升空了。
「唬——唬——唬……」熱氣球的燃燒器一聲接一聲吼著，彷彿獅吼，驚懾著黎明前的非洲莽原，吊籃內的人屏息以待，觀看著「機長」比爾如何操控熱氣球，他不停地拉動著鼓風機將熱空氣打入球囊，熊熊火焰足足有二公尺高，很好玩——等火旺了，他就可以打鐵了。
「唬——」在跟我們講解過程中，比爾偶而會拉幾下鼓風機。我想是在幫氣球打氣，讓它保持在一定高度，所以「飛行」非常平穩，沒有小飛機那種讓人翻腸攪肚的噁心感。
 |
 |
在這升空剎那，吊籃內瀰漫著詭異氣氛，感覺得出來大家各有所思，我旁邊的情侶緊緊摟抱著，他們的費洛蒙就像燐火般閃爍著（這自然要像我這種失戀過多次的人才看得到），另外一對老夫婦就沒那麼親熱了（費洛蒙大概消耗光了），只是相互依偎著取暖，剩下就是，一個孤單的女人（冷若冰霜），一個落單的男人（自然是我），加上比爾，總共七人。
猜不出他們想什麼，說我的好了——我擔心，萬一氣囊漏氣、燃燒器故障、或忽起亂流，氣球會不會像張不開的降落傘急墜而下？或突然火燒起來，像顆火球掉下來？
到了某個高度，當我覺得臉頰有點冰冷時，比爾突然歇手，開口打破吊籃內的僵局，要大家自我介紹一下，來自哪個國家。
「現在大約在150公尺高，目前風速每秒1公尺……」他將儀表上的數字唸給我們後，接著講述熱氣球的「駕駛」原理。
「熱氣球並非真的被駕駛，其實它是自己隨著風飄動，我只是調整高度讓它上上下下而已，所以，我比較像是電梯操作員……」
聽了比爾的解釋，我豁然明白，原來熱氣球並沒有像飛機或飛船那種水平動力系統，所以我們在地面看到它的「飛行」，其實是氣流的帶動。換言之，整個天空，在各個不同高度，分佈著不同的氣流層。呵呵，聽起來，操控熱氣球似乎不是那麼難。 |
|
「你怎麼知道我們會飄到哪裡？」是老先生問的，他可能擔心回不了家。
我想到「天堂」，但此刻也許不是插話開玩笑的時機。
我懂了，不同的高度層代表不同的氣流層，風速和風向也不同，所以只要選擇某個高度就可以搭順風車了，但是，我突然想到——
「你說飛行速度由風速決定，為什麼我沒感覺到風的吹動呢？」
「馬上給你風。」
比爾像在表演呼風喚雨，風真的拂面吹來了。我望出籃外，發現正緩緩地往一片湖泊的方向飄落，而且一直落著，但比爾仍不動聲色，只見老夫婦面露驚恐，情侶也暫停親熱，而單身女人如大夢初醒，也跟著我往外探頭——緊接著，我們聽到吊籃碰水的聲音，還在水面拖滑了幾下，像蜻蜓點水一樣，然後又升空了。這整個過程很短暫，但都在比爾的操控中，燃燒器的火勢時大時小，拉動鼓風機的頻率也不停變換，真不知道他怎麼做到的。
我們驚起了一群水鳥，也許還破壞了某對野鴛鴦的好事。
空中獵遊，Air Safari，是搭乘熱氣球的重頭戲，讓人能從鳥類的角度去俯瞰莽原的地貌和動物生態，有別於陸地搭乘越野吉普車的獵遊。不然，光在空中飄盪，多無聊啊，你除了被迫欣賞那對情侶馬拉松式渾然忘我的親嘴，別無他法——如果在飛機上，我會央請空姐遞條毛巾、茶水的，說聲：「先生，您辛苦了，請休息一下，喝杯水、擦擦汗吧。」
我們獵遊的地區是，南非第四大的畢藍斯堡（Pilanesberg）野生動物保護區。清晨五點天未亮，我們就出發了，從賭城太陽城（Sun City）坐越野吉普車出發，頂著寒風前往位於Hartebeespoort Dam的熱氣球發射場。
起這麼早，是因為熱氣球公司的人宣稱：「在太陽剛升起或落日前一、二個小時，是熱氣球最棒的飛行時段。」本來我以為是為了看日出或夕陽才安排這種浪漫時段，現在才恍然大悟，這兩個時段的氣流和風向最穩定。
在這樣的光景下，風吹草動，其實是動物紛紛出門找吃的時機，加上不時傳來的土狼呵呵笑聲，以及空氣中散發的腐屍味，因而開車的嚮導也不敢掉以輕心把來福槍擺出來——他說要提防獅子、花豹的突襲，但依我看是要顯顯威風，擺譜勾搭我的冰霜美人。途中，他還講了一個有關笨遊客的真實故事，但很不幸這個笨遊客來自台灣，讓我聽了很不是滋味。
我懷疑那個跳出車外想幫獅子拍幾張特寫而被咬死的台灣客，已經成了本地嚮導的教材了，除了用來警告那些膽大包天的天真觀光客，也用來唬唬美人兒。
畢藍斯堡在南非享有「再造創世紀」的盛譽，本來已經沒啥動物了，後來重新野放花豹、犀牛、大象等類的大型動物，總算讓它有了生機。現在它也提供豪華級的Safari活動，到了晚上還安排祖魯族戰士舞、營火野宴（BOMA）——我參加過一回，至今還搞不清楚自己吃了什麼肉，我猜不外乎鴕鳥、疣豬、鱷魚、羚羊、水牛等等。
「飛行時，你不會感受到風的吹拂，除非我變換高度，轉換了航道……」比爾回答了我先前的問題，換了航道就會感受到氣流方向改變了。
天色漸露曙光，俯瞰的視線清楚多了，我們看到小群的角馬羚、斑馬、跳羚，但比爾並不想如先前嚇唬水鳥那般降落。
「我如果降落下去，會嚇到牠們進食，造成草原秩序大亂。那是違反規定的。」在南非人眼中，鳥類地位顯然不如草原動物。我們保持在約70公尺的地方巡航，免得讓動物聽到燃燒器的吼聲，誤以為獅子從天而降——或者我想像的，提醒動物們，上帝送人肉沙西米來囉。
其實我所知的獅子一輩子難得吼幾聲，尤其是雄獅，永遠一副筋疲力盡的樣子，哼，一夫多妻，誰知牠晚上都在忙什麼？
我們也見到幾隻禿鷹的飛翔，不知道牠們看我們是什麼？
我也揣測著冰霜美人，她不理不睬我的搭訕，到底當我是什麼？
沒關係，現在是南非洲的冬季，我就學動物冬眠靠脂肪維生，倚賴儲存的感情度過我人生的冬天。
乘坐熱氣球的心情其實頗為轉折起伏，從起飛前的興奮、升空剎那的惶恐、轉到此刻雜念沈澱，內心清醒，也許這過程就是一種自省。
氣球繼續飄流，我們並未看到期待中的花豹追逐獵物，也未見大象舉鼻呼應泰山的召喚，連長頸鹿、犀牛都消失了蹤影，只見二隻疣豬在地上打滾，不知想幹什麼事。更小的動物肉眼大概也很難看清楚，除非你有鷹眼。
沒動物可看時，比爾就聊他的飛行大夢：他想攢錢用熱氣球環球飛行一周。如同他形容的，搭乘不同的高空氣流，就像搭乘不同的航空公司環遊世界一樣。
從空中望去，莽原上草木稀疏，給人很荒涼、很靜謐的感覺，似乎與地面所見大異其趣。在地面，根據我過去經驗，簡直是十面埋伏，不知何時會竄出來什麼嚇你一跳。
太陽出來了。非洲的旭日東昇，散發出琥珀色的光輝，它雖沒攝影專輯中那麼火紅，但也夠美了。
「早餐送到了。」比爾等我們感動了幾分鐘，就表示快要落地了。他從無線電對講機接到地面的通知。
我們把握住最後時光，遠眺四周。比爾指著遠方起伏的山丘要我們看——啊，太陽城——我們看到綠洲般的「失落之城」（Lost City），也看到夢幻城堡般的皇宮旅館（The Palace），皆籠罩在光芒之中。失落之城是南非大亨科茲那（Sol Kerzner）根據非洲傳說建造的主題樂園，而皇宮是世界著名的頂級旅館，也是王子許諾公主的愛情城堡。
90分鐘的氣球之旅即將結束，比爾大略說明降落地時的狀態：「下降速度，我會控制在每秒二、三公尺以內，非常慢，所以大家不用擔心。」
但大家還是惴惴不安，這時我已看到地面工作人員觀望著氣球，瞬間，吊籃撞地、即將彈跳之際，比爾順勢撲倒籃子，幾個工作人員也圍過來幫忙，啊，我被老夫婦壓住了，情侶自成一團，冰霜美人在比爾懷中（「比爾先生，你剛剛失去了一大筆小費囉！」）。
等我爬出籃子，氣囊已經扁扁的，不知道比爾怎麼讓它消氣的？
接著，有一組人回收裝備，我們則在一旁吃他們準備的早餐，聽著車上放送的音樂，並且喝著香檳——啊，多非洲的一幕，多浪漫的一刻。香檳永遠是貴族地位的象徵，可以立即創造上流社會的氛圍。基於某種第六感，我強烈感覺這趟旅程到了尾聲，人與人的相逢也即將分道揚鑣，老夫婦回家，情侶可能結婚或分手，比爾繼續作他的飛行夢，但我和那位冰霜美人幾可確定是緣盡了。
情報連線：
1、http://www.balloon.co.za（熱氣球之旅）
2、http://www.hartbeespoortdam.com/billharrop/（熱氣球發射場）
Up we go
“ Wahhh” the hot air balloon burner roars like a lion, the sound emanating out across the pre-dawn African plain. The people in the basket are full of expectancy as they watch “Captain” Bill operate the balloon. He turns on the burner to send hot air into the balloon, the flame shooting two meters high. Looks like good fun. With a flame this fierce he could forge steel.
As we take off there is a strange atmosphere in the basket, as if everyone has something on his or her mind. The young couple next to me have their arms around each other. Their pheromone is as bright as a flame (of course, only someone who has lost a love as often as I have can see this). The other old couple are not as affectionate (probably the pheromone has all faded), they are just stood close to each other to keep warm. The other people are a young woman on her own (cold as frost) and a man, also alone (myself, of course). Including Bill, that makes eight people in total in the basket.
I don't know what they are thinking so I'll tell you what I am thinking--I am worried that if the balloon leaks, the burner malfunctions or we hit air turbulence, it will fall to earth like a man with a parachute that doesn't open? Or will it suddenly burst into flame and fall from the sky like a fireball?
At a certain height when I begin to feel my cheeks grow cold, Bill suddenly stops and speaks, breaking the silence in the basket, asking everyone to introduce himself or herself.
“We are now at an altitude of about 150 meters and wind speed is about one meter per second”, he says reading from the instruments. Then, he explains the principles of hot air balloon driving.
“A hot air balloon is not really driven, it actually moves with the wind and all I do is adjust altitude which makes me more like a lift operator”.
Listening to Bill, I suddenly understand that, unlike with a plane or an airship, a hot air balloon does not have the power for horizontal movement, so when we see a balloon “flying” from the ground, actually it is being carried by the air current. Ha, ha, it seems that operating a hot air balloon is not so difficult.
As he talks to us Bill occasioning pulls on the blower, I think to add some extra hot air to the balloon and keep it at a certain height, so that we fly at a steady height and we aren't shaken up and made to feel sick like in a plane.
“ How do you know where we will float to?” asks he old man, maybe afraid that he won't return home.
I think of saying “heaven”, but this is no time to interject with a joke.
“According to the direction of the place we are headed to I chose a suitable altitude and wind direction” says Bill. Before take off ground staff test the wind speed. If the weather is changeable and wind speed can't be predicted then flying is abandoned. It is also important that wind speed does not exceed six meters per second.”
I understand, different altitudes equal different air current layers and different wind speeds and wind directions. So all that is needed is to choose a certain altitude and a lift can be taken on a particular air current. However, I suddenly thought…
“You said flying speed is decided by wind speed, so how come I don't feel the wind”?
“You can have some wind now”
It seems that Bill is giving a show of calling up wind and rain because I can feel the wind blow immediately. I look out of the basket to find that we are slowly heading for a lake and descending all the time. Bill, however, is not fazed, but the old couple look worried and the young couple temporarily stop being affectionate. The single woman seems to wake up from a dream and looks with me out of the basket, just as we hit the water and skim across like a dragonfly. We then take off again. The whole process is very fast and I don't know how Bill, who was busying changing the size of the flame and frequency he used the blower, did it.
We scare a flock of water birds, which took to the sky. Perhaps we have spoiled things for a pair of lovey-dovey Mandarin ducks.
Air Safari is one of the highlights of balloon travel. From a bird's eye view you have a view of the African plain and the wildlife on it, having a different experience to the jeep or other vehicle-based safari. Otherwise, just floating in the sky would be so boring. Apart from being forced to watched the never-mind-the-others marathon kiss of the young couple, there would be nothing to do. If I was on a plane I would ask the stewardess for towels and tea and have her say to me “Sir, it's hard for you. Have a rest and a drink”.
We are floating over South Africa's fourth largest game reserve, Pilanesberg. We set off before dawn at 5am from Sun City and headed for the hot air balloon port at Hartesbeesport Dam.
We were going so early because the hot air balloon company staff member had said “The best times to take a flight are just after dawn and just before sunset”. I thought this was to see the sunrise or sunset but now I realize it was best because air currents and wind speed are at their most stable at these times.
This time is when the animals look for food. As we rode in the car we can hear rustling sounds in the roadside bush and the occasional laugh of a hyena and smell rotting flesh in the air. The guide is taking no chances and is armed with a rifle. He says it is to guard against attack by lions or cheetah, but I think he actually just wants to look cool and get to know my Ice Beauty. He tells us a real story about stupid tourists. Unfortunately, these idiots were from Taiwan and I feel uncomfortable hearing it.
I think it is likely that the story of the Taiwanese girl who got out of her car to take some pictures of lions and was bitten to death is used as teaching material for local guides. In addition to being used to warn brave but naive tourists, it is also used to scare beautiful women.
Pilanesberg is known as “Genesis Revisited” in South Africa. To begin with, there were not many wild animals there, but then large animals including cheetah, rhino and elephants etc were released and began to breed. Today, it offers a luxury safari experience. In the evening a zulu dance show and a campfire dinner (boma) are arranged. I once went to a boma and to this day I don't know what meat I ate. I think it was probably ostrich, warthog crocodile, antelope and water buffalo etc.
“When we are flying you won't feel the wind, unless I change the altitude and flight path” says Bill in response to the question I had asked earlier.
As daylight gradually approaches we have a better view of what is below and can see small groups of gnu antelope, zebra and springbok. This time Bill doesn't want to go down like we did earlier when we scared the water birds.
“If we land we will scare them off their food and upset the natural order which is against the rules”. Clearly, in South Africa birds do not have the same position as plains animals. We fly along at a height of about 70 metes, high enough to prevent the animals hearing the roar of the burner and have them think that a lion is descending from the sky, or, I thought, to tell the animals that human meat sashimi is being sent by God.
Actually, lions in my experience do not roar very often at all in their lives, especially males which always seem to be exhausted. Lion society is polygamous, so who knows what they get up to at night?
We also saw a couple of vultures circling. Wonder what they think of us?
I guessed that Ice Beauty would ignore me if I tried to chat her up. What exactly does she think of me?
Never mind. It is winter in South Africa now. I have learned from animals that live by burning up their fat reserves in winter, and I'm using up the feelings I have stored up in the past to get me through life's winter.
Actually, the mood swings frequently when you are in a balloon. You have the excitement of pre-take off preparations, the fear of the moment you take off, then random thoughts and contemplation, then inner awakening. Perhaps the whole process is one of self-reflection.
The balloon continues forward but we don't see the scenes of cheetah chasing prey we had hoped for, nor an elephant calling with raised trunk for Tarzan. We don't even see a giraffe or a rhino. All I see are two warthogs rolling in the dust, but I'm not sure what they are doing. Smaller animals are difficult to see from the air I guess, unless you have eagle eyes.
When there are no animals to see Bill talks of his dream of flying. He wants to save money to fly around the world in a hot air balloon in one week. As he describes it, taking various high altitude air currents is like traveling around the world on different airlines.
Looking out over the plains, grass and trees are scarce, giving off a desolate and tranquil feel that contrasts with the reality on the ground, which in my experience is full of danger when you never know what will appear to scare you.
The sun is up. The African gives off opal like light. Although it's not as spectacularly beautiful as you see in photography books, it is still beautiful.
“Breakfast is here” says Bill after receiving notification on his walkie-talkie. A few minutes later he tells us we will soon land.
Taking the last opportunity, we look all around. Bill point towards rolling hills in the distance and we see Sun City----we can see the oasis-like Lost City and the dream castle-like The Palace Hotel. The Lost City is a theme park that was built by a South African tycoon Sol Kerzner according to an African legend. The Palace is a world famous luxury hotel and is like the romantic castle where the prince proposed to the princess.
The 90-minute hot air balloon ride is coming to an end. Bill briefly describes what landing will be like-“I will control landing speed to around 3–4 meters a second, very slow, so no need to worry.”
However, everyone is still nervous. I then see the ground staff watching the balloon and, in an instant, the basket touches down. Just as it is about to rebound, Bill presses it down with his body, quickly helped by several ground staff. Ouch, I have been squashed by the old couple and the young lovers are tangled together. Ice Beauty is in Bill's arms (Bill, you just lost a big tip!)
By the time I crawl from the basket, the balloon is flat, but I have no idea how Bill released the air
Then, a team recovers the equipment as we eat the breakfast they have prepared, listen to the music coming from the car and also drink champagne. How Africa, how romantic. Champagne has always been the symbol of luxury and can instantly create a high-class atmosphere. With a kind of sixth sense I feel that the trip is coming to an end and that we will soon all go our separate ways, the old couple going home, the young lovers marrying or splitting up, Bill continuing to chase his dream of flight and Ice Beauty and I never seeing each other again. |
