Hot Air Balloon
Sunday, January 25, 2015 12:39 amUnknown
When I turned 18, my dad suggested we try hot air ballooning, and of course I jumped at the opportunity to try something new.
4am start, hat, sunglasses and camera packed and half awake, in black shorts and a t-shirt, we drove to The Sebel Resort in Richmond.
The morning was chilly enough that the hair on my arms stood straight, but I wasn't shivering. We signed waivers basically saying if we crash, we won't sue, and set off on another half an hour drive to where we would fly.
As they filled the balloon with cold air, the 'pilot' (who sounded a lot like Pepper from Modern Family, so I will call him Peoper for story purposes) cracked a bunch of jokes about how we had to sit backwards when landing "so you can't see if I make a mistake" and told us it would be about a 45 minute flight - an hour if we were lucky - and oh boy were we lucky.
While there, my dad and I started talking to a woman and her husband who were at attempt #3 of flying in a hot air balloon. Their first two times were a total failure because of the weather.
Once the balloon inflated, Pepper released a helium balloon to see which direction we would go in. Unusually it blew back from the direction it was flying, nevertheless we headed off. The lift off was much less turbulent than I expected, which was a really nice surprise.
But sometimes things go a bit differently, such as - that helium balloon that came backwards, that really meant the hot air balloon was going too fast, and in the wrong direction, so Pepper had to emergency land, meaning a massive blast of fire burning right next to me - that ticked off why I needed sunglasses and shorts. He ended up burning a hole in the balloon and we ended up with a 4 minute flight.
To lighten the mood, Pepper started at the jokes again - "people say the packing is the best part", and the woman I'd met, obviously hearing this for the third time, looked extremely unamused. He made us fold the balloon from end to end in the damp paddock we landed in, which also explained the closed in shoes and recommendation of no white clothing.
We didn't get to have the free buffet breakfast, but we did get a free flight, so dad booked it for another day.
Funny story, same thing happened.
We have yet to re-book.
In the end, even if it was "the shortest flight I've ever had", I get to say I've been in a hot air balloon.
Details
Company: Cloud 9 Balloon Flights
Location: Sydney Hawkesbury Valley and The Hunter Valley
Phone: 1300 555 711
Website: www.cloud9balloons.com.au
Details
Company: Cloud 9 Balloon Flights
Location: Sydney Hawkesbury Valley and The Hunter Valley
Phone: 1300 555 711
Website: www.cloud9balloons.com.au
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