Morning in Cappadocia

When the alarm went off at 4.30 this morning, we each muttered something while trying to identify the sound.  Having been seranaded to sleep by the Mustafapasa canine chorus and spending the previous night on the overnight train to Ankara, strange sounds were nothing new.  We were more focused on convincing ourselves that this foreign electronic tune did not mean we had to wake up.

Then my Beloved Travel Companion’s alarm clock began chirping loudly, confirming it was time to get up and get ready.

Clothes laid out the night before were donned.  A quick splash of water was used to extend the effectiveness of the previous evening’s shower.  Dressed and ready, we made our way across the creaking floor and down the steep stone stairs of the 200 year old former home of a well-to-do Greek family that was our lodging for the night.  Low voices outside the hotel doors confirmed we were not the only ones awake at this hour for the same purpose.

The morning’s chill was a welcome change from the heat of the previous few days. Excited, hungry, and under-caffeinated, our fellow travelers waited in the dark for our ride to arrive.  Down the street, members of the canine choir made their way back home to recover from the night’s revelry.

The sound of the van’s engine prefaced the headlights appearing down the road, headed our direction.  Everyone rose and silently gathered around some unseen meeting point.  This had to be our ride, we all seemed to say.  Who else would be up at this hour?

The van stopped and opened the doors to a low cheer from the assembled travelers.  After completing some formalities, we loaded ourselves into empty seats and were on our way.  We drove through towns silent and still in the pre-dawn darkness.  Our ride groaned up hills and down steep switchbacks until we reached our destination.  With each passing mile, the excitement in the vehicle grew.

We exited at some anonymous field, unfamiliar and unknown to us.  Headlights from other vans cast parallel beams across our assembly point.  A bonfire crackled with warm invitation.  Our group focused on the tables of cakes and hot drinks provided, partly to wake up and partly to ease the ache in our empty stomachs.  Gazing upwards at the stars, we noted the promise of the cloudless sky.

As the rising sun silhouetted the central Anatolian foothills, there was the roar of machinery.  Acres of brightly lit fabric unfurled.  Propane jets belched flame in a controlled roar.  Fed by air and fire, a field of technicolor mushrooms rose in the shadow of the Cappadocian fairy chimneys.

The cave dwellings and rock formations – iconic images of Cappadocia – are impressive in their own right.  Viewed aloft from a hot air balloon at dawn on a clear, cloudless morning they were stunning.  I can only hope that my photos capture the allure of the pale ash-colored dwellings touched by the first light of the day.

This scene was the perfect experience for our first hot air balloon ride.  The entire atmosphere was enhanced by the spirit within the gondola.  Many of our fellow passengers were on their first balloon ride as well. They were giddy and their excitement was infectious.  Our pilot was self-assured but not without a sense of humor. All involved were interested in having fun and making this ride a great experience.

A perfect combination perfectly mixed.

• Cappadocia
• Turkey