Hot Air Balloon - Mousam tours & travels

Hot Air Balloon

Did you know that the duration of Flight depends on the capacity of the bladder? Well that is what I learnt in my first ever Hot Air Balloon Ride.

body:

I took a Hot Air Balloon Ride during my Sri Lanka Group Tours in February 2018.
Our Ride took off from Sigiriya Rocks and flew past Dambulla Caves and Dambulla
Cricket Stadium. Our Balloon had a basket to accommodate 6 which included the
Pilot.

story:

In my entire life I have never seen a Pilot driving an Aircraft. Hot Air Balloon
is one such experience where you not only stand next to a Pilot but converse with
him as he navigates the flight. You are standing next to Pilot. Above him is the
Gas Burner. (One point to be remembered by Bald men, always wear a protective
gear for your scalp. The heat might give you a burn.)
Well it’s a pity they do not have Air Hostesses on board though!

You rise to varied heights along the flight path. We cruised upto 500 odd meters.
There is lack of Oxygen in the air. This causes a unique effect on mind called
Epoxia. People do all sorts of crazy things. They Laugh / Argue … for no obvious
reason. No wonder the Pilot was so talkative. He continuously saw that the mood
was very jovial.

During the flight you fly above houses you see villagers. They wave at you and
you wave back. You see stray dogs barking at you and chasing you. You see cattle
tied in fields totally going berserk while you peacefully sail above them. (Here
I can use Facial Expression, Hand Gestures, Stage Movement, Stage Markers)

You fly above lush green paddy fields, hillocks, lakes and you peep down (mime)
to see alligators on the bank with their jaws wide open. And guess what they
might be thinking!? “Here comes my hot breakfast! Can you imagine how exciting it
would be to take a Hot Air Balloon ride over Masai Mara Kenya!! with a pride of
lions below !!!. Hope the Pilot has a gun with him. But what if he is not allowed

to shoot? Are these pilots allowed to retain the guns to tickle the beasts? No
way!!

Now imagine, if you happen to take a Balloon Ride somewhere in Varanasi “Ganga
Kinare”. What would you see during an early morning flight. You fly above lush
green wheat fields, hillocks, lakes and you peep down you see (mime a person
carrying a bucket for attending natures call!). No!.. we have Swach Bharat and
worry not we would also see clean villages below us.

The Resolution:

The unique aspect of a Hot Air Balloon ride is that it never lands at the same place twice. Every day the flight path is different. It is a function of wind direction. It also depends on how close the balloon could land a close to a motor able road as possible. There is a pilot vehicle which shadows the Balloon on ground. This vehicle is meant to carry back the passengers and the equipment to the starting point. And so it reminds me of the bladder capacity. The larger the bladder capacity the longer one enjoys the ride.

Conclusion:

The landing of Hot air Balloon is unique. The passengers have to squat when the balloon lands on the ground. Once all the passengers are out of the basket and away from the balloon, the pilot pulls ropes and releases hot air out of the balloon. Most shocking revelation for me was that the balloon was not a one piece structure! It had a cap at the top and two windows on side. The balloon was combination of three different detachable pieces.

That is when I realized that I had travelled 500 meters above ground in a balloon which I assumed was a one-piece structure. Our beliefs and faiths are so fragile! In conclusion, assuming each one of us is in a Hot Air balloon ride then flight path for each one of us is going to be unique and our landing depends on his faith on almighty! And never forget you as a Pilot have to retain a very jovial mood for your co passengers.