Epic!

Not many things will get me up early in the morning. But a deluxe hot air balloon ride over Cappadocia had me jumping out of bed at 4:30am. It’s up there with top life time experiences. You couldn’t even tell you were moving until you looked below and saw the ground passing underneath your balloon. It was soothing and exhilarating all at the same time. And I think we definitely got the best pilot out there, Sanjay. What’s up with this town and their incredible people? He took us over fruit trees so we could try and pick a plum from the branches. He even spotted a fox on a rocky ridge and then took the balloon down so we could skirt the ridge and try and flush him out.

One of the most amazing sights was coming up from the valley and being able to see over the ridge into the next valley. At first you could only see a couple of balloons in the distance. But the further we rose, the more balloons that appeared… 5,10,20, 30! I have never taken so many pictures of any one thing in my life.

After checking out the different valleys that offered lush, green trees, pigeon caves, even homes built high into the cliff sides, Sanjay took us higher. The only sound was the intermittent rush of gas being let out into the balloon to lift us. What an incredible feeling to be rising higher and higher (7,000 feet) while being suspended in a basket. The end only came too soon and we were being lowered with the support crew waiting. But the fun continued as we all shared champagne and fresh cherry juice in a field covered in early morning light and wild flowers at 8:00am! What a buzz that was! The laughter continued back at our pension over breakfast while the other travelers wiped the sleep out of their eyes. Or worse, could only describe their hot air balloon flight as ‘ok’. Ours was epic.

As I was taking a much needed nap, Mike found himself unable to sleep and ultimately emotional due to not being at home and in conflict about the boat. So many feelings bubbling to the surface and not willing to hide any longer. But sometimes that is what the mind and body need to do in order to purge and process. After some time alone and then together, he was ready to get on with the day. There was another soccer game on after all! So we all made our way down to ‘Fat Boy’s’ to continue our World Cup mania. And who do we run in to but our pilot Sanjay! After the game he takes us to an even cooler outdoor restaurant with amazing food and we found ourselves whiling away most of the night there. Well, that is with a short break for some jewelry shopping! Man, it’s good to hang out with a girlfriend again.

Soon after Sanjay left (in his super cool Land Rover) we realized how stupid it was to pass up the opportunity to hang out with him tomorrow just because of some bus tour we booked. So Adam and Mike had the great idea to phone him and see if he would be willing to spend the day with us to check out some sights. The answer was immediately yes and another epic day planned. But the night isn’t over yet….after snagging some bottles of wine from the pension, we all headed back up the hill to chill out under the stars. The ending to another fantastic day.

Surreal City

After a 15 hour bus ride(!) we arrived to what seemed like a place out of a story book. This place is surreal. The landscape consists of a ‘fairy chimneys’ rising out of the ground which were formed by volcanic activity 9 to 3 million years ago. And since they are everywhere people have used them as a foundation for homes and buildings, chiseling out the rock to make living space. So of course we had to find a pension where we could sleep in a cave room! Holy shit. Ramazan is the man! We were treated like kings and queens. He gave us suites instead of a normal room, drove us around, made all of our travel reservations, sent us on our sunset walk with a bottle of wine. I could get used to this leisure stuff.




But after chilling with some breakfast and being blown away by our awesome rooms we were off to see some sights. We took a walk through “Love Valley” and got pretty silly from being surrounded by huge phallic rocks.




I got sucked in to buying a rusted necklace from a sweet old man. We chilled out on a roof top terrace looking at the unbelievable views. We took a nap in our dark, cool and quiet rooms. I enjoyed being able to walk only a few steps horizontally to use a real toilet. Then we reconvened for some dinner and a soccer game. Man, I could travel with Adam and Zoe more often. It’s like everything they touch turns to gold. We found a great little outdoor restaurant and lounged on colorful cushions while we ate and drank. The only bummer was that I watched the most painful sporting event of my life. Ghana vs. Uruguay. It was like watching good vs. evil. Suarezzzz!

Cappadocia Here We Come!

Today our solar panels were installed! We only wish that we had given the mounting a little more thought before having them travel all the way from Izmir. But it’s so hard to know what people are thinking when you don’t speak the same language. We found ourselves in the cabin cringing as they were drilling through our roll bar to bolt them down. Oh well, the important think is that they are up. Another thing crossed off the list! I spent the day trying to catch up on the blog while Mike prepped the topsides and got a second coat of paint in the cockpit so it could be safe from dirty feet and toes while we are gone. And this trip could not have been timed better. As I returned from the shower all I wanted to do was get off this boat. It almost felt like I was going to have a panic attack the feeling was so overwhelming! And thankfully get off the boat is what we did. We got our bags packed and the boat buttoned up as we headed into town to catch our overnight bus to Cappadocia!

So happy to be on the bus

Roller Coaster

This morning Mike was staying on track and continuing to get some putty on the topsides in preparation for paint. We also spent some time making plans on how to meet up with Adam and Zoe in Cappadocia! It looks like we are going to pull ourselves away from the boat for a few days and finally see another part of Turkey! After running them into town for their bus, we returned to see Foxy Lady moving out of the neighborhood. It kinda feels like we are the last tenants remaining in an abandoned building. This was also the start to our emotional roller coaster ride after getting an email from family which made us seriously debate about whether we need to be home or not. The going home part sounds easy, really easy. But what do we do with the boat? So much to think about and consider. Despite our physical and emotional fatigue we continued on with getting some needed projects done before we leave tomorrow for the next few days. It will be good to get away from this place and think about what we are going to do.

Squeezing by to get 'Foxy Lady'

When we arrived at the end of March...

...and today

A Day on the Water!

So this is what it’s like to be on a boat in the water! An amazing day of being taken from one small cove to another, swimming and snorkeling in crystal clear blue water, laying in the sun listening to good tunes, laughing with new friends. This was so needed.

Shut up! No you shut up!