Up, up and away - 29 Mar 2013

Posting by Xian Jin

I went to the 5th annual hot air balloon fiesta with my family in Putrajaya. There were 20 balloons, not just the traditional "inverted tear drop" shape but some special ones that looked catchy. There were teams who participated from different countries. Many people were there to see the hot air balloons taking flight.
I was thrilled to get a pass to the launching site. I could see so closely the whole process of the hot air balloon getting inflated.

The crews getting the balloon inflated and ready to fly. As I got near it, I could feel the humidity and heat from the burner. 

The balloons came in different shape and designs. There were a clown, African elephants, a two-faced monkey, a green monster, Smurf and even a Sim card!!

The crew trying to patch up a hole found in the monkey balloon. If I were to fly the balloon I would not choose this because I would feel unsafe. I could see the interior of the balloon and from near it looked huge.

One of my favourite pictures because it showed the face of the clown through the interior of the balloon. Too bad this balloon has to land just after a few minutes in the sky.

Me, a photographer for a day...

Up, up and away.

A green monster, a two-faced monkey, cool gadgets - what more could we want? I guessed that the gadget was used to measure the air pressure in the balloon.



I wish to return again next year, hopefully I will get a pass to go to the launching site, and hopefully I can see new, cooler hot air balloons.

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