It’s hard to describe a hot air balloon ride. “Magical” doesn’t quite seem to do it justice. Maco and I took an adventure to Turkey that spanned Istanbul, Ephesus, Pamukkale, Bodrum, and finally Cappadocia. While every place in Turkey was amazing, Cappadocia was breathtaking. The landscape ranges in colors from gold to rust and includes not only hills and deep valleys, but features prominantly large chimney shaped rock formations. Centuries ago, people carved into the rock formations and created churches and houses which are still standing today. After a somewhat painful 5 am wakeup (well, actually the second wake up…the first one was at 3am to pounding drums because during Ramadan people are awakened so they can get an extra meal in before the day’s fasting), we drove to a field where the balloons were inflated.  After that, we took off!