Kayseri,
Turkey
Friday, October 21, 2005
So İ am currently in the airport in İstanbul (headed to Dubaı)where it is very difficult to type. Punctuation and the letter i take a series of keys to make them appear. But back to Kayserı. it has been a long day of travel at this point. I run through the Istanbul airport - international terminal to domestic - with 15 minutes to check-ın and catch my flight to Kayserı. (this running through airports has become a trend that I disdain!) Of course I wasn't going to be taking a night bus though!! But with my last minute purchase I was last row economy when I boarded. As I am sweating and tossing my luggage above, i see an equally sweaty out of breath man sitting in front of me - that I recognized from first class on the flight to Istanbul. So I make my comment - first class to last class - or something along the lines... And it sparks, well, not much conversation! He was in from Japan for business, spoke minimal English, but enough for us to point at maps for me to learn he would traveling by car 3 hours north after landing (at 8pm) and I would be going 1 hour West - by an undetermined mode of transportation. The only thing we managed to understand, after an hour flight, was that he would not leave until he knew I had a safe way to reach Göreme that night. Sure enough, upon arrival, I learn there are no buses, trains or camels for that matter. I have to take a cab for 50-60 Euro (80dollars-ish). He (Mr. Yamaguchi) doesn't take no for an answer and has his driver take me to Göreme, and take himself 2 hours out of the way, on an already late night - and for someone he can't even talk too!! very nice.
So on our long, silent drive out of Kayseri - I was in awe of the sky around me. I mean, I've lived in the desert. I thought I had seen the galaxy in impressive form before, but this was breath taking! İ didn't even have to look up - only straight out and I could see the stars straight out, curving around the earth. As İ was gazing out into the night, I saw the most stunning shooting star fly across the sky and fizzle out before me. I was at this moment that I made my wish. 10 minutes. I wished I had just ten minutes outside in this complete darkness to admire the sky. But as we got closer to the villages, the stars began to dull from the lights around. I was dropped at my hostel (at the top of a mountain overlooking the village below) where I would have my own Cave 'room' to sleep in, and said thank you for the extreme kindness. Mr. Yamaguchi was on his way, I dropped my bags and climbed up onto the rocks-cave mountains around me - to see the stars as best I could. I sat down, and that's when it happened. The power went out in the entire village below. For exactly 11 minutes I was able to look at the universe above in complete darkness. To say the least it was a pleasing way to end a long day.
