{"id":584,"date":"2014-07-15T02:27:59","date_gmt":"2014-07-15T02:27:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.photoparadiso.com\/africa2014\/?p=584"},"modified":"2014-08-05T02:04:35","modified_gmt":"2014-08-05T02:04:35","slug":"day-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.photoparadiso.com\/africa2014\/?p=584","title":{"rendered":"Day 5"},"content":{"rendered":"
June 5, 2014: The Story<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0Photo Gallery<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0Videos<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Mobile Gallery<\/a><\/div>\n

It\u2019s almost sunrise, and we see three sprawling, rumpled masses of fabric being injected with a long\u00a0furnace blast of air. Balloon mouths yawn and their bodies swell. Once our own hot air balloon is ready, we comically climb sideways into the basket that is tipped over on its\u00a0sides; this is one of the largest passenger balloons in the world, and the basket walls are too tall for the conventional way of entering. We sit like astronauts in a shuttle, facing skyward. The ground crew disengages from our basket, the balloons rise upward, and we\u2019re tugged upright and off.<\/p>\n

A bit fearful of heights, I was relieved to find the hot air balloon ride relaxing. Gliding\u00a0over the Serengeti, Jeff and I enjoy the aerial perspective of\u00a0the plains. From here, we see long stretches of muddy hippo footprints. Tiny gazelles bouncing and darting frantically. The skeletal remains of a huge kill, bones dragged out and evenly dispersed from an imagined center where a lion or hyena hunt ended. As we reach 1,000 feet, the ground details diminish and the beauty of the Serengit<\/em> (“endless plains”)\u00a0takes over. It\u2019s amazing to see just how far a horizon can be seen\u00a0in this part of the world.<\/p>\n

Upon landing, we are treated to a champagne toast by our pilots and driven to a picturesque site for a full English breakfast. It’s also an opportunity to meet other passengers from around the world and share their sightings and experiences on their own safaris so far.<\/p>\n

Later would be our last night at the Serengeti Nyumba campsite before we head for the Ngorongoro Crater, and I\u2019m sad to leave. Luckily, we are treated to another sunset whose remaining light\u00a0splashes everything in gold, peach, and orange. I cling to every last delight of the camp before the sun disappears and I take as many shots as possible, much to the displeasure of a (thankfully, faraway) glaring wildebeest who huffs and snorts territorially at me.<\/p>\n

-k<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n