Take Three

What’s the funniest response you’ve gotten from the kids about the balloon? Sometimes, at the end of a talk, when I ask them about their own goals and ambitions, all of them say they want to be balloon pilots! Of course, they won’t all turn out to be so — but who knows? I may end up starting a whole legion of balloon pilots across the world! What’s the longest distance you’ve driven as part of the project? 4,000 kilometres from Mongolia to Kazakhstan. It took me over a week ( they weren’t exactly the smoothest highways!). I remember that being really tiring, as I was doing 12- 14 hours of driving a day. Do you find planes equally fascinating? Not really. When you’re flying in a balloon, you’re at one with nature. It can only be described as floating on a cloud. That’s not the experience you have in a plane. So, no, balloons are definitely more my thing! tural dialogue among the kids by organising ‘ postcard swaps’. “The kids make postcards for me, in which they draw pictures and say something about themselves — and I share these at the next place I visit. It’s a great way to open their eyes to the wider world around them and expose them to other kids from different cultures.”

For the time being, travelling around with a huge balloon certainly works as a conversation- starter. “You get a lot of questions about the balloon and the project,” he says. “It’s good!” The kids would agree.

karen@ khaleejtimes. com reaching Far AND WIDE: 1 kids cheer as andrew fires up his balloon 2 Occasionally, andrew lets the kids accompany him for a ride 3 The balloon says ‘ Dream Big’ in block letters — which is what andrew hopes to inspire the kids to do 4 a Cambodian child holds up a postcard