Five hours in a balloon: journeys and discoveries of Cappadocia by 2 journalists
Compiled in Portuguese from the original notes of an anonymous explorer and done into English by me.
September 2018.
It has been one week since we have arrived to the near-east lands. We are currently in The Valley of Göreme in the central land of Cappadocia. Continuing Dr. Samuel Ferguson’s five week African journey of 1863, we are exploring caves and homes of the ancient people that here lived. In this adventure we will start with an aerial observation of the terrain using the same means of transport as Dr. Ferguson: the balloon. But we’ve learned to use oxygen instead of hydrogen. The Hindenburg taught us.
4:00
We woke up to the sound of the alarm.
Like the ancient people of this region, our chambers were deep inside a cave. Through an aperture in the stone we could see the a few lights coming from other caves in the dark night.
Our ride picked us up at our lodge an our later. The driver promised we’d be fed upon arrival.
5:30
We arrived at our take off location. The sun approaches the horizon and light pours into the sky. Although we were in the peek of summer, the temperature dropped during the night in this desert-like climate.
Coffee, tea and biscuits were on the table as the balloons were filled with hot air. Not much of a breakfast if you ask me, but I didn’t know how long we where going to be in the air, so filled my belly.
Giant flames warmed up the air and lifted the heavy fabric from the ground. It was also a relief from the cold air.
We board the basket.
Our pilot gave us safety instructions in case of an emergency landing that consisted of crouching and sitting down not to break one’s legs. I hoped we wouldn’t have to use any of that, but I knew accidents were more frequent than they made it seem. Dr. Ferguson himself never made it back to London.
6:20
The sun peeks over the horizon and fills the world with warmth. I could feel the rays slowly heating my skin.
The sound of the burners were deafening.
Soon other balloons followed us up into the air.
Inch by inch the sunlight slowly painted the valley yellow. The terrain got smaller and the I could see how hundreds of years of water sculpted the rock formations below.
We start our journey to the west, back towards our lodge. Far away I could see the settlement of Uçhisar and its impressive castle-mountain. At one point in history it has been said that over 1000 people lived in the fortress. The city not only goes upwards, but also down. An underground gallery exists under the city and reaches 100m below ground level.
As we travelled softly through the air we passed other adventurers in neighboring balloons.
Our balloon was equipped with a modern burner, and we had about 20 adventurers on board. The pilot had protective eyewear and a moustache typical of the region.
Soon countless other balloons filled the horizon in an up and down dance.
Radio communication was a very important part of the pilot’s work where he coordinated with others to ensure not touching other balloons.
At the highest point of our journey we where 800 meters up in the air. The terrain becomes art at this height.
The curvature of the earth is apparent when at high altitudes.
In a show of skills, our pilot coordinates with his colleague and make the balloons touch.
At the end of our adventure the pilot lands on the back of a vehicle and we disembark.
9:00
Our journey has come to an end. The beauty of Cappadocia is unequaled from land or air.
8:00 next morning
The sun has risen and a beam of light shines through an aperture in the stone cave we slept in. Through the window we a new batch of adventurers flying over our heads. A new cycle begins.