Blogs from Central Anatolia, Turkey, Middle East - page 36

Got up early today and spent some time talking to the bell hop that works here. Really nice guy Told me about the big earthquake which rocked this region in 99 and that it killed 100,000 people. He seemed to be quite hardened by it and was obviously affected by it somehow. He works here 12hrs/day 6 days per week for 650 Turkish Lira or 500.00 per month. He likes to practice his english with westerners. We had the Sporapi Cup Finals today and Joe placed 84th, Simon was 134th and Dave was 138th. Our purpose was only to prep for the World cup so hopefully we are ready to go and place better. The Germans came in 1st, the Americans were 2nd, and Ukraines were 3rd. Three of us on our team were asked by ... read more

turkey lost last nite. im a litttle bummed. yes im watching soccer now. you got a problem with that?... read more

Cappadocia is a high desert region of central Turkey. It is famous for its astounding landscapes which are decorated with peculiar rock formations. It is an otherworldly place with the strange shapes of the rock towers and pillars rising against the clear desert sky. Canyons of eroded red rock, the valley floor green with scrub, vegetable plots and trees such as olive, walnut, apricot and mulberry can be hiked through easily. The vegetation is sparse enough that losing the trail doesn't cause panic stations. The remains of cave dwellings make the walking even more exciting. For centuries, even millenia, people have carved homes into the soft cappadocian rock, utilising and expanding upon existing cavities and creating homes of many rooms and churches of great beauty. Cappadocia was a place of refuge for early Christians for centuries, ... read more

Carmen San Diego would be proud. Now who were the Mole People, really? I mean I know thats a term thrown around in conversation usually jokingly, but I actually have no idea who they really were. e.g. "What happened to Jerry, man? Ever since he started dating Sally, he's been MIA." "Yeah dude, he's turned into one of the Mole People... or something." A quick visit to Wiki yields that "Mole People is a term used to refer to the possibility that an unknown number of homeless people live under New York City in abandoned subway tunnels." Well. I have found the ex-American equivalent. But they lived in something like 20th century BC, and they were really Hittites in Anatolia. Cappadocia (Kapadocya) is a region inland south Turkey above the border with Syria, whose name means ... read more

A few really busy weeks, nice weather, and a headful of thoughts too personal to blog about are collectively responsible for postponing this entry. Life is full of all types of surprises. Three weekends ago, Bahar Şenlikleri, Hacettepe Üniversitesi's annual Spring Festival, took place. It was also my first visit to our large, handsome stone amphitheater - probably the nicest thing ever built on this campus. It seems to be halfway between a modern amphitheater and some of the ancient ones that are on many tourist itineraries in this country. There are even two rows of columns lining the road on the walk in, as if they supported an imposing structure during ancient times... but they didn't. It was a weekend of live music, festival food and other festivities. The türkü (one type of traditional Turkish ... read more