Up, Up, and Away

As I explained in the last post, Alejandro and I took a weekend excursion to Teotihuacán which is located about 30 miles to the north of Mexico City.  We did not go there, however, to visit the archaeological site dominated by the massive Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon.  We have both been there many times.  We wanted to take one of the hot air balloon rides that fly over the pyramids at dawn.

There are numerous companies that offer these rides.  I wrote to one of my former students who had taken a balloon ride while on a trip to Mexico City with her husband and friends. I asked her for the name of the company they used.  She wrote back that they booked with a firm called "Aerodivertí", and she recommended them.  I checked out the company's website.  They are certified by the Federal Civil Aviation Agency of Mexico and all of their pilots have commercial licenses.  (There have been some accidents in the past with uncertified companies.) 

I made reservations for us for a basic flight.  You can reserve an excursion that includes transportation to and from Mexico City, a buffet breakfast after the flight, and a guided tour of the archaeological site, but we really didn't want any of those extras.  The flights leave at dawn, which is why we chose to spend the previous night at a nearby hotel in Teotihuacán.  We would not have to get up at quite such an outrageously early hour.

On Sunday morning we got up shortly before 5 o'clock, took a quick shower and dressed, and drove four miles to Aerodivertí's "balloon port".  We were dressed very warmly because the temperature that morning was only 38 degrees Fahrenheit.

When we arrived it was still dark, and the full moon was in the western sky.

    

There were already a lot of people inside the waiting area.  We registered and were told that our balloon was named "Hapi".  We would be called when our balloon was ready.  As the pre-dawn sky brightened, we could see the balloons being inflated for the morning's flights.

    

We were called to go outside and board our balloon.  The moon was setting in the west next to the Pyramid of the Sun.

The only unpleasant aspect to the entire experience was climbing into and out of the basket... a bit of a challenge for this old geezer.  The dozen passengers were an international mix.  In addition to Mexicans, there were visitors from China and Spain.  There was also a group that was speaking German.

Once everyone was on board, we awaited our turn to take off.

Alejandro took a selfie of the two of us.

Up we go, joining the flotilla of balloons headed toward the Pyramid of the Sun.

In the audio background you can hear the pop music in English that they played during the flight (something they could eliminate in my opinion) and the blasts of flame that keep the balloon heading upward.

More to come...