2012 Turkish Delights

What better way to see the incredible sights of Cappodocia, than from the gondola of a hot air balloon ? Although our guide did not want us to leave the ground, he eventually gave in when I demanded that he make it happen.

We arose before dawn to join hundreds of other travellers, as they took an early morning flight over the region. It was an experience none of us will ever forget. Nothing can prepare you for the sight of hundreds of multi-coloured balloons filling the sky in all directions.

Later in the day we visited the underground city of Derinkuyu. This was once the home to around 10,000 inhabitants. Their sprawling underground metropolis is spread out over a dozen or more levels. I did deduce that they must have been much shorter than us, as the constant bashing of my head on the low roof demonstrated.

Unfortunately, by this time, our "guide" was in the midst of a full dummy spit (obviously still smarting from the fact that we did not heed his advice about the hot air ballooning) and refused to give us any information about the history of the place. Disappointing but true.

Later in the day we drove to the foothills of the Taurus Mountains to begin our four day trek in the wilderness. We set off with the sun already low in the sky, but the guide would not tell us how far we would be walking. And so it went.

On and one we walked in fading light. The pace started to take its toll on some of our participants, so much so that by the time we finally reached our campsite, about half the group decided that it was going to be just too difficult for them. It was not the way it was supposed to turn out, but there was little we could do about it.

What followed over the next four days was some of the toughest trekking any of us had ever done. The combination of high altitude, steep and rough terrain, and extended trekking meant that, by the end of each day, we were completely stuffed.Read more