Project Esposa (+ Bebé): Project Honeymoon - Day 14: Hot Air Balloon Ride over Christchurch!

Van with Basket in Tow

Early start at 4:00am! - Every morning the hot air balloon pilot checks the weather to ensure safety. At 4:00am we're supposed to call the flight information line to see if the flight is a go or not. Based on weather conditions flights occur only 50-60% of year. On average, passengers have to try about 3 times before they actually fly. Luckily, today was a good fly day and Hubby and I got in on our first try. To our delight, the message says our flight is on. Now we have to get ready for our 4:40am pickup. A van picks us up with a trailer in tow carrying our basket and balloon (folded up) and drives us about 45 minutes to an open field in Oxford.

Hot Air Balloon Setup - There are two balloons flying today which can carry up to 12 passengers each. We're all encouraged to help out. Once the basket is off the trailer, we unfold the balloon and begin to fill it up with air using a large fan. Once there's enough air in the balloon, our pilot turns on the burners to fill the balloon with hot air. The process takes about an hour. When the balloon is ready, the pilot calls us in with an "All aboard!".

Balloon Unfolded

Holding the Balloon Open for Inflating

Balloons Inflating

All Aboard!

Ready for Takeoff!

The Flight - The flight is smooth and serene as we float high into the air. The vans that picked us up quickly disappear into the distance. Our pilot gauges the wind and takes us over fields. The view is spectacular! The cattle below are so tiny; oddly enough you can clearly hear all the moo's, baa's and woof's from all the animals. The pilot communicates over radio with the drivers of the vans which picked us up to let them know where we're headed and where we might land. It didn't occur to me until then that we wouldn't be landing in the same spot we took off...makes sense! We enjoy the lovely view for about an hour.

Up Up & Away!

The Landing - Our pilot spies a piece of farm land with no animals. He said sometimes he has no choice depending on the wind. Ideally, a landing site is an open field without animals and can be accessed by the van. After we land, the farm owner comes by to say hello; she's actually quite amused that we landed on her farm.

Shadow of Our Balloon Just Before Landing

Hot Air Balloon Teardown & Champagne - We wait for our pilot's signal before we climb out of the basket. If we get out too early, the balloon could launch again. Once the inner panel is opened, the hot air releases and the balloon begins to deflate and we're given the cue to climb out. We then all work together to flatten, fold, and pack the balloon up and onto the trailer. To celebrate our flight and our hard work we toast with glasses of champagne. Our hot air balloon experience ends back at our hotel at 10:00am and both Hubby and I are pooped!