Tag 336 - Hot Air Balloon Ride @ Singha Park, Chiang Rai

Hello everyone,

Once again, we had an adventurous day, including a hot air balloon ride!

We had a leisurely start to the day, sleeping in, searching and booking a hotel for the night, getting ready, and packing.

We left at 12:30 PM, a little later than planned, to Singha Park in Chiang Mai (171km, 2h45min), where we had booked a sunset hot air balloon ride for today.

The journey went smoothly and we arrived at the park at 3:30 PM.

We were already expected, and a golf cart was already there so that we could explore the park for a short while! With big smiles on our faces, we walked to the golf cart, which we were allowed to drive around for 40 minutes. It was really cool! Initially, we were only semi-impressed by the park, as it was just a well-maintained park.

But then we came across a booth that offered various off-road vehicles for rent, including electric enduro bikes called "Surron" like the ones we recently got at home! Since we were short on time today, we decided to include this fun activity in our itinerary for tomorrow. Wow, tomorrow is going to be another great day!

Shortly after, our time was up, and we started heading back.

After returning the golf cart, we met a lady who accompanied us to the pilot and the balloon.

We could watch as the balloon was assembled and lifted into the air. A breathtaking sight! And it was amazing how quickly it all happened! The balloon was ready for action in less than 15 minutes!

We waited for the wind to be favorable, and at 5 PM, we took off! It's astonishing how fast the balloon can gain altitude! However, it depends on the temperature. When it's warm, it takes longer to gain altitude, and the colder it is, the faster it goes - as explained by the pilot.

We reached the maximum height of 2000 feet (610 meters) and were simply amazed by the stunning view! It was absolutely incredible! Below us were rice fields surrounded by mountains and forests, with various temples, including the White Temple and a large, golden Buddha.

The hot air balloon ride was so amazing! We truly enjoyed the flight!

After 45 minutes, we slowly and steadily started descending for the landing. We were a bit apprehensive about it, but it was incredibly smooth! Our pilot threw a rope to the employees who were already prepared on the ground (even though we didn't know where we would land, the pilot had constant radio contact with them), and they guided us. Then we entered the descent until we were gently caught by the employees.

To celebrate, we received a certificate and a bottle of Prosecco, which we enjoyed together with our pilot.

He told us some interesting things, like how he has been flying for 15 years and has already completed over 1500 flights. Also, this was his third landing at this place, and each time is different. He also told us how hot air ballooning was discovered: by accident, during an incident at a paper mill. They observed how paper was lifted into the air by the smoke and tried to build balloons out of paper. When it worked, they started with small balloons and chickens, and gradually became larger until they were tested by humans - and everyone survived.

At around 6:30 PM, we drove back to the park, said our goodbyes, and went to today's hotel in our car.

In our room, we ordered something from KFC because we didn't really feel like going out.

Now it's 8:30 PM, and we say goodbye for today 😉

Just a quick note about the photos: As you can see, we have a lot of activities here in the north, which is why we don't have much time. But on January 6th, we will continue flying, and the travel time is perfect for that ☺️

Thank you for your understanding, and see you tomorrow 😉