In normal circumstances, the crackling sound of the 'rooster' alarm blaring from my outdated mobile phone at 3am would not bring anything close to a smile on my face.
This particular morning, however, did not require me to pull myself out of bed and get ready for work. Nor punish my body at the gym. Nor embark on yet another 2 hour drive to the airport to pick up an excited friend returning from another unforgettable overseas adventure.
For these were far from normal circumstances.
Rising at 3am on this still morning involved a quick wash with a single bucket of cold water before throwing on my long pants, t-shirt and jumper. A quick check that I had packed my spare camera battery and I was ready to go.
Jumping excitedly into the well-used green Land Rover at 330am, one could be forgiven for thinking I was in the wrong vehicle as four less than enthusiastic fellow passengers moaned about the “horrendously” early wake up time and blurted out various comments along the theme of “this had better be worth it”.
One hour later after driving into what seemed like the middle of nowhere, we exited the vehicle in complete darkness and were enthusiastically greeted by the man who would be responsible for our safety and wellbeing for the following 3 hours.
After a brief but thorough safety demonstration, we were instructed to enter another vehicle which involved laying flat on our backs with both hands holding onto sturdy ropes until we got moving. Unfortunately, not everybody was able to follow these simple instructions without causing injury to themselves or those around them. My trusty camera was kicked by a rather nervous co-passenger who was too busy talking during the safety instructions. Thankfully no damage was done to her or my camera.
Before we knew it, the burners had started and our vehicle was taking shape above us.
As we swiftly lifted from supine to erect, the sight was breathtaking. Without hesitation, I took out my camera to capture the rising sun in the distance with the silhouettes of perfectly placed Acacia trees dotted along the horizon.
Looking up, the burner of the hot-air balloon shot mesmerizing bursts of flames into the space above as dictated by our trusty pilot.
We drifted along over the boundless paths created by the animals with whom we would share this unforgettable morning.
Rising gently above a waking pack of hyena, our attention then drifted to the pair of ostrich who were stretching their long legs on a morning run.
From the stunning mix of purple and aqua hues displayed by the lilac-breasted roller flying directly below us to the black and white stripes of the numerous zebra, we were treated to a breathtaking array of animals who took no notice of the massive balloon ferrying eighteen mesmerized passengers from all parts of the world over their own stunning backyard.
Just when we thought it couldn’t possibly get any better, our pilot happily informed us that he had been able to steer us into an air stream that would take us straight over the large collection of hippopotamus, both young and old, that were enjoying their morning bath.
Seeing the reflection of the balloon in which we were travelling in a small body of still water was a gentle reminder that I was fulfilling a lifelong dream of floating peacefully over the incomparable Serengeti National Park.
How glad I was that I had not slept through my alarm several hours before.
