National_Geographic_Traveller_UK_June_2017

The
Blog
TO
TURKEY
THE MOON
AND BACK
A hot air balloon gives an elevated perspective
on the central Turkish region’s lunar landscapes
Eventually, another jet
of super-heated
air arbitrarily boosts
us heavenward, and
I grip wicker more
tightly than Yogi Bear
on a ‘pic-a-nic’ pilfer
Sunrise; sunset. Sunrise; sunset. Time is
a matter of perspective. Mere seconds,
not days, are passing.
It’s a frosty 6am and the sun is peeping
over the mountainous horizon. Just as its
warming rays bloom against the skyline, our
aircraft sinks below the edge of its launch pad
— a sliver of canyon precipice — and the sun
disappears behind the peaks again. This is
the first time I’ve ever descended at take-off.
This is also the first time the pilot has
freely admitted to me that he has no idea
where we’re going and that a gentle crash
landing is a distinct possibility. We’re
literally going where the wind takes us.
This is my maiden hot air balloon flight.
I’ve never before had the desire to be
suspended far above the ground in a glorified
picnic basket beneath two giant blowtorches,
but it’s practically compulsory in Cappadocia.
Even on the coldest mornings of the year,
the skies are filled with around 40 balloons,
loaded with visitors seeking an aerial
perspective of this outlandish landscape; in
high season, there are up to 100.
“It’s best that the balloons don’t touch
each other,” the pilot casually informs me.
“But it’s hard to navigate in a hot air balloon,
particularly over Cappadocia. When the sun
rises, the wind direction can suddenly change
by 80-120 degrees; each of these valleys also
channels wind, causing more uncertainty.
Journeys are unchartable. Only in the final 20
minutes do we plan our landing location.”
IMAGE: GETTY
50 natgeotraveller.co.uk