From Barcelona to Tehran: Day 47

Day 47: Sightseeing in Kapadokya in Turkey

June 16, 2012; Distance covered today: 0 Km; Total: 3575 Km

I was not going to ride today, but I still woke up at 4:30 to watch the balloons fly. About 100 balloons fly every morning before dawn, and each balloon carries ten people. They all fly almost at the same time, so the scene is like a science fiction movie: the sound of sporadic flames, their slow movement in the sky, and their low altitude into the valleys make them more interesting to watch. 

The Scene in Kapadokya at % Am

After watching the balloons, I took a hike around and saw a couple of valleys. There are many valleys in Kapadokia with very interesting rock formations. 

I went back to the camp, had lunch, and relaxed. In the afternoon, at 6 pm, I went to a Sufi dance. I had seen one in Toronto before and I had really liked it. I thought it would be even better than the one in Toronto, so I agreed to pay 40 Lira to see the dance. It was very different from the one I had seen in Toronto. It was very repetitive, with lots of religious singing, but apparently, this was the original Sufi dance. 

Five years of traveling by bike

I went back to the camp again, made spaghetti and had a chat with three Koreans in the campground. One of whom was a very interesting person. He had been on the road, traveling around the world by bicycle for 5 years! He had been attacked and mugged five times already. How can he afford it? He writes for a Korean newspaper about his adventure. He wanted to travel for another year and a half and then go back to Korea, get married, and never travel by bike again. He said that for five years of travel, he had seen happiness in having a family with children, so that was what he wanted to do. 

I am still not sure whether I want to leave Kopodokya tomorrow or not. I will decide tomorrow when I wake up.