A Journal to impart knowledge and facts |
July 22, 2015 I'm going to start today to record on a daily basis whatever happens to strike my fancy. So, it is a very cool breezy day. I just posted 5 short book reviews to The Monthly Reading Challenge. I'm suppose to put away some winter wood today from the woodpile outside but I'm playing hookey from work to write so starting this blog will get done. I'm having a daily fight with a flock of English Sparrows that are trying to take over my barn. They are making a terrible mess so they have to go. I have destroyed several nests so far they don't leave but they get out of the barn when I am around. I'm just starting the fight so I guess I don't know how far I have to go to discourage them. I'm trying not to spread myself to thin on WDC because I find so many things that are interesting here and I am trying to work on a new story. I really enjoy sitting at my desk with a cup of tea and reading blogs on WDC. |
Day 2831: August 17 Arusha,Tanzania‎ Prompt: Write a story or poem about your Miracle Experience Balloon Safaris | Serengeti https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductReview-g297913-d15883436-Miracle_Ex... Reality Balloon "Do you wanna dance and hold my hand?" Don't do it. Shuffling around inside the basket by several people will give a feeling on instability to the basket. Before we get into the basket the pilot weighed us. So, only a certain amount of people can ride depending on how much people weigh. We are told to visit a bathroom before we go. There are no bathrooms on board. The trip will probably not be more than two hours today. There are not any seats. If you cannot stand up for two hours maybe you should not go on the trip. No one will stop and let you off if you feel uncomfortable. The balloon will move in the same direction as the wind. This will seem to achieve a very serene movement. However, the balloon is kept in the air by hot air. We all know that hot air rises so the super burners will control the height of the balloon by heating the air inside it. When we need to come down the air inside the balloon will be cooled. The burners turning on and off will heat the basket and the air in the balloon. The sound of them will be noisy and will interrupt the serenity of the floating sensation by the loud sounds of the burners. The sound is like the force of shush in the air. People are fitted with safety harnesses and attached to the basket as they climb into it. Hang onto your hand holds when it takes off because there will be an abrupt jolt as the lines of the balloon stretch out to include the basket as it rises. And another jolt when the basket hits the ground on landing. If serious wind drags the balloon along the ground the basket will also be dragged. Your pilot is a master at running the burners so this won't happen. The pilot of a hot air balloon is an expert on wind currents. He rises or lowers the balloon according to how the wind currents are traveling and which air currents will take the balloon close to where he wants to go. The balloon will land wherever the wind takes it. One of the reasons you fly a balloon early in the morning is because the wind and weather currants are more stable before the sunrises high. It isn't the safest way to travel. Just a daring adventure. Good luck over the Serengeti. |
The afternoon we'll be enjoying some of the awesome amenities at our hotel before the BCoF people take us to our next adventure. We're staying at Arusha Serena Hotel and Resort Spa. When we took the unforgettable Miracle Hot Air Balloon ride, the staff were so organized. They took every precaution against Covid 19, even taking temperatures and special hand washing. We were assured that the car was also disinfected before each use. Sandra Lyn was snapping pictures, as we all were. It was startling to see the herds of animals moving below us alive. These are pictures I have seen on TV in movies and documentaries, now live below us. You know if you were standing on the ground the movement of such a large herd of zebras with their heavy weight would make the ground thunder under your feet. The guides know where to maneuver the balloon so we see the most different types of animals. The hot air balloon moves quite a bit faster than I expected. Sailing like a ship through the air. I could feel the quietness of the air flowing around us as we sailed forward. The sky was clear blue. The atmosphere dry and hot. There was a slight rise in the ground below and sparse bushes and trees. That is when we saw a pride of lions with cubs lazing around on the ground below. They did seem to notice us floating by above. Some rose from resting places looking up. A large male let out a fierce roar and trotted into some brush. Back at the Arusha we gathered for a meal where we shared pictures we had taken and impressions of the hotel and Serengeti ride. I was able to take some pictures of a tree that was totally immersed in large birds which I have not yet identified. Even while we are sitting here there are several different types of parrots chattering in the trees. I haven't seen live parrots in garden trees since I lived in the Panama Canal Zone for a few weeks in 1963. One of the interesting things about the trip was the ability to have fairly reliable WIFI even at the launch site of the Balloon ride. Perhaps more technology will have a good affect on people and there will someday be less violence in the world. The guides are very knowledgeable about the wildlife refuge and the poaching that the game wardens have to guard against always. This is certainly a beautiful environment. I'm going to be researching plant life as well as bird names and animal species. |