The hot, sunny day we spent at the Great Zimbabwe ruins all came to an end when we reached Norma Jeane's Lake View Resort a few kilometres along the road. Set on a wooded hillside in spectacularly colourful gardens we look out on to Lake Mutirikwe, a man-made lake formed by damming the Kyle River. The start of the rainy season has beaten us. However, we believed it would be worth staying here a few days as Norma Jeane and her Receptionist, Philip, were so helpful when they learned we wanted Zimbabwe to be Chris's 100th country. They arranged for Chris to visit the local police to obtain permission for flying and this was readily given.
All that remained was for the weather to improve. A forecast yesterday for this morning's wind direction indicated a possible slot. With the nearby lake and wooded granite outcrops there are not a lot of landing options apart from along the main road back towards the ruins. We had been denied permission to fly near the National Monument. The Oasis truck had arrived here last night in a torrential rain storm so we had plenty of bystanders and help at 5am for preparing the balloon in the tight space between the trees. It had not rained during the night but a beautiful rainbow heralded more to come. Once upright, Chris did his usual checks and found there was a knot in one of the parachute lines, so we had to deflate to clear the problem. 2nd time round all went well but as we took off it began to rain, and the direction was not as previously tested. Ahead all we could see were hills and trees. With relief, as we climbed, a long valley appeared before us with a school at the far end. The rain stopped and Philip radio'ed that he was following us in the pickup. Another heavy shower cooled the balloon significantly but we stayed on track for the school, attracting a crowd of excited pupils. Philip appeared in the field below so we had a gentle touchdown after 25 rather anxious minutes in the air. The schoolmaster rounded up the kids and returned to school so we had a quiet pack away. I was surprised that the journey back took a long time and the sand road was nearly all up hill. We arrived back at Norma Jeane's both feeling a little 'shell shocked'. 100 countries flown: congratulations Chris.
All that remained was for the weather to improve. A forecast yesterday for this morning's wind direction indicated a possible slot. With the nearby lake and wooded granite outcrops there are not a lot of landing options apart from along the main road back towards the ruins. We had been denied permission to fly near the National Monument. The Oasis truck had arrived here last night in a torrential rain storm so we had plenty of bystanders and help at 5am for preparing the balloon in the tight space between the trees. It had not rained during the night but a beautiful rainbow heralded more to come. Once upright, Chris did his usual checks and found there was a knot in one of the parachute lines, so we had to deflate to clear the problem. 2nd time round all went well but as we took off it began to rain, and the direction was not as previously tested. Ahead all we could see were hills and trees. With relief, as we climbed, a long valley appeared before us with a school at the far end. The rain stopped and Philip radio'ed that he was following us in the pickup. Another heavy shower cooled the balloon significantly but we stayed on track for the school, attracting a crowd of excited pupils. Philip appeared in the field below so we had a gentle touchdown after 25 rather anxious minutes in the air. The schoolmaster rounded up the kids and returned to school so we had a quiet pack away. I was surprised that the journey back took a long time and the sand road was nearly all up hill. We arrived back at Norma Jeane's both feeling a little 'shell shocked'. 100 countries flown: congratulations Chris.
No comments:
Post a Comment