Hot Air Balloon Adventures Around the World!

0:00Hello, caught your kids. Grab your imaginary passports and your bags because it's time to become a world-trodden explorer right where you are. Hello, hello, my name is Asher and I'm your host, along with my mom, Kristin. We also have Asher's sister Art and joining us on our adventure. Thank you for having me! Today we're taking our magical trains with imaginary world of hot air balloons. We'll hop into one and float over some of the most famous places on Earth to see why the views there are so spectacular. But before our departure, we want to say a big thank you to Layla from Dubai for your five star rating on Apple. They said, hello Asher, I love all of your episodes, especially the ones about dogs. Can you please make an episode about cats? Oh yeah, we should definitely learn more about cats. That sounds like a great idea. If you have not done so already, please take a second to leave us a five star rating on Apple or Spotify. And did you know that you can chat with us on Spotify? Leave us a comment

1:03there and we'll get right back to you. Please also consider making a donation big or small on our website under the support page. Thank you so much for all that you do to help create a more connected world for all of our children for generations to come. Thank you so much! Okay, culture kid, our magical dream is just around the corner to whisk us away on an imaginary hot air balloon adventure. But before we begin, let's learn what a hot air balloon is and why it's such a fascinating way to travel through the sky. The first hot air balloon happened before airplanes. Yep, the very first hot air balloon flight with people on board happened in France in 1783. That was more than 200 years ago. But before people went up, they tested it with animals. Exactly, a sheep, a dog, and a rooster rode in the balloon to see if living things

2:03could breathe and stay safe in the sky and they landed just fine. Then a few months later, two brave humans became the first people to fly over Paris in a hot air balloon. Yep, and even now hot air balloons are generally very safe. They don't use fuel to zoom forward like airplanes. Instead, a big flame heats the air inside the balloon. Hot air is lighter than cool air, so the balloon gently lifts up into the sky like a giant floating bubble. And the giant balloon fabric is called an envelope. And there's a basket to hold the people. How does it go up and down or side to side? So there is a burner that shoots a flame up into the balloon. Fire in the sky? Well, it's a very controlled fire. It heats the air inside the balloon. And here's the cool science. As we talked about earlier, when the air gets warm, it spreads out and becomes

3:06lighter than the cool air around it. The heavier cool air stays below. And the lighter warm air rises up. It's the same idea as when a bubble floats up in water. And the balloon floats because it's filled with warm air that wants to go up. Yes, when the pilot turns on the flame, more warm air goes inside and the balloon rises. When they stop heating, the air cools and the balloon slowly comes down. So it's like an elevator powered by temperature. That's a great way to put it. But how do they steer with a wheel? No, there is no wheel and the hot air balloon can't steer itself left and right like an airplane. What they do is they go up and down to catch different winds and the wind carries them along kind of like a leaf floating in the sky. But wait a minute. What if they just float away? Do they land in the same place they started? Uh oh.

4:06Great question. Hot air balloons usually do not land in the same exact place where they take off. So you might land in a totally different place? That's right. The pilot checks the wind before taking off and plan the safe place to land like a big open field. They also of course watch the weather very carefully because hot air balloons only fly when the air is calm and gentle, not when it's windy, rainy or stormy. I hear a culture train. Okay, culture kids, get ready to be whisked away high above the ground where the air is calm and the world looks tiny below us and the sky feels wide and full of wonder. You'll stand on a basket as we gently lift up, up and drift towards some of the most breathtaking views on Earth. Buckle up now because we're going to our imaginary world of... All aboard. Hot air balloons.

5:24Welcome aboard, culture kids. We're standing inside a basket of a real hot air balloon, but we're still on the ground. And the balloon above us is slowly filling with warm air. And looking up, I think our balloon is shaped like a globe. That makes sense. We are culture kids. And here with us is our balloon pilot who is going to help guide us safely through the sky. Save the time! Hello everyone. Welcome aboard. Before we lift off, I have a few safety instructions for you. First, please keep your feet flat on the floor of the basket at all times. Second, no climbing or sitting on the edge of the basket. Oh yeah, I am not climbing out of this thing. When you hear me say, hands on, hold on to the handles inside the basket. They will help keep you steady during takeoff and landing.

6:28I see one. It's like a long strap. Yes, it's thick and strong so we can hold on tight. And when it's time to land, bend your knees and keep holding the handles. You might feel a small bump when we touch the ground. It's how we keep our body safe while we land. And culture kids, just like when you're on a school bus or an airplane, if the pilot gives a loud safety direction, we pause and turn on our listening ears so the whole crew stay safe. Hands on, everyone. We're getting ready for lift off. Whoa, that was loud. That's the burner warming the air inside the balloon. I think I can kind of feel the heat above us. Hands on the handles. All right, culture kids, we're lifting off. Nice and steady, everyone. We're floating. We're getting lighter. Wow, what a feeling. Beautiful lift off. Welcome to the sky, culture kids explorers.

7:30Everything is getting smaller and smaller. Where are we anyways? Good question. I was so busy getting ready for takeoff that I didn't even look. Let's take a peek. Wow, culture kids. We are floating above Cappadocia in Turkey. One of the most famous places in the world for hot air balloon rides. Feel the soft breeze on your face and warm sunshine on your arms. Below us is a wide open valley. The ground is not flat. It has gentle hills and rising out of those hills. Our tall rock shapes and shades of light tan. Dusty pink and warm golden brown. There are hundreds. They look like sand castles and giant ice cream tilts made out of stone. This place feels so ancient. Oh, I see windows in the rocks. Great observation, Asher. People long ago carved homes and churches inside those rocks.

8:32So deep under these hills are entire underground cities carved by hands long, long ago. Some of them go down many levels with rooms, kitchens, tunnels, and even place for animals. People lived underground? Yes, it helped them keep safe and cool in the summer and warm in the winter. It shows how creative and resourceful the people of this region have been for thousands of years. And look around us at the balloons. There are hundreds. Yes, it's such a magnificent view. Capodokia is famous for having so many balloons rise at sunrise. That the sky fills with color. All around us are balloons in bright reds, deep blues, sunny yellows, and rainbow stripes floating slowly like we're drifting in a colorful sea. Whoa. The clouds are coming in again and it's definitely not a storm. I see shade of pink, blue, yellow, and orange.

9:33I know this sign. The wind is changing a little. So we're drifting toward a new magical place. Hang on tight, culture kids. Let's go. All right. We made it. Enjoy the view, everyone. Wow. The magical rainbow clouds have cleared and now I can see the view very clearly from the basket we're standing on. Culture kids, we are floating high above the Loire Valley in France. It smells like grass, flowers, and rain. Ah, yes it does. And that's because below us is a wide, slow moving river and on both sides of the river are bright green fields in different shades.

10:34Summer, lime green, some deep like forest green, and some golden where the sun is warming the grass. I feel like I'm flying over a very storybook. It looks so neat and organized. Yes, the fields are also divided into long rectangles and squares, separated by thin lines of trees that look like green fences. And look, rising from the middle of all that green are large stone buildings. These are chateaux. Their walls are a soft cream color and pale gray stone. It's beautiful. And these chateaux look like castles here. They have gardens next to them. Well, castles are built for protection, but a chateau was more like a royal vacation home. Some chateaux were built like castles with towers and thick walls, so they might look like castles on the outside, but inside they were just very fancy homes where kings and queens came to relax and enjoy the countryside. And the lower valley is famous for them because French kings and queens loved

11:38spending time here. So people don't live in them anymore? Yes, but some are now museums, some are homes, and some are places where you can even stay overnight as a guest. And this whole area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which means it is protected because of its history, beauty, and culture. I can see why people like to fly here on the balloon. The land is so wide, and the world looks different from this angle from above. Like we are really, really tiny. That's a beautiful observation asher. When we see the world from a new angle, it reminds us how big and diverse our planet is, and how many places and people there are to learn from. And it feels so peaceful here. Just a very gentle wind, like the earth is breathing on me. Ah yes, remember, we only fly when the weather is just right.

12:38The wind has to be gentle, the sky has to be clear, and there can't be any storms or strong gusts. Yep, and that's why many hot air balloon rides take off at certain times of the day. Mornings and evenings usually have the calmest air, which makes the ride smooth and safe. This was really cool. How do we get down though? Please don't tell me we're just going to drop like flies. No dropping, hot air balloons float down slowly, like a feather. I'm using a little less heat, so we gently drift lower. Well, I can feel us sinking very slowly. Well, it's been an honor having you on board culture kids, but it looks like your culture train is here to take you guys back. Thank you so much. Aww, I could stare at this view forever. Me too, Asher. And to our culture kids' families, today we floated high above valleys, rivers and castles, and we saw that the world looks different depending on where you stand, or where you float.

13:39There is a whole world out there filled with places you haven't seen yet, and people you haven't met yet. And every time you learn about a new place, you might see the world in a new beautiful way, just like we did today. So keep wondering and keep learning and keeping brave enough to look at the world from a new angle. And lastly, as always, you and your family are valued, welcomed and celebrated for exactly who you are, because every child belongs here at culture kids. See you soon. Bye, culture kids. Bye, culture kids. Oh Joke time. All right, Asher, go for it.

14:42Please make us love. What hand can't be 12 inches long? What? Any hand? Because then it would be a foot. Clever. So in the US, we measured with inches and feet and since 12 inches make one foot, a 12 inch hand would be a foot. And that would be a very, very big hand. Yo, Tan. What kind of shoes do ninjas wear? What kind? Sneakers. Get it? Yeah. Like, sneaky. Yes, ninjas are very sneaky. Sneakers. Thank you so much for joining us today. Culture Kids, and we'll see you in two weeks. Bye-bye. Thank you.