What a grand way to celebrate a birthday, in a hot air balloon over Luxor with about a thousand others! (Not really; it just seemed that way.)
No need to worry about falling over in the basket since we were about as crushed as Metro riders at rush hour. (When commuters used to ride Metro. Auuuggghh! (Private DC joke.))
No fatalities, ever! Said Tarek, the tour guide. The name of the balloon "pilot in command" on the certificate says "AMR," and he was expert at guiding and driving the balloon, ascending and descending.
(Dear Reader, I hope you are not going to skip a trip to Egypt because you are afraid. (Two husbands on our Odysseys tour stayed home because they were afraid. Their wives came without'em. Well, actually one husband stayed home to job hunt which, I suppose, qualifies for an excuse to skip Egypt, but his wife said he was afraid, too.)
Anyway, Egypt is a bargain, folks, with all the sights you've learned about since childhood. You would not believe how far a dollar stretches, like for parchment bookmarks! (10 for one dollar. People I don't even know are asking me for bookmarks.)
The Egyptians are so welcoming! It's nice to visit a country where Americans are liked and wanted and the subject of street greetings: "Hallo! Hallo!" shout the children in their British accents on their way to school. Dear Reader, if you are scared by terrorists, the terrorists win. Besides, you could die at home, in your kitchen or bathroom. Better to be in Egypt, having a good time and doing what you have dreamed about before you go kerplunk. Write and I'll tell you more.)
To reach the balloon liftoff, we were up well before dawn to catch the sunrise (and the balloon). This is one of those "have to do" things before you die.
Right underneath those flames, it's a mite warm. The workers covered the tops of their heads with their hands. Hmmm....
Photo by Patricia Leslie These fellows worked with the truck driver on our liftoff. I think the balloon was attached by ropes to the truck which backed up and pulled on the attachments as we took off, but I really don't know what I am talking about, just observing. The crew required for ballooning is huge! We always felt safe.
The fellow on the right steered this ship in the air, our captain of the sky. Well qualified and confident. More than once he said his balloon gave us a better, longer ride than the competitors in the sky (about six or seven other balloons). He did skim the tree tops and descend and escalate more than the others, I observed, because he must have known it was my birthday, and we were on the best ship in the sky. (Hod - Hod Soliman on Television Street in Luxor.)
Photo by Patricia LeslieSome of the competitors.
King Tut's is one tomb open at this time. When you descend into the tomb, you can see his mummy under a white covering, lying inside heavy duty plastic or a glass case with his head and feet exposed. He was only 18 when he died and assumed the throne when he was nine or ten. He was the son of a brother and a sister, and King Tut married his half sister, a practice not unusual then but inbreeding led to early deaths.
Dear King Tut, I think you win the prize for Most Accomplishments in a Lifetime. I am reading The Murder of Tutankhamen: A True Story by Bob Brier (although I understand most scholars now believe Tut died naturally) and my boss lady loaned me Howard Carter's Tomb of Tutankhamen which is hard to put down.
Photo by Patricia Leslie
Here comes the sun! here comes the sun
And I say it's all right
Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter
Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
And I say it's all right
Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
And I say it's all right
(Thank you, Beatles)
patricialesli@gmail.com
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