My experience in the Silent World

Flying in the sky over the Hamilton City on a bright sunny morning. It was the day when I reached my age - a big 50 and my family shouted me a birthday present - A Hot Air Balloon Ride.

My wish came true - my wish was to have a hot air balloon ride for many years. Every year, I followed many events - Hot Air Balloons Event in Hamilton City and in Europe and I took many photos of balloons.

I wondered what the sound was like. I have no idea what the sound in the air like. I wish someone can describe the sound in the air for me.

Why? Let me tell you.. I am a deaf person since birth and I learn to hear many different sounds by wearing hearing aids. It was no easy solution or cure for my deafness. With or without hearing aids, it does not bother me because I am happy where I am today.

A ride in the hot air balloon, I enjoyed every moment by catching the sight of the city and the landmarks I recognise where we were flying over. It was a clear crisp and sunny morning day while my partner was travelling with the tracker driver on the land.

I was not alone and there was a couple who travelled from Matamata, outside the Hamilton city. Just four of us - a couple, a flight control person and me in a balloon basket. Three of us were brief on the safety when riding in the balloon basket and getting on/off the basket at the Lake Rotoroa (Hamilton Lake). The flight controller explained to the couple that I am deaf so we all looked after each other. Three of us watched the flight controller and tracker person unloading the air balloon and assembled the gas to the basket. Finally, each of us climbed into the balloon basket and we were feeling thrilled. The noise I hear was the gas inflating inside the balloon while we were going up, up and up. It was really loud and I turned down my hearing aids. In the skies, we reached the limit of flying over the city and the noise became less. I looked around many landmarks such as mountains, lake, Waikato River that divides into two areas of the city which we called Hamilton West and East. I noticed something missing and it was the sound in the skies. I could not hear the sound of winds or any other noise in the skies. The sights of many landmarks blew us away and we completely forgot about our works, homes and family. I took photos over the landmarks and the city of Hamilton where I was born and raised with a solo mother with four children.

Oh! what glories sights everywhere we were up in the skies! What more I can dream of! Then we were told that it was time to come down to the earth. Oh? how long have we been up in the skies? It lasted one and a half hours on a beautiful fine crisp sunny day. We were over one of the farm lands - Puketaha area, just outside the city since we left Hamilton Lake (Lake Rotoroa) in the early of the morning. The flight controller warned and reminded us 'be prepared' for the landing which can be rough or bumpy landing. We started to prepare to hold onto the balloon basket and I noticed down below, was my partner with the tracker driver, rows of tallest trees and many cows. We managed to escape over one row of tallest trees and landed abruptly slight bump on the ground while the cow looked at us. I laughed a bit because I thought it was a fun and enjoyed landing for me. Everyone checked each other and we knew that we all were safe. My partner and the tracker driver turned up with a lady who owned the farm. We helped the staff to roll up the balloon and the basket away in the van. Then we all went to the Cook's Bar and Restuarant for a champagne breakfast. We sat down, ate lovely breakfasts including my partner and we talked about our experience of the rides. Yes, I did ask them to describe the sounds in the skies but none of them could not describes the sounds because they could not hear any noises. The only things we can describe the feeling of cold air breezing into us and the warmth sunlights while the noise from the gas inflated into the balloon.

Sigh how times goes by and it had been three years ago in April. I kept the photos of my flight and one day I will put the photos together into a book. For now, we are not living in the city of Hamilton anymore and we moved out to the country where we called our home in Eureka nearly three years ago in November.