M-whY

I had made arrangements to go hiking with Steve today. I was tempted to not show up; The Dutchman was a pleasant enough, but an Austrian guy staying his pension I didn't care for as much. He had a real arrogant air about him, and if there's one personality I don't get along with, it's the type that views himself superior (without justification) to all others. I wasn't the only person to think this. Allie came away with the same impression.

"We're going to go hiking today too, you can join us if you like," she invited.

"Yeah, but I already said I'd go with them." Had I known the Austrian would be coming, I never would've agreed to go, but at the time, I thought it'd just be Steve and I.

I wolfed down my menemem, a tomato, pepper, and onion omelet cooked and served in a clay bowl, then walked across town to see if the other two were ready. Someone had slept in and was holding everyone up - care to guess who? - and by the time we got going, it was nearly noon.

Several paths zigzag the outskirts of Goreme, and we basically picked the first trailhead we came to. Swords Valley, a sign labeled it. Rocks were riddled with caves, and I wondered whether they'd make good campsites in summer. Apparently I wasn't the first to have the thought, as we stumbled upon the cold ashes of a campfire.

The well beaten path narrowed until we were just squeezing through in some places. At times, we had to scramble up ledges with the help of footholds and branches left by previous walkers. Feeling our way through pitch black tunnels, "Looks like it could be the lair of some sort of monster," I commented. In a grassy field, we paused for a break.

"Let's see if I can climb to the top of one of these," I said, trying to find some traction on the loose dirt. I barely got both feet off the ground when I tumbled back down again.

Every so often, I'd try to be Spiderman again, and while some attempts were more successful than others, I never quite reached the top. It didn't matter though, since the track began to slope upwards after we emerged from like the tenth tunnel. Past all sorts of imaginatively shaped rocks, it brought us to a plateau for sweeping views of the fantastic terrain.

"This is really amazing."

The entire hike, including rest time, took less than two hours. Steve had been battling some digestive disorders the past few days though, and was visibly fatigued.

"Enough for a day?"

Face contorted to emphasize his point, "Yeah. I think I need to find a toilet," he said

Allie and Meri had a bus out of Cappadocia that evening, and I caught up with them one last time before they left.

"So how did it go?"

"Not bad, the Austrian got on my nerves a couple times, but the scenery made up for it," I explained. The type of place I could see myself coming back to in the future.

Thanks to everyone for their support and comments! Knowing people are reading keeps me motivated to continue the updates!