Overland adventure travel

They were a special treat for us and I can only recall having balloons at Christmas time. I also remember the dismay we felt when they burst or if we went outside holding them by a string let the string fall from our grasp. Our precious balloons would gently drift upwards effortlessly with each tiny whiff of wind taking them far beyond our reach.

I still love balloons. Beautiful colours, dancing frolicking balls, as light as air taking us on imaginary flights of fancy.

From balloons of fancy, it is only a step away to real hot air balloons. They too can be bright beautiful colours that glide effortlessly into the sky. The only difference is, not only our imagination can take flight; we too can ride in them and experience the delight of wafting noiselessly into the sky.

Well, maybe there is another slight difference. To make that experience happen requires a little more than the few cents needed to buy a play balloon. I am Scottish heritage and a bit of a 'scrooge' when it comes to spending money. I have always thought it looked such fun but up until now, I have been content to look. It seemed a lot of money to pay for a short ride.

However, this was different.

Being in the centre of Cappadocia where fascinating rock formations and fairy chimneys filled the landscape, yes, this was surely different. We were staying at 'Flintstone Caves' in Goreme. This was the perfect spot for justifying the expense of a balloon trip.

I am always up early so it was my job to wake the others at five am. Sunrise is the ultimate time for good ballooning.

Shuan, Heidi and Coleman from our tour, were in the same balloon as I. We had decided to take the slightly longer ride, an hour and a half in a smaller balloon, as we would be able to go closer to the wonderful landscape and up into the valleys between.

We were fortunate. The morning we had booked our flight for was calm and clear. The balloons had not been up for three days. Before starting, we needed to heed safety instructions as well as take note of what to do if the wind comes up and you have a 'giggly' landing.

I was quite nervous with excitement. Would it live up to my expectations?

Once the balloon was inflated and in an upward position, we climbed aboard. You could feel the hot air as it fired the balloon in bursts. It took the chill out of the early morning air. There were ten of us altogether. Our guide, or pilot I should say, was Steve. Steve had been flying balloons for ten years and loved it.

Before we realised it the balloon started to rise into the air. There was no great noise or drama as we took off, only a quiet sensation of moving upward. As we wafted upwards, we could see many other balloons all hovering over the township. It was as if we were part of silent movie. In fact, I had to pinch myself to make sure I was not in fairyland. The scene below was magic. It was like being in timeless space and difficult to absorb the fascinating and breath taking scene below.

Steve took us up valleys beside the strange rock formations and fairy chimneys to places you could never see on foot. We would appear to be flying into a massive cliff face when Steve would give the balloon another burst of hot air and we would find we had floated upward and over the top so effortlessly. The balloon could reach a height of 1000 feet in seconds and at the same time, we were hardly aware of movement.

At one place, Steve pointed out places in the flatter ground that appeared to have chimneys poking up every few feet.

"There are underground caves here." he said, "They use them to store a lot of fruit, especially citrus fruit because the caves stay at an even cool temperature all the year round. They are like a natural cool store with no expense attached."

The main crops in the area are almonds, walnuts, dried grapes (raisins and sultanas) cherries, and potatoes. From above you can see every spare part of land between the outcrops is cultivated. The grapes are not of high quality so wine is not a feature of the area. However, they are doing their best to improve the kind of grapes they grow. The grapes do not grow along any framework but pruned close to the ground and send out new shoots from the base of the plant. No space is wasted and they have the advantage of underground springs for water. While they produce little good quality wine, the region makes a delicious cherry juice.

It was an amazing experience. I loved every moment and all too soon, it ended.

There was a slight breeze at landing and we needed to brace ourselves, as it might be a 'giggly' landing. However, there was only a slight swaying movement from side to side and then a perfect upright landing. A 'giggly' landing is when the basket sometimes lands on its side and everyone aboard ends up lying down. I think I would have liked a giggly landing.

We were some distance from the township where we landed but already the crew were there to serve champagne and cherry juice with snacks. To make it a real celebration the crew also decorated the side of the passenger van with flowers.

If it had not been for the carpets, coming back to earth would have been a mite deflating.

Goreme is full of small carpet shops. Some of them have belonged to the same family for years. We visited one shop to learn all about Turkish carpets. There were comfortable chairs to sit on, food, and drink to enjoy. Most of the eastern countries welcome you with food and drink. It is an important part of their culture and Turkey is no exception.

Then we saw a multitude of carpets of beautiful colours and textures. The carpets we looked at were all hand-made some taking many years to complete depending on the design and closeness of the weave. It was most interesting learning the tradition that influenced different areas in the design and texture of the different carpets.

I am afraid I was tempted and bought a very small mat that took my fancy. When I came back later, my beautiful carpet was in a little hand pack about 12 inches long and a few inches wide. My astonishment was plain for all to see. Was my carpet that small?

"This is the carpet you like," he said seeing my startled look, "I told you I wrap it up in small parcel". He then unzipped the tiny carry bag it was in to reassure me it was mine.

I hastened to assure him I did not doubt him I was only amazed that he could wrap it up so small.

I will remember Goreme and its uniqueness and probably for its effect on my cash balance!

We had two days there and then it was time to move on.

When people see our truck, we get some interesting comments.

"Are you in the big yellow truck?" Is a question we are frequently asked.

People look at you curiously when you pull up to a camping ground or meal stop.

"Are you really going all the way to Beijing?" they ask.

It is a great start to any conversation and it is easy for us to bubble over with enthusiasm over our exciting trip. We leave them in no doubt that we are enjoying something unique and fabulous.

Their parting words have a tinge of envy as they wish us all the best for the rest of the trip.

The trip is in sections, so people can join and do one stage only or if they want to can do the whole distance.

All except one of the group on now are going all the way to Beijing with a few more to join at Tbilisi.

George and Sue are marvellous. Their aim is to make the trip enjoyable for us travellers. They are flexible and always willing to do that added extra to make sure that everyone is happy at places we stop and the activities that are planned. A superb couple who make things so easy for us. They both work long hours and George has a big task maintaining the truck.

Our truck painted a distinctive, bright yellow is sign written 'Oasis Overland - Tunisia to Beijing.'

It is a marvellous adventure. Excitement and fun keep happening everywhere we go. I think I may find it difficult to settle down to ordinary life when I get home.