There is something magical in hot air balloons. Ever since I’ve seen one fly over the Masai Mara National Reserve I knew it was something I had to try. It’s seemed as a different experience of flying, calm and gentle float that dances with the wind. And sure enough it turned out to be just that. It wasn’t that simple though. My beloved hubby had tried to surprise me before with a hot air balloon ride but the weather was not right. In South African in the middle of October 2001 it was rainy and windy so our balloon ride had to be canceled. In August 2005, it was raining. But in December 28th 2005 it was a perfect day to get out of bed at 3:30 am and drive to what turned out to be one of the most beautiful gifts I could ever get. Izar took me on a hot air balloon ride :- ) . When we first approached a small airport at the western part of Massachusetts, it was early morning, still dark and I was worried that we are about to board a plane and have a surprise sky diving. For the record I should state that I am afraid of heights, so although I’ve played with the idea of sky diving, doing it in the midst of a freezing December day was not my cup of tea. But hot air balloon was!. Kate, our pilot quickly “baptized” us as her crew and with the help of Danielle and a passing stranger that was kind enough to help, we quickly took off. As Kate promises in her site http://www.loftyventures.com/ ballooning was simply a dance on a cloud. And if you are still wondering- yup it was magical. You are invited to join this adventure as it unfolded through my camera lens in this gallery.