Goreme Hotels
Tandc2007's travel blogs:
|
|
  | |  |
Early Morning Ballooning
Entry 27 of 67 | show all | print this entry |
|
Another early start, cos this morning we have our big splurge for this part of the trip - a 1 hour balloon flight over the rock formations, valleys and towns of this area. So woke up with the call to prayer right outside our window at 5am, ready for our 5.30am pick up. Paul and Carol, our Aussie next door neighbours were booked on the same flights as us. The pick up van took us down into the village to a meeting point - and that's when we ot the first idea of just how huge the hot air ballooning business is in Cappodocia..... There was close to 100 people milling around at our meeting point, drinking coffee and tea and waiting to be taken for their flights - and that was just one ballooning company - there are about 10 companies!!
To give you an idea - right now is still the busy season. Our company had 6 balloons going up that morning taking around 90 - 100 people. We counted 29 balloons in the air when we went up, plus there were probably about 10 others leaving from further away to take people who had paid for a longer flight. With around 20 people per balloon (less on the longer flights), that's around 700 people! Each day!! For 3 - 4 months of the busy season, and they have very few days they have to cancel (1 this season so far)!! And they operate through out the year - even in the winter with snow on the ground, there are apparently enough tourists to keep operating. At a cost of Euro 150 - 230 each person (depending on whether they take a long or short flight) - that makes this a Euro 20 million pa plus business!!! Just the ballooning!!
Anyway, the four of us were not particularly happy when we were told that we were going up with a tour party of 16 Koreans - 20 people for 1 balloon!! I hadn't thought to ask when we booked for this (at Euro 150 per person!!!) how many otheres would be jammed in with us. However, the balloon company we were with, and our pilot, Mike - a very tall, very personable English man, ensured we all had a great view and we hardly noticed there were 16 Koreans with us at all. The balloon flight was fantastic - definitely a highlight (Jill Gandell - thanks for telling us that this was a must do; and Murray Frith - tell your brother in law we are definitely coming up with him when we get back!!). The balloon and company we went with (Kapodocia Balloons - a plug) did a great job! First they let test party balloons go to find out where the wind is, then they choose the takeoff site accordingly (some of the other companies have only one take off site, so if the breeze is the wrong direction the passengers don't see a whole lot that is interesting. And our pilot - Mike - had years of experience which made for a great ride - up to get the right breezes, down to float at tree top level through the valleys, back up to get another breeze direction, down another valley, over Goreme Village, then down and back up again and around Uchisar village and its castle rock formation, down to say hi to a friend of Mike's who owns a pension there, back up and finally landing (not exactly) on the trailer of the chase vehicle about an hour later. And finally champagne (ok fizzy wine mixed with the local sour cherry juice - which is actually quite yummy) and the hand out of the flight certificates to celebrate. The Koreans loved the certificate hand out ceremony and took heaps of photos, but most of their champagne mix was tipped out. The Kiwi's and Aussies on the other hand gulped theirs down and asked for refills - Mike said he always brings more when he knows Antipodeans are on the flight.... Could have stayed there drinking and chatting for a while, but Paul and Carol had to join with a tour, so back to Goreme for a late breakfast.
The day was turning into a hot one, compared to the previous two days which had been pleasant with a bit of a breeze, so Tina lounged around the raised "Sultan" platform (Kilims, cushions and low brass tray table) at the hotel trying to update the blog, while Chris did a bit of neighbourhood exploration. Goreme village is very interesting - heaps of tourists, which obviously contribute the most $$$$s to the local economy, but living right in among this are lots of locals in the winding small back streets, carrying on their lives as they have for the past 100 years right in the middle of, and practically un-noticed in all the tourist activity. We like just walking around and seeing what's happening. It's a great time of year as the harvest is coming in. So the women are in the street making (sounds like) peckmaash, which is grape juice, boiled for hours in a huge, wide shallow brass pan over an open fire (fuelled by grape vine clippings), until it is a viscous syrup. They add what looks like clay finings, then skim constantly, during the process to clarify the syrup. Then they put it into large glass jars and its used as a yogurt and bread topping. We have had it wit our yogurt at breakfast instead of honey (not wonder we're getting fatter even with all the walking!) - tastes a bit like fruity golden syrup - same caramelised flavour. And they are drying tomato paste and grapes (sultanas & raisins) on the flat roofs of their houses. And they are frying up peppers (hot and sweet) then pickling them in big jars. The men and women go each day to the fields up on the flats above the valleys to harvest and look after their plots - by tractor (Chris is impresses that they are all Massey Fergussons, obviously made under licence here in Turkey, with a Turkish sub-brand) or on donkey. And the other big activity is building more tourist accommodation. There are new rooms going up next to ours - partly hollowed out of the tufa. The local builders take chunks of the rock (which is very soft when first cut - hardens up when exposed to air - and cut it into building blocks that they use to form the parts of the room that aren't carved out. They also carve the blocks into decorative forms which are included in the rooms. This is going on all over town - fascinating watching them at work!
We decided I to go up to the Goreme Open Air Museum in the afternoon. This is an area where some of the best Byzantine aged cave dwellings and chapels can be found and they have been preserved in a World Heritage Site/National Park, since around the 1960's. Unfortunately the preservation and protection didn't come before some serious vandalism of the frescos (actually mostly secco technique - but that's for the experts) had occurred. The afternoon proved as hot as we thought, so decided to book a tour for this as well - partly because the tours so far have been so informative and partly because this meant we'd be driven in air-con comfort to the Museum rather than walk the 2 kms in the heat!
Again the carved rooms and chapels proved really interesting (although Chris was starting to get a bit of the ABC's - another bl**dy Chapel syndrome, he is prone to this way before Tina stops being fascinated, as Christine Clark can testify.......), and the guide was well worth it for the insights she provided (let alone the air-con van!!). We did this tour with 2 lovely NZ ladies (Dot and Erin) that we'd met at Apricot Hotel, (!!!) plus a Spanish guy who was travelling around by himself. The 4 Nzers watched the sun go down from our balcony, with a couple of beers (Efes is great beer!) and decided to go out together for dinner. We went to a restaurant Mehmet had recommended with the very uninspiring name of Local Restaurant. Turned out to be one of our best meals so far! So we were very full (and very tired after our early start!) when we headed back to our room (sorry - suite, in case I hadn't mentioned it...)
More thumbnails ...
|
|
If you like this entry, search for other entries by tandc2007, from Turkey or try a new search. |
| |
Back to Entry - Back to Home
|
8 votes 
