'Unbelievable' balloon run raises R70,000
Matt Silver-Vallance managed to raise at least R70,000 during a helium balloon ride.
CAPE TOWN - A South African adventurer is celebrating after raising at least R70,000 during a helium balloon ride from Robben Island to Cape Town.
Matt Silver-Vallance embarked on the race to raise money for the Nelson Mandela Children's Hospital.
Silver-Vallance described the experience as scarier than anticipated.
The big, bright balloons were set against a grey and misty sky at the Robben Island Balloon Run on Saturday.
The flight was postponed for few hours due to volatile weather conditions.
Once airborne, a few loud popping sounds could be heard as some of the balloons burst.
In total, 160 balloons swept Silver-Vallance of the island and he had to pop 35 of them before he could land at sea, a few hundred metres away from Eden on the Bay at Blouberg Beach.
Silver-Vallance described the experience as "unbelievable and crazy."
