Flying over the desert

It's 3am and I am eagerly waiting for my driver to pick me up from my hotel in Dubai to take me on a hot air balloon ride. It takes us about an hour to get to the departure zone, out in the outskirts of Dubai.




After a thorough briefing by the pilot, we are placed in the Balloon's basket - the excitement is building up - There's a family from Turkey with two unruly children, who's excitement is expressed with irritating behaviour, there was the french businessman although taking a break from the corporate world still carried his laptop with him, a couple from the Ukraine on their honeymoon - very much in love and quite oblivious to the beautiful surroundings that were just becoming visible at the first hint of light. A group of four Japanese friends, at ease with all the technology available to them - mobile phones, digital cameras....the works. An older couple - enjoying the free time that retirement gives you - clearly still enjoying each other's company after so many years together.

Just before take off the pilot informs us that the trip will take about an hour and as advertised in the brochure, we will be able to see sunrise over the desert - in fact within minutes the sun starts to show its orange colour over the horizon.

As we increase our altitude the light from the sun starts to give enough light for us to enjoy the landscape - arid hills and vast plains occasionally one can see camels travelling to some unknown destination. A lonely shrub, giving no shelter from the sun's rays which are slowly heating up the atmosphere, is visible from above.


The stillness in the air gives a sense of peace, only the occasional sound of the fire heating up the balloon giving it the fuel to rise over hills, disturbs one's thoughts. The smooth ride gives one the feeling of being in flight just like a bird.

An hour flies by and its time for us to land - another dry patch of land in the desert...... its back to reality