© AP Photo/Courtney Bonnell This Aug. 26, 2015 photo shows hot-air balloons floating over the Cappadocia region of Turkey, near the town of Goreme. Tourists take to the sky to see the area's otherworldly sights, such as mushroom-shaped…
GOREME, Turkey — A few whooshing breaths of fire and up we went, a yellow orb rising in a sea of hot-air balloons like the sun brightening the morning sky.
Others followed close behind, climbing over craggy canyons, pink mountains and mushroom-shaped rock formations called fairy chimneys. Suddenly, our basket, packed with tourists angling for a perfect picture, bounced as it got bumped by an ascending balloon.
"Don't worry! It's OK, sometimes," our young pilot hollered out, smiling behind his Ray-Bans and turning up the flame on the balloon's burner to climb faster.
We chuckled nervously, but it got our blood pumping in the thinning atmosphere. So did what we saw next.
We slowly spanned up a hillside and hundreds of balloons exploded into view, a colorful melange hovering above the valleys cut like lightning into the Turkish region of Cappadocia.
But before the breathtaking views comes the preparation. Online travel searches are good ways to scope out top-rated balloon companies in a region renowned for the rides. You will pay more for reputable operators and to share the experience with fewer people — something you will value as you try to shoot photos that don't include an errant hand or head.
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