The Turkish Bunny Hop

A wise man once said, "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get." I certainly bit into one big surprise chocolate tonight. It started innocently enough with me inquiring about the possibility of seeing a Dervish ceremony this evening. Lily at the hotel said it would be no problem at all, and she proceeded to organize everything for me. Around 5PM, I received a phone call from her, "I have arranged for you to go to a very nice place for the Dervish ceremony, and they have folk dancing, live music and a belly dancer as well. Dinner is included and your driver will pick you up at 8:15."

I immediately had my doubts about this all-inclusive package, and I also was frighteningly aware that I would be alone within reach of a belly dancer. What was done was done, though, and I decided to bite the bullet and see what would happen.

Arriving at the restaurant, a traditional Turkish drummer started playing a beat and marched me into the dining room, where I had a table for 25, set for one. They had my Mezze waiting for me at the end of the table closest to the stage. "Gangsta's Paradise" was playing over the stereo system, but oddly enough, it was being played with Turkish folk instruments. When Brittney Spears' "Toxic" came on next, I knew this was destined to be an interesting evening.

The other groups had been seated, and it was time for the Dervishes to come out. The band, including a great vocalist, did an excellent job of playing the moving religious music while the Dervishes spun themselves into a trance with their white robes floating gracefully at their sides. With one hand reaching towards God and the other drawing energy from the earth, the Dervishes put on a good show, but it was obvious that these guys weren't the real thing, and my troublesome sense of humor made me want to break out in song, "Oh Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel..." All kidding aside though, the Dervish ceremony was very calming and almost magical, and I would love to see the real thing some day.

A few folk dances and one hip rocking belly dancer later, it was time for some audience participation. I managed to remain seated using my photographer ruse as an excuse. The belly dancer embarrassed a few poor men, and then some random group dancing broke out. Soon, the Turks returned in force for another folk dance with the unavoidable display of the Turkish flag and some grunts of national pride. With that out of the way, the Turkish guys then started grabbing people from the audience and started one final display of Turkish culture, The Bunny Hop. I could barely contain myself when I realized what was happening around me, but I finally let out a chuckle when a mentally handicapped fellow in the middle of the line started grabbing the chest of the guy in front of him instead of the shoulders. Luckily, the stranger in front seemed to be aware of who was behind him and shrugged it off.

I had officially seen all I could handle, so I packed up my camera and made my way out the door. My driver seemed more than happy to be leaving a little earlier than expected.

Kapadokya - Caveman Style

The wind is whistling around the rocks and hills as I sit in my big comfy hammock-like chair and stare out the “window” of my cave. I think there might be a storm tonight, which could only add to the surreal experience of peering into the life of Kapadokya (Cappadocia). It’s like another planet out there with the towering rock formations littering the landscape. Hell, it’s like another planet in here too - I mean seriously, I’m sleeping in a cave.

Aside from the disappointment of finding out that I could have stayed at the Flintstones Hotel down the road in Goreme, today has been a very nice introduction to the region. Rocks, caves, churches, mountains, “fairy chimneys,” mosques, hotels, restaurants, tea houses; they all start to look the same after a while, but the peaceful atmosphere and mystical nature of this region are captivating. Early Christians took refuge in the caves and underground cities, carving out homes and churches from the volcanic rock. They had an invisible civilization, as it were, and their mark on this land is moving, unfortunately, so have the Christians. Back in the 1920s, there was a forced population swap where Christians from Kapadokya were moved to Greece and the Muslim Turks were transferred from Greece to here. It’s a tragic story of politics that changed the history of this region forever, but it has made it no less fascinating to visit.


One of the highlights of the day was stopping at a local ceramics workshop in Avanos. Deep inside yet another cave, one family has been producing and selling ceramics according to local tradition for the last 200 years. One of the potters demonstrated how they still use a kick wheel to turn the pottery. He made a perfect vase in about 3 minutes. They offered to let me try, but I didn’t want to embarrass the potter by making a something better and faster. Later, one of the guys in the shop asked me if I had seen the whirling dervishes perform yet. When I told him no, he announced that his cousin that had demonstrated the pottery-making was also a Dervish. “He spun around on that wheel so much as a child that he couldn’t stop, so now he goes every night to perform as a Dervish.”

I’m finding the rural regions of Anatolia to be much more to my liking than the bustling city of Istanbul. Cities can be a lot of fun, but I love exploring and relaxing in the more authentic locations.