The town of Göreme (sounds like Gory-em) lay 3,500 feet above sea level in the Cappadocia region of Turkey and was a popular tourist area, known for its spectacular geological landscape formed by different rates of erosion on the soft and porous rocks.
Each morning, when the weather allowed, twenty or more hot air balloons would take to the sky just before dawn. We booked a flight for the following day and were picked up from our camp site at 6.30 in the morning. By 8 am we were floating above the incredible rock formations – the tranquility of the journey occasionally interrupted when the pilot Abdullah fired up the burners for a few seconds.
We rose to a height of 1500 feet but mostly we flew closer to the ground, travelling along the valleys enjoying a birds eye view of the ever changing landscape. We were airborne for almost two hours and finally landed (with a little bump) about seven miles from where we took off. A fleet of trucks and passenger vehicles kept in radio contact with the balloons and were ready to help with the landing and to pick up the passengers and take them back home. We were given a personalised certificate, a medal and a bottle of bubbly to celebrate our flight!
Hello to Kuzey Kuzu. We enjoyed meeting you and having a chat.
