UP AND ABOVE CAPPADOCIA

Next morning we rose well before dawn, at 4 am. We got into the van that came to pick us up to have breakfast then go to the balloon gathering area. Shortly after, a small van took us to the valley where a multitude of balloons were being made ready for departure. The short bursts of flame that blew into each of the hundreds of colorful balloons in different shapes and sizes made them glow like huge Christmas tree lights dotted about the dark valley.

This Post is part of 15-day motorbike ride from Lebanon to Bulgaria across Turkey and back.
Use the links at the end of the post for more insights about this adventure, the challenges 
and achievements

Just before the sun rose, we hopped into the basket and rode with the wind. It was quite an experience to float smoothly like a feather with the soft wind breathing in our ears. Every so often, the pilot fueled up the burner to make the balloon rise further or to stabilize it. Then, at around 6 o’clock, the first shy ray of light suddenly appeared from behind the hills that surrounded Pigeon Valley (the place is full of pigeon houses that are carved into the mountain). As the light picked out the details in the carved rock, the sky slowly brightened from a deep bluish-purple to a golden orange. In a humorous gesture that was notable so early in the morning, the pilot reduced the heat to make the balloon lose a bit of altitude so we could no longer see the sun—it appeared to set again behind the hills! He had us all laughing by continuously gaining and then losing altitude to show us a bit of sunrise, followed by a sunset, then sunrise again…

We landed safely after about an hour and a half. It was time to celebrate our successful trip and remember the French, who were the first to make and fly a hot-air balloon. A chilled bottle of champagne was waiting for us at the landing site. The pilot popped the cork and everyone had a couple of glasses while taking some souvenir photos with the team. What could be better than champagne at 7 am? We just couldn’t stop laughing all the way back to the hotel. If you’ve never sipped champagne at 7 in the morning, don’t miss the chance when it comes!

We had all our things packed and ready at the hotel. But since breakfast was still being served, we grabbed a few more bites for the road. It was a memorable stay at the Kistar Hotel, where we were treated like family, and not just passing guests. A big thank you to Ahmet and his family!

Read the whole adventure, day by day. Click on the links below

1. TAKING THE FERRY BOAT FROM TRIPOLI, LEBANON TO MERSIN, TURKEY
2. THE ROAD IS OURS: DESTINATION CAPPADOCIA
3. UP AND ABOVE CAPPADOCIA
4. THE ROAD TO ANKARA
5. CROWDED ISTANBUL
6. FROM WHEAT FIELDS TO SUNFLOWERS AT THE BULGARIAN BORDERS
7. A PROMISE IS A CLOUD; FULFILLMENT IS RAIN
8. WEATHERED IN VARNA
9. LONG ROAD TO A SECLUDED BEACH HOTEL
10. THANK YOU BODRUM FOR THE BREAK!
11. THE BEACH IS CALLING! MARMARIS
12. ON THE ROAD AGAIN
13. BACK TO SQUARE ONE
14. HOW DID IT ALL START?

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