Víctor Santos and his family arrived at 05:30 from Ponceano to the Middle of the World City, in the north of Quito, for the start of the Pichincha International Balloon Festival 2022, this Friday, December 9, and which will run until Sunday, December 11. .
They were able to see the process by which the balloons were inflating, something that lasted between 25 and 30 minutes.
It was the first time they witnessed such activity. There were multicolored balloons in which tomato and red predominated.
In others, green figures of trees, square shapes, with black dots, with horizontal stripes and even with images of animals stood out.
After being inflated, the balloons began to fly. Víctor Santos thought it was a good show, above all, due to the presence of the Middle of the World monument and the contrast between that monumental figure and the balloons that took over the sky.
The entrance fee of $5 seemed adequate, but not the parking lot, which was worth $8.
Together with his wife, a niece and his mother-in-law, after the balloons began to fly, they sat on one of the benches in a square to witness some indigenous dances.
He purchased the tickets online and questioned the delay in exchanging them. He indicated that he queued longer than those who physically bought them. He asked for a better organization when entering.
Hot air balloon got entangled in high voltage cables during the start of the festival in Quito
Photo: Jose Jacome
There are 21 hot air balloons so that people who attend can see the assembly, ignition and take off, but people cannot get on.
There is also a light and music show with balloons anchored to the ground, which will start at 5:00 p.m. Then there will be the Night of Colors, concerts in which national and international artists will participate.
As a complement, a gastronomic fair and productive fairs will be held with entrepreneurs and artisans not only from the province of Pichincha. One of the enterprises that can be visited is the sale of snacks corn cakes from Cali, Colombia.
Jorge Carrera, manager of Ciudad Mitad del Mundo, which is part of the Pichincha Prefecture, explained that the objective of the festival is to sustain the reactivation of tourism, one of the sectors hardest hit by the pandemic, and for this reason it was decided to present an event international that had not been done in Ecuador or South America.
He added that a site was sought that would attract the attention of the pilots and four technical flights were made with the presence of experts to review the weather and wind issues, in order to determine if it was possible to fly in the Middle of the World.
Carrera indicated that depending on some elements, such as size, a balloon can cost from $70,000 to $150,000.
More than 20 hot air balloons can be admired in the first festival to be held between Friday and Sunday in Quito
The projection is that between 15,000 and 20,000 people can arrive during the three days, but the figure could vary after the decision of the national Emergency Operations Committee (COE) on the use of the mask that became mandatory in closed places, said the official.
The Middle of the World City is open from 05:00 to 23:00.
Admission is $5. Children between 6 and 12 years old, people with disabilities and seniors pay $2.50 and it is free for children under 6 years of age. It is also allowed to go with pets. (YO)
Source: Eluniverso
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