by Sakinah Binti Abdullah
The moment you imagine Istanbul, one thing that will cross your mind would be hot air balloons. A hot air balloon is a lighter than aircraft. It consists of a bag which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket, which carries passengers. Its source of heat helps float it above the blue sky that reveals myriad hues of scenic landscapes. Undoubtedly, it’s a bucket list activity for tourists in Turkey.
Don’t worry! If you don’t have enough money to travel to Istanbul, you can still experience a hot air balloon ride in Putrajaya with the International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta. The #MyBalloonFiesta is a homegrown festival initiated by AKA Balloon Sdn Bhd and supported by Putrajaya Corporation. The 10th Putrajaya Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2019 took place in Presint 2. The four-day event on March 28. The best part is the event entry is free of charge for everyone. The uniqueness of the fiesta attracted both Malaysians visitors from over 70 countries (MyBalloonFiesta, 2019).
The event hosted various hot air balloonists from across the world. The free event previewed a collection of more than 20 hot air balloons of various designs and colors from different international participants of the world, such as Thailand, Japan, Brazil, Belgium, Spain, and United Kingdom. Hot air balloons in shapes of Robot Woozi, Pink Gnome, Bruno the Clown, Pink Elephant, Tako the Octopus, Happy Chan and Black Bear were showcased during the event (Nair, 2019). Plus, the attraction made available at the fiesta was an igloo-shaped balloon which formed by using recyclable material such as used hot air balloon (Sulaiman, 2019)
Even though the event was open to public, people could still opt for a more intimate experience with balloons. As for the hot air balloon activities, visitors got to enjoy different packages and experiences, such as riding in a hot air balloon and getting up close and personal with the balloons and pilots. If you registered with My Balloon Club by Gamuda Land members, you will get an exclusive membership where visitors get special privileges to enjoy a gourmet breakfast buffet spread in a Tropical-themed Glamping Tent. While enjoying a live jazz performance and other picnic activities and an exclusive tethered balloon ride, some could even enjoy you a free night glow access ticket. It’s limited to 100 members per day only and some were even entitled to #myballoonfiesta official merchandise! It’s in the Blue Zone, which was where all the balloons took off and Pink Zone where the picnic area was. In order to register, adults had to pay RM300 each while children above 4 were charged RM250 each (MyBalloonFiesta, 2019).
The 10th Putrajaya Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2019 is one of the main iconic events listed in Putrajaya Corporation calendar of events. This fiesta can encourage family togetherness, couples and friends by having fun with a variety of activities for all ages. Held during school holidays, it is the perfect time for a quick family getaway. If you couldn’t make it this year, don’t missed out the exciting Hot Air Balloon Fiesta for the next year!
REFERENCES
MyBalloonFiesta. (2019). Retrieved on 12th April 2019 from https://www.myballoonfiesta.com/
Nair, V. (2019, March 29). Hot air balloon fiesta takes off in Putrajaya. Retrieved on 12th April 2019 from The Star Online: https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2019/03/29/hot-air-balloon-fiesta-takes-off-in-putrajaya/.
Sulaiman, N. A. (2019, February 25). Hot air balloon fiesta returns to Putrajaya [NSTTV]. Retrieved on 12th April 2019 from New Straits Times: https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2019/02/463530/hot-air-balloon-fiesta-returns-putrajaya-nsttv