![]() Halis may have been chatting casually the whole time but underlying this is a huge amount of experience in which he is constantly aware and making conscious decisions about the winds to take and where to go. Although by this time, everyone was so relaxed that even those who had felt jittery about the experience at the office were peering over the side. It was so interesting (and reassuring to many, I'm sure) to chat with him about all the measures he has put in place to make ballooning even safer, some even adopted by the region's industry as a whole. He is an incredibly experienced pilot and places a huge priority on safety. ![]() ![]() Halis set up the second ballooning company in Cappadocia in the 1990s and was/is a pioneer of the industry in the region. If you're going to get into a basket that's transporting you at heights, this is the type of guy you want flying it. Then we were away, being carefully maneuvered through the sky by our pilot, Halis. We didn't even realise when we had lifted off the ground, so smooth was the take-off. Voyager is the only company to boast a smiley face on its parachute. The amazing weather conditions for flying mean they can fly almost every day of the year! This equates to having an incredible amount of flying hours up their belts and their procedures are like a well-oiled machine. Hot air ballooning is a huge industry in Cappadocia. This was already a big contrast from our first ballooning experience where the balloon was transported with us and on arrival preparations began, meaning that we waited a considerable amount of time before setting off. When we arrived, our balloon was almost fully inflated and we were instructed to get in the basket. This was my kind of place.Īll checked in, we jumped on a mini-bus to be taken to the launch site. And they had coffee of all kinds…and baked goods. Luckily, everything in G öreme, the town from which the balloon businesses are based, is within a few minute's walk. We had to be ready to depart the Voyager Balloons office at 5:15am. Only fuelling my desire to fly more, I needed no convincing to go up again in Cappadocia. I talked about wanting to do it so much that Hai once surprised me with a hot air balloon ride over the Yarra Valley, a well-known wine region in our home state of Victoria. In fact, I love it, and from a young age I always thought of it as something I definitely had to do. But funnily enough, hot air ballooning doesn't scare me in the slightest. Now for those of you who have been following us for a while and have read posts like our bungy jumping experience in Japan, you might be like, “Hold on, Jess, aren't you terrified of heights?” Yes, yes I am. One of those bucket list items and a dream experience for many, we were going on a hot air balloon ride over Cappadocia! Luckily the whhhhyyyyyy of it all was pretty damn special and quickly got me up in a panic for fear of actually dozing through. Waking up more exhausted than when I finally hit the pillow, after no doubt having stayed up later than I had planned preparing for said important thing in the morning. But no, tell me I have to get up early for something, something important, something I can't miss, when I need every moment of rest I can possibly get, and I'll be restless all night. With all the super early flights and whacked schedules we've had during our travel lifetime, you'd think I would have become adept at sleeping when I can. It's 4am and all my body wants to do is press snooze and roll over.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |