Category Archives: Weather

Day 508 In Beijing: Sunset In Goreme, Turkey.

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The mountain range as the sun sets.

The mountain range as the sun sets.

 

Jill and I hung out on the platform, overlooking the gorgeous town of Goreme, and watched the sunset.

We were lucky enough to be one of only about 10 people up there so it was very quiet and very calm.

The town is known for the hot air balloon rides, but since those only go up in the morning, there is very little traffic or anything else going on in this sleepy little town, which was perfect for us.

We both grew up in relatively small towns and love the quiet and the outdoors.

It is something we desperately miss living in Beijing as there is almost no quiet time and almost no outdoors.

There are parks, and some are quite large, but they are usually full of people.

Sadly, most those people are posting pictures of themselves and not even paying attention to the nature and the beauty right in front of them.

The irony is that I was taking pictures of this natural beauty while complaining about it but this was only for a few minutes.

Jill and I spent most the time just wandering around, in utter joy, looking at people, the architecture, and the nature while being amazed that we are lucky enough to be in this amazing town.

So, with that, I’ll leave you in peace to enjoy the sunset with us.

 

Day 507 In Beijing: Our First Day In Goreme, Turkey.

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Amazing that they park a car inside this garage.

Amazing that they park a car inside this garage.

 

Jill and I unpacked our luggage and decided to walk around Goreme.

It is a very small town, of maybe 4,000 people, and most have been here for generations.

We talked to the Village Cave House Hotel‘s owner, Onur for a bit and then headed out down the hill.

It only took about 5 minutes to walk into the heart of Goreme, which is mostly shops and stalls, selling all kinds of jewelry and memorabilia about Goreme and the fairy chimneys that are all over this area of Turkey.

We went into a jewelry store and saw a gemstone that we had never seen before.  It was called Zultanite and it is only mined, and sold, in Turkey.

It was unlike any gemstone that we had seen because it changes color depending on the light.

We saw, in about 2 minutes time, 6 different colors.

The colors ranged from a light amethyst to dark green to rose to dark blue to purple.

We were blown away.

We continued walking around, as we wanted to get some wine, cheese and crackers to eat on our balcony and just relax and we saw many more rings with this gemstone in them.

As we walked around, we noticed that there is a landing, and a platform, on top of the highest mountain in Goreme, and we decided to walk up to it.

It was a very steep hill but it was more than worth it as we happened to find a couple getting married and were able to get a few shots of them kissing and celebrating.

I love their shoes in the pictures!

 

Day 506 In Beijing: Arrival at Village Cave House Hotel.

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The view from our room.

The view from our room.

 

Jill was in the back seat, talking to the other expatriates, and I was hanging out in the front seat enjoying the scenery.

We drove in to Goreme, a very small town in Cappadocia, and I was instantly blown away by the fairy chimneys that were all over this tiny little town.

Fairy Chimneys are naturally occurring rock towers in this area of Turkey.

They don’t seem to be anywhere else and they have a long history of being used, by the locals, as places to live in.

Since the rock is mostly made of lava, from a number of different volcanic eruptions, it is very soft and easy to carve out.

So, the locals carve out rooms and stay in them.

Not stayed, but stay.  Currently.

We drove by a few hotels, like the one we have made reservations in, and drove up to one that was up on the hill side and actually built into the mountain.

I turned to Jill and said, “I wish we had spent a bit more money and booked one of these!”

As the van slowed down, and the driver put the transmission into park, Jill smiled and said, “Surprise!  I did book this for us!”

I was completely blown away and, once again, amazed at Jill’s thoughtfulness and ability to make our lives together that much better.

We got our bags, walked into the Village Cave House Hotel and met Onur at the reception.

His father had started this hotel and he, his brother, and his mother still run it.

He took us to our hotel room and it was about half way up the mountain side and had a fantastic view of the valley.

We couldn’t believe how perfect everything was and how amazing our trip was going.

 

Day 505 In Beijing: Flight To Cappadocia.

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A few miles above Turkey.

A few miles above Turkey.

 

Jill had been to Cappadocia, on a previous trip to Turkey, and she wanted to share the experience with me on this trip.

Jill had set up pretty much everything about this trip and did an amazing job.

She has no interest in being a travel agent, but she could be one, if she wanted to and I am grateful that she took care of all the big, and little things, that came up.

As a psychotherapist, I definitely need a break and this trip was the perfect remedy for anything that was ailing me.

Jill had our tour company, Rock Valley Travel, set up most of our trip in Turkey and worked with them on the flights, trains, hotels, and everything else that we were going to do.

I think back to what she had to do, and with a very limited budget, and am constantly amazed at how easily Jill can get things done.

Jill is truly amazing.

We took the bus to one of the Istanbul airports, of which there are two, and waited for a few hours after checking in.

There are two airports in Istanbul, one for cheap flights and one for the long haul more expensive flights.

We were doing a 60 minute cheap flight, on Turkish Airlines, so we went to the cheap flight one.

That being said, our flight was on time and there was food.

Yes, there was food.

On a 60 minute flight there was a meal that was quite yummy.

It had a sandwich, eggplant salad, and chocolate mousse.

The total of this flight was about $85.00 USD.

I don’t think any of the US carriers do anything as nice as that and it was a very pleasant surprise.

Little known fact:  Turkish Airlines goes to more destinations than any other airline in the world.

We arrive in Cappadocia and were met by our driver, who was quite nice but spoke very little English, and a few other travelers waiting to get a ride to their hotel.

We drove in with him, about a 40 minute drive to Goreme, the town in Cappadoccia where we’d be staying, and I was blown away.

 

Day 502 In Beijing: The Maiden’s Tower.

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The Maiden's Tower.

The Maiden’s Tower.

 

Jill and I were cruising on the ferry back to Istanbul and enjoying the ride.

One of the joys of riding this ferry is that it passes by the Maiden’s Tower.

The Maiden’s Tower is a beautiful that pops right out of the bay and into the sky.

It isn’t very large, but it is quite impressive, all the same.

The story behind the tower is interesting enough, as it was built long ago and used as a military look out against invaders, and is now a restaurant and tourist destination.

Jill and I didn’t visit it, this trip, but we’ve both been there before and found it quite enjoyable.

The legend behind the Maiden’s Tower is quite intriguing.

Supposedly, an oracle told an emperor that his daughter would die from a poisonous snake on her 18th birthday.

The emperor, thinking he could outsmart fate, built this tower and kept her in it until she turned 18.

However, on her 18th birthday, he brought her a basket of delicious fruits in a beautiful basket.

When she reached in to get one of the fruits, an asp, which had been hiding in the basket, bit her and killed her.

A close up of the Maiden's Tower.

A close up of the Maiden’s Tower.

So, in case you think you can tempt fate, and ignore what an oracle’s prophecy, think again.

Day 501 In Beijing: Leaving The Prince Islands.

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A shot of the rainbow over the port.

A shot of the rainbow over the port.

 

Jill and hopped back on to the ferry to return to Istanbul.

We wish we had decided to spend more than one night on Buyukada because it is so peaceful and quiet.

Our month long vacation to Turkey and Greece was going to be a busy one, seeing lots of friends and also going to many historic sites, and having some down time was essential.

I’d almost say that is the one thing that we didn’t factor in enough on this trip and next time we will do that.

It is funny how quickly a vacation can pass and how quickly you can forget everything you did and what happened.

That is one of the benefits of this daily blog: We can look back and see what we did and how we did it whenever we want.

I’m thinking of writing a book on our travels and documenting all the crazy things that have happened to us in this 1.5 years that we’ve been together.

For now, we just want to enjoy the trip back to Istanbul and let you ride along on the ferry with us.

There is something about floating along on the sea, and just letting the wind blow through your hair, that is magical and special.

The first one is from when we docked at an island before arriving at Buyukada and the second is from when we left Buyukada to go back to Istanbul.

 

 

Day 499 In Beijing: Trip To The Prince Islands: Sunset.

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Jill and I miss sunsets over the bay since we left San Francisco.

There really is something truly magical about being near water and seeing the sun’s light reflect off of it.

In Beijing there are a few lakes but no large bodies of water like in San Francisco or Istanbul.

It just brings us back to ourselves and we notice how much more content and relaxed we become when we can sit on a beach and just let the water crash as it hits the shore.

I think that I’ll probably want to live somewhere near the ocean, after we leave Beijing, and will try to make sure that happens.

As we sat near the main port of Buyukada, we just watched the sunset and realized just how lucky we are to have met.

The chance that my older brother, Robert, knew about a job opening in China, and then I was able to get hired, and then met Jill 8 days before I moved here, and everything else, good, bad and in between that has happened to us, is truly incredible.

We are experiencing a lifestyle that most people don’t get to experience and seeing things that most people don’t get to see.

It takes a certain type of person to be an expat and from the ones I’ve met here, and on my other travels, it is a fun, interesting, and diverse group of people that constantly allows me to learn more about the world and everyone in it.

Now, just enjoy the sunset.

 

Day 498 In Beijing: Trip To Prince Islands: More Horse and Carriage Videos.

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Two horses and their dyed manes.

Two horses and their dyed manes.

 

Honestly, Jill and I grew up in the countryside and we love horses.

We just can’t get enough of them and love to take videos and spend time around them.

When we get out of Beijing, and start traveling again, we will definitely take our time and ride horses more often.

I’d like to do a fairly major campaign, on horseback, for a few days and see what it is like.

Maybe in the Grand Canyon or maybe some place much less busy and more isolated so that we can just enjoy the freedom, solitude, and quiet of the Earth instead of the noise and speed of cities.

 

 

Day 497 In Beijing: Trip To Prince Islands: Horse and Carriage Videos.

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The view from our carriage of the Sea of Marmara.

The view from our carriage of the Sea of Marmara.

 

Jill and I love taking pictures, but as the kids today say, videos are more interesting and alive.

Therefore, we decided to take a few videos of our horse and carriage ride to give everyone a more fully interactive experience.

The roads are very smoothly paved and there weren’t very many potholes which is another benefit of not having cars on the island.

There were a few other horses out and about and we were able to actually have a bit of a race with another carriage driver and it was fun.

The horses can really get moving, when they want to, and it is pretty exciting to be racing along with the sun on your face, the wind in your hair, and the clippity clappity of the horses’ hooves hitting the pavement.

Some of the other roads we went on were paved with cobblestones so that was a bit more bumpy but the sound of the hooves hitting cobblestones took us back to another time when this was the only transportation around.

It was truly wonderful to just allow ourselves to disappear into a peaceful little world for a day or so.

 

 

Day 496 In Beijing: Trip To Prince Islands: Horse and Carriage Ride.

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A horse wandering down the street.

A horse wandering down the street.

 

Jill and I couldn’t wait to hop on a horse drawn carriage and cruise around Buyukada.

We had arrived on Sunday morning, and would be leaving on Monday afternoon, so the weekend crowds were gone and it was very quiet.

There were lots of horses, carriages, and drivers, just hanging around and talking to each other as we walked up.

The prices are printed on a poster near the entryway and we decided to do a 1.5 hour ride to see most of the island and get away from the town.

We loved being driven around this gorgeous island with almost no one else around us.

Except, of course, the other carriages and horses, especially the single one walking around by itself as we climbed the first massive hill to the top of Buyukada.

We also went by an area with a bunch of massive barns for the horses but the picture didn’t turn out that well so I didn’t post it.

Just have to go back and take another one soon!