clipped from: www.msnbc.msn.com   
A hot air balloon participating in the South African balloon championships in Bethehem, South Africa, sails in the sunset Monday April 28, 2008. The weeklong event opened Monday. High winds prevented competition Tuesday, but didn't dampen the enthusiasm of pilots from - and who have flown - all over the world. The top two South African finishers qualify for the world championships to be held in Austria in September.(AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

BETHLEHEM, South Africa - Hovering in a hot air balloon above a restless pride of rare white lions was the defining moment of Chris Sanger-Davies' first trip to South Africa.

"It's the colors _ they've got that African look. African sunsets are unique," the veteran British pilot said. And, he added: "You realize that you are flying over countryside that has the kind of wildlife in it, that if you landed there, you would be stuffed."