Flying in a hot air balloon over the Pyramids does sound magical. And on our trip to Mexico last month – we booked a hot air balloon ride over Teotihuacan Pyramids.
It was a once in a lifetime experience – lifting off the ground in a big basket, flying over the cactus fields onto the mighty pyramids in Teotihuacan. Teotihuacan which means – the place where the gods were created – is situated about an hour’s drive from Mexico City. ‘It was built between the 1st and 7th centuries A.D. and is characterized by the vast size of its monuments – in particular, the Temple of Quetzalcoatl and the Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon, laid out on geometric and symbolic principles’, as per the the World Heritage convention website https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/414/ .
As per our booking, we had a pickup scheduled for 5.30 in the morning from our hotel and we were in Teotihuacan by 6.30 at the hot air balloon takeoff location. The balloons were glowing and getting ready for another flight over the pyramids. And coffee was a perfect start to a chilly morning just before we headed to the field to get in the basket for the lift-off.
Settled into the basket while the burner was fueling the balloon with hot air and as it works the heated air inside the balloon becomes lighter than the cool air outside & the balloon begins to float upwards. We were in the air within minutes and there begin our incredible hot air balloon ride.
A sight to behold it was – when we started soaring above and closer to the pyramids – seeing the pyramids from that height is breathtaking and you get a clear idea of the two pyramids set with the backdrop of the mountains.
We got a 360 degree view of the city of Teotihuacan and also of the pyramids which were built so symmetrically even in ancient times with no latest technology. The pyramid of the sun looked majestic as we floated above it getting to see all the sides and the perfect angels.
It was magical with the beautiful sun rising from behind the mountain range lighting up the sky. That made for a beautiful view for a family picture and the go pro cameras around the balloon made that work super easy. We were in the air for about an hour before the balloon started to descend and we were almost touching the trees below within a few minutes. And the final touchdown required all of us to crouch down in the basket to help with the landing and it was a lovely one. We were able to jump out of the basket once the basket was fully on the group and the balloon had deflated. And then it was time for a bubbly, yes as per the tradition – the pilot popped a bottle of champagne to celebrate the good flight and it was a wrap – Salud !!
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