Cappadocia, Turkey

Cappadocia (aka, Wackydocia) – A region once in the heart of the Hittite Empire on the Silk Road.

10 million years ago 3 volcanoes erupted and spread a thick layer of volcanic ash over the region which hardened into a soft, porous stone called tuff. Erosion has created columns of cones, fairy chimneys and phallic appearances. The tuff was easily worked with primitive tools and people lived in them until 1923 when the Ottoman Empire crumbled. Many people also carved caves into the ground to hide for months when invaders came through the region.

If you have ever watched the TV cartoon, "The Flintstones", you will have a sense of what this place looks like!

Julia celebrated her 30 something birthday here in only the style fit for a Texas girl, a day horseback riding! Nobody told the horses that Bruce was paying the bill, because the lead horse gave Bruce a good mule kick right into his shin! yowwwie! It sounded like it broke the bone in half, but luckily the day before, the horses had there shoes removed for the winter, so the metal wasn't there to smash the bone. However, there was a nice inch or so gash. A nice souvenir of Wackydokia!

The Hamam Experience

This is a traditional Hamam building. To truly get the "Turkish Experience" one needs to spend a few hours getting scrubbed down at a Turkish Bath. First thing you do is change into a big red bath towel so you look like Moses (nothing under it of course). Then proceed to walk into a big steamy room with faucets and buckets from the wall. Get really hot and sweaty (douse some water over you if needed). In 15 minutes or so, a big Turkish man walks over to you (he's dressed in just a towel and flip flops as well), and he directs you to a huge marble stone tablet where you lay. He the precedes to give you the closest skin scrubbing of your life. He uses a rough sort of luffah thing and olive oil soap that is held in a pillow case doohicky and scrubs until every particle of dirt, along with the top layer of skin is taken from you. The whole process makes so many fluffy bubbles that we became lost in it. After laying on your stomach, he flips you over on your back and scrubs your front side (towel stays on and modesty is always insured). Now you are slathered with soap, he walks you over to a faucet of really warm water (weaker people refer to it as...steaming hot!) to rinse you off. You think you're done, no way dirty dude, it's back for some more scrubbing, but this time you get a soap massage for another 5 - 10 minutes. Then back to rinse off with the bucket. When you are done, you are soaking wet and squeaky clean (hey, where'd that tan go?). As you walk out of the steamy area they hand you a fresh red towel to wrap yourself in while in the changing room. When you walk out into the waiting area, a crisp white towel is wrapped around your head like a swami. Then time to relax with a nice cup of Turkish tea or a rose oil massage if you like (and we like).