Taking a hot air balloon in Cappadocia, Turkey was one of the real highlights of my time there. Seeing the fairy chimneys and valleys from the air brought the entire region to life.

Some balloon pilots navigated their baskets of tourists down low to the ground, close enough to pick apples from trees – pretty cool! Our experienced pilot had fun taking us high, into the cold cloud cover of the early morning, high above all the other balloons. It was surprising how quickly the hot air balloons could rise or fall, depending on how much fuel he released into the balloon.

This photo was taken as we were descending. It was hard to get the right angle, but this image makes me smile and gives me that fun ‘feeling of falling’, a great memory from a stunning country.