So, what else did we get upto this weekend? We went hot air ballooning! Another to-do crossed off my bucket list :)
If you remember, I actually bought this balloon ride for Marc when he turned a year older last November. So it was his birthday present! Coincidentally, the balloon ride yesterday fell on the anniversary of our engagement! Yes, we have been engaged for a year now!
A year ago, the boy proposed in Bali which also meant that we finished our 2-month travel adventure and were on our way home. Sob!
So back to the hot air ballooning… It was an incredible experience! I’ll be honest and say that I probably won’t do it again only because of how much it costs (an arm and a leg) but I guess I’ve learned to never say never! Maybe if we were to do it in a completely different landscape like over mountains and lakes – something different – then yes, it’s a possibility that I may do it again!
I chose the balloon flight over Melbourne’s city because I’ve heard many say that it’s a lot more beautiful. Our other option was to fly over the Yarra Valley which I’m sure would’ve been amazing too.
The evening before our flight we had to call our pilot to find out if the flight was still going ahead as it is completely dependent on the weather. Lucky for us it was going ahead but because they were predicting stronger winds than usual, we had to do another weather check at 3.30am yesterday (the morning we were due to fly). This meant an extremely early start for us… We did the weather check at 3.30am and it was still scheduled to go ahead so we pretty much got ourselves ready to head to the meeting point. We were supposed to meet our pilot at 4.45am.
As soon as we got to the meeting point, we registered ourselves and then we were out of there and started making our way to our ‘take-off’ site which was north of Melbourne. The take off site really differs each time depending on which direction the wind blows.
Once we got to the site, they then attach a tiny blinking light to a helium balloon and release the balloon to pretty much determine the wind direction one last time so that we’re sure that we can take off from there. It also helps the pilot pre-determine where we might land later in the morning.
The good (or bad, depending on how you look at it!) thing about this experience is that it’s pretty much a full, hands on experience in that we got to help set up the balloon before we took off. It’s not hard but it’s not easy either. It requires getting a little down and dirty on the grass. You don’t have to help but I reckon it’s always more fun when you join in and participate. Plus you don’t exactly want to look like a bad team player!
Once we hopped into the basket which are just like giant wicker picnic baskets (that’s how I like to describe them!), we were off! I was a little anxious at the start… I mean, come on, we’re in an open air basket, rising to more than a thousand feet above ground… That can be pretty scary! But within minutes I started to feel at ease and just could not believe the sight in front of me. From all the other balloons (another 4 or 5 balloons were also there) taking off at the same time, to the beautiful soft glow of the sky from the sun slowly waking… To the little street lights that seemed to twinkle as we rose higher and higher… To the amazing sense of peace that overcame me as we glided across the sky… It was just all wonderfully breathtaking.
We spent a lot of the time in almost complete silence because you just don’t want to wreck that sense of serenity… But we also spent a lot of time guessing which freeways we were flying over, or which suburbs we were looking down at, admiring the swimming pools from above and taking in the sight of our beautiful city from afar and the buildings we’re so very familiar with that yet seemed so different from our basket so high above.
I do have to say though that the one thing I was disappointed with was that we were not able to fly as close as I’d hope we could’ve to the city… The pilot did mention that the wind direction that morning wasn’t ideal for hovering directly over the city as it could’ve easily taken us out to the bay so we had to stick to viewing our beautiful city from afar. Which was disappointing but so out of our control so I’m okay with that!
I think we were in the air for about 90 minutes when it came time for us to land… I was also a little nervous about the landing as I have a horrible imagination and I kept thinking that the entire basket would just tip over. But of course that didn’t happen… We had a pretty smooth landing and I have to admit I was glad to have both feet on solid ground.
After landing we also had the chance to participate in packing the balloon which isn’t all that easy! You’d be surprised just how huge a hot air balloon is on the ground. It looks teeny weeny up in the air but I assure you it’s ginormous in real size!
So that was our hot air ballooning experience! I’m glad Marc had a great time which is really all that matters as this was his birthday gift. A special man deserves a special gift! If you’re considering hot air ballooning and it’s on your bucket list – do it! It’s worth the money and the early start :)
A few tips when you do go ballooning:
- Wear a hat. This is a must! The gas/fire that the pilot operates above your head in the balloon to release hot air into the balloon? It’s super and I mean super hot! I didn’t wear a hat and I was in the edge of the basket (not directly under the fire) and I felt like my hair follicles were being burnt off.
- Wear comfortable clothes and shoes (i.e strictly no heels or skirts). Firstly you’ll be walking on grass before take off and after landing. Secondly you don’t want to even try climbing into the basket with a skirt on. And you also may get down and dirty with the setting up and packing of the balloon.
