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Mete offered us a chance to ride in a hot air balloon over Cappadocia. Just $170 US. What a deal! So here we are at 5:30 am at the Kapadokya Balloons headquarters. Those are balloon gondolas we'll use later.
Waiting to be called to our balloons.
Waiting and waiting.
Coffee and tea and cookies while we wait.
Have a look if you want, but I think my pictures are just as good:
We rode in a Mercedes Benz. Only the best balloon for us.
Not some rinky-dink Kia balloon.
And certainly not a brown fizz-water balloon.
That's the Mercedes' motor. Well, actually it's a burner.
Here are some of our group, already in the gondola. Even Wayne looks excited.
Jan, the pilot. He vas Svedish.
The Kia lights up in the early morning light.
Oh, boy, here we go. I was just hoping that the nice Kapadokya Balloons crewmember could hand my camera back to me before this thing launched into the sky.
The Kia goes "whoosh."
A Kia balloon and a large nostril.
It's hard to take pictures of the balloon you're in, so we'll see more pics of the Kia and the Coca-Cola and the Efes than the Mercedes.
Ooooohhhh, look at the pretty sunrise.
Liftoff!
When the balloons bump into each other, gently of course, it's said that they "kiss."
Smooching balloons.
A balloon peeks from behind the weird rocks.
More balloons.
A bright, red, blurry balloon. But it's pretty anyway, isn't it?
The Coca-Cola balloon has company.
Lots of company.
There's a gondola full of tourists, just like us.
The weird Cappadocia rock formations look even stranger from above.
Here come some more balloons.
I guess I never tired of taking pictures of weird Cappadocian rock formations. The crops below are grapevines.
Balloons up above.
Ooooohhh! Look at the pretty sunrise!
I'm getting thirsty for a soda.
I've never seen a Coca-Cola advertisement look so pretty.
See what I mean?
Fairy chimneys down below.
Ooooohhhh! Look at the pretty sunrise. That mountain in the distance is the extinct volcano that spewed out the lava that has led to the weird Cappadocian rock formations. Mt. Erciyes.
I think that town down below probably is Nevşehir.
And if it isn't ,well, who reading all this will know for sure?
More fairy chimneys.
Nope, that's not snow. Just dirt that looks white in this light.
See? It's really brown.
Mostly.
A balloon and a fork.
Just look at those rock formations!
Ooooohhhh! Look at the pretty sunrise.
White rocks and lots of grape vines.
More of the same.
OK, yes, you're right. I'm taking too many pictures of this. But still ....
It's not every day you see sights like this.
And this. Just look at that city carved into volcanic rock down there.
I should become a professional photographer. Don't you think? Hm? No? Really? OK.
But I did get some remarkable shots. At least I think I did.
See what I mean? Of course, "remarkable" wasn't too difficult to achieve, as sights like this were all around us for the entire flight.
That's not a city on a hill. It's a city in a hill.
Oooooohhhh.
Reminiscent of the Painted Desert in the USA, but smoother and softer.
We're headed down, now.
The pilots give us a close-up view of the cliffs and the dwellings that have been carved into them.
We're all coming down now.
Most of us, anyway.
Uh, oh. Looks like some balloon kissing is about to begin.
Yep.
Looking down on fellow tourists.
A ravine. Wonder if we'll end up down there?
Yep. Right on top of some grapevines.
The Kia continues to fly.
Hey, it's a three-way kiss. Kinky!
Closer to the ground.
Lower and lower.
Most of us, anyway.
Nearing the end.
The Kia heads for a clear spot.
The undulations in the landscape look almost organic.
I wanted this to continue. I don't know how long it's been since I've had this much fun; since I've been this excited about a new experience.
We're out now. If you want to see the landing, you'll need to view the RealVideo.
Aww. Isn't that cute? The Mercedes Benz and the Coca-Cola are kissing.
Tuff cones and balloons off in the distance.
A Kapadokya Balloons crew readies a group of tourists for their launch.
There goes Kia again.
And there goes our Mercedes Benz with Svedish Jan and another crew of tourists.
Been there, done that, got the T-shirt. Yes, of course I bought a polo shirt off that flatbed trailer. And I do look mighty stylish in my yellow knit shirt with the balloon logo.
Bye bye, wonderful Mercedes Benz balloon.
And the lesser balloons.
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