Day 14 - Balloon Ride & Super Highways

Day 14 Saturday August 27

We got up at 4 am to go for a hot air balloon ride. A van took us from the hotel to the site and we saw how the balloon was inflated first with large fans and then with propane gas. In a large flat field there were about 30 - 40 such balloons being prepared for tourists like us.

There were 20 of us in the basket that is attached for the passengers. Once we got on board, the pilot, Leo, lit up the gas and began filling the balloon and we lifted off. The weather was very calm with almost no wind so we had a smooth flight. We flew for about 45 minutes over the Cappadocia landscape. We rose to a height of about 750 meters and as the sun came up over the mountains we witnessed the most amazing sunrise. There are about 150 balloons like ours floating in the sky. It was one of the most beautiful scenes I have witnessed. I was enjoying the solitude and peaceful atmosphere and feeling blessed.

We went back to the hotel, had breakfast and loaded our cars to take off for Istanbul. I was a bit skeptical as we had had a very early morning and then driving over a long distance of about 750 kms seemed a daunting task. However it turned out to be the most thrilling experience. The roads are so good that I outdid myself and for a very short time climbed up to a speed of 196 kmph. For almost the entire day, we would be driving at 130 - 150 kmph and it felt very normal and safe.

We encountered very heavy traffic on entering Istanbul and it took almost 90 minutes to cover the last 10 kms to our hotel, Novotel Bosphorus. We reached at 8.45 pm

Dinner was at the open air Mukellef restaurant, a 10 minute walk from our hotel through Karakoy street.

Digressing a bit here.

Our car is part of the team and the most important person between the 3 of us. Feeding it properly, cleaning it periodically, checking that all systems are functioning well etc. are critical to the smooth running of our trip. I treat my car with respect.

We had 2 issues till now and both were resolved with help from Srivijay, Ravi Sir and Sanjay. Once during fueling in Iran a bit of water went into the fuel pump (in any case the whole operation was a cloak and dagger affair) and the car started beeping. The full day from Eshfahan to Tehran the beep wouldn't stop. We pulled down the windows or played the music very loud to muffle the annoying sound but at the end of the day our ears were still ringing. We checked the manual and the next morning Sanjay solved the problem.

The second time was when the fuse of the 12V power supply blew off. Sanjay called a friend in Delhi and with his guidance fixed it. Thank you Sanjay for being so helpful not only on these 2 occasions but at every stage of our trip.

For the record:

MDC 9.45 am

Bio break 12 noon - 12.15 - 211 kms

Lunch & diesel 1.30 pm - 2.45 pm - 38.27 L TRY 1034 - 145 kms

Tea break 4.30 - 4.50 - 218 kms

Novotel Istanbul 8.45 pm - 201 kms

Traveled today 775 kms

Total distance 4793 kms