29/04/07
I've never done hot air ballooning before and I was surprised at just how cool is it! If (when) I get the chance to do it again I'll be sure to give it a go. Just Dayle and I went as Tan's, Grant and Meel's have done it before elsewhere (I still reckon they missed out ;-) )
We started off early in the morning to get the sun rise. There were about a dozen hot air balloons getting set up, they start by lying them on their sides and filling them up:
Then they naturally pop upright:
Kick ass flames, trust me when I say that you need to wear a hat when you're in the basket, unless you like the top of your head to be cooked medium-well done...
Just as we got going the sun started coming up:
We were flying over the West Bank of the Nile where heaps of tombs and Valley of the Queens (near valley of the Kings) is.
Can ya see the moon in the pic below?!
Great sunrise:
Misty from where we started, although it wasn't particularly cold:
You can really see where the desert starts, a stark line where the greenery ends (and my head begins...)
Here's me with our captain:
The peasants folding up the balloon after we landed:
And more dudes who ran up to the basket after we landed and started banging drums and making a hell of a racket. When I walked away to take some snaps they said "no, come back, party just for YOU!", yeah, freaken right... Of course the hat was thrust in to your face expecting a tip for their music...
And YAY!!!! I got a certificate! Totally made my whole holiday and I've replace my honours degree hanging on the wall with this baby:
If you really wanna see what hot air ballooning over the west bank of the Nile was like, then be sure to check out the video:
on you-tube (recommended)
or simply click play below!