カッパドキアで気球に乗る BALLOONING IN CAPPADOCIA

2012年5月16日

５時15分、モーニングコール。雲一つなく、風もない美しい朝。素晴らしい気球日よりだ。6時にホテルのロビーに10人（私を含めて）が集合。みんな眠そう。マイクロバスに乗って気球打ち上げセンターに行く。バスの窓から見ると、いくつか気球が美しい朝焼けの空にあがっている。今からふわふわ浮かぶのだ。下界はどんな風景だろう。ドキドキする。
センターに着いて、パンとコーヒーの簡単な朝食をすませ、７時の順番を待つ。ガイドが言っていたが、風があったり、曇り空なら飛ばないそうだ。運が悪いと、気球に乗ってさて飛ぼうという瞬間に中止になることがあるという。でも、今日は完璧な青空だ。そよ風もない。
７時前に、ガイドがやって来て「キャンセルです」と告知する。耳を疑った。ええっ！　こんな素晴らしい日に？　朝早く起きたのに。気球に乗る気が全身にみなぎっているのに。中止とは！　どっと疲れが出た。みんながっかりし、唇を噛んで、ウンウンうめき声をあげた。

一寸先は
闇だ
と言うけど

５月１７日

また５時１５分に起きる。空は青空、風もない、しかし気球に乗れると楽観してはいけない。最後の土壇場でキャンセルだってあるのだ。最悪の事態を覚悟しなければ。バスで打ち上げセンターに向かう時、窓から気球が１０個ぐらい空をふわふわ浮いているのが見える。だからと言って、乗れるとは限らないのだ。ドタキャありだ。
でも、運がいいことに、ガイドが来て「飛びますよ」とうれしい声。またバスに乗って打ち上げ場所に移動する。到着して気球を見るとその巨大なこと。みんなカゴに乗り始めたが、カゴが背が高くて、またいで乗込むなんて芸当は出来ない。カゴの側面に切りこんである階段になったいくつもの穴に足を突っ込んで慎重によじ登るのだ。巧く登れば拍手喝采。みんなが登る人にあれやこれやと足の置き場を指示する。「そう、それでいいのよ。今度は右足をこの穴に入れて。そう。ＯＫ。じゃあ今度は左足をここに入れて、そうじゃなくって！　身体の向きを変えてよ。もうじれったい！」
無事に全員乗カゴ？すると、気球操縦士が、気球の真ん中の空間に向かって数回火を放つ。私の頭が火熱で熱くなった。気球が熱を十分とりこむと、あらあら、ふんわり浮き出した。始めはほんの１０センチ、またたくうちに１０メートル。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　ふわふわふわと漂って

ふんわりふわふわ気球浮き
見渡す限りの地平線
地面を離れて１００メートル
高い高い６００メートル

円錐形の無数の岩
眼下に広がる奇岩群
樹木や緑の大平原
谷間を通り、谷を見下ろす

小鳥がどこかで鳴いている
狐がいるよと、パイロット
おもちゃのトラック小道を走り
遠くや近くに浮く気球

青い山々遥かに霞み
気球の影が地面に映る
視界に入る白虫の群れ
羊だ、犬が無言で吠えている

ふんわりふわり
ふんわりふわりと
自然を感じ
わたしは自然に溶け込んだ

気球は約50分間飛行して草原に無事着陸。みんなカゴをよじ登り地面に降りた。見るとシャンペンとテーブルが用意してある。無事の帰還おめでとう。
コルクをポーンと引き抜いて、それっ、乾杯だ！

BALLOONING IN CAPPADOCIA

May 16, 2012

The morning call rang at 5:15. It was a beautiful day with no wind and no clouds. I was sure we could ride a balloon. Ten sleepy people including me gathered at the hotel lobby at 6:00, and got on a microbus to go to the balloon-flight office. From the bus windows we saw dozens of balloons floating in the beautiful blue sky. How exciting it would be to float in a balloon! How wonderful it would be to look down at the landscapes! Just imagining made me excited.
After arriving at the office, we ate bread and drank coffee. We waited for our turn at seven o’clock hoping that we could ride one. Our tour guide had said that ballooning would be canceled when it was windy or cloudy. In some unlucky cases, she said, immediately after your balloon began to lift off, the flight could be canceled. On this day, however, the sky was a perfect blue and there was not even a breeze.
Just a few minute before seven, the guide came to announce that the flight had been cancelled. I couldn't believe my ears. Why? Cancelled? On such a beautiful fine day? I woke up so early and was more than 100 percent ready to ride in a balloon, but oh, the cancelation! Suddenly I was exhausted. We all muttered disappointment, bitterness, and groans.

only God knows
what’s around　
the corner

May 17, 2012

Again I woke up at 5:15. The sky was blue. It was not windy, but I did not expect that I would be able to ride a balloon. I knew the flight might be canceled at the last moment. I prepared myself for the worst. Even when I saw dozens of balloons floating above our bus on the way to the office, I was not sure that we could fly. The tables could be turned at the last moment.
Luckily, however, the guide came to tell us that we would fly as scheduled. We took a bus again and rushed to the flight-site. When we reached it, the balloon was enormously huge. We began to climb into the basket. Everyone had great difficulty getting into it because the sides of the basket were so high that you couldn’t stride over them. You had to climb it by carefully putting your foot in the holes notches in the side of it. Everybody suggested to each other how to climb over it. “Easy. All right, put your right foot here. Good, then put your damn foot in this hole. No, you must first turn around.”
When all were aboard, the pilot shot the fire into the center of the balloon several times. My head felt the heat. When the balloon absorbed enough heat, it gently took off from the ground. First, it was only 10 centimeters above the earth, but in a few minutes it was floating about 10 meters above it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FLOATING AND DRIFTING

smoothly floating balloon
the endless panorama view
100 meters above the ground
300 meters, and the highest 600 meters

innumerous cone-shaped rocks and
weirdly-shaped pillars down below
above tall trees and green fields,
in and over the vast valleys

hear the chirp of birds
look! a fox is running, the pilot says
a toy truck is running along a narrow road
other balloons drifting far and near

misty blue mountains far away
the shadow of our balloon on the ground
suddenly dozens of white worms into view
a soundless dog driving the sheep

floating and drifting
floating and driftiing
feel nature
you are one with nature

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After a 50 minute flight, the balloon landed softly on a grassy land. We climbed out of the basket onto the ground. They had prepared a champagne bottle and a table to celebrate a happy landing.
Pop the cork! Cheers and Kanpai!