Stories
Motion Sickness (Cappadocia, Turkey)
My stomach turned over in a wave of nausea. This can’t be happening now! I looked down at the Turkish desert several thousand of feet below as the hot air balloon slowly spun. I grasped the rim of the basket. Well, I guess I get motion sickness in a hot air balloon too.
The morning started at 5:30 AM in a field outside the city of Cappadocia. It was just before sunrise and a hundred hot air balloons prepared for takeoff. This was gonna be my first time in one, so I didn’t know what to expect.
I shoot video for a living, but when I travel I always take photos instead. I’m that guy waiting for the perfect light; taking a ton of photos of the same thing to get it just right. Yesterday was beautiful, but the balloon ride was supposed to be epic.
Our huge balloon was nearly inflated. The guides shuffled us into the 20 person basket. They ignited the burner with one long blast, echoing in the valley. We lifted into the air. I braced myself as the nervous excitement flooded my body.
I pulled out my mirrorless camera and began shooting. As we gained altitude, the sun peeked over the horizon illuminating the Turkish landscape. The entire sky was dotted with different sized balloons scattered on the horizon, backlit by sun rays. Surreal.
We rotated around, slowly changing positions to new vantage points. Snap, snap, snap. Suddenly, my stomach rolled over. Oh, I’ve felt this before. Not good. I tightened my grip on the camera. But the light was changing fast. “Just a few more images,” I told myself.
I looked around, everyone else had phones or cameras out, all happily snapping away. Smiles, not nausea. I looked down. That’s a long way to throw up. The couple next to me happily embraced, meanwhile I’m here bracing the basket for dear life to stop myself from puking all over them. I hid myself behind my camera, hoping no one would notice.
My breakfast fought its way up my esophagus. I swallowed hard. That was it: puke or stop. I lowered my camera to let my stomach calm down. I settled my wrists onto the basket rim and took in the landscape: Giant pillars of rock lined the valley ravines…Little homes dug out of rock… Unreal. This is why I came.
It hit me: I’m floating over Turkey… just glued to my camera. “I’ve gotten some great images,” I told myself. “But I was here to experience it.” I opened my backpack, put my camera in and zipped it away. I looked up as the morning sun warmed my face. I breathed in the fresh morning air, slowly exhaled.
