Balloons Over the Serengeti

Our chariot is readied for a flight

All those going on the dawn balloon ride, were by necessity up, dressed & sipping coffee in the main tent in the wee hours. It was quite dark when the van picked us up, and it was an hour or so for us to get to balloon launch area. But along the way my sleepy eyes stared out of the van window, for any sign of wildlife. A few times I saw small rodents scurrying around - at least I think they were rodents. It was a HUMONGOUS treat when the drivers stopped to throw a spotlight on tiny little antelopes. The sprites had miniscule hooves and one of them did a small jump to higher boulder. 

Klipspringer is Kiswahili for "Goat of the Rocks" 

Klipspringers are probably the last species of antelope I expected to see. The Klipspringers, true to form, were seen on rocks, their true habitat. The only other night dwelling animals we saw were children of the night - Hyenas. 

Hyenas out  doing their nocturnal 'thing'

Really, as so much wildlife is nocturnal, it is amazing to think how much isn't observed because as humans we prefer to do our wildlife viewing by day.

We all knew we were at the launching site when colorful balloons - mostly still atop the soil - were spotted. We loitered around while the balloons were readied and all had their last potty break of the morning in a tiny little tent outfitted with a teeny portapotty. 

The balloon I went up in being readied.

Dawn sky over the Serengeti

This wasn't my first rodeo... I mean, my first balloon ride. My cousins and I took our virgin balloon rides in Arizona to celebrate my cousin Carol's birthday. So I was pretty sure I was going to make all the others getting into the balloon basket look like rank amatures. Yeah, right. 

I kept looking around the balloon basket muttering, 'Where's the step platform?' Then it was Ila's turn to get into the massive balloon basket. The only physical aid to getting into the basket were little openings to put one's feet in, to climb up the side

Our balloon captain nimbly shows all
how easy it is to get in & out of the basket

of the basket. I watched Ila struggling while thinking to myself, "Oh, piece of cake!". Then it was my turn. I shimmied slowly up the side of the basket, then to discover I'd 'run out of foot holds' and I wasn't high enough, up side of the basket to get my leg over the basket rim. My face heated with embarrassment. Then a couple of the balloon crew came over, and 'helpfully' pushed my leg over the basket rim, and down into the basket I went. PLOP!

Soon all were aboard, the captain pulled the rope that turned on the roaring flames filling the balloon with hot air, lifting us skyward.

Itty bitty Giraffe with her calf

Not so itty bitty elephants with v. itty bitty calves

Seeing elephants from such a height was a thrill for us, and a frightening sight for the elephants. The 'emergency Elephant WTF plan was for the adult pachyderms to race off, with a line of the babies behind them. All of us passengers on the balloon felt rather guilty for upsetting the elephants. When we 'disturbed' a second herd, the giant matriarch elephant stood her ground and TRUMPETED at us! I really thought I'd got that on video, but I guess I was too stupefied to run my camera and alas - no movies of the mighty roars. 

None of the other wildlife seemed at all bothered by the presence of balloons overhead. I guess when you have intellect, there is a tendency to use it to panic. I mean, elephants have enough brain power to imagine the balloons might be a source of deadly mischief. 

Zebras 

I didn't let the altitude stop me from birding. I spotted several birds, including a Sacred Ibis on the wing. 

The Rock Outcropping

We drifted over a rock outcropping that had hidden springs welling up among the rocks. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw three small black chicken-ish birds, walking along the rocks. 

They came creeping out of the grass

Three Black Crakes 

I thought the Crakes were damned near as exciting as the elephants! There was also a nice big Marabou Stork visible near one of the tourist encampments. 

 all the close ups were telescopic views

There were so much wildlife to view from a lofty height, but about an hour in, we came in for a landing. On Balloon rides, the basket that holds all is deprived of hot air, so it comes down at a slow pace, ending in bumps, with a ground crew racing in to help stop the basket's movement. That meant, next up was getting OUT of the basket! That was no more graceful than getting in had been. I climbed to the rim of the basket, and puzzled how I was going to turn around and get my foot into the toeholds without falling. 

Wouldn't you know, a tall man walked over and held out his arms, motioning for me to just make a jump down. I thought "Oh! You poor guy!" Then I jumped. Poor man! He had steel bands for muscles. 

Our flight over, and all the passengers and crew safe on solid ground, the balloon captain opened a celebratory bottle of champagne. Everyone's glass was soon full of champagne, orange juice, or in cases like mine, both, being a lovely Mimosa. 

The champagne and stemmed glasses lined up for our post-flight salute

As I sipped my mimosa, I felt a ticklish sensation on my right calf, which I ignored because the grounds men took up a raucous and tuneful song which they sang for us all with great enthusiasm. Of course they sung in Swahili, but I was able to pick out a couple of words, which I sang with vigor... Hakuna Ma-ta-ta! 

Following the celebrational song, we loaded up in the vans and headed to our post flight breakfast. A full morning buffet was set up some miles away, and being hungry by that time, we all dug right in. As we chatted over our coffees and savories, again, I felt a strange sensation in my, uh... slacks, and with annoyance I thought to myself, 'Great! A new malady to complain about on my next checkup.' 

As soon as I finished my breakfast I was off chasing birds again. I didn't do badly! I saw a massive looking bird fly into the tree branches overhead. It was a HORNBILL! Could not believe I was seeing a hornbill. It was beautiful and larger than a Common Raven. 

African Gray Hornbill

Great Spotted Cuckoo

On the far side of the plain another large bird perched. I thought it might be a hawk, but nope. It was a HUGE Cuckoo! 

I think I could have stayed at this particular spot all day as it was birdy saturated. There were all sorts of Starlings, weaverbirds and such flitting about. But soon were were herded back into the vans.

We were driven to a visitor center at the Serengeti National Park. There the various balloon groups met up with their separate tour groups again.  

 D'Arnaud's Barbet

We were all released so we could make use of the rest room, which I did as quickly so as to chase the local birds around. I found nesting swallows - but couldn't get photos that would let me identify them later. Oh well! Then I spotted a strange little bird, around the corner from where my group's van sat. I crept up on the bird and got several photos. Then - again - I felt a strange sensation in my trousers. It felt like an involuntary nerve movement. I stuck my hand down the back of my, um... underpants and felt something... something rather leathery - and... HOLY CRAP! SNAKE! Grabbing it, I pulled out of my panties and stared at it... I identify things, it's what I do dang it! In my hand was a baby skink. I dropped it and then cursed myself for doing so, as I - I'd blown my chance for a photo of my panty companion. By this point I was not only laughing myself silly, but I wanted to share my discovery. I went back by the van and there told someone my skink story but nearby a lady was seated on a folding chair. She looked like a local. She heard my tale and began to laugh so hard she nearly fell out of her chair. Now THAT was the correct behavior on hearing a 'Skink in my underpants' story. 

African Blue-tailed Skink [Trachylepis quinquetaeniata pantyraideri]

At this point you'd imagine I'd had all the surprises the day could possibly hold, but the fun was only getting started. I walked around the van, and up on the van's rear antenna... was that a BAT! I thought I couldn't be possibly lucky enough to see a bat, but it was absolutely not an ex-bat. It was glommed onto the van antenna and I assumed it must be stuck. It moved around quite a lot. I had to share! I dragged over one of the local tour guides. I told him the poor bat was stuck, could he free it from the antenna? 

He looked at me like I was... you'll pardon my language... bat $hite crazy. He said, 'I don't want to get bitten'. I looked at him like, 'It's an honor to get bit while rescuing wildlife'. I must have turned on the 'puppy eyes', because fetching a stick, he gingerly tried coax the bat from it antenna perch. But it was quite the challenge - If he gently pulled at one of the bat's feet, the bat then gripped the antenna with it's wings. If the man hooked the bat's torso, it held tightly onto the antenna with its feet. It was soon quite clear, the bat was not stuck, it had just chosen the antenna as a pleasant spot to sit.  

I managed to get less than a minute of the bat on video. And already knew it would be probably impossible for me to identify the bat's species, but at least we... the bat and I... would have our memories. At last, caught under a towel, and the man gingerly released the bat. I must say, rabies aside, I was sad I didn't get a shot at holding our tiny winged friend.  

Skink-in-panties, bat-on-an-antenna antics complete, all loaded into appropriate vans, we went in search of wildlife.

Had enough of the day? No, you haven't. Today was a big day so today's post deserves a Part II. But no worries, you haven't seen the day's video. The vid below contains the early morning balloon ride and at the end, I couldn't bring myself to cut out the song by the Balloon Workman. The full video is so worth a watch.