Cappadocia

Fire belches into the balloon, and our pilot Mike assures us that we have nothing to fear, despite having  only a few inches of straw between us and the moon-like valley falling far below. The ex-pat English  captain explains that a simple hot-air balloon ride over the otherworldly “fairy chimney” rock formations of Cappadocia, central Turkey, is nowhere near as hard as the time he flew a balloon solo over the Arctic Circle - without a straw basket.

                  Calmed, we get back to the business of being awed. Nothing can detract from the majestic beauty of drifting over the creamy spires and mushrooms of volcanic rock, not even the fact that it is not yet 5am.

                  In ancient times, people carved out Smurf-like homes in the chimneys,  crafted over millennia by water, wind and soil erosion. In fact, some are still inhabited - many serving as guest houses. A fine retreat, but on this trip I stayed at the cosy Kose Pension, where Spot the dog offers free guided tours of the valley and dinner is served nightly with the Kose family.

                  As the balloon drifts away from the town of Goreme, we are treated to a view of an ancient Christian settlement - dry, dirt hills dotted with the caves that served as churches and monastic retreats for the persecuted flock hiding here. A closer inspection on the ground later reveals an astonishing natural art gallery of sublime religious wall paintings, some up to 900 years old.

                  The sky is filled with balloons - I counted 20 - and the sun starts to rise up over the mountains. Mike adjusts the flame, and we lose altitude, descending until I could reach out and touch the chimneys, if my hands weren’t gripping the railing with all the strength I possess.

                  The landscape is so alien, it is no surprise to learn that George Lucas filmed parts of the original Star Wars here.

                  Mike glances at his watch and announces that our time is up. We sigh enough to lift the balloon a few inches, and resign ourselves to the thought of the champagne breakfast that awaits us upon landing.

                  “It’s a lovely day,” observes Mike, and it is - clear blue skies now that the sun is up, but only a cool 20 degrees, ahead of the almost unbreathable  35 degrees we will face in a few hours. We drift towards our landing crew.

                  “Let‘s do it again,” says Mike.

                  The champagne goes back on ice; the deafening fire roars into the balloon as we rise regally up to 3,000 feet. Mike turns off the flame, and we float over the valley in sudden serene silence.

First published in the Halifax Daily News on February 17, 2007.