I was a big fan of the 80's TV Cop show, CHiPs. My brother Colin and I would ride our bikes around the neighborhood pretending to be Ponch & Jon(or Starsky & Hutch or Bo & Luke. My sister Erin was Daisy Duke). Anyway, two days ago I got a chance to live out my motorcycle cop fantasy. We rented a 100cc Peugeot motorbike to visit some of the more out of the way sights in Cappadocia. To be honest I wasn't too keen on the idea(Yo's)as I don't necessarily have the best track record when it comes to motorized two wheel transport. Of the 10 times that I've ridden a motorbike, I've been in 3 accidents. Ever the optimist, Yo said that meant we had 70% chance of NOT getting in an accident. It's hard to agrue with logic like that. So, off we went. Despite being a bit cold and rainy in the evenings, Cappadocia has been for me the highlight of our trip so far. It's amazing setting(see photos in gallery)was formed by soft volcanic rock that has been sculped over the millennia into these huge stone mushroom-like pinnacles. We spent the last four days mostly hiking through this otherworldly place. On each of the hikes that we did, for some reason we met a dog or two that would follow us around for the whole day. They would act as guides, leading the way, in exchange for payment from our snackbag. We would get so attached to these dogs, even giving them names, that it was sad to say goodbye at the end of the day. Yesterday while hiking through Love Valley(named by the locals for the penis-like pinnacles), we found wild growing apples, pears, and grapes ripe for the picking. There's nothing better than gorging yourself on fresh picked fruit while out on a hike.
After 3 weeks in Turkey it is time to move on. I couldn't recommend this country highly enough. Travelers often talk of wanting to get off the beaten path, but in all actuality probably don't want to rough it all that much. Turkey is the perfect balance between these too extremes. While being a bit touristy, it still retains an exotic feel. It's not super cheap, but the prices are fair($50 per person per day is pretty comfortable). Tonight we take an overnight bus to the border and tomorrow enter Syria, the real heart of the Middle East.
-Shawn