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This was one of the most amazing experiences. Thank you all Butterfly team and especially to Mike for his joy and talent!!
Butterfly Balloons (Phone: +90 271 30 10: www.butterflyballoons.com; Goreme)This seamless operation has an excellent reputation, with superlative pilots Mustafa, the first Turkish citizen to gain a US pilot's licence, and Englishman Mike, who was vast international experience and is a fellowship member of the royal Meteorological Society Standard flights (one hour, up to 16 passengers) cost €175 a pop.
The pinnacle of the trip arrived the next morning as we ticked off a quintessential 'bucket list' item—a ride in a hot air balloon. There is almost nothing in life that truly justifies a pre-dawn wakeup call; floating silently above Cappadocia's surreal landscape and ascending past the Turkish horizon in lockstep with the rising sun is a notable exception.
To lift us and six other giddy passengers up into the morning sky, we entrusted our lives to Butterfly Balloons, a three-year-old hot air balloon tour group. In the high season, hundreds of soft, vibrantly colored balloons flood the skies from strategically chosen sites; each floating wherever the wind blows it or as far as a one-hour timeframe allows. As one of the most popular and beloved activities that Cappadocia has on offer, tour operators abound, differentiated only by the skill of the pilots in navigating the deceptively whimsical skies. On this particular winter's day, Butterfly Balloons proved to be the winner, having accurately gauged the wind patterns to position us in line with the most breathtaking views.
Our pilot set to work on two large fuel tanks, breathing loud flames into the sail, the heat a welcome respite from the cold bite of high-altitude air. At one point, we hit a pocket of dead air, hovering immovably over the orchards of Rose Valley, named for its color, where my
companion and I would later hike in the rain. A moment later we had reached such heights that we were in the fog, suddenly surrounded by nothing but misty white. Experiencing flight without an engine is peaceful and surprisingly calming; taking in an open-air aerial view of stark landscapes is otherworldly. If you've ever considered indulging in a hot air balloon ride, Cappadocia is the place to do it. Though I only spent two days exploring in the region, I will forever be impressed by the engravings of history, both ecological and human, on the land's simple rock foundation. Even more poignant however, is the warmth of its local inhabitants. No matter where one is in the world, humanity has the power to instantly change how one experiences 'place.' Without Turkish hospitality, I would be languishing in a cave in the bottom of Pigeon Valley, and this would be a very different story.
Butterfly Balloons (Phone: +90 271 30 10: www.butterflyballoons.com; Goreme)
This seamless operation has an excellent reputation, with superlative pilots Mustafa, the first Turkish citizen to gain a US pilot's licence, and Englishman Mike, who was vast international experience and is a fellowship member of the royal Meteorological Society Standard flights (one hour, up to 16 passengers) cost €175 a pop.
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