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Star Date: April 2016 |
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Hello Dear Family & Friends!
"Nasilsin?
Iyiyim."
"Relax, it's just a game!"
I saw this saying on a gamers' t-shirt. He was next to us on the bus, his nose buried in his cell phone; missing the remarkable scenery outside. Gamers' get lost in the games they play on their computers. Virtual becomes reality. The edges of reality blur until they don't know what is the game, what is a dream or what is reality. This is not only a phenomenon of modern day technology. Once Zhuang Zhou, a 4th century Chinese philosopher, dreamt he was a butterfly, fluttering hither and thither, to all intents and purposes a butterfly. " I was conscious only of my happiness as a butterfly, unaware that I was Zhou. Soon I awaked, and there I was, veritably myself again. Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly, dreaming I am a man." People have always questioned what is real? Is it the human storyline? A colorful tapestry of experiences woven into what we call 'our life'? Our day to day lives, jobs, experiences, families, dramas, hobbies? Are we more? Is that all there is? Is that all I am or am I more? Is life just a game? While traveling we encounter strange other worldly occurrences or places or even people. It is one of the reasons we keep circumnavigating this amazing planet. Later we ask ourselves, did we really see that? 'Hard to believe' or 'hard to explain' is right up our alley. Traveling from Istanbul we followed the shores of the Karadiniz or Black Sea to the north. It was a lovely route but took forever. We turned towards the interior and ended up at dark in a town we had never heard of. Not wanting to miss the scenery we jumped off and slept the night. Good idea. The mountains we passed through the next morning were glorious. Hard to understand people regularly taking overnight buses and missing the journey in between. Around the final bend into Georme we arrived in the other worldly, fairytale area of Cappadocia. This area is home to some of the world's most spectacular landscapes. Deep valleys and soaring rock formations are dotted with homes, temples, chapels, churches, tombs and entire subterranean cities; all harmoniously carved into this spectacular landscape. Little Love Valley and the Open Air Museum are both unique and fascinating. Hiking through Love Valley gets one speculating, very quickly, about the origin of the name. Classrooms without walls, try a museum with no walls. We had arrived in the land of 'hobbit houses' and I kept watching for fur on the top of the local's feet, signifying a hobbit.
Through the ages
the Hittites, Persians, Alexander the Great, Rome, the Ottomans, and
now Turkey have ruled this area called Anatolia. One hundred
square miles has over 200 underground villages and tunnel towns with
underground caverns, hidden passages, and ancient temples.
Cappadocia's amazing history has each new civilization building on
top of the previous. Cappadocia has a history dating back thousands of years. Goreme was inhabited during the Hititte era, 1800 to1200 BC. To this day it is possible to wander the countryside and discover abandoned doorways or windows. Walking for miles each day we would pause outside ancient hidden houses or hiding places carved into the rocks and wonder who carved these dwellings, when, and why? If only the rocks could speak.
And so it goes.........................................Next the birthplace of Sufi mystic, Rumi, an inspiration to the world since the 1200's. Until then let's remember to relax. Life is just a game! Take care, Keep smiling and have fun playing the game! Keep in Touch!
Love, Light & Laughter,
Travel notes: 1 US Dollar equals 2.84 Turkish Lira
Kirsehir:
Goreme: Goreme Restaurant - good food and local music nightly Indian Restaurant: Find the Blue Moon Restaurant. Go up and left and up and left- follow signs. Great taste of India in Turkey, elegant dining for reasonable prices.
We took the bus to Nevsehir then continued on the
bus to Goreme.
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