{"id":229,"date":"2016-09-12T05:49:13","date_gmt":"2016-09-12T12:49:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/anadventuretogether.ctsmg.com\/?p=229"},"modified":"2016-09-11T06:29:08","modified_gmt":"2016-09-11T13:29:08","slug":"ajijic-balloon-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anadventuretogether.ctsmg.com\/ajijic-balloon-festival\/","title":{"rendered":"Ajijic Balloon Festival"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last weekend we went to watch some balloons launch. The Regatta de<\/abbr> Globos, or Balloon Sailing Festival, opens fiesta season in Ajijic that lasts through Easter. It’s a popular event that draws large crowds, held on a football\u00a0pitch in town.<\/p>\n

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Each of the several hundred balloons is\u00a0made from tissue paper and white glue. It is\u00a0filled with hot air to blow them up, then a rag torch is placed at the bottom of the balloon to keep it heated in flight.<\/p>\n

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It’s a pretty impressive operation to watch, especially for the larger balloons.<\/p>\n

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Occasionally, a balloon goes sideways and catches file. Most pieces burn up before they hit the ground.<\/p>\n

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Sometimes, the fragile paper gets punctured and has to be repaired. Notice the gaping hole just above the guy with the red hat. He’s sitting on someone’s shoulders to patch it.<\/p>\n

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When several balloons are in the air together, it can look impressive.<\/p>\n

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The balloons can travel for miles. As for safety? There is one story told about a farmer’s corn field getting burned up by a balloon<\/a>. I read it on the Internet, so it must be true.<\/p>\n

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They’ve been doing this a while, so there’s plenty of creativity.<\/p>\n

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This sign says, “From the earth to the sky.”<\/p>\n

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The event runs 3:00-10:00 every year on the Saturday before Independence Day (Sept. 16).<\/p>\n

We only stayed for a couple of hours, but we went up on our roof after sunset and saw several balloons float by. That was pretty spectacular itself, but I couldn’t get any good shots.<\/p>\n

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More about the Regatta de<\/abbr> Globos:<\/p>\n

This site has a great story about a farmer’s field getting burned up:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.mexico-insights.com\/judysblog\/?tag=\/Ajijic+Regatta+de<\/abbr>+Globos<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.accesslakechapala.com\/2011\/09\/12\/regatta-de<\/abbr>-globos-hot-air-balloons-in-ajijic\/<\/p>\n

Not great video, but caught a balloon fail at 2:21:<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Y1rFf-riTNs<\/p>\n

Short video of a successful launch:<\/p>\n