floating over mexico city: was it worth the early wake-up?

We dragged ourselves out of bed at 4:30 in the morning, groggy and questioning our life choices, just to catch a shuttle to the hot air balloon launch site outside Mexico City. The sun wasn’t even up yet, and I was already regretting not packing an extra sweater—it was freezing! When we finally got there, the balloons looked magical against the dawn sky, but I couldn’t help but wonder if the Instagram photos would be worth the lack of sleep and the numb fingers. The view from above was stunning, with the ancient pyramids peeking through the morning mist, but I kept thinking about how much I missed my warm bed. Has anyone else tried this balloon ride? Did you think the experience lived up to the hype, or did you feel like it was more for the photos than the thrill? And seriously, how do people look so put-together in those sunrise balloon selfies? I looked like I’d just survived a wind tunnel! If you’ve done this, what did you wish you’d known before going? #hotairballoon #mexicocity #travelstories #earlymorningadventures #over50travel #Travel