Up, Up and Away in my Egyptian Balloon
Come Fly with Me! Soaring with the Spirits of the Pharaohs
Our intrepid group of would-be balloonists departed our Viking ship at 4:30 am this morning. As we drove through the quiet streets of Luxor in the cold predawn hours a sense of excitement and anticipation and 2 cups of coffee had me wide awake.
The riverfront of the downtown Luxor was still brightly lit for Christmas and will remain so through January. I was glad I had returned to my cabin for my warm sweater (but the BW was understandably not pleased when I hit the wrong light switch and lit up our lovely Cabin at 4:25 am!)
We piled into several small motor boats and crossed the Nile. The call to prayer echoed on the western bank. Here the call is a lovely long hymn of praise that permeates your soul. It is not some old scratchy recording, but the skilled singing-chanting that has echoed in this valley for the last 1300 years.
We were loaded into clean new white passenger vans and awaited clearance. Then suddenly we were cleared for departure from the riverside.
A convoy of dozens of white vans took off, like the horses at the start of the Kentucky Derby, raising a cloud of dust, passing each other like a stock car race, racing along the West Bank of the Nile. These drivers were out to win!
Miraculously missing each other by inches, we wove our way 2 or 3 vans abreast through the dusty 2 lane road along the west bank of the Nile. It was like a stock car race at the County Fair! We were NOT on a one way street, but no one was foolish enough to try to drive against this mad flow.
We raced past colossal 5000 year old statues illuminated along the bank. I’m guessing this was the landing spot for the funeral barges headed to the Valley of the Kings.
In spite of the speed I was surprisingly calm. The call to prayer still echoed in my head as we started climbing inland away from the river and into the desert.
Horns honked, lights flashed, and the crazier van drivers passed, cut and weaved like boxers looking for the slightest advantage.
Suddenly we left the roadway and descended to a flat plain. Dust was everywhere. The balloons lay deflated. Through the haze I could see groups of 15-20 people clustered here and there.
We waited in the van for about 20 minutes, grateful to be inside out of the dusty cold, checking our phones to see the wind strength. The flight was dependent on the aviation authorities.
Finally we got the OK! (The second flight of the day was cancelled because of high wind). We piled out of the van and wove our way through the balloons, now growing like mushrooms from the ground.
The flames roared like a pride of hungry lions, illuminating the dusty scene like Dante’s Inferno. Our Dream balloon slowly filled.
We climbed into the basket while our trusty crew held us steady. Finally they were ready! Before we knew it we lifted smoothly, leaving the Earth behind.
It was an incredible sight as each of the 50 huge balloons filled and lifted off. The glow from the flames lit the balloons like giant Chinese lanterns, each glowing in its turn as the pilot hit the gas.
The sun rose over the East Bank of the Nile. We soared up above the dusty ground, where the air was clear. We can fly! We can fly!
The Funerary Temple of Hatshepsut (we will visit tomorrow) came into view as we drifted with the wind, climbing ever higher, dueling with other balloons for first place.
Suddenly a rocky outcrop appeared in front of us! Our skilled pilot cleared it by only a meter or so!
Our pilot pointed out the home of Howard Carter, discoverer of King Tut’s Tomb. The road to the Valley of the Kings twisted away from the Nile into the Western Sahara. We will visit it tomorrow.
Then he hit the gas and we soared even higher, catching the upper air currents and leaving the fleet behind! It looked like we had first place in the bag! I counted 43 balloons but there could easily have been 50. (There were more to the left than shown in this photo.)
As the sun rose we began a gradual and gentle descent. Dogs barked, children and construction workers stopped and waved as we dropped down towards sugar cane and wheat fields, barely clearing a construction site.
Our Ace Pilot brought us to a perfect landing as the ground crew, who had been racing along beneath us, secured the lines and deflated the balloon.
Now I am back on our lovely boat, my spirit still soaring.
Thanks for traveling along! So glad you are here~!
Here is a list of earlier posts covering our Egyptian Adventure. Every day brings another incredible experience.
Was Ancient Egypt the Stoned Age?
Africa and Egypt in Perspective: The Nile is the Longest but not the Strongest
Egypt: Population in Perspective
Here Comes the Sun: Cairo Trilogy by Naguib Mahjfouz
Welcome New Subscribers! I try to post daily, but don’t hold me to it! Yesterday’s visit to the Temples of Luxor and Karnak have still left me speechless. Every day is an incredible experience. So glad you’re traveling along. Your comments, likes and shares are powering this journal!
Stunning 😍
That was awesome to watch David, thank you for sharing that experience. I’m too afraid to ever do it myself so that’s the closest I’ll ever get. Really beautiful.