|
In Luxor we took a hot air balloon ride (our first, for either of us!) over the monuments on the West Bank of the Nile near the Valley of the Kings (where there are 67 tombs, including King Tut's). Getting up at 4 AM was NOT fun, but seeing the sun rise to the East over the Nile River Valley was indeed quite incredible. The interface of irrigated fields and immense desert is really striking. Looking down, we even saw a fox being chased into a sugar cane field by about four local dogs (he made it safely).
The ride was fun as well as beautiful, smooth as silk except for the landing....our first attempt put us into a rocky area near a road, where the pilot did not want to deflate the balloon and risk tearing it. So we had the pleasure of going up again to re-land near the original launch site. In both cases, many pairs of Egyptian hands (the "chase team") reached up to pull our wicker basket gently onto the ground.
|
 |
| Here's the gas heat that takes us aloft; interestingly, the pilot can use four different burners to help the balloon change diretion. |
|
|
 |
| Here's our pilot at work; you can see the four different burners. |
|
|
 |
| It was cold, clear and beautiful as the sun was just coming up over the horizon. |
|
|
 |
| Dawn over Egypt's Eastern Desert, the Red Sea & Sinai further to the East. |
|
|
 |
| Green from Nile irrigation water; desert sand otherwise. |
|
|
 |
| We both greatly enjoyed this ride!.... |
|
|
 |
| Our balloon's shadow near Hetshepsut Temple. |
|
|
 |
| Every Egyptian village has at least one mosque; we heard the first morning "call-to-prayer" from our wicker basket. |
|
|
 |
| As we landed (for the first time...) we had an interesting aerial view of local houses. |
|
|
|