An incandescent experience, this first trip to Kapadokya. In Istanbul, in an angry moment of a bad romance, I had lost an almost-full sketchbook. Devastated, I had to tell Sirma from Credo Tourism. Our arrangement was hotel stays in exchange for art. She told me that Tourism was so bad in Kapadokya that no hotel would cooperate in our plan by housing me. But this meant hotels were cheap; I could afford my own. So in a state of frantic penance, I went to Kapadokya. The trip that started in pain, loss and rage at myself ended in catharsis. “Cappadocia,” the Ancient Greek name of the region, means “Land of Beautiful Horses.” The Turkish pronunciation, Kapadokya, sounds to me like horses galloping, galloping in joy.
FRONTSPIECE: LOVE VALLEY
With a ring round the moon. Nurettin & Fritz are out looking for Laura. I’m in the car up the canyon riverbed in this ancient valley filled with natural erotica, heiroglyphs & stone trolls. 1:58 AM Monday, 25 October 1999 — Wonder if I’l make the plane back to Istanbul — 2:15 Found her!! Walking alone the road home with Karabaş the dog — <—US — We were walking awed through moon-silvered meadows — LOVE VALLEY NEAR GOREME — Swear to God!! — KAPADOKYA
TO KAPADOKYA
— To Steppes region of Central Turkey —KAPADOKYA — Mourning my lost sketchbook & drawing furiously in this one, I go to draw & be healed in “Cappadocia” — spelled by locals “Kapadokya.” — Istanbul-Kayseri, in Kapadokya- About an hour — Thunderheads from the plane… it’s an hour bus ride, at night, so I flew.
Suleyman [the driver] Picked up @ the plane —- A long drive through Stygian blackness to God knows where* *Turned out to be Ürgüp — Had a significant bonding experience with the only other passenger, Heather Collins, a Brit living in Germany. Hope I see her again — Heather.
ASIA MINOR MORNING
— ASIA MINOR HOTEL carved out of the very rock in ÜRGÜP in NEVSEHIR KAPADOKYA — Sat in the garden for an hour drawing / Met Sabine / 2 hours later I have new friends —
Sabine is an energy therapist / The very thing I need is a balancing of energy — Bon Sevi Orem Turkey — Sunday @ 11:00 Pick up w/Sabine — Ibrahim — Now this is a face.
PANCARLIK VALLEY
— When the Christians went underground, locals say, they came here to these ancient caves — Warm wind blowing through my soul in this eternal valley — Byzantine church——
MEN IN HATS
— Camel Rock — Amazing rock formations everywhere in gentle colors: breasts, beasts, trolls, phallic hills, valleys full of capering cartoon characters. No pollution! — Daughter & Mother —
— Because of the earthquakes, there were no tourists this year, wreaking severe economic hardship no the entire region. It’s as if there was an earthquake in Seattle, so nobody went to the Grand Canyon. — The women here all seem to be plump ad wear voluminous harem pants, beaded scarves, vests & sweaters. Turkish girl / Woman / Grandmoher / (Optional! Actually it’s all pretty much optional- more fashion than fear.)
TO THE GRAPE CHURCH
— Kapadokyan Byzantine Cave Church c500AD — RED VALLEY — THE GRAPE CHURCH — Armani (on shirt) — Edge of the road —> Amazing, strangely familiar valley in pink & yellow — Bonestone is replacing the original road paved to the horror of new residents — 11thCentury fresco of the Apostles—— I had an ephiphany: an overwhelming sense of familiarity, walking to the grape church down a long path overhung with grapevines. It felt like coming down my parents’ driveway at home.
GRAPE CHURCH APOSTLES
— A cheerful place, filled with light. Red paint faded to peach—
EVERYBODY’S GRANDMA
— She wanted her picture drawn, liked it, & vanished before I could get her name & I never saw her again. — Truly astonishing triple bypass scar from 2 years ago I think —Just darted out in the road & posed!
INSIDE THE GRAPE CHURCH
— A happy place / Full of light / All salmon peach & gold / PEACE — Ali unlocked the gate & let me inside for 2 hours to draw / Grape Church Red Valley.
ALI BABA
— Oh if only I were a better artist! To catch the shy little giggle everyone gives when I start to draw them — House in Ürgüp 2 doors from my hotel — An intense deluge / Kapakokian RAIN in my HEART too / Oh please Gods return my sketchbook — Ali lives in a Kapadokyan cave house I hope he is dry in this downpour —- ALI BABA 9/10/99 — Top of Ürgüp