India, Dec. 5 -- You begin to rise, a flutter stirring in your stomach born from equal parts impending adventure and the warm surge of air filling the balloon. The gentle gossamer lift has you floating above a landscape you've only glimpsed through the car window while marooned in Ashram traffic.

Last month, Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena flagged off the trial run of a hot-air balloon ride at Baansera Park, Delhi. "The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has approval for four venues for hot-air balloon rides along the Yamuna. Initially, the operations will be for about two hours starting 4pm on the weekends," informs a DDA official.

And Delhiites are ecstatic!

"A hot-air balloon ride should offer a new point of view to appreciate the Delh...