Balloon Ride in Cappadocia

I had the wonderful opportunity to be on a tour through western Turkey, May 2012.  One of the most unique experiences I had was an early morning balloon ride in Cappadocia (Kapadokya).
This area of Turkey has the most amazing eroded volcanic landscape.

The morning started before dawn with a bus ride to a large hall where a buffet breakfast was served to everyone going up that morning.  We were then split into groups of 14 and assigned to a mini-bus that took us out to our assigned balloon, pilot and crew.  Our pilot was Graham, originally from Oxfordshire UK.   Up we went!  It was a beautiful morning, still and slightly hazy.  We guessed there were 100 balloons in the sky that morning.  Graham took us for a one hour ride over the landscape of Cappadocia.  We landed safely and were served cake and sparkling wine.

If you ever have the opportunity for a hot air balloon ride, do it!  Enjoy the pictures below.