Day 26: Goreme, Turkey - Love Me Some Valley

OK, so I did more on day 26 than just ride in a hot air balloon. I just thought the balloon ride warranted its own post. Upon returning from the balloon ride, I met a tourist at my hostel from somewhere I did not expect to produce very many tourists -- Iraq. He was a doctor practicing and studying in Moscow, fluent in Arabic, Russian, and German. Unfortunately for me, English was not one of his strong languages, but we still managed to have a decent conversation.

He left Baghdad in 1998 to study medicine in Moscow. Since the war started before he finished school, he could not return after he finished med school and had, in fact, not seen his family for over 12 years. His family had even been relocated from Baghdad to Babylon. When I asked him if his family thought the United States should be in Iraq or out, his answer was a very unequivocal "out."

For the rest of the day I went on a hike in the Love Valley. During the middle of the hike, I asked another hiker if he knew why the valley was called the "Love Valley." He gave me a perplexed look and just pointed ahead. I saw what he was pointing to and said, "Oh..."

The Love Valley.

These are all natural.

Not much left to the imagination.

Now an overnight train to Ephesus.