By Hattie Klotz
There are some experiences that leave a permanent mark on the blueprint of one’s life, even as the details soften. Hot air ballooning over the red desert outside Marrakesh is one that will be seared on my retina for my remaining years on Earth.
As upwards of 50 balloons drifted into the sky, the silence of sunrise broken only by the gentle roar of the gas burning into the canopy, my heart soared, somersaulted and exalted. I have never felt such a full body high without it entailing some adrenalin-inducing, dangerous sport.
This experience was all the more intense for it being entirely last-minute. There was no preplanning, not really much anticipation for what promised to be an early rise. With no time to dwell on the agony of too little sleep, we walked quietly into the corner of Jemaa el-Fnaa square in Marrakesh, tranquil in the pre-dawn hours. That in itself was something to behold, as the heat and energy of the many thousands of people that throng the square every night lingered around the edges, even as the monkey masters and snake charmers, fresh fruit vendors and cigarette hawkers melted into the shadows.
A half-full minibus collected our group of 11 sleepy-eyed travellers and drove us at speed through Marrakesh’s palm-lined streets to the desert. Stray dogs shot across the road while a man in a dark-hued, pointed-hood robe suddenly appeared on foot roadside, popping out of the darkness. He was timeless in the grey gloaming.
We arrived to a desert camp, complete with tents, carpets thrown on the dirt, glowing braziers offering a little heat in the pre-dawn chill and cups of traditional Moroccan mint tea. We shivered in anticipation and with cold, until a co-ordinated firing of the balloon gas tanks brought us rapidly to our senses.
Each balloon is tethered to the ground and to a four-wheeled drive vehicle, towing a trailer large enough to carry the 20-person wicker basket that carries passengers. As the canopy slowly drifted to the vertical, we clambered aboard. There was a moment of tension as several strong men wrestled with ropes, but then we were suddenly and silently airborne.
All around us, colourful orbs drifted silently by. There were close to 50, reminiscent of the more famous experience to be had in Cappadocia, Turkey, where hot air ballooning over the bizarre rock formations has been a tourism staple for many years. Our Belgian pilot kept his ear to the radio and his eyes peeled for balloons that might be directly above us, or out of easy sight. After a few minutes of fervently snapping photos, I vowed to put my camera away to enjoy the experience, but with every change in light, every moment as the sun rose to the east and the colour of the sky went from black to dark blue, to purple, pink, red and orange, I was compelled to capture it. Click, click, click. Flocks of sheep below, cream coloured against the red desert earth, walled villages and olive groves were some of the few signs of life in this marginal, dry environment.
After about an hour of flight, with occasional bursts of heat from the gas, we drifted slowly to Earth, a gentle bump, bump, before coming to rest. The same crew who had helped at takeoff gathered to pin the basket to the ground, while small children appeared from nearby settlements looking for a coin or two.
We returned to camp to a traditional breakfast of Moroccan coffee, pastries, cheese and fruit, before our pilot presented each of us with a flight certificate. By now, fully awake and processing the experience, we began with the “what if” questions. However peaceful hot air ballooning may seem when one is drifting through the dawn, there is no Plan B. If something goes wrong, it’s likely to be fatal. It turns out that hot air ballooning is a dangerous activity, after all. But it’s a risk entirely worth taking.
Marrakesh is a city packed with bijou small hotels and traditional riads, many inside the ancient city walls. It’s bustling, with tourists jamming the mostly pedestrian streets, oblivious to locals trying to navigate their way through the crowds on mopeds and bicycles and with donkeys and carts. Marrakesh is a food lover’s delight, offering fantastic street food and fresh-pressed fruit juices at every turn, as well as very refined cooking found in rooftop restaurants and in some of the newer riads. It’s also the marketplace of the world; fashion, shoes, leather goods, fake designer labels, traditional crafts, natural health remedies, beauty products, pottery, carpets and so much more can be found cheek-by-jowl. For culture lovers, there are art galleries and museums, gardens, traditional riads and a former medersa—Islamic koranic school—showcasing Moroccan culture and craft. Marrakesh is a city with relentless noise and driving energy, which can quickly become tiring. A hot air balloon experience is the perfect foil.
Hot Air Ballooning: Adventure Balloon Marrakech.
adventure-balloon.com
To Stay:
Riad le Clos des Arts – Rue Riad Zitoune el Jdid, Derb Tbib 50, Marrakesh, MA 40000
leclosdesarts.com/en
Riad El Cadi – 86, 87 Derb Moulay Abdul Kader, Dabachi, Marrakesh, MA 40000
riyadelcadi.com
Izza – 46 Driba Laarida, Marrakesh, MA 40000
izza.com
To eat:
Nomad – 1, Derb Aajrane, Marrakesh, MA 40000
nomadmarrakech.com
Izza – 46 Driba Laarida, Marrakesh, MA 40000
izza.com
Kabana – 1 Rue Fatima Zahra, Marrakesh, MA 40000
kabana-marrakech.com
