Up in the Air

Here we were, at 5am, surrounded by twenty strangers in the Turkish wilderness {cue the awkward crickets}. We had braved the early morning together in solidarity for one reason, the thrill of a lifetime, a hot-air balloon ride over the magnificent valley floor of Cappadocia. And yet, as the flames erupted into the hollow shell of the balloon, terror struck. How could I forget such a minor detail, that a hot-air balloon is really, just a balloon?

I shifted in my calculated layers of clothing, staring wide-eyed at the set-up. Was I really about to risk my life on a basket propelled by fire? It had all seemed so romantic at the hotel when booking, but now, it was getting real, fast. Minutes passed, heat rose, a mythical carriage formed in the sky, and soon I was up close and personal with said basket. “Will this thing carry us?” I pleaded to my husband, an anthem sung 15 times before departure. I grasped his hand like crazy; elevation is not for the faint of heart.

And then it happened: silently, swiftly and magically, an ascent into the last drops of a starry sky. Like the blink of a camera flash, the sun broke loose over the mountain and our floating balloon was soon covered in morning glory. In this one sacred second, I wanted to hug every single tourist squished next to me. To be in the air, over the earth, covered in sun, and frankly, alive, was just, wow. Ten different languages sang from the basket, but awe was universally communicated. Amazing.

Below spread wide a feast for the eyes, and I couldn’t figure out what to take in first. To the right were fields of crops, all precisely lined up in rows, ripening the wheat that would grace the valley next season. To the left, a traversing canyon threaded a rushing river and paralleled groves of trees.

But the real crowned jewel of the landscape was the otherworldly rock formations that commanded the attention of everyone. As these “fairy chimneys” (referred to by the guide books) looked more like phalluses than a dwelling for mythical creatures, it was little wonder our floating flock couldn’t stop staring. They were so bizarre, but here they were, keepers of the valley, captivating audiences across the world.

As the hour came to a close, we touched down on the soil of this extra-terrestrial place. Being that we were both alive and thrilled, we did what any law-abiding traveler would do, we toasted with champagne. Because what’s a hot air balloon ride without a little bubbly?