TURKEY'S MAGICAL HIDEAWAYS
May 22 - June 7, 2009
Page Seven
Cappadocia Area - Central Turkey
There had been more rain than usual in the Cappadocia area in the spring, so wildflowers were out in
full and colorful bloom.
Uchisar Castle in the background with our hotel to the left and some of the town to the right. Note the red
Turkish flag with a crescent moon and star.
We woke up at 4 am on Wednesday, May 27 to do a hot air balloon ride over the Cappadocia region.
Here workers for Kapadokya Balloons, the company we used, prepare the balloons for departure.
A view from our balloon of the rhythmic flow patterns of the tufa formations and a nearby balloon
Looking down on the same balloon as it goes between tufa formations. We flew low in the canyons and up the hills
and clipped the top of some olive trees early in our flight. At one point, we went through a cloud and for a
while, we could see nothing but each other and our pilot.
View of some of the ancient cave homes in the rock and fruit trees below
Closeup view of the cave homes and dovecotes
The basket tipped over when we landed. After we got out, we were given champagne and pastries to
celebrate the ride.
Mike, our pilot. Two days after our flight, our balloon and our pilot were involved in a horrible
accident. The balloon was slit by the basket of another balloon shortly after takeoff, crashed to
the ground, killing a famous British scientist and injuring at least 10 others, including our pilot Mike.
We found out after we got home that he broke a small bone in his neck and will have to wear a neck
brace for quite a while. He has no memory of what happened. The cause of the accident is under investigation.
Ironically, Mike had told us that he was not sure how much longer he would be flying balloons, because it was
getting dangerous in the area with so many balloons, at least 35, and only 19 licensed pilots. In the photo,
Mike is holding a turtle that was in the grass near where we landed. We saw turtles a number of times on our trip.
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