Riding the skies
If you are ticking off the things in your must do list, then a visit to Cappadocia for its hot air balloon ride has to be right up there owing to its extraordinary and strangely unique landscape and the favourable weather conditions. As we entered Goreme it was like entering into a fairytale. There were fairy chimneys all around everywhere I
looked hundreds, maybe thousands of them. These were made of a thin layer of volcanic rocks which were more resistant to erosion than the underlying stone.
Folklore says it was the work of fairies. And now you’d find homes, churches, a monastery, a castle and even apple and grape trees in the stone’s cliffs here. It was astounding to explore an underground city; I walked, crawled, clambered down four levels underground and discovered a fully functional life including cooking, water, ventilation and animal housing.
I also went to a place called the Goreme Open Air Museum, which was a quaint village with a bunch of different churches. Inside the churches were some stunning frescoes that were still intact. The largest church had frescoes depicting different stories from the Bible like Mary and Joseph’s trek to Jerusalem, Jesus turning water into wine, and Jesus multiplying the bread loaves and fish.
For me Cappadocia seemed a beautiful region in Central Turkey and I think is one of those awe-inspiring places which are unforgettable. It’s simply wow. It is a place of pure magical atmosphere and there seemed so much to explore.
One of the most amazing things that I have ever done in my life was to take a balloon tour through the valleys, ravines, fairy chimneys, and vineyards of this part of Turkey. We were ready by 6 am to get picked up by the balloon company. Cappadocia is known for having some of the best hot air balloon pilots in the world and after this trip I could see why.
From the roar of the burners as we rose into the sky to the silence of floating and drifting with the winds, it was truly an experience that doesn’t match anything else. From the balloon I could spot the underground cities (or the tops of them at least), as well as very old vineyards that have been in existence since before Christ’s time. The limestone formations are as different and varied in shape and colour as one can possibly imagine.
I found it quite amusing to watch the little shadow of our vessel skipping along the ground as if it was racing us. In the distance, the many other balloons hung in the air as if all the kids of Goreme had simultaneously let their helium balloons go.
For our final landing the pilot landed the basket right on top of the Ez Air truck trailer at the end. A wonderful experience in probably one of the best places in the world to have a balloon flight! It was so cool to be in Istanbul and then be out in this almost extra-terrestrial place that was unlike anywhere in the world.
The writer is a travel
enthusiast
Post new comment