CAPPADOCIA
Visited: May 2008
ON THE MORNING OF THE FOURTH DAY OF OUR TRIP WE FLY FROM ISTANBUL TO CAPPADOCIA
Our hotel room has dramatic views
WE’RE LOCATED IN A SPECTACULAR NATURAL ENVIORNMENT
IN THE MORNING WE DECIDE TO TAKE A BALLOON RIDE
FLOATING OVER PARADISE
Drifting over an ancient region of Central Turkey.
ABOUT TWENTY-FIVE BALLOONS TAKE OFF THAT MORNING
3,000 FEET ABOVE THE EARTH Feeling the love of life in our hearts
WE SEE PATTERNS MADE BY MAN
AND PATTERNS MADE BY NATURE
Miles and miles of ‘Tufa’ (Volcanic ash) spread out below us.
DRIFTING OVER STEEP MOUNTAIN PEAKS
AFTER A COUPLE OF HOURS IN THE AIR, WE HAVE A SAFE LANDING IN THE COUNTRYSIDE
A TRUCK WITH FOUR PEOPLE COMES ONTO THE SITE, WRAPS UP THE BALLOON AND DRIVES AWAY.
WE STAY AND CELEBRATE OUR FLIGHT WITH A GLASS OF WINE
Later a car comes out, picks us up and takes us back to the hotel.
CAVE HOMES
Ancient homes have been carved out of prehistoric soft volcanic ‘tufa’.
They continue to be used by Turkish inhabitants in the 21st century.
Since 1985 the ‘Rock Sites’ of Cappadocia have been a ‘UNESCO World Heritage Site’.
IT’S DINNER TIME
That night we have our evening meal. The restaurant has been carved out of ’Tufa’.
A BALLOON RIDE
The morning air is kind of chilly. We jump into a large woven basket with about five other people and begin a slow ascent into a beautiful blue, crystal clear sky.
A awesome panorama of earth begins to spread out below us. What a miraculous world we life in.
Jump into a balloon, feel your love of life expanding. Higher and higher you go.