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dragojustineLast night nearly everyone went to this Turkish Nights music/folk dance show at the next town over. It was 30 lira for a huge, mind-blowing, fantastic all-you-can-eat dinner, not to mention all-you-can-drink. I honestly don't know how they even pay for the alcohol at that price. 3 straight hours of incredible performances, and free transportation to and from your hotel. How the hell do they stay in business? Anyway, there was a Sufi dervish demonstration (which always feels odd and culturally insensitive/imperialistic/commodifying done at a tourist event, but anyway) a live band that did some incredible things with drum rhythms, a bellydance number, and some extraordinarily impressive folk dance, apparently from the Black Sea region so it felt very cossak-y, complete with hot guys with unbelievable legs in swirly skirts doing impressive squats. Seriously. There were a couple breaks with modern Turkish pop, and much encouraging everyone to get up and dance. There was much getting quite drunk. The whole thing ended with the bellydancer pulling up several guys, including our own Dave, for some shirtless bellydancing lessons on stage. he was a sport. There was much teasing.
Late breakfast, leisurely morning wandering around Goreme. This tour group is really starting to feel like we're all friends- Tony and Carmella, one of the older coupes, took an outdoor table for breakfast at about 8. David wandered by and joined them. Kelly and I came by at about 9:30 and joined. I finally got to try one of those much talked about gozelme breakfast, the stuffed flatbread, sometimes called a Turkish pancake. It's fantastic, fried but not greasy, reminds me of a quesadilla but with pita bread. Wonderful.
Then Damien and Nicola came by, then Nick and Amanda. We occupied their table from 8-3 (though everyone had at least one meal, so I think it's okay) just coming and going and chatting and showing off souvenirs. Everyone is just comfy and friendly. I was really worried about it not feeling like that here, the way it had on the dig, but I needn't have worried. It seems that travel makes for more automatic camaraderie than anything else I know of.
In the middle of all that was the carpet demonstration. Fascinating, and gorgeous and breathtaking. The woman giving it had the most incredible talent for conveying her passion and love of a subject to others. It's not easy to do, to make others feel that kind of passion. I actually start to feel like I can go beyond "ooh, pretty" into an understanding of what makes the carpets a work of art, how to actually understand them as a cultural phenomenon- just, past pretty. But still lots of pretty involved.
Anyway, today was the promised Big Hike to the homestay. I was fretting about it pretty hard. It turned out to be the very best possible day to do it- very cloudy, stiff breeze- but I still hardly made it. It was only 3 and a half hours and I drank half a litre before and a litre during, but I was just so dehydrated I was dizzy and had no balance and kept turning my ankles. Getting enough water when you travel in the Middle East seems to be a Huge Issue for me. Yaay for genetic propensity to sweat like a pig. Anyway, the path was a joke that would have made mountain goats go "yeah right" and half the time when the guide pointed and said "go down that way" I was pretty sure he was taking the piss. I ended up on my ass three times and my hands once, and it was total hell. I hate hiking.
The homestay was with a man named Nassim who is in the process of turning his truly incredible cave home into a BnB. The house was in the family for 5 generations and looks out over a huge gorge full of churches and pigeon houses. He has an incredible porch out over the gorge and several amazing rooms in the rockface. They are lined with the traditional stuffed bolster things and just covered in layers and layers of rugs. he'd been rebuilding the whole house himself, with wiring and new doors and everything, and it's an absolute work of art.
Very good dinner, sunset over the gorge, try on a water-pipe (nothing at all like a cigarette, the apple flavor surprisingly does taste like apple, but still leaves your mouth feeling a bit dirty). Lovely time.
Late breakfast, leisurely morning wandering around Goreme. This tour group is really starting to feel like we're all friends- Tony and Carmella, one of the older coupes, took an outdoor table for breakfast at about 8. David wandered by and joined them. Kelly and I came by at about 9:30 and joined. I finally got to try one of those much talked about gozelme breakfast, the stuffed flatbread, sometimes called a Turkish pancake. It's fantastic, fried but not greasy, reminds me of a quesadilla but with pita bread. Wonderful.
Then Damien and Nicola came by, then Nick and Amanda. We occupied their table from 8-3 (though everyone had at least one meal, so I think it's okay) just coming and going and chatting and showing off souvenirs. Everyone is just comfy and friendly. I was really worried about it not feeling like that here, the way it had on the dig, but I needn't have worried. It seems that travel makes for more automatic camaraderie than anything else I know of.
In the middle of all that was the carpet demonstration. Fascinating, and gorgeous and breathtaking. The woman giving it had the most incredible talent for conveying her passion and love of a subject to others. It's not easy to do, to make others feel that kind of passion. I actually start to feel like I can go beyond "ooh, pretty" into an understanding of what makes the carpets a work of art, how to actually understand them as a cultural phenomenon- just, past pretty. But still lots of pretty involved.
Anyway, today was the promised Big Hike to the homestay. I was fretting about it pretty hard. It turned out to be the very best possible day to do it- very cloudy, stiff breeze- but I still hardly made it. It was only 3 and a half hours and I drank half a litre before and a litre during, but I was just so dehydrated I was dizzy and had no balance and kept turning my ankles. Getting enough water when you travel in the Middle East seems to be a Huge Issue for me. Yaay for genetic propensity to sweat like a pig. Anyway, the path was a joke that would have made mountain goats go "yeah right" and half the time when the guide pointed and said "go down that way" I was pretty sure he was taking the piss. I ended up on my ass three times and my hands once, and it was total hell. I hate hiking.
The homestay was with a man named Nassim who is in the process of turning his truly incredible cave home into a BnB. The house was in the family for 5 generations and looks out over a huge gorge full of churches and pigeon houses. He has an incredible porch out over the gorge and several amazing rooms in the rockface. They are lined with the traditional stuffed bolster things and just covered in layers and layers of rugs. he'd been rebuilding the whole house himself, with wiring and new doors and everything, and it's an absolute work of art.
Very good dinner, sunset over the gorge, try on a water-pipe (nothing at all like a cigarette, the apple flavor surprisingly does taste like apple, but still leaves your mouth feeling a bit dirty). Lovely time.