Floating above Cappadocia and its Fairy Chimneys

So Day 2 of our trip saw us rise at 3:30am for the highlight, hot air ballooning at dawn! Thankfully our bus arrived this time as expected, we were the first and so spent 45 minutes driving around picking up the other balloonists, giving us an opportunity to see all the tiny little streets around Uchisar we wouldn’t have otherwise have seen, although perhaps another 45 minutes sleep might have been more beneficial.

After arriving at their “office” where we were deprived of some funds, obviously, coffee’d and fed, we were then driven out to the launch site. Wow there were so many balloons lying on their sides as they were filled with hot air, ready for their occupants. Gradually they rose up and their burners casting a glow in the dark as they were in the final stages before lifting up. Then it was our turn to clamber into our basket, there were 12 of us, 3 in each quarter, and lucky for us, but not so lucky for her, we were joined by a korean lady just tall enough to see over the edge of the basket!

Our pilot was a Dutchman called “G”, (probably short for some unpronounceable name), who had been flying balloons for 26 years, one of the best in the business and highly entertaining, we had no doubt we were in for a treat! As we rose up, we still marvelled at the number of other balloons all around us, some even bumping into each other and G said, balloons on balloons was not a problem, balloons on baskets was a different matter entirely, thankfully they all had radios to communicate with each other and there are some rules of the road so to speak, that they have to abide by!

We hovered very low to the ground at times, watching all the people who had come out for horse rides or even to have their wedding photos taken with the balloons in the background, all dressed up in their dresses and suits.

As the sun got higher in the sky, so did we, taking in the views of Goreme and the surrounding valleys and undulations in the rocks, some still bathed in mist.

We then headed off, as that is where the wind was taking us, to “Love Valley” and the fairy chimneys, where we saw the balloons weaving their way through them, perhaps a little close for comfort, but G wasn’t concerned and soon he was doing the same!

An hour and a half of jaw dropping scenery and exhilarating manoeuvring, our trip was drawing to a close, but not before we watched the balloons all start to land, the skilled pilots actually landing them on trailers!.

Then it was our turn and G handled it perfectly, once secured on the trailer, we were still in the basket with the balloon above us and were driven to an area where our balloon could be safely deflated. Once on the ground watching the other balloons come into land was even more dramatic with the dust swirling around them as they did so.

To bring the whole experience to a conclusion, a bottle of fizz was popped and a round of applause for our pilot…

Back to the hotel for some brekkie, then off out we went in the car to explore further afield. Our first stop was to Urgup. Aside from a couple of fairy chimneys and camels, we didn’t quite see why it was as spectacular as it is said to be, perhaps we missed something???

We then headed off, coming across a huge reservoir, then onto a place called Kaslik Cathedral, yep you guessed it, in our mind another cave chapel, with the original artwork left in places and pumpkins growing in it’s garden.

We then followed the road southwards marvelling at the dramatic scenery created by one long fertile valley and high above how flat it was for miles across the tops of the cliffs

Then we headed back to Urgup. Coming from an entirely different direction, and we saw what the hype was about, with an area of cave houses almost fully developed into quirky hotels. We found a lovely spot high up with great views to see it all, and have a spot of lunch!

We finally headed back to Ushicar for a much needed siesta, so we could enjoy dinner out locally, and be ready for our final day of exploring!

14th August 2019