Breakfast in a Balloon

Monica Flood

Why get out of bed in the middle of the night？

In my opinion， there are very few good reasons for getting up at four in the morning but if its to fly in a hot air balloon， its well worth the effort. Cappadocia， in Turkey， is ideal for this activity and its strange moonlike landscape is breathtaking to see from the air.

Watching balloons

Ten years ago， when I first visited， I would wake at dawn to the strange， explosive sound of the flames blasting hot air into a balloon floating over my hotel. We used to climb onto the flat roof of the hotel to wave at the happy people in the basket underneath the balloon， and on one occasion they came so close we could almost touch it. The pilots speciality back then was to take the balloons right down into the valleys so passengers could pick fruit from the trees.

Too many balloons？

Now ballooning is a huge business and at dawn every day in summer you can see up to sixty balloons floating overhead. The local farmers finally protested about this plague of balloonists taking their fruit and its no longer possible to breakfast in the air.

The first time

Last year I finally decided to try it and I can say that its not at all frightening， apart from the price， and when youre in the air you go into a sort of dreamy trance. Nobody talks much and apart from the occasional blast of flame， there is almost total silence.

Safety and landing

Safety is very important and before take-off we practised the landing position， which involves sitting down on the floor， which is difficult when 24 people are squeezed into a small space.

Landing can be tricky and about ten people rush up to the basket and throw themselves onto it to stop it from floating off again. When its finally tied down you climb out for a welcome drink， usually in a dusty field， and the presentation of your flight certificate.

The flight lasts about an hour and is not cheap， but I cant think of anything more fun to do on a summers morning in Turkey.

Activity 2

Now complete the sentences using words and phrases from the text. Make any changes to the words that are necessary.

1. The view from the top of the mountain was （______）—hundreds of other mountains as far as the eye could see.

2. When he got up it was dark， and by the time the first light appeared at （______） he was already working in the garden.

3. The apples on the tree were ripe and so we （______） some to eat for lunch.

4. There was a （______） of ants last summer—millions of them all over the house and garden.

5. In the morning I walk up the stairs to the office because I dont like （______） the lift when there are so many people.

6. The kids dont move or speak when theyre watching that TV programme—its like theyre in a （______）.

Activity 3

Match a paragraph heading to a phrase.

Activity 4

Use the words from the box to complete the sentences about the story.

but because In spite of as even though

too as well as therefore because of so

1. It is not easy to get up so early in the morning when its cold （______）.

2. Cappadocia is a good place to fly in a balloon （______） the interesting scenery.

3. People dont get so excited about seeing balloons now （______） there are so many.

4. It used to be possible to pick fruit from the balloons， （______） now this is not allowed.

5. （______） being nervous at the start， I felt very relaxed about the flight.

6. Lots of safety precautions are in place， （______） you dont feel that you are in danger.

7. There are a lot of people in the basket. It is （______） difficult to move around.

8. Its not easy to get the balloon to stay down after landing （______） it is still full of hot air.

9. You get a certificate after the flight （______） a drink.

10. A trip in a balloon is a wonderful experience （______） it is very expensive.

Activity 5

Have you ever been up in a balloon？ If not， would you like to？

Answers

Activity 1

1. d; 2. f; 3. e; 4. a; 5. c; 6. b

Activity 2

1. breathtaking; 2. dawn; 3. picked; 4. plague; 5. squeezing into; 6. trance

Activity 3

1. b; 2. e; 3. c; 4. d; 5. a

Activity 4

1. too; 2. because of; 3. because; 4. but; 5. In spite of; 6. so; 7. therefore; 8. as; 9. as well as; 10. even though