This past weekend, Yuki and I attended the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta for the second time. The Balloon Fiesta started in 1972 with 13 balloons but has now become the largest balloon event in the world. We had first attended the balloon fiesta together 2 years ago and absolutely loved it, so this year we decided to go back. Due to Yuki’s work schedule, we left El Paso around 7:00 pm on Friday night but instead of arriving in Albuquerque, we stopped in Socorro, NM. Although we started looking for hotels 2 months in advance, many hotels were already booked, or way too expensive. Thankfully, it wasn’t too late when we arrived and we were still able to get about 5 hours of sleep.
The next morning, I woke up the first time my alarm went off. Yuki is a stickler for time, and he made it clear that we were to be in the vehicle, leaving the hotel, at 4:30 in the morning – no excuses. I obliged because I knew it was important to arrive early. We arrived at the balloon fiesta just before 7 am. It was still dark, and quite cold. Despite our four layers, we were still freezing. Surprisingly, we witnessed people in shorts and t-shirts walking around! We parked a bit far from the park, and had to walk for about ten minutes to arrive at the park, but we figured that was best in order to avoid the traffic leaving the fiesta. Soon after we arrived, the balloons began launching. As the balloon pilots turned on the burners to elevate the balloons, the balloons lit up in the dark morning. It was a wonderful spectacle. Getting close to the balloons not only allowed us to see the inner workings of how they are elevated, but also provided us with some warmth from the flame of the burner.
Yuki really enjoyed looking at the balloons from a distance, as they created a colorful spectacle in the sky. Hundreds of balloons rose up in many shapes and forms. There were balloons in the shape of penguins, cows, bees, elephants, carriages, and even iconic characters like Darth Vader, Yoda, and Van Gogh. It seems that the possibilities for balloon shapes are endless! Personally, I enjoyed being in the middle of the balloons, watching them inflate and rise right above my head. Being in the middle of the field, we could watch the balloonists unload the balloon, unfold it, inflate it, and finally get in the basket and fly up as everyone around cheered at take off.
After watching balloons take off for about an hour, we grabbed some breakfast. The park is lined with food vendors and souvenir vendors. Yuki had a corn dog and I had a burrito with green Chile. I normally eat spicy foods but man, that burrito was spicy! Spicy but delicious. After eating, it was between 7 and 8 am, but there were still balloons taking off, so we stayed and watched a little longer. After about 2 hours spent at the balloon fiesta, we headed out, glad to have experienced the balloon fiesta for the second time and looking forward to the next time.
vivewell 
Leave a comment