Albuquerque in New Mexico is 5,000 feet above sea level - famous for it's hot air balloon rides. In fact, every October the city comes alive with its balloon festival when hundreds of hot air balloons jostle with each other for space as they go up, thousands of tourists flocking in droves from far and wide to watch a beautiful pageant. A trip to Albuquerque is incomplete without taking a Hot Air Balloon ride.
Most Balloon rides are scheduled early in the morning when the air is cool, calm and supportive. Being located in a desert not much heat and dust in the air close to sunrise - a view of the sunrise from the gliding balloon being bonus. We arrived on the dot to catch the Balloon ride at 5.45 AM when the sun was trying to break through the clouds over the Sangria mountains.
Why Albuquerque is known as the balloon capital of the world ? Because of its unique geographic location, the Wind from the Sandia mountains blows through the city over the Rio Grande river with an updraft and keep on circling back with reversal in the wind direction. It makes the area perfect for balloon rides. America has made the best use of this geographic advantage into commercial venture to attract tourists and contribute to its economy.
The Captain blew hot air through gas lit cylinders into the belly at center of the massive inflated balloon wrapped in American Flag. The hot air balloon technology was invented by Montgolfier brothers in the late 18th century France, impressing the then King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette with their inaugural flight. Not long after the historic flight the King and Queen duo perished in another historic event - the French revolution. Not everything since stood the test of time. The monarchy is gone, yet the hot air balloon technology has survived the sands of time.
The giant ballon slowly ascended into the sky overlooking the Sangria mountains. Sangria in Spanish means Watermelon. Drenched by morning sun on one side and reflection of blue hued clouds on the other, the mountain was looking like a giant, ripe Watermelon at its prime. We could see the river Rio Grande snaking and slithering it's way through the city.
The perennial Rio Grande river fed by the mountain snow is the lifeline to the desert Southwest before it flows through Texas into the Gulf of Mexico. Its sandy river bed looked crispy golden as my Bird's eye view savored the spectacle of the river meandering through the red, undulating land down below, surrounded by spotted desert vegetation.
As the city of Albuquerque was taking shower under morning sunlight, its islands of houses with sandy, brown top interspersed in patches of cactus shrubs and stocky trees, crisscrossed by rivulets of roads carrying slowmoving morning commuters. From high up in the air, the flyovers looked like a maze of unknotted black hair strewn around with lices walking over them.
It was a whole different feeling standing in open air atmosphere at 5,000 feet height, caressed by the cool, thin air. You are not in a pressurized cabin inside an aircraft, but in the lap of atmosphere. It was one hour of pure, unadulterated experience - surrounding by mother nature at top, nature's oxygen pure, crispy and cool with the sun smiling at me, comforting with its warm blanket.
How contrasting is the warms eye view of the sky from the ground to the bird's eye view from the top. It makes me understand the meaning of the phrase "Down To Earth" as we came down. You are on top of the world, yet in minutes you are back on the ground. So are the vagaries of life. You can't always stay on top. How much and how high you fly you have to come down. More later...
No comments:
Post a Comment