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Ah, to see the world on a Cappadocia hot air balloon ride through a child’s eyes.
Why do we so easily lose that youthful perspective as we get older?
Maybe taking a hot-air balloon ride in Cappadocia will help restore that spirit!?
Erciyes Volcano above the clouds!
To remember how we saw things as little ones is a gift worth nurturing.
Our family took a wonderful ride on a Royal Balloon hot-air balloon ride over Cappadocia. I decided to let my kids describe it in their own words and images.
EMILY DILLARD – AGE 15
“I had a great time on the balloon ride. I really enjoyed the breakfast although it was a little bit hard to get up so early in the morning. It was not that cold. We went in August. I took a light jacket but did not end up needing it. The takeoff was more exciting than I had anticipated. My job was to take pictures, but I could not capture everything there was to see. It was cool to see my home and places we have walked and ridden our bikes from a different perspective, from the sky. We were very low at some points and sometimes we went higher to get a really big picture of the area. One of the highlights was getting to see all the apricots drying on the roofs of the houses of Ibrahimpasa village. Our flight was about 90 minutes but I did not get tired of standing up. It was very captivating. We couldn’t find a place to land for a long time so the flight took longer than expected which was a treat. When we did land it felt like the basket was going to tip over but it did not. At the end we got orange juice which my little siblings had been looking forward to the entire ride. It was a great ride and more fun than I had expected.”
This represents quite a bit of apricots and work – cool designs.
HUDSON DILLARD – AGE 13
“We went on a balloon ride and it was my second balloon ride. I liked the first one better because it was new, but this one was still pretty cool. It was fun because we went longer, and I was with my whole family, and I got to share the experience. It was kind of funny watching the truck chasing us as we tried to find a landing spot, but I was glad when we finally did land. It was a really fun flight, and I’m glad I went.”
What will the elves do when they look up and see the balloons?
HAYDEN DILLARD – AGE 11
“My favorite part of the balloon trip was taking off because it was cool seeing us go up in the air. But I also liked the breakfast because it was a really nice meal. Getting up early was not easy. Other than that it was really fun. Trying to land was fun because we had to find a place that the crew could get to so doing that was fun. And then when the balloon basket hit the ground it was cool because it felt like the basket was going to tip over but then the crew jumped on it and we rocked back the other direction so we balanced out. The orange juice and the medals afterwards were cool and they had some pretty good pictures that they were selling. It was beautiful scenery the whole time we were in the air. And once we went pretty far down into a canyon where there were no other balloons and that was cool feeling like we were the only ones there. It was funny seeing all the houses, cars, and people so small they looked like toys.”
All the kids loved the Royal breakfast.
KEATON DILLARD – AGE 10
“We got up really early in the morning. I probably got up at like 4:30, and we left at around 4:50, and then we went to Royal Balloons at Göreme and had a huge breakfast and then we got onto the bus and went to the place where they blew up the balloons. We got onto the balloon. The basket was divided into 5 parts. The middle place was for the pilot where he controlled it or made it go up. The other 4 parts were where passengers went. And then we started going up. It was really cool when we started lifting because I had never been on one and it went higher and higher. We went for a while and it was very pretty and we could also see our house from a distance. And then when we were supposed to go down we could not find a place to stop and the truck that was getting the balloon was going everywhere which was funny. We finally found a place to land and they told us to sit in this special position and it was fun because when we landed we were sitting there and we bumped and the crew came over to where we were and jumped on it and when we got out they had a ceremony with a table and put cups and orange juice and flowers to make it look pretty and they were really nice to us. And it was just a really fun morning. Thank you Royal Balloon.”
Erosion can be so beautiful.
COLTON DILLARD – AGE 7
“I think it was like really fun and the scenery was really beautiful and we goed really high and we had really fun. The balloon was so big. The fire was so hot because I could feel it, but I was never scared. We saw lots of caves. The breakfast was really good- we had tomatoes, cucumbers, hot dogs, eggs, bread, hot chocolate, olives, cheese, watermelon,… And then at the end of the balloon ride we got orange juice and there was medals. The best part was the different rocks and caves all over Cappadocia that we saw while floating in the air. And so we had a very fun time.”
Cappadocia is famous for its valleys.
KAYLIE DILLARD – AGE 5
“I goed on a balloon ride. It was so fun. My favorite part was the part where we get the breakfast. And then a van picked us up and got us to the balloon and when we got on the balloon it was so fun because one part we goed very high in the sky. That’s all.”
Ibrahimpaşa does not get the pub that the other towns receive but it does not lack for beauty!
WESTON DILLARD – AGE 4
“When we got there we didn’t go up yet. He started the fire and we goed very high and when we goed and the bus was trying to get us we were not landing yet, but the guy was on the ground. We landed on the road, and then the guys pushed us on the weeds and then my best part was when we got the medal. The worst part was that I did not get the cork from the champagne bottle like my brother did.”
Just like Olympians biting their medals.
And there you have it. I am not sure that helps to see the world from a child’s perspective, but it does give an idea of what my children thought of their experience.
Here are some more pictures to help convince you how wonderful a Cappadocia hot-air balloon ride is. All of the pictures above and below were taken by my daughter, Emily.
Uçhısar is maybe the most recognizable landmark in the central Cappadocia region.
We were not alone in enjoying Cappadocia’s moonscape.
Are you ready to see Cappadocia like a child?
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Duke Dillard moved to Turkey with his wife and 6 children in 2007. He got an MBA at Bilkent University in Ankara, where they had their 7th child. After 4 years in Ankara the whole family moved to Cappadocia, and this blog was born. We love Cappadocia and Cappadocians and want to help visitors make the most of their time here. You can connect with Duke on Facebook, follow him on Twitter, and/or link circles on Google+. Click here to read more about Duke and his family.
