We fly to our first destination Goreme

We all leave Istanbul to fly to our first stop and then we get a mini bus at sunset to travel to Goreme with a population of 2,000 people. It's in the Cappadocia region. We arrive at night and this place is amazing, as it's full of cone-like structures from the volcanoes that erupted here millions of years ago. They are huge and the shapes are amazing as they sit amongst these vast canyons. We check into our cave hotel and Booka and I have a cave right at the the very top. We do our little orientation tour, and then hit the sack, as we have to get up at 4.00am to be picked up at 4.40am for our balloon ride over the region. Thank god they take us to a breakfast place prior, as I need a coffee to wake me up. Mum wasn't sure if she could go up due to the height, but she has decided to come as we are doing the shorter trip. We finally find our balloon crew and it's all systems go. The balloon is rolled out and they are pumping it full of hot air. They attach the basket, and the next minute we are flinging our legs over into the basket. There is about 20 of us. It's so hard to describe the breathtaking views, but my god "could you feel the serenity" - it was so amazing, as we are we're up at about 2,000 feet. The sky is full of the balloons, and the region and the rock formations are so different. People actually were still living in the cave houses right up until the 1920's. We land safely to be greeted by champagne, cherry juice and cake. We head back to hotel and we then hiked for a couple of hours through this amazing valley, and towards the end, there was a rustic little cafe, where I grabbed a Turkish coffee. We purchased some nuts and dried fruits from a couple who set up a stand to capture the hikers. They have these great peanuts covered with molasses and sesame seeds. We head back and we are taken to see Ruth who is a New Zealand woman who has been living in Turkey for 25 years selling rugs. It was so interesting to learn about how they are made, and the time to make them, as part of the dowry. It would have been ok if we hadn't been up since 4am but we were all nodding off. A few people made some purchases. We just chill out this afternoon as we have dinner with Fatima and her 2 boys. She is a local woman who will cook us dinner in her home. She is so hospitable and her English is great. She makes jewellery as well by crocheting them, and we make some purchases. The meal is served on small tables on the floor and it's so lovely and Booka goes back for more dessert. We stumble back to our cave and snore the night away.