Putrajaya Hot Air Balloon Fiesta Review
People from all walks of life and from all over drove down to witness this amazing balloon show in Putrajaya with 23 hot air balloons participating from around the world.
Fortunately for me, it was a coincidence that I was visiting Putrajaya for the weekend and took the opportunity to visit the Putrajaya Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2010.
Putrajaya Hot Air Balloon Fiesta Review
Filling the balloon with hot air is no easy task The Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2010 at Putrajaya was indeed a success as over 100,000 people came to watch the balloons over the weekend.
The main highlight was the unique shaped hot air balloons like the Darth Vader Hot Air Balloon and a pair of Levis Jeans Balloon which the crowd absolutely loved.
It was really and eye opener for most people when they witnessed these unique odd shaped hot air balloons in Putrajaya this year around.
Levis Jeans Hot Air Balloon being fired up For the record, if you plan to visit the 3rd Putrajaya Hot Air Balloon Fiesta for 2011, you should be well prepared before you head there.
The reason being was through my experience at the current fiesta. Read more about this at the end of this article for tips and information.
Levis Jeans Hot Air Balloon at Putrajaya Hot Air Balloon 2010
Darth Vader Hot Air Balloon, the much talked about balloon at PutrajayaVideo of Darth Vader Hot Air Balloon
The general crowd at the Hot Air Balloon Festival The Hot Air Balloon Fiesta in Putrajaya was held in the vicinity of the Millenium Obelisk or the Monument Alaf Baru which is the road of the main Putrajaya Boulevard in Precinct 2.
So, the inner roads around the main event area will be closed off to the public making it an open walkway for everyone.
However, you have to give way to the pick-up trucks bringing the hot air balloons back to the grounds from the hot air balloon races.
Video of the Putrajaya Balloon Fiesta
Firing up the hot air balloon while others hold it down 
Managing the hot air filled balloon and stabilizing it is not easy Video of a hot air balloon being filled
Some of the hot air balloons used for rides
Preparing the hot air balloon at Putrajaya 
A paraglider without his parachute preparing to gear upDuring the event, there was the para-gliders team who were going around the Hot Air Balloon grounds in their little machines.
There must have been at least 10 of them taking turns to circle the area in groups of threes and fours. They were gliding pretty low too so this was a great photo opportunity for many people.
Video of paragliders landing at Putrajaya
3 Para-gliders doing a formation just above the fair 
A para-glider making his rounds at Putrajaya 
Look closely at the KFC sign and see what it actually saysActivities at Putrajaya Hot Air Balloon Fiesta
Food was no issue at the Balloon Fiesta in Putrajaya as there were all kinds of fast food, local food and international food being sold.
A hive of activities is provided throughout the hot air balloon grounds with informative tents to displays of light aircraft.
There were also Helicopter Rides where a 15-minute Helicopter Ride was charged at RM150.00 per person. For those with a healthy wallet or purse, this would be a great experience to fly in a helicopter around Putrajaya.
Balloon sellers having a field day at the Putrajaya Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2010 One thing that caught many children eyes was the cartoon balloon sellers which were abundant around the area.
I must have seen at least 20 balloon sellers walking around with helium-filled balloons. Most popular was the Sponge Bob Balloons followed by other Japanese characters like Hello Kitty Balloons and even Naruto Balloons.
A mother attends to her daughters Hello Kitty Balloon 
View of the crowd at 9.00 am in the morning at Putrajaya
I eventually got there at about 8.00 am and there was already a terrible traffic jam getting into the parking at the grounds. After parking quite far, I had to walk to the main ticket entrance.
So, I finally got into a line for one of the Hot Air Balloon Rides which are RM10 per person and there were 5 Balloons for the rides.
After waiting in line for about 10 minutes, one of the personnel approached everyone asking about their tickets and when it came to me, I did not have one and asked him where can I get one, he told me they were sold out since 7.00 am. No kidding. The event starts at 7.00 am and they were sold out at 7.00 am!
This was my most favorite balloon shot!
Apparently, people were seen lining up at the balloon ride ticket counter from as early as 5.00 am on Sunday.
By 6.00 am, the line had stretched to over 200 meters long and by 7.00 am the tickets were sold out, so you can only imagine how popular this ride is.
So, unless the management of the Balloon Fiesta works something out for any future Putrajaya Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, there are going to be a lot of unhappy people.
Tickets were limited to 300 a session where there were two sessions a day and each hot air balloon could only go for 60 rides, meaning 60 tickets per balloon.
Maybe next year, they can have 10 Hot Air Balloon for Rides for Putrajaya. There are no pre-buying the balloon ride tickets so you need to be there before the event to buy your tickets.
You should have seen the sad faces of hundreds of people when they found out there were no tickets available.
Armed and ready with a zoom lens What came as a shock to me during the event was not only the balloons but the crowds which came armed with DSLR Cameras and high-end equipment.
Many came to capture the moment armed with tripods, monopods and all kinds of zoom lenses. Some lenses even the price of a small compact car!
Well prepared for the Hot Air Balloon picturesSeriously, I must have seen one in five people using a DSLR Camera during the Balloon Festival in Putrajaya.
Times must be good this year in 2010 or the big camera companies like Nikon, Canon, Olympus, and Fuji are having a super sale on DSLR Cameras.
Putrajaya Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2010 was a success from the turnout and hopefully, for 2011, we will see more unique shaped hot air balloons. See you next year and congratulations to the Team for organizing this amazing event in Malaysia!
Contact details for the Putrajaya Hot Air Balloon Fiesta;
2nd Putrajaya International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2010
No. 50, Jalan 3/108, Taman Salak Jaya, Salak Selatan,
57100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Telephone: +6 03 7981 8769 / 7981 8712
Fax: +6 03 7981 8697
Email: info@myballoonfiesta.com
Final Thoughts to the Putrajaya Hot Air Balloon Fiesta
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