I’ve always wanted to go up in a hot air balloon.  I can remember even as a little girl wanting to give it a go.  And when I read Jody Mace’s story about doing it in Phoenix, I knew I had to find a way to try it as soon as possible.  And when a trip to Marrakech, Morocco came up, I thought, what better place to do it than in the deserts around the city?

Still, I had a few concerns.  Well, one big one, anyway.  And that was doing it with my four-year-old in tow.  Would Chet be able to handle it?  Would going 1000 meters up in the air be too scary for him?  Would there be a way for him to try to jump out?  Would I be able to enjoy it if I was worried the whole time about what he was up to?  Or worst of all, could going up in a balloon prove to be too boring to entertain him for a couple of hours?

But I made a reservation with Ciel D’Afrique anyway.  And I’m so glad I did.

We had a fabulous time.  As it turned out, Chet had no qualms about the height.  The noise of the gas flames, however, were a bit disconcerting to him at first.  But after holding his hands over his ears for a while (and the quick application of a juice box and some Toy Story fruit snacks), he soon got over it.  And I had no need to worry about him falling out either.  With small windows in the basket, Chet was able to easily check out the view without getting close to the edge.  I could look out, talk to my fellow riders, take photos to my heart’s delight and only worry about stepping on him.

As for the scenery?  It was absolutely beautiful.  After watching the sun rise in the desert, we flew for a little over an hour an a half, with amazing views of the city, the desert and the nearby Atlas mountains.  I could have stayed up there forever.

And the boring question?  Well, I’ll be honest.  Chet did start to flag towards the end of the ride.  But it was nothing that an iPhone couldn’t fix.  For the last 20 minutes, Chet decided that watching “Bolt” for the 4,356th time was more interesting than the view.  Apparently, the iPhone is a lifesaver for all kinds of travel.

And that’s a fact I think may just come in hand in the future.  Because I plan on going up in a hot air balloon again.  With Chet.  And soon.

Full of Hot Air: A Travel Savvy Mom Production from TravelSavvyMom on Vimeo.

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