The early morning drops of rain failed to dampen more than the grass at the Almaty International Hot Air Balloon Festival today, as thousands turned out to witness the spectacle or get involved with the show.
Meteorological mood swings did admittedly tamper with early proceedings as the unpredictable mountain breeze kept the 29 balloons tethered, still permitting people to take short rides within the constraints of common sense, but guide ropes limited flights to a few hundred feet.
It is what it is – safety first at all times.
A light (almost British) drizzle, lingering after an overnight downpour, welcomed the early morning, then soon dissipated. As weather forecasters had predicted (as well as various less inhibited apps that don’t need to deal with the embarrassment of being wrong), the troublesome clouds blew east over the city of Almaty and eventually up into the mountains. It almost seemed like a benevolent gesture.
The peaks which normally dominate the skyline wrapped around the southern confines of this under-discovered city were by now totally invisible, their supremacy strangely still resounding in the mist, unmatched by even the deep bass of the early soundcheck for the afternoon concert.
Clearer, albeit not quite sunny, skies therefore prevailed for the festivities on 6 June, where pilots from several countries had gathered with their myriad hot air balloons. The most popular destinations for the early guests (apart from up into the sky) were the balloon with the Kazakhstan flag design, and an owl-faced one piloted by a man from Germany.
Viktor Gapeyev had come over for this festival specifically, and will return to his home country early next week. Born in Kazakhstan, he emigrated when a young man but had the honour of returning to offer his once compatriots views across the steppe, even if the mountains were, by this point, very well concealed.
Others transported people high enough to peer across the landscape for a few minutes, for a handful not enough, but for most, quite ample, and understanding the reality of the weather, passengers stepped from the baskets less than exhilarated, but more than satisfied.
It was also a baptism of sorts for some of the less intrepid among those who’d arrived early, perhaps not all of them willing to live up to the label early bird, but happy to give the flying a chance as long as those nice long sturdy ropes remain attached to the underside. And to the ground.
Batyr is a pilot of some six years’ experience who speaks perfect Russian but comes from Mongolia. He draped the flag of his homeland over the flanks of the balloon and certainly didn’t let the side down with some workmanlike piloting. Coming from Ulanbaatar, his country’s capital, he was clearly proud to be part of the show, flying the flag, literally, for where he hails from.
Andrei is from towards Mongolia, but still well within Kazakhstan itself, and the city in the far east of the country, known both as Ust-Kamenogorsk and Oskemen. This pilot chose to call it by the former name, and he explained that in his three years operating hot air balloons, he has flown much further distances than simply up and down, but confirmed that to do so today in these conditions would be unwise.
Andrei was highly professional but also personable, happy to answer questions, but keeping both eyes on safety. Oskemen lends itself more to longer flights, given that the terrain makes the weather easier to forecast.
I caught up with him later on and just had to ask why he, and many of the other pilots, had sellotaped their shoes over, wondering if a decent pair of hiking boots might not do the job better.
“Makes no difference, your feet’d get wet anyway.”
For what it’s worth, mine, in a new pair of Scarpa mountain boots, didn’t – but by early afternoon I had to kick them off.
Another pilot who’d come across a national border had made the relatively short hop from Uzbekistan. Confessing very early on his love for Kazakhstan, Tahir Saliyev praised the local food before explaining that the weather, at least today, wasn’t as welcome to his plans.
“The weather, as you can see, is unstable. We wanted to fly further, but they gave us a warning, saying there might be a Persian Gulf storm, but my team came with five hot air balloons, as you can see, and it would have been more, but a few pilots are ill, so they stayed at home.”
One of the organisers, Kuanyshbek Mirambekuly, felt that the disappointment of the breezy Saturday morning was nothing more than a snag.
“In the Almaty Region, we have wonderful tourist locations like Charyn, Kolsai Lake, Oi Qaragai, and there are many more to list, but at the moment, a lot of attention is being paid to event tourism, which is precisely what our hot air balloons are, and we also hold air shows.
“The International Hot Air Balloon Festival in the Almaty region is popular, but this is not the first time it has been held. I am sure it will become a tradition, attracting not only Kazakh tourists but also foreign ones. It’s not called International for no reason. We also have six countries represented today, as well as Kazakhstan, of course.”
As the mainstay of the press strolled away, considering the best way to introduce their reports, the mass of families poured in, but not all straight over to the balloons area.
The interactive zones, motorbike tracks, quadbikes, and kite flying were all located between the car park and the spots where guests could get the best views, and these attractions captured the early attention of the kids and their parents, who, by now, felt that the rain would hold off for the rest of the day.
What could be the hurry, when, at just lunch time, a fun day in the park awaits, all complete with drones, kites, fairground type attractions, and much much more (couldn’t resist, that line comes from a song), all inexpensive, yet for many youngsters just the ticket after a challenging year at school?
Natalia Rosporovna, the creative director of the event, explained that this was intended to be more than just a quick bird’s eye view of the Equestrian Club and Racetrack, but a lasting memory for so many hard-working mums and dads, and more importantly, their children.
“So, we have a two-day event, and in addition to the balloons, there will be a really cool feature: a giant kite show, something we’ve never done before. Sadly, the balloons can’t fly so far, but the wind is wonderful for the kites. Also, tonight we have headliners, a very cool DJ from Uzbekistan, King Mazzarella, and tomorrow our masters, Dos Mukassan, the crazy ones we love, and Miraz Zhigudulsov.”
Staging an event like this is hit-and-miss, when you have 3,000-metre mountains just a quarter-day’s hike away. The gusts coming down their slopes make it somewhat of a lottery, so a few people will have felt it was a shame that they didn’t get the balloon rides they had been dreaming of.
So many more will have taken it on the chin, and made the most of a special day.
