My beautiful balloon

 Today has been the hot air balloon trip. It's another thing to tick off our "to do" list. Originally we both had a bucket list but we completed that year's ago. The only exception from our original list still outstanding  is our American oddesy which, God willing, will be next August. 

Now we keep adding to our "to do" list as the  opportunity arises. There's lots
of things out there on this amazing planet that we must do but we just don't know about them yet.

 The balloon ride experience is a full morning which includes a breakfast Inside a "tent" in the desert.

We were picked up at 07.30 from near our riad . We could have chosen the 06.30 pick up which would have seen us airborne to watch the sunrise over the desert. It's the same price but neither of us relished the thought of being up at 5am.  In retrospect it may have been the better option as we spent around an hour chasing our balloon in the van so as we could board it once it landed. It wasn't a trauma and we were given breakfast.  The minibus driver does not know where and when the balloon will land. It depends on wind direction and the skill of the captain. There's no steering wheel or breaks on a hot air balloon. So in essence it goes where the wind blows. It must be a logistical nightmare but the operators have got it down to a fine art.

Eventually we saw our balloon lying on it's side in the desert and quickly caught up with it. The captain was a lovely young lady who told us that she was the first female pilot in Morrocco. She has been piloting balloons here for 16 years. 

(I know it's wrong of me but I must admit that I  felt relieved,  on seeing a lady captain , that balloons don't have a reverse gear or need to parallel park. Don't tell Crispy I said that!.)

The balloons are big. They need to be as the basket easily accommodates 12 people. It's a tight fit but not overcrowded or uncomfortable. Climbing in is a different matter. There are holes in the basket to enable you to climb in. To gym fit Crispy it was a doddle. She virtually vaulted into the basket unaided. I, to my shame, had to have my leg manhandled over the edge of the  basket rim by one of the ground crew as I got stuck.  That's the trouble with getting older. In my mind I'm still 18 but in reality the years are taking their toll. 

Still it was worth it. After a very quick safety briefing that basically said its a balloon filled with hot air and if it goes pear shaped we are just a temporary stain on the desert sand, we took off. 

It was surprisingly smooth. The Captain opened up the burners and the balloon silently lifted into the azure blue skies.

It was beautiful. The ground slowly dropped away below us as we gracefully rose to our cruising altitude of 1000 feet. I dont know how else to explain it. It genuinely felt to me that the basket remained stationary and it was the planet that moved away from us.    It was a fantastic experience and one that we recommend without reservation. 

The actual flight was only around 40 minutes but it felt longer and was worth any amount of money for the experience. We both loved it.

After the flight we returned to the tent for more refreshments before the return journey to our Riad.  The remainder of the afternoon was down time on the roof of the Riad sunbathing and relaxing. This little break is probably the last before our travelling to Sri Lanka in january. Crispy wanted to top up her tan and "get some rays" before our return to old Blighty in a couple of days. 

 After dinner in the backstreets of the Medina we enjoyed the evening back on the roof of our accomodation in the company of some fellow travellers from Minesotta in the US of A. They like us are using their retirement to see as much of this amazing planet while we can. We drank the duty free we had bought at the airport and shared tales of of our adventures past and yet to come. It was a great end to yet another great day. 

Bare and Crispy signing off, Marrakech, Morrocco