to look, and a BUSLOAD (no joke!) of Asian Tourists came spilling out with cameras in hand to capture Scilla on the camel!  Wil let out a squeal of delight, and the three of us immediately changed targets for our camera, capturing the Asian Tourists capturing Scilla on the camel.  Epic, folks.  Epic.

Becca was kind enough to point out the key components of Asian Tourist Picture Taking.  Apparently, it all comes down to taking a picture, and bending both knees.  We have photographic evidence of this technique, so be sure to check it out.  :)

Scilla rode the camel around the lot, with Wil running backwards in front of her to catch the best shot.  Once Scilla came down, we walked towards the van, and Mehmet filled us in on the significance of this patch of road we were on.  Apparently, this section was also used as part of the Silk Road, a trade route between Europe and China.

This was cool.  We had to document this somehow.  But how could we memorably commemorate the Silk Road?  Well, we spied a road crossing.  And then it happened.  The idea came to emulate the Abbey Road cover of the Beatles on the Silk Road.  Makes total sense, right?  We waited for traffic to stop whizzing by, and the four of us ran into position as Mehmet started snapping pictures of us!  We got what we needed, and ran back before any traffic came and put an end to our fun.  We laughed on our way back to the Benz, and were soon on our way to our next stop.

The Asian Tourists followed us to the next Vista Point, and we soon made our way past the crowd back to the Benz.  Our next stop was lunch, and we went back to Ürgüp and stopped at a local favorite for lunch.  I had what can be best described as a Turkish Pizza (meat and vegetables on a flatbread) and it was delicious.  Especially with the Banana Peppers (like the Mezzetta ones we have back home) that were on the table!

The tour continued, and soon we were hiking through the Imagination Valley.  It's called as such because many of the rock formations were named based on what people imagined the shape of the rock formation reminded them of (much like finding shapes in clouds).  It was very cool, and Mehmet was amazing with his knowledge of the area.

Usaf then took us to a town called Avanos where we walked across the Red River on a plank bridge.  We learned that the Red River got its name from the red color of the river deposits that were then used to make red clay pots.  When the river was dammed four years ago, the red residues stopped coming downstream, leaving the river the color of a normal one.  It would have been neat to see it when it was red.

We were taken to an Underground Pottery company.  It has been family-owned for 6 generations, going all the way back to the 1800's!  We were given a generous tour of their facilities (from molding to throwing clay, to shaping and coloring... we saw a lot!).  While touring, Scilla and I did a double-take because we felt we recognized one of the workers there.  I asked him if he was one of the dancers from the Turkish Cultural Show the night before, and when he nodded, Scilla and I both shook his hand and thanked him for an excellent show!  Small town celebrity, I guess!

Scilla was able to participate in a Pottery Demonstration, which was neat.  We watched their youngest potter make a sugar bowl and lid, and the shapes seemed to just flow out of his fingers.  It was neat.  What was neater was being the youngest potter there, his nickname was "Harry Potter!"  We all (including Harry) had a good laugh at that one.  To do her demonstration, the proprietor got Scilla a pair of oversized pants to keep her jeans safe from clay.  They resembled Hammer Pants, and as we laughed at our joke, the proprietor started humming "Can't Touch This!"  We roared with laughter, and kept laughing as Scilla slipped on the hideous pants!  Harry helped Scilla with her creation, and in the end, I think she won points for creativity.  Check out the photographic evidence of her creation.

We went through the gallery of finished pieces, and were thoroughly impressed at the craftsmanship and artistry of the pieces there.  Some of us bought some ceramics, and soon we were driving back to Ürgüp to drop Mehmet off.  He helped us one last time with our Turkish phones, and soon we were sharing handshakes and wishing Mehmet well.  He wished us happiness, and went on his way to get his next tour group.  Usef would take us back to Ankara.

On the long drive to Ankara, Scilla occupied her time with a Turkish lesson podcast.  Wil and Becca catnapped, and I tried to do some blogging and I narrowed down the day's 502 pictures down to 115 (there is SO much you guys don't see!)!  Soon, Usef became more than a driver.  He became a language tutor!  He was correcting Scilla's pronunciations, and was helping her to learn new phrases!  It was very generous of him, and very much appreciated by all of us.  Even though he didn't speak English, we were soon laughing along and having a great time with the man that has been our silent driver for the past 2 days!  It was a little nerve-wracking to get his help with Turkish, though.  Lines on the road are more of a suggestion than a rule as it is in Turkey.  And with him trying to get us to understand what he was trying to teach us, we had the Benz taking any and all available lanes on the highway.  I think we stopped asking questions after awhile so that he'd focus on driving!

After a few hours, we stopped for a rest at the same rest stop that we stopped the day before (the Shell Station with the Citreon).  We used the bathroom (or as it's called here, the "WC"), and then sat down for a glass of tea.

Up until now, Usef hasn't shared meals with us.  He keeps to himself, and usually eaten either by himself or with other drivers.  We pulled up a chair to our table, and he joined us this time.  We started asking him questions about the Turkish language, and through miming and careful explanation, Usef was teaching us how to conjugate Turkish verbs!  He helped us through some phrases, and even typed them into my iPhone with me!  By the time we'd gone through two rounds of tea, I was able to say "Biras Turkçe bilyorum."  And if asked "Siz Amerikalimisuniz?"  We'd know to answer "Ivet. Amerikalim" (in the singular sense, clearly, from the conjugation on 'American')!

By the end, Usef was clapping along with us, laughing along with us, and having a great time.  We came to learn he works pretty hard.  After driving us around all day, he needed to do a pickup at the Ankara airport, and then drive ALL THE WAY BACK to Cappadocia (another 4 hours), grab some sleep, and then head to Kayseri in the morning!  He's a really great guy that we wished we could have gotten to know better earlier.

Back on the road, Usef continued his march to Ankara.  Once in the city, he was battling throngs of traffic to get us to our hotel.  He is very skilled at what he does, and he handled all obstacles in his path (living or mechanical) with the greatest of ease!  Once we got to our hotel, he helped us unload our luggage, and we wished him well.  We posed for pictures one last time, and soon he was off.  We had made it back to our hotel in one piece, and I was thankful to have the opportunity to see all that I'd seen in the past two days.  I feel it really gave us a nice context in which to start our business visits, because we had a view of what another part of Turkey is like, what their lives are like, and what their concerns are.  Overall, tons of happy, fuzzy feelings to end the trip to Cappadocia!

Becca and I put our stuff away and then headed back out onto the streets of Ankara to scope out our first meeting for tomorrow morning.  It will be walking distance from the hotel, and we wanted to double check where it is so that we don't waste the group's time in the morning.  Once we found where we'll be meeting the member of Parliament, we headed to find something to eat.

After some leisurely wandering, we found a small upscale diner to eat at.  I got this flatbread filled with chicken and vegetables (I can't remember the name right now!) and Becca ordered crepes.  We finished off the meal with dessert, and came back to the hotel making conversation and getting to know each other better.

Today was a good day.  It didn't start out as we had expected, but by the end, I was feeling very happy and very grateful for what I had the opportunity to see.  I'm ready to start business meetings.  Now that I have a view to Turkish life outside the cities, I am eager to see how life is run within the cities.

Expectations are funny.  You have them, you build them up, they get let down, and often you don't know what to make of them.  I had certain expectations of Turkey before I came.  Would everyone have a big moustache and a fez?  Would there be Whirling Dervishes on the streetcorners?  Would life there be completely different because of it's high Muslim population?  No.  On all counts.  I had expected an amazing experience on a hot air balloon ride this morning.  Instead, I got to see the nitty gritty reality of village living.  Looking back, am I disappointed?  Not in the least.  I'm grateful for the opportunity to see this side of reality that these villagers face.  Usaf was seen as an inert component to our group... quiet.  Functional.  Non-interactive.  But by the end of the trip, he was truly part of the group.  Were we disappointed by that?  Actually, yes.  We were disappointed that we didn't get to know him better sooner.  I've learned over the past few days to be very careful of expectations.  Now that the entire group is here, the dynamics will change, the focus of our trip will change to the business meetings, and we will become a part of the big city life.  Expectations need to be managed smartly.  At worst, we'll leave disappointed.  At best, we'll have experienced things no one could have expected.

It's getting late, and I'm going to try to get up early and go for a run before we meet as a group for breakfast.  I hope you've enjoyed today's blog, and I hope you don't mind the bit of trickery in the beginning.

I hope all is well with you in your neck of the woods.  Be safe and be kind.

With love,

SoJo