201 A love letter to Turkey III
Dawn breaks, it is barely 4:30 in the morning and already we are up, waiting to go around the world in 80 days:
You know I'm only kidding ;) We are just barely going to cross the skies of Cappadocia today. Still, I wouldn't miss a hot air balloon ride for the world!
Even at 4:30am we were already too late to catch the setup of our hot air balloon. So we turned to watch our neighbour set up instead.
They are pumping propane into the envelope. The black solo wheel you see on the ground is an inflator fan.
And with all passengers on board, they are ready for takeoff.
What about us? This is us in our wicket basket :) You can see how huge it is - there are four compartments, each able to fit 6-7 people. I'm sorry our friends are much too excited to look at the camera...
The holes you see on the side of the basket are for you to climb in and out of the balloon.
A burst of flame, the propane ignites; and we are off to seek an adventure of a lifetime.
As our swollen, pregnant, giant of a balloon slowly rises out of the valley, we discover like-minded explorers, dotting the magical landscape.
Spread out before our eyes was a whole riot of candy stripe colours - dozens of teardrop globes nestling in the lap of Mother Earth, like a circus carnival suspended in mid-flight.
And now we spy curious holes in the rock, fashioned like windows...
And gigantic starlight mints - the crown of a fellow hot air balloon.
So set sail to a place where a fine veil of mysterious mist enshrouds us.
Beckoning us to unearth its hidden treasures... from ghostly balloons to a rainbow encircling our balloon's shadow in the clouds!
And higher and higher, on our rocket to the Moon.
Earth, we are forsaking you for the Heavens.
900 feet above your homely grounds, we soar at the will of the wind, laying our dreams over her billowing cloths of white clouds.
And then the Sun, edging over the curtains of dawn, bestows his blessings upon the dreams laid at his feet.
"Now prepare for landing," says the aeronaut, and we crouch down beneath the rim of the basket. Thuddd our skyship pelts and skids to a bumpy halt on rocky ground.
But our balloon! - it refuses to admit defeat, and struggles with the pilot...
...with all the terrifying might of an angry octopus!
Taming the mammoth balloon... 1, 2, 3, pull!
And a closer look at the strange lands we flew over:
Cappadocia, Alice in a Turkish wonderland.
Hillside homes, riddled with holes like swiss cheese.
These old school Flintstones cave homes are carved out of volcanic tuff. Erosion took an artistic hand in shaping the rest.
And will the Flintstones ever have to flee a freshly spewing volcano? Mount Erciyes, the menace responsible for this charming landscape, has long since been extinct.
Building upon the natural rock; a cave house's inner courtyard.
Inside a cave house: traditional Turkish style decor. Renting a cave home like this will set you back by about 3,000 Euros per month.
Antiques nestling in a wall cabinet, simply niches cut into the rock.
Human-constructed wings are added to the ancient cave house for expansion.
Many of these cave homes are now restaurants, hotels and shops. This studio cum showroom belongs to a master potter of traditional Cappadocian ceramics. The ancient Cappadocian wine jugs (above) have a hole in the center so the server can carry it on his shoulder.
Coming to the valley of the famous Fairy Chimneys, a local surprises me with the generous hospitality of the Turks. He is intrigued by my two-tone stockings and gives me a miniature of the cave houses. I was so shy I ran away ^^;
Curiouser and curiouser; aliens with small heads and large cloaks disguised as rocks. Or is it the other way round?
By jove, a Freudian exhibition of phallic rock towers.
These phallic columns are respectably named Fairy Chimneys. In case you are wondering why, the people of long ago believed these strange formations could only have been made by fairies. To be fair, some of them do look like chimneys...
Say hello to the resident camel at Devrent Valley, whimsical playground of imaginary shapes.
Completely oblivious to his unusual presence are a pair of lovers locked in a passionate embrace - can you see what I see, two outcrops shaped like heads locked in an eternal kiss?
Perchance the fairies scattered some Hershey's Kisses onto the soil and watched them grow.
Photography by my dearest Edmund.
Also Read:
A Love Letter to Turkey I | A Love Letter to Turkey II