Up up and away ?

The balloon experience wasn’t all about the balloon. New to the camp, Epimark, the manager said a tray of coffee would be brought to my tent as a wake up call. Sure enough, in the darkness of the African night, a little voice wearing a woolly hat was singing

“Hello, hello Mama Carol”

i scrambled to a sitting position and said yes yes as he unzipped the tent door and popped my tray down. A flask of freshly brewed Arabica coffee with milk and 3 little heart shaped biscuits in a cup. Hah!!!!

The rough tracks in the Serengeti have a speed limit and you can not drive in the dark…. rarely. Animals freeze in the lights and there would be a lot of road kill but Elisse was up dressed immaculately in his uniform and we set off in the pitch blackness with special permission. Several hyenas stopped us in our tracks,there eyes lit up orange. A lazy lion , out on the prowl slowed us down as he loped ahead of us. He had set the pace and we duly followed slowly till he trapped off the track.

In some obscure field we could see a pair of headlights, the first sign of life for over an hour and a half. It was the 12 strong Tanzanian balloon team. Wearing green overalls the were laying out this enormous thing, setting up gas jet burners and fans. I gulped. I was a bit nervous then, the sun hadn’t even risen. Elisse said that I would be fine, and I little knew of his secret ‘phone charger rescue attempt’

I shouldn’t have worried, Jonathan the English pilot came and spoke to everyone personally. He has charming blue eyes and his enthusiasm was infectious. But we had to climb into the basket whist it was on its side, and strap in, hold onto rope handles whilst we were on our backs…there were 4 compartments ,each taking 4people. The hundred foot monster rose gently from the grass, yellow and green stripes that blended so well. I didn’t feel the lift off… nor the landing…it was as smooth as silk and apart from the odd roar of the gas jets, it was as silent as the morning. Gliding over the tops of Acacia and herds of wildebeest is something else. We saw so much,especially at least 30 hippos in the river, snorting and cuddling up close together.

There was a Swahili champagne toast when we landed…its tradition?… led by the second pilot,American Frank… who told us a story while we sipped. Long life in Swahili is ” Mareesha Merefu”

This was followed by a little drive to an amazing bush breakfast in the open. A hand washing table with an enormous copper jug and individual fresh towels… a t