Never, ever, ever say no to a hot air balloon ride. Why would you?
At the end of last year I made the trip across the Atlantic Ocean to a not so little country called the United States of America. Bound for a Contiki Holidays tour called the Grand Southern. The tour was going to go for 26 days starting in Los Angeles and ending in the big apple, New York city.
I have travelled quite a lot over the last few years (and that is definitely putting it mildly) but I really didn't know what to expect from the USA. It had been a while since I had been travelling in a country where they actually spoke English.
What did I find? Well I was amazed at the diversity of the USA. It was one of the things that I loved the most. Not only did the landscape change but the people completely changed with it. It was like you were crossing into different countries every time you entered a different state.
Over the next few weeks I am going to be posting some of my favourite photos and memories from the trip. Please excuse the fact that they won't be in any order besides which photos I wanted to go through first :)
Hot air ballooning was one of the best things that I did in the USA. It was on our last morning in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and those of us doing the ballooning had to get up very early even before the sun to get picked up and taken out to a big open area where we watched as our balloons began to be put up. Growing like something straight out of Alice in Wonderland the balloon or should I say envelope (yes no lies that is the proper name for the big bag that traps the hot air) rose into the dusk air. The gondola or wicker basket was made ready and we were asked to jump in...a leap of faith on our part that all was good and that this the oldest successful human-carrying flight technology was going to live up to its reputation.
And man did it ever! We slowly started ascending into the just starting to lighten sky. The sun rounded and rose from behind the foothills of the Sandia Mountains and coated the trees and us in the beautiful morning light filled with golden hues. If there is ever a good time to go on a hot air balloon ride here I would highly recommend October time as it is autumn and all the trees are showing off their best yellows, oranges, reds and greens. Add that golden morning light and you have pure visual magic.
Cruising over Albuquerque with its exotic river the Rio Grande (so exotic because like the Nile it flows through a desert) below and watching the town awaken was a fantastic way to spend my last day there and if ever someone offers me a hot air balloon ride I will never, ever, ever say no.
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