What do you get when you cross fireworks with the excitement of a live sporting event? You get the Regato de Globos.
The participants spend all year preparing for this event, making their paper balloons out of all sorts of colours and shapes. Then on the big day, they haul all their handmade Globos down to the outdoor arena. The arena is littered with ladders all around and in the center is a 3 story scaffolding.
In the stands is a live band like a marching band but sitting instead. The outskirts of the arena are filled with stands with fresh fruit, barbequed corn on the cob (which is served with lime juice and chili powder) and beer and wine. I have never been to live event where you go to the concession stand and buy your Corona to bring to the stands and drink. How cool!!
Then the first balloon launches and the crowd cheers. It has begun. Some balloons hesitate as they begin to rise and the crowd moans in anquish for the potential failing balloon but then if it catches the wind and begins to rise, the crowd cheers like their team has just scored a goal. The band plays loudly almost in unison with the raising and falling balloons.
What is heartbreaking is the balloons that never get off the ground and burn there in humiliation. I don't think I mentioned but they are hot air balloons made of paper with a burning helium ring on the bottom. Sometimes the flames ignite the balloons as they are preparing to rise. Sometimes the balloons are rising but the wind twists them into a dance of survival for the balloon with the flames winning sometimes. And the crowd moans.
But when a balloon rises properly and catches the wind beautifully it can rise to the heavens, dancing around the mountains in little dots in the sky.
What an exciting and beautiful event.
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