Hi! My name is Arielle, and I am currently doing a program called Remote Year. That means I'm working remote while traveling abroad, writing about all the cool places I see in Latin America.
I'm currently in Mexico City, Mexico, and I learned that you can ride on a hot air balloon over the Teotihuacan Pyramids. Sounds fun (and terrifying), right? We had to go!
We woke up early and got picked up at 5:30 a.m. by Sky Balloons. The ride was about an hour away from CDMX.
Once you get there, you sign your waivers, lock up your belongings, and prepare to take flight. TBH, it was terrifying to think we would be floating in a wicker basket in the air, with a balloon and fire.
But once we took off, it was super cool. You can watch the sunrise and get some pretty epic shots of other balloons.
We flew over the Teotihuacan Pyramids, scared we were going to get too close. (We didn't, it was fine.)
At this point my friend Sara is reassuring us that we're more likely to die in a car accident than in a hot air balloon. Anxiety is high, and so are we.
But the view was one of the most incredible things I've ever witnessed.
As we were preparing to land, that's when everyone started panicking. We thought we were going to hit a building.
BUT we landed directly into the bed of a truck — it was honestly impressive.
We celebrated with a glass of champagne (at 8 a.m.) and rode back while still in the wicker basket. It was a journey.
And when we were done, we got a certificate! Proving we survived. Cool.
After the hot air balloons, you can then go directly to the Teotihuacan Pyramids and climb to the top. It's very steep and there's only wobbly handrails, so be careful and go slow.
Overall, the experience was amazing and if you have the time while visiting Mexico City, definitely do it!
Safe travels! 💖
Arielle Calderon is a writer temporarily based in Latin America participating in Remote Year. Read all her Remote Year adventures on BuzzFeed.