The meeting place was at Yarra Glen, at the Balgownie Estate Vineyard Resort and Spa and we were supposed to be there by 4.45am latest. It was still dark as we drove there and the sky was so clear, I had a wonderful time admiring the stars. The temperature was very cold though. At one point, it went as low as 1 degrees celcius!
From the vineyard, 2 vans took us, another 10 more passengers, 1 pilot + 2 crew and the balloon + basket to the site where we were to take-off, 15 mins drive away. We were to fly about 26km back to this area, given the wind conditions for that day.
We arrived at a big field to set up the balloon. There, we saw another balloon already set up and ready to take-off. The pilot and crew gave instructions for some of us to help by holding the balloon canvas as he inflated it by blasting hot air into it.
Soon, the balloon filled up as the day lighted up. We all climbed into the basket and after some instructions for the landing, we're up, up and away! The weather was really good that day. As the balloon floated gently, we had a very clear view of the ground - forests, farmlands, valleys, houses, roads and the Yarra river. From above, everythings looks very miniture, like some toy land. We were flying at about 2500ft, at a speed of about 56km/hr.
All too soon, it was time to land. The landing was surprisingly soft and gentle. None of that tipping over and falling out of the basket kind of stuff that I've heard somewhere. I must thank the pilot and the weather for that, I guess. I found out later that some people had had to experience a few cancellations due to bad weather before they finally got on the balloon. We were lucky that this was our first booking and it took off smoothly.
After we got off the basket, we noticed that there was frost on the grass. We found some frozen spiderwebs as well! It was so cold that all of us gladly helped the crew deflate and pack up the balloon. The exercise helped keep us warm and as we drove back to the vineyard, breakfast was not very far from our minds.
We were not disappointed. A buffet breakfast and champagne was waiting for us. Apparantly it was a tradition to have champagne to celebrate a safe balloon trip. It was standard breaky stuff - bacon, sausages, scrambled eggs, beans, bread, fruits, cereal etc. However the quality is quite good. I especially like their croissants - fluffy and soft. After half a glass of the golden bubbly, I was ready to knock out. In fact, during the flight, I was embarrassed to find myself yawning a few times.
It was a really nice break away from the kids, though it's just for a few hours. We found out that some of the other couples who were with us on the balloon were also celebrating their anniversaries and birthdays.
I'll be posting my ballooning photos in Facebook, so look out for it!
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