We were up early for a 04:15 AM rendezvous with the “Royal Air” ballooning team at the hotel. From there, we headed downtown to the dock to catch a water taxi, which felt a bit like an assault course. We clambered across and through several boats before finally settling into one with ornate decorations and carpeted seats. Once on board, we waited for several boats ahead of us to head out before it was our turn for the short hop across the river from the East Bank to the West Bank.
At the dock, there must have been at least 70 mini cabs randomly parked, waiting for the armada of small boats to make their way across the water. It was at this point that I understood why we had had to give our passport details. This was a proper military maneuver, with hundreds of people being bundled into their respective taxis. We were shuffled from one taxi to another, eventually making our way to the West Bank port. When the port gates finally opened, it felt like something straight out of a movie—It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World instantly came to mind. All the minivans charged through the gates, squeezing through smaller streets toward the balloon launch site. It was chaotic, but brilliant!
Preparing the balloons was just as exciting. At first, it seemed calm, but then there was a mad scramble to bring each balloon to life before the sunrise. Apparently, there were around 70 balloons in the area, all working frantically to inflate and get them airborne. We were ushered toward our balloon, where our pilot, dressed in his flight liveries, greeted us. After a quick safety talk, we were weighed, and our party of 12 to 15 was strategically placed inside the basket.
The basket gently lifted off the ground as the ground crew held the guide ropes before releasing us into the sky. Apart from the gas burners keeping the balloon steady, everything was incredibly still, and the beauty of what lay around us took center stage. To the left, we could see the mountain range, where the open tombs of the Valley of the Nobles and the pillared façade of the Temple of Hatshepsut stood stunningly against the morning sky. In the middle ground, there were neatly laid-out fields of corn and barley, interlaced with deliberately half-finished houses (always ready for an additional floor). Beyond that, the stillness of the Nile unfolded with little scenes playing out as far as the eye could see.
We were airborne for about an hour, soaking in the surreal views, before our skillful pilot made a graceful descent into the waiting ground crew. They expertly maneuvered us through walkways between fields to a small track. What a fantastic way to start a day!
Dream Chasers 