Apr 30, 2019
Que pasa & hot air balloon
Getting excited. We are leaving two weeks from today. The research is completed and I am now dealing in details, such as sorting out the locations of the business class lounges in the various countries we will be in. We are flying back and forth between a few countries at our own expense on regular economy flights. I am always amazed at how inexpensive travel is within Europe. With the new no foreign exchange credit card we signed up for last summer we still have a total of eight Priority Pass lounge passes left to use by the end of June. I now know where those lounges are located. So even if we are only traveling in economy we still get to use a special lounge with all the perks. Another thing to check off the list. This trip is the last of our free travel points with Aeroplan. I know I will be forever spoiled for future travel.
A week ago today we spotted this balloon coming towards us.
It began its descent which is where other balloons have landed in years past.
I was working on a few things for our trip when I realized that we will be sleeping in eleven different beds 😯 on this trip as well as two different airline beds overnight 😕 . It is going to be an interesting six weeks.
But for some unknown reason it ascended again.
Then it began drifting closer towards us along the shoreline.
I still have to go through all my Airbnb notes to make sure I have the correct info on where to meet and what buzzer number I need to press. In one place we need to go a block away to get our keys and then cart our luggage back to our apartment, a bit of a pain.
The balloon was now in the Kelowna airport flight path and the jets were having to divert from their normal flight pattern. What the heck is going on?
Moving further east but there is nowhere to land in this area other than where his first attempted descent was. There are no roads around this area at all.
At least he is out of the jet flight path. This is a new balloon to us. We have never seen these colors here before.
I still have to think about packing but first I need to figure out the temperatures in the various areas we will be in. Also I have to figure out what to wear on the flight that is both comfortable and respectful of business class. Our flight lifts off at 9:30AM Tuesday May 14th and we don’t get out of an airport and into fresh air until 8:45PM on Wednesday the 15th, all local times. By then we will have been in five airports. Fun, fun, fun 😀
It wasn’t long before the balloon was opposite our home.
The balloon began to descend but again there are no roads in this area for the chase team to pick up the balloon and passengers.
I still have a lot of paperwork on my desk which I am not stressing over, it may or may not get done before we leave. One thing that does need to get done is our booking of our RV park in Las Vegas the end of October. They have become so busy that you need to book very far in advance. So now I have to try and figure out when we leave here in the fall and the where’s and when’s. I haven’t even left for Europe yet but need to start planning our winter trip 🙄
With our travel camera Colin was able to zoom in on the basket. One couple and the pilot. They are certainly getting more of a ride the expected with some adventure thrown in as well.
Still moving east. That is our rec centre in the foreground. The pilot is getting closer to a road.
We are continuing to work on decreasing our expenses as we head towards serious semi retirement. If you recall, a few weeks ago I had an incident at the insurance office and with encouragement from Cheapchick I called back and we now have an $18.00 credit. Also rather than just pay what our insurance company was asking for our business insurance we shopped around and got a few quotes. We were able to decrease the company insurance cost by $750.00 😎
Finally starting what we hope is the final descent.
Just behind the house in front of us but on the other side of what used to be the railroad tracks but is now the new Rail Trail.
And he is almost down. Can you see the tiny bit of balloon?
Wow that was fun. I am happy to report that the plants we potted just two days ago are happy, we can actually see them growing 😆
Hope you all had a good day.
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Nice to finalize your travel plans for Europe. Always fun watching those balloons and see where they will land. We have not planned our summer yet, and nit even thinking about next fall. Nit sure where too probably the southwest anyplace warmer than here in the winter.
I guess your biggest decision is which route you follow. I still remember that you almost came west across Canada a few years ago before turning south.
I am so glad you got an $18 credit! They are a business like any other and that was a training issue which you shouldn’t have to pay more for. That amounts to a bottle of wine 🙂 We love the RBC avion card, so flexible with the points, any airline. I’ve even booked airlines their booking partner can’t, faxed in the itinerary and they’ve credited back the cc. We just redeemed for 2 more tickets to Zihuatanejo for January. Hubby was the driving force about us not going to Europe this year, he needed a rest – Europe is never a restful trip. Then yesterday I was talking to our neighbors who are going to Spain and Portugal next week and lending them our guidebooks – and he said he missed going to Europe this year! Oh well, lots of time left for future trips. I know you will have a fun time – although no more falls this year!
That is exactly what I thought, I saved enough for a bottle of nice wine. Our new Scotiabank card lets us use our points for anything travel related which along with the no foreign exchange rate makes me happy. Yes you have a longtime with much travel in your future.
Your trip sounds like it will be exciting.
Just wondering, have you purchased an anti-theft crossbody purse? I usually don’t carry much of a purse in Mexico as long as I have some pockets, but I hear the pick pockets in Prague are pretty talented. I’ve looked at quite a few online but just can’t decide. Definitely need a spot for my water bottle…do you have any suggestions? Thanks
Yes I have such a purse. I will get you some info in a few days.
Yes I purchase one last year and I love it. I have sent you and email with the links.