Ok,
first off, I know it has taken me ages to get round to writing all of this up,
sorry and all that but I’m sure you will all get over it eventually
This last October was C’s 34th
birthday and I thought it would be nice to treat her to something a little
different for a change.
Unfortunately owing to work schedules and general ‘life abroad’ logistics the actual day of her Birthday was spent driving from Nelspruit to Pretoria and then organizing a vehicle license once we arrived. However, once we had that out the way we were able settle down for a beer and a braai in the Katswink Bar and get ready to celebrate everything the following day.
The following morning at the ungodly hour of 3.30 AM we were once
again up and on the road, although this time the destination was a touch more
glamorous than a vehicle licensing office!
The
first installment of the days big adventure was to be a Hot Air Balloon ride
over the Cradle of Mankind and the Lion & Rhino Nature Reserve. Despite the
early start and the bleary eyes this was to be an amazing experience. When we
first arrived at the launch site it was a bit touch and go as to whether the
weather was going to co-operate or not but after a coffee and a short wait we
were given the all clear for lift-off!
It’s
hard to describe the experience of the world’s oldest form of air transport.
It’s is incredibly smooth and tranquil and gives one a very peaceful feeling as
you drift silently through sky. Only periodically interrupted by the roar of
the enormous gas jets that feed the hot air in to the balloon in order to keep
us in flight.
These
bad boys are very noisy, hot and intense
when they are fired up but you soon forget about them and go back to enjoying
the scenery after they have done their job keeping you afloat a while longer
and return to their normal, more quiet, dormant state.
As
we drifted gently through the sky we were lucky to see some of Africa's wildlife
passing below.
We
had been warned by our pilot that the landings can sometimes but a bit, shall
we say, 'interesting' if the wind is running and the balloon gets dragged along.
In this unlikely event we were to be ready to crouch down inside the basket and
hang on to the straps ‘for dear life’ until we came to a final stop. As
exciting as it sounds and as interesting a tale it may have made we were
fortunate that this was avoided and we settled gently back on the ground with
only the slightest of bumps
As
is traditional we celebrated the end of the flight (and the fact that we were
still alive) with a glass of bubbly or two, not a bad start to the day all in
all.
After
a healthy breakfast it was on to explore the Rhino & Lion Nature
Reserve………..
