We started the morning early, 6 am wake up for a sunrise hot air balloon ride. I have always wanted to go on a hot air balloon and I couldn't have imagined a more perfect place to do it. I highly recommend it to anyone planning to visit Cappadocia. As we floated into the air, the sun rose over the valley, casting long shadows behind the tall pointed rocks. Like so many other things in Turkey, it was spectacular.
Floating in the basket was such a different feeling from flying. You can't really notice the speed, so it's not as frightening as one might expect. And the chance to look down on the beautiful landscape in the morning light and see the other balloons floating around us was really magical. I felt as if I had been transported into a Dr. Seuss book.
Afterwards, we went to see the Turkish carpets and how they are made. WOW! It takes thousands of rows to make each carpet and thousands of knots to make each row. I knew they were labor intensive to make but I had never been able to conceptualize it before. Every carpet was so luxurious; each one was a unique piece of art. It is easy to see why they cost thousands of dollars. I loved that we got to see the whole process from the silk spinning, to the dying, to the weaving; it added a lot of value to the experience. It was so amazing when they laid out all the rugs before us and showed us how the ones made using natural dyes changed color in different light. Our host was such a good sales man, he made me want to work really hard just so that one day I can afford to fill me house with Turkish carpets.
In the evening we saw the Whirling Dervishes. It was very interesting and beautiful, however, I felt uncomfortable as a spectator while they performed their religious ceremony. It felt like something that should have been private. During the real ceremony we weren't allowed to take any pictures, but afterwards they did a shorter version of the ceremony specifically for pictures and videos. Honestly, I would have been satisfied with just seeing the second part. Nevertheless, it was truly amazing how they spun in the same spot without getting dizzy for nearly 15 minutes and then were able to stop on a dime. I can easily understand why spinning is holy for them; I think it is a really beautiful idea to spin in synchronization with the world and all its parts.
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