Toward the end of our time on safari in the Maasai Mara area, we experienced a real treat. In addition to several safari excursions by Land Rover, we also had signed up for a balloon safari.
We woke up before the dawn and our guides drove us out to a field about 25 minutes away from our camp. I had a sense of the landscape we were going to see based on our past two days of land safari. Everyone was quiet, sleepy, and the many small groups taking the flight enjoyed watching the hot air balloons slowly filled and tilting upward.
 |
| Fill 'er up! |
In the basket of our balloon, the captain of the balloon had the middle spot with all the levers and controls, and then four groups of us were partitioned off into the corners of the basket, so while we were in close quarters, we had our own space.
The sunrise over the land of the Maasai Mara was spectacular and we shared the view with several other balloons across the landscape. I tried to get photos that captured it - none did the feeling justice.
 |
| Take this level of gorgeous and multiply by a factor of 10. |
Herds of giraffe and wildebeest were the animals that we came across most often. I was glad that we had done the land safari to experience getting exceptionally close to the animals, but the balloon view gave a different sense of the expanse of the land. Personally, one of the most interesting parts of the morning was seeing the bleached bones of animals .... absolutely everywhere. We of course saw them from our vehicle safari, but now the scope of life, and death, was most clearly on display. More than once, I caught myself thinking of the bones like seashells, scattered across the Mara.
 |
| Way up |
While getting up early to do anything is not my personal preference, dining alfresco certainly is. After landing the balloon, we made our way to a breakfast buffet was set up. I most vividly recall the baked beans (such a British item and so strange for breakfast to an American palate), and the mimosas. We chatted with others who had been in different balloons, meeting people from all over the world, including a lovely group of young women from Australia. Mid-way through the meal, we hovered over a video montage the tour company had put together for sale. Of course the soundtrack to it was Toto's 'Africa'. As cheesy as it sounds, it was an absolutely perfect fit to the whole experience.
 |
| Our family and captain after a soft landing |
One of the groups at our table had previously been in Uganda and took part in the Gorilla excursions. Another group was heading next to Mombasa on the coast. I felt then, and I feel now, quite envious of their longer travels. Traveling from Wisconsin to Kenya in only in a 14-day period, I know we got an in-depth experience with Nairobi and the Rift Valley, but I wanted to keep exploring. I wanted more!
However, on this day, floating above an incredible area of the world would have to be enough.
 |
| You lookin' at me? |
Comments
Post a Comment