I'm liking me some Turkey.

After a long day of flying, I came home 2 days ago to spend about 1 hour to get ready to go on a friggin pretty cool excursion.  11 of us "deployed folk" embarked on a journey to the ancient Cappadocia (Kapadokya) about 3 hours north of Incirlik, Adana.  You all can read up on the place, but in a nutshell, it was the near to, if not, the location of the start of the Bronze Age and more well known for it underground cities, which serves as hiding places for early Christians.  A lot of the history that took place not just there, but in the entire country of Turkey, starts in early BC!  Our first stop was at one of the hundreds of cities in the area.

Then we stopped at a handmade carpet making shop.  Walking in, it was pretty amazing to see how these gorgeous pieces were made.  There was one carpet they showed us was $60K and was only about 16x20" and framed!

 

The next stop was in a valley that was once used at strictly a graveyard, i believe, but then became a city for new Christians in hiding.  These structures were not manmade, just man-altered.  The "mountains" were natural features in which the people had just carved skillfully into without ruining its integrity.  It just amazes me that people can overlook the sheer knowledge and capability the human race has and continue with war, arguments, and hatred.  If everyone could both see the Earth from orbit and these (among other) historical ruins, it would surely bring an end to all the conflicts in the world.  --- I am officially off of my soapbox now.

We then made a stop for lunch (probably later than sooner... we were all starving by that point).  The place had this view from its "backyard", if you will:

This view kind of sums up what these valleys looked like out there.  The lunch was all you can eat Turkish food... my absolute favorite thus far (besides the infamous cheesy bread) was the lentil soup.  I must learn this recipe!  I must!

After a brief stop at a bazaar where I bought nothing but enjoyed a bottle of Efes, we stopped at a pottery shop, where they (for the most part) showed us how their amazing turkish designed pottery was made.  I was lucky enough to get a shot at making something on the pottery wheel.  Uh, not so perfect.  But yes yes, for $5 its yours, if you want it!  Good deal for you, my friend!

We also stopped at a jewelry shop that briefly showed us how they created their onyx, turquoise, and other creations. Next stop was the fairy chimneys... that looked awfully phallic.  And thats enough on that.

And then we stopped at the Valley of Imagination (which the aforementioned area should have been called) where we saw rock formations that took the shape of camels, flying fish, and madonna.  Here's the most easily recognizable, the camel:   (seriously!!!)

Finally, we stopped at a winery and picked ourselves up some Capadoccian wine and some free cheesy bread and turkish pizza and ate and drank on the long drive back home.

I have come to really love this country... it is so rich with history and beauty.  Its just a shame that I am headed to Kuwait soon!  I think I'll do some research on Kuwait while I am there and maybe I will come to enjoy it too?  (Probably not.)

İyi Akşamlar!

More amazing pictures soon to come on facebook/snapfish.

One small step for man... in Turkey! No way.

Yup, about a week ago, I got to see Steve Richie (only fighter pilot ace since Korea), Robert Gilliland (Chief SR-71 Blackbird test pilot, and first to fly it), Jim Lovell (Apollo 13 Commander - yup, the guy Tom Hanks played in the movie), Gene Cernan (last man to leave his footprints on the moon), and Neil Armstrong!!!  What an amazing little 30-45 min staged panel they provided for us lucky folk out here in USAFE (US Air Forces Europe)!

THE legend himself, holding the mic... just wow!

Unfortunately the line was too long and I had to be back, so I couldn't get autographs/close pictures.  But these are plenty good enough for lil ol' me!


To infinity and beyond, ya'll.

My heart is in Turkey, My body in California, and My mind in Dahfra

Well peeps another update from the currently stateside half of the Speedbird dynamic duo. I am back home for a little while finishing out my post mission crew rest and waiting to hear from the schedulers what is next in store for me. First I'll fill ya in on the last leg of the trip I just returned from. We got re-routed to go from Thailand to Yokota instead of Kadena and though we were an hour away from Tokyo sadly I didnt have the opportunity to go out there. I did however get a great picture of Mt Fuji on the approach though :-)

I would also like to give a big thanks to my C-130 friend Heidi for showing me around in the time I spent in Yokota. Meanwhile I am thoroughly enjoying the time I get to spend video chatting with Lady Speedbird and am ever gratefull for skype even though its nowhere near as good as the real thing I'll take what I can get. Its a 10 hr time difference so we usually talk to each other right as one is going to bed and the other is getting up. It has only been two weeks since she left and I miss her like crazy.

On the other side of things I am also busy gearing up for my deployment next month. A few more ground training classes and some paperwork and I'll be ready to head to Dahfra. As of right now it looks like my current date is sticking which will land myslef and Lady Speedbird home within a couple days of each other so we can take some well deserved R&R together. Boy am I looking forward to that! Not much else to update on for now but I'll leave you with a couple more pictures from my time in Thailand.

The neat carpet in the hallway of the hotel (I just thought it looked artsy fartsy) and a row of the common mode of transportation in Thailand. Those people are fearless on those things when they ride the busy roads. They zip in and out without regard for bigger vehicles that could very easily run them over! LOL

And this is the daytime view off of the balcony from my room.

Beyond the walls of Incirlik...

So a few of the other LTs and I decided to get a taxicab (meant for 4 passengers, but yes, we squeezed a 5th in there purely for picture-taking reasons, haha) for unlimited stops within the nearby town of Adana for 6 hours.  Adana, and Incirlik, had parts of it that were not what i had expected!  The towns each had a newer modern part to it that blew me away.  Our first stop on our crazy ride was at the lake in town, Seyhan Lake (I think).  What a beautiful spot, and the day we stopped to gaze at it could not have been more beautiful either.

 The next stop was lunch, and Mustafa, our driver, had just the place.  And did he EVER.

We enjoyed a plethora of turkish treats, including salads, peppers, pita and hummus, mini turkish pizzas and stuffed shells, pork, chicken, and two types of beef.  Delightful!

Mustafa, was so patient with us crazy American kids, haha.  We were quite the attention grabbers.  Next, I really wanted to check out the Sabanci mosque, the largest in Turkey and second largest in the world.  It was quite the sight to see.

We had to remove our shoes and i had to wear a scarf before entering the holy building.

Afterwards, the guys wanted to do a bit of shopping (to my surprise, more than I really wanted to).  We headed to Old Adana where there were streets full of little shops all selling pretty much the same things... carpets, suits, electronics, shoes, and movies.  All of which probably weren't worth as much as the merchants were selling them for.  It is definitely all part of the experience though... we all must get bamboozled at some point in time!

All for 60 bucks we got to drive all around Adana for 6 hours, and it was so worth it!

Ok, OK.  Some of you are probably wondering... aren't you supposed to be... deployed?!?!?  Well, yes.  We are fortunate enough to be in Turkey where we do have the privilege to roam off base.  I must set this straight, though.  We absolutely fly and to dangerous places too.  It may be easier than other troops who are deployed elsewhere, but in no means are we not still fighting the same fight as they are.  So please, remember that, and as always, keep myself and all of the other deployed troops in your prayers.

Güle güle!

missing mr speedbird everyday.  day 6.