The slow ascent to serenity

Dubai - At its highest point, a hot air balloon gives you a 360-degree view of Dubai without a single skyscraper in sight

"You should only look worried when I look worried. Luckily for you, I never look worried."
Ascending at a rate of three metres per second, pilot-in-command, Peter Kollar, is relaxed and jovial. His laid back but alert attitude is the perfect remedy to ease any passenger's worry.
My location: Somewhere above Dubai's vast golden desert.
My mode of transport: The oldest successful human-carrying flight technology - the hot air balloon.
The 1700s bore witness to the hot air balloon's first untethered flight performed by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes. Nowadays, it sits on the bucket lists of many.
High flying
It's 6am and as we hover about 2,000ft above billions of glittering sand grains, the deep orange sun begins to peer over the horizon.
Nestled in a large suspended wicker basket below a huge balloon-shaped envelope, our naturally air conditioned, 360-degree view seat beats any first class cabin on board a plane.
"We call this the A-380 of the ballooning world," Kollar says.
As we continue climbing at a rate of 30kmph, Kollar radios through to Dubai Airports traffic control tower.
"Approach balloon bravo Oscar bravo. We are climbing to 4,000ft," he tells them.
Within a few seconds, a crackling voice can be heard over the radio. "One zero zero four, bravo sky bravo."
Adhering to very strict guidelines, Kollar touches base with the air traffic controllers every morning, and their radio response means one thing. "Dubai Airports are aware of our presence guys, so we are all safe."
As the ground below continues to move further away, all that can be heard is the occasional roar from the on-board gas cylinder which is used to heat the envelope and keep the balloon afloat. The mood is calming, the air silent and the view stretches as far as the eye can see. There is not a skyscraper in sight.
For many on-board the flight, this experience is a 'first'. But for Kollar, this is part of his daily routine - his "office in the sky", as he calls it.
"I couldn't pinpoint one thing that I like about this job anymore but I can tell you what keeps me going: The freedom. I love the fact that I am outdoors. I love the fact that every flight is a challenge."
An experienced hot air balloon pilot for more than 24 years, Hungary-born Kollar has more than 3,000 flights under his belt.
But with the weather playing a crucial role in the success of any flight, he says the expectation is always uncertain - and this is what he loves.
"The most important part of being a hot air balloon pilot is the technical aspect of flying. The weather is always changing, so I always have to be prepared. The fun part of flying is making people happy."
In his 11 years flying in Dubai, he has served more than 9,100 passengers.
"This is now one of the biggest activities in Dubai and ballooning is one of the safest and most gentle ways of flying."
Bouts of nostalgia
Along with skydiving, bungee jumping and shark cage diving, hot air ballooning can often been seen on the bucket lists of the world's adrenaline junkies. Its biggest appeal according to Kollar is the nostalgic connotations.
"As kids, we all dream of flying like Pater Pan. The sensation inside a hot air balloon is very much like this. You can barely feel a thing, so it throws you back to those childhood dreams."
Operating about eight months of the year with Balloon Adventures Emirates, Kollar is one of few such pilots practising here in the UAE - and the company is the only active ballooning experience across all seven emirates.
As we continue to soar above the desert plains reaching our 4,000ft limit, fear is far from the emotion felt. The experience is more therapeutic than 'edge-of-your-seat'.
As we slowly begin to descend at a rate of 25kmph, Kollar stretches his arm out in from of him and points to our landing spot.
"That's where we're heading. I call them the gravel lands."
An array of brownish-grey flatlands just beyond the golden dunes, the gravel lands look well within reach, but with winds acting up, Kollar is forced to steer the balloon using two short ropes.
"This morning we have had perfect weather but the wind is trying to take us into no man's land. That place there just beyond the gravel lands," he points out.
But with just a few swift manoeuvres and a long blast of heat into the envelope, we are back on track.
As we buckle up for landing, Kollar prepares us for what could be a "bumpy ride". "We are coming in quite fast guys, about 25kmph, so stay in your landing positions until I tell you otherwise."
With our knees slightly bent, backs facing the gravel lands and hands tightly grasped on the rope in front of us, the ground quickly comes up to greet us.
"Stay in position," Kollar shouts, and within seconds we bump to the ground.
Like a stone skimming the water, the basket bops along several times before eventually coming to a stop and landing on its side. A mound of sand scoops its way into the basket, creating a huge puff of dust.
As the envelope quickly deflates and falls to the floor, we are given the all clear to exit the basket.
The hour-long, mid-air experience has come to an end and as we dust ourselves off from the unexpected sand covering, Kollar jokes with the passengers.
"Please wait for your certificates guys. All survivors get certificates and today, we all survived."
kelly@khaleejtimes.com 

• UAE