“Adventure is nothing but a romantic name for trouble.” – Louis L’Amour
Change of Plans
I was extremely excited to visit Turkey, mainly for the famous sunrise hot air balloons. However, right before I went, I decided to change my plans a little. I was supposed to go to Istanbul for the second half of my Turkey trip, but decided not to after getting an advisory from the US Government about violent demonstrations related to current issues. Instead, I planned to stay in Cappadocia (the balloon town) for an entire week. This, however, proved to be a mistake.
Cappadocia
Don’t get me wrong, the landscape and beauty of Cappadocia was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. Unfortunately, the people and area were not as pleasant. I stayed in a hotel, which was great. It had free breakfast and a gorgeous rooftop view. However, this meant when I was not out, I was stuck in a room rather than a whole house. My first day I went out exploring. I hiked and saw beautiful rock formations that looked straight out of a fairytale. Sadly, my experience was diminished by the countless men who would try to sell me things and not take no for an answer. They were very rude and thought they could take advantage of a young, blonde girl by herself. The town was no better and on top of the harassment, there were underfed strays everywhere. Every night I could hear dog fights out my window (along with chanting by some guy through a megaphone). Needless to say I was not thrilled about spending an entire week there.
The Balloons
My second day, I took a hot air balloon ride at sunrise. It was perfect. The sky was filled with balloons and I loved seeing the landscape from above. We ended with a champagne toast and I even got a little certificate. That experience had been on my bucket list for years and I can finally say I checked it off.
The Rest
The next days were spent entirely in my hotel room. I would go to the rooftop for breakfast then retreat and literally sit on my bed all day. I hated it. I hated that I didn’t feel safe enough to explore such a beautiful area and I felt like I was wasting precious time being somewhere I didn’t want to be. So, after some encouragement from my mom, I left. I booked a flight for 3am that night and high tailed it outta there. I got to Budapest 3 days earlier than I originally planned, and while I wasn’t thrilled about the extra costs, I am extremely glad I left.
Overall
Turkey was not the experience I was expecting and I do not wish to return. I don’t regret going though. Everything on this trip has been close to perfect so there was bound to be at least one destination that caused some problems. I learned a lot about myself and my comfort limits and I am proud that I was able to make tough decisions in order to be safe. Now it’s over, and I have some good stories from it, and that’s what adventure is all about.