You could be under the assumption that in this post, I am going to tell of the day I took advantage of the numerous Cappadocia Hot air balloons trips over the fairy chimneys of Cappadocia.
Before I left for Cappadocia, I read many blog posts of the experience and saw photos from other blogs of the fantastic views available.
I was all geared up to take the trip of a lifetime. However when the time came, I took one look at the balloons and said “No way!”
I am not an adrenaline junkie when taking holidays. I don’t do bungee jumping, white water rafting or abseiling down the side of a mountain but I did believe that I could do a hot air balloon trip over Cappadocia. After all, it is one of the activities in Cappadocia that are listed as not to be missed.
About Hot Air Balloons in Cappadocia
So why did I back out? Well, I woke up on my first morning in Cappadocia and got the opportunity to watch about thirty hot air balloons float across the sky in front of me. Some of the balloons were so close that I saw people in the baskets. It was a fantastic sight but that is when the fear started to creep in.
In an attempt to get rid of the unfounded fear, I pushed my husband out of bed at 5am the next morning and dragged him to the takeoff site for the hot air balloons. Take a look at the picture below; try to spot the smile on his face that shows he was really happy I made him do this.
That was the first fear. I was going to have to do this alone and really did not want to. My husband had no intention of letting his feet lift off from the ground. The second fear is my highly exaggerated obsession with safety. I worked as a holiday rep in Turkey for several years. I have seen and heard of a few accidents on tours, which occurred because of a lack of health and safety regulations.
All these accidents could have been avoided. I had not checked out the safety regulations that each company had in place and my mind was doing overtime which was adding to the fear. (Please note: I am not saying there is a lack of health and safety by the companies that run hot air balloons trips in Cappadocia.)
My third fear is that I really do not like heights. I could have pushed myself to go up in the balloon however, if I had freaked out in mid air, it would not have been fair on the other passengers. So unfortunately, all I can provide on this blog post are pictures of the hot air balloons from the ground.
I hope you enjoy the pictures but if you want to read of someone’s experience in a hot air balloon trip over Cappadocia, then take a look at Nellie’s experience from Wild Junket. She had a fantastic time