We are floored and almost brought to tears. I try to figure out how this happened, and then recall that when I first talked to Kaki at Thomson about a Safari, I mentioned that it was our 25th anniversary gift to each other. That was six months earlier, and I guess she must have noted it in our record. The Thomson group made our safari even more special than it already was! We were speechless, grateful, and in awe at our incredible experiences. We cut the cake and shared it with all in the mess tent, and everyone congratulated Michelle for having the tenacity to put up with me for all those years...
After dinner we took chairs out to the fire pit and sat there for an hour or so talking about the day, lamenting that the trip was almost over, and talking about a 2010 reunion. Eventually Michelle and I wandered back to the tent for a peaceful and restful night of sleep, grateful again for living such a blessed life.
In the evening we enjoy another scrumptious dinner. Just before desert, we hear a lot of racket, and then all the camp help comes in and starts singing in Swahili and doing a Conga line around the tables. We have seen this before, and realize that it is someone's birthday. We don't know whose, but we are all clapping and enjoying the singing and dancing. This goes on for a few minutes, with a couple of laps around the table, then they stop behind Michelle and me and place a big cake on the table in front of us. On it is written " Anniversary Njema" (Happy Anniversary in Swahili).
We are treated to another beautiful and peaceful sunset outside our tent door.
Eventually we return to the camp in time for a 2 pm lunch. There is a nature walk scheduled for that afternoon, but only Russ and Tom venture out on that excursion. Some of us have a Tusker and play cards, others play frisbee, and still others relax and take a nap after the early morning. A very relaxing way to spend an afternoon.
On the way back, Abu gets a call with the location of a leopard in a tree. We have seen four of the Big Five (elephant, rhino, cape buffalo, lion). All that is left is the leopard, and now is our chance. We drive for about 20 minutes and come upon a tree by the side of the road, with a leopard sleeping among the branches. He blends in so well that it is difficult to see him, let alone get good photographs. But, he is there, we have seen him, and we are content with that.
About 10 am we finish our breakfast and pile into the Land Rovers. We head back to camp, with some wildlife seeking on the way. We see birds, monkeys eating fruits of the sausage tree, crocodiles, and hippos mouthing off at each other.
We all got a certificate certifying that we are indeed Serengeti Balloon Safariers!!
Mohamed and I spent a bit of time talking aircraft and pilot stuff. I'm thinking that I could do this for a living....
The group surrounding Mohamed, our wonderful and very capable pilot.
As we leave the basket, we are welcomed back to Terra Firma with a round of Champaign. Then it is off to a delicious breakfast, once again with more food than we could eat, served by a wonderful staff who looked after our every whim. Did I mention before that we are roughing it in Africa?!?!
We skim the tops of trees, scaring a vulture to wing as we come within a few feet of her nest in the top of an Acasia tree. Mohamed varies our course by adjusting our altitude, and we wander, roam, and gently and quietly float towards our landing zone.
As we approach our landing area, we encounter an unsettling sight. A lion (he seems to be a VERY LARGE lion), is patiently sitting at the edge of the intended touchdown point. Perhaps he is waiting for an easy breakfast, which we want to be no part of. So, Mohamed feeds the butane to the burners, executes a classic missed approach, and opts for his secondary landing spot.
Unfortunately, that landing spot is on the other side of the river, is a lot shorter than the primary area, and is bordered by Acasia trees. Mohamed drags us over the trees, dumps the hot air from the canopy, and brings us to a landing, bumping only a termite mound and a small tree. It is a bit rough, as we have to stop in a pretty short area. To do so we have to hit the ground and stay there so that the drag of the basket stops the balloon. Having been a private pilot since 1967, I have come to realize that a landing is just a controlled crash, and that any landing you walk away from is a good landing, so I am pleased with the results!! In short order we are stopped, and have extricated ourselves from the basket. We are just a bundle of grins and smiles, and we all start talking about the trip. It lasted 52 minutes, and seemed like 10. To a person we are glad we did it, and would recommend it to anyone.
We slowly drift across the animals and terrain unrolling below us. We see buffalo, elephant, gazelle, and about every animal we have already encountered. We even see a group of earth-bound safariers, stopping to wave and wish us a good morning as we float past, obviously envying us our serene voyage.
Michelle and I enjoying the view and the serenity. Mohamed gives a wonderful travelogue as we drift over the peaceful Serengeti below.
Airborne!! The silence is deafening, the only sound is the roar of the burners when fired, and the giggles and oohs and ahs of the passengers.
Then the butane burners are lit, filling the canopy with very hot air. This hot air completely expands the canopy, and creates the lift that will float us free.
Filling the balloon. First, ambient air is blown into the balloon canopy by a gas powered blower. You can see it in the photo to the right of the basket.
The basket starts out on its side. Each of the eight compartments holds two people (very cramped). To get in, we grab the top of the basket, lift our legs and slide them into the compartment. Then we slide in the rest of our bodies. This is also the take off position. As the balloon is inflated, the wind starts to pull the balloon and it drags the basket on its side across the ground. Eventually, the balloon has enough lift to pull the basket upright, and then finally break free of the earth. The whole take-off sequence was about 30 seconds of bumping and bouncing.
Monday, July 25. Today is the day of the balloon ride. Last night at dinner a representative from the balloon company, Serengeti Balloon Safaris, visited us during dinner to discuss the next mornings schedule. We weren't crazy about what we heard... We had to leave the camp at 4:30. AM!!!! That early hour was to give us enough time to drive the approximately 1.5 hours to the take off site, and get us there just before sunrise.
So, at 3:45 am our alarm rings, and we stumble out of bed. Coffee is at 4:15, and at 4:30 we head for the Land Rovers. We are tired and groggy, but looking forward to a completely new experience. It turns out that all 13 of us were going on the balloon ride! That was pretty cool, because no one was going to be left out or miss another exciting adventure!
The ride through the Serengeti in complete darkness is uneventful, except that our driver had a very difficult time at the park entrance. They could not wake up the Park Ranger!! Finally, he is roused, the paperwork is completed, and we are ready to continue. Since there is a spare seat in our Rover, we get an unexpected guest. An armed Park Ranger accompanies us to the launch site. I guess they are always worried about wild animals when it's dark. We are grateful for their concern!!
About 6:15 am we arrive at the balloon launching site. We are surprised to see two balloons, which is great because we can get pictures of the other balloon, and it is like looking at ours. These two balloons are the largest in the world. Each carries a basket that will hold the pilot and sixteen passengers.
We meet Mohamed, our pilot, who is the first and only Tanzanian balloon pilot. He went to balloon pilot school in California, and he turns out to be quite competent. As the only Tanzanian balloon pilot, he gets to take celebrities and dignitaries alike for rides. Recent passengers were the President of Tanzania, and Justin Timberlake (although not at the same time...)
