SUNRISE FROM A HOT AIR BALLOON
To contemplate completely the spectacular beauty of Cappadocia’s natural architecture, there
is nothing better than joining a hot air balloon tour. For only 200-250 USD, you will have about
1 hour to fly over this area. However simple it seems, it takes some luck to visit on a beautiful
day as good weather is a compulsory condition for the hot air balloons to fly.
The hotel’s alarm awakened me at
4:30 am. It was still dark and cold.
We traveled by bus from the hotel to
the gathering place of KAPADOKYA
BALLOONS Company in Goreme. It
is a low-rise building designed like a
mountain with a beautiful grapevine
trellis and a large garden. About 60
guests were waiting, having breakfast
with tea, coffee, and cakes.
adjusted the burner. The heat lifted
the balloon into the sky and threaded
through the craggy cliffs. Sometimes,
I felt like I could touch the stones.
Around us, other balloons were
hovering beautifully. Thanks to good
weather, there were about 200 balloons
operating that day.
After some minutes in the balloon,
alternating between the mixed feeling
20 minutes later, we continued
of surprise, worry, and extreme
traveling by bus to an empty lot.
excitement as this was my first time
The sun was till asleep yet the dark
experiencing a hot air balloon, we
gradually retreated. In the faint light of
sat down and silently admired the
dawn, we could see dozens
magical beauty of Cappadocia
at sunrise.
of giant balloons lying on
From
the
the ground. They started
The majestic stone plateau
balloon,
heating the air to inflate the
the cave
appeared endless below us.
balloons. The atmosphere
cities
From a height of 600m,
got bustling. When the
look like
you get a panoptic view of
enormous
first sun rays lighted the
how the plateau was formed
beehives
land, the huge colorful
millions of years ago with
balloons, now filled with
cracks, fractures and rock
air, were ready for their next
layers formed by lava. Somewhere
expeditions with their new guests. Each
are stone columns which have been
balloon can serve from 10 to 20 guests
eroded by rains, winds, and sea
depending on its size. Navigating
water. They stand like mushrooms
balloons isn’t a simple task at all. To
and are called monks since they are
operate a balloon in Cappadocia, about
shaped like monks in their robes and
20 people have to work together for
hood. After a half an hour of flying,
one hour.
the balloon started to descend so
At 5:30 am, our balloon, started its
that visitors could get a closer look at
fascinating journey. The pilot skillfully
Cappadocia’s wonders.
MR TR¡N DUY NAM
FOUNDER OF PIXEL
PHOTOGRAPHY
After your trip to Turkey,
what do you think about
the country? What
impressed you the most?
I’m mesmerized by
everything in Turkey. The
traditions and religions
blend harmoniously with
the speed of modern life.
Man-made works do not
make the landscape less
beautiful. The combination
of Asian and European
culture is reflected in
people, cuisine, and even
in the weather. If time
allowed, my journey to
explore that combination
would have resulted in the
stories within stories as in
"One thousand and One
Nights".
Do you have any advice
or recommendations for
those who are planning
to visit Turkey in the near
future?
Turkey is an endless
inspiration. I just want
to say that you mustn’t
hesitate to visit this country.
Prepare for your luggage
and start your journey now!
TRAVELLIVE
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