This spring, we took a trip to Mexico City. The highlight of our trip? Definitely the hot air balloon ride we took with Flying Pictures. It was breathtaking, it was out of this world, and it was terrifying all at once. If you’re going to Mexico City, I one hundred percent recommend going on a hot air balloon ride. Let me tell you more.
Our shuttle to the hot air balloon lift off site picked us up early, at around 4:30-5:00, so that we could catch the beautiful view of the sunset while on the hot air balloon. Let me just tell you in advance, it was worth it.
Once we arrived, we checked in relatively easily, and we were briefed on basic things, like how much the photos and videos cost. Flying pictures offered three optional options for capturing our experience, drone videos, gopro photos, and photos by a photographer. We were not expected to choose which ones right away, so we chose to wait until our ride in the hot air balloon was done, look at our options, and then go from there.
While waiting for our hot air balloon to be set up, they offered a complimentary coffee and cookie bar, which was part of the hot air balloon experience. There were chairs, and the area was nice and toasty, as they had some lamps with fire inside, casting a warm glow, which was both relaxing and helpful, as due to it being so early, it was really cold.
We were eventually led to our hot air balloon, where we learned about the landing position that we needed to be in. We watched as fire was bursted up into the balloon, which made it go different ways, like left and right, forward and backward., There were four engines, and each one spurted up fire in different directions, which helped it move in different ways.
As the hot air balloon was lifted in the air, and we went higher and higher, I was in awe but also terrified of the ground below me. But all I needed to do was stare straight into the horizon, where there were so many other hot air balloons basking in the orange glow of the sunrise, and I was instantly put at ease. Although the air around me was cold, something about the scenery around me made me feel calmer.
Our ride was short, but from my place in the sky, I saw so many different things, such as the houses below us, crops and farms, and roads and cars. In the distance, I could see mountains concealed by the sky and thin layers of clouds, maybe a bit of fog laced into the sky, so far away but it was so peaceful.
As our hot air balloon advanced further, we saw the sights of the most famous pyramids in Teotihuacan, the pyramid of the moon, the most important and oldest one and the pyramid of the sun, the biggest one. Our hot air balloon merely glided over the pyramid of the sun, and I almost expected that we were going to land on top of the pyramid, just because of how close we had gotten to it.
Overall, the hot air balloon experience was an experience that many words wouldn’t even begin to describe. It was ethereal, it was breathtaking, and even those words don’t really give it enough justice. The clear expanse of the orange, yellow, and pink skies were somehow serene, and not to mention the historical structures, and the other hot air balloons in the air? It was something out of the books, I’ll say.