The hazy sunrise slowly transformed the landscape down below me. Caverns and canyons in the shadows became brighter, while the long shadows over farmsteads and tractors became shorter. We floated above this dreamy landscape, blissfully unaware of the civilization down below waking up and doing their morning chores. Instead, we focused on the beautiful patterns etched by the landscape becoming more sharp with the rising sun.
Such was the magic of floating into the sunrise in Cappadocia, where the dreams down below and reality up above merge at the hazy horizon.
Cappadocia
Turkey
The Dark Lord Rises
Every October, some of the most fanciful balloons gather in the high desert landscape of New Mexico. Chariots and lighthouses fly shoulder to shoulder with bees, dogs, hearts, and the occasional Vader. I wish I could go back and relive my time there.
Albuquerque
NM USA
New Begininings
In just a few more hours, we are going to seen the finish line to a clusterf**k of an year. Physically, nothing changes. One day ends and another begins, just as it has been doing since time immemorial, but the end of 2020 will represent to many an end to a rollercoaster of an year marred by multiple globe-spanning events, including the innumerable trade wars, Brexit, the impeachment of the US president, and US elections and its chaotic aftermath, the oil price fluctuations, tensions in the Middle east, Climactic disruptions, the killing of George Floyd and the subsequent protests, the murder of Samuel Paty, the projection of Chinese superpower, and last but not the least, the economy disrupting Covid pandemic.
I for one, can't wait to ring in the new year, and hope that the silver linings for the dark clouds that was 2020 do come to fruition.
Here is to new beginnings and new adventures.
Happy New Year
Feliz año nuevo
Bonne année
Felice anno nuovo
Frohes neues Jahr
புத்தாண்டு வாழ்த்துக்கள்
Cappadocia
Turkey
Wild Sky
The gentle breeze brushed against my face as I turned towards the eastern horizon. Down below, the sleep villages of Cappadocia had barely woken up on this cloudy dawn, and the windy roads that threaded their ways through the unique formations remained fairly empty. While up here, in the domain of the clouds, the beautiful vista of the still morning was occasionally interrupted by the gush of burning propane, reminding me that I had not transformed into a bird, but that I was merely a passenger in a giant balloon, drifting over the landscape and catching the directional winds.
Whilst past sunrise, the dense patch of clouds had obscured the sun, leaving behind silhouettes and shadows of the unique topography of the region. From my vantage point, I could make out volcanic cones, twisted canyons, ragged cliffs, and smooth farmland all set in a very complex and folded landscape. And all around, dozens of balloons swirled around and bobbed up and down depending on the vagaries of the present air current.
This experience was a dream come true, and I did not want the ride to end. But alas, all good things must. Touchdown was a mere 30 minutes later, but the hour-long sojourn into the sky felt like eternity. This image was shot with a 3-stop Grad ND filter at F11, ISO 1600 at 1/80s
Goreme
Cappadocia Turkey