Last weekend we went to watch some balloons launch. The Regatta de 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 pitch in town.
Each of the several hundred balloons is made from tissue paper and white glue. It is filled 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.
It’s a pretty impressive operation to watch, especially for the larger balloons.
Occasionally, a balloon goes sideways and catches file. Most pieces burn up before they hit the ground.
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.
When several balloons are in the air together, it can look impressive.
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. I read it on the Internet, so it must be true.
They’ve been doing this a while, so there’s plenty of creativity.
This sign says, “From the earth to the sky.”
The event runs 3:00-10:00 every year on the Saturday before Independence Day (Sept. 16).
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.
More about the Regatta de Globos:
This site has a great story about a farmer’s field getting burned up:
http://www.mexico-insights.com/judysblog/?tag=/Ajijic+Regatta+de+Globos
http://www.accesslakechapala.com/2011/09/12/regatta-de-globos-hot-air-balloons-in-ajijic/
Not great video, but caught a balloon fail at 2:21:
Short video of a successful launch: