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Over the last decade I have seen Dubai from many different vantage points. But nothing can compare with the amazing bird's eye view I got from a hot air balloon. As we soared gently in the sky the city below me took on a new personality.
The Global Village, the Burj Al Arab, the familiar skylines of Shaikh Zayed Road and the Dubai Marina and even the vast stretch of desert looked so different and so very beautiful. And believe me, travelling along Emirates Road has never been so enjoyable and stress-free.
What was even better is that we were not alone. Dotting the sky all around us was a variety of colourful balloons — some had their countries' flags fluttering in the wind and some were in interesting shapes such as a peacock, a smiley face and a turtle called Mr Bup.
All here
The balloons are all here for the Dubai Balloon Festival (DBF), a major highlight of the Dubai Shopping Festival this year. Held under the patronage of Shaikh Mayed Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, it is an initiative of the Al Ahli Group and ETA-Ascon's Star Events division. The event has brought 72 balloons from 18 countries to Dubai for a spectacular display of this exhilarating sport.
Ballooning is an ancient marvel of science but is still a popular hobby in the modern age. "This is the last adventure left in the modern world because every time you take off you do not know where you will land. You have to go where the wind takes you," said my pilot Christoff Almodt, who has clocked over 300 hours of ballooning.
Christoff works for energy company RWE in Germany and was here with the RWE team comprising two pilots and a large support crew. He explained that a hot air balloon uses the simple technique of heating the air in the balloon with propane to get airborne.
However getting a balloon up in the sky, maintaining the right altitude and manoeuvring it to a safe landing requires skill and the effort of an entire team.
Get involved
DSF visitors will now get an opportunity to interact with ballooning enthusiasts from around the world and to see up close the operations involved in taking off.
The public displays at the balloon festival include several mass flights from the Global Village where visitors can enjoy the wonderful sight of dozens of colourful gigantic balloons soaring in the sky and the not-to-be missed "night glow" where a line-up of balloons, tethered to the ground, are illuminated with burners in synch with music.
As part of the festival, a children's carnival has also been organised at the Global Village featuring a variety of workshops and artistic competitions with exciting prizes.
The enthusiasm of the RWE team from Germany was infectious and I enjoyed every moment of my first ever ballooning experience.
It was still dark when we arrived at the take-off site in the Global Village parking area at 6am. The team immediately got to work assembling the equipment.
Four propane tanks were placed in the passenger basket, the two burners were then mounted on top of the basket, the GPS tracker and an altitude, speed and temperature gauge were placed and the basket was then hooked to the balloon.
A fan was used to fill up the 3,000 cubic foot balloon with air, which was then heated with the propane burner. Slowly the balloon rose in the air and we climbed into the basket.
As pilot Christoff Almodt worked with the flame and unhooked us from the truck we were tethered to, the basket began to rise and before I knew it we were in the air, soaring 850 feet above the Global Village.
All is calm
Everything was so still and calm that it did not feel like we were moving at all. The wind first took us over the sprawling Arabian Ranches development towards the Autodrome, but then changed its mind and took us along the Emirates Road in the opposite direction.
For an hour we drifted peacefully along the busy highway and over the desert beyond. The Burj Al Arab glistened in the distance and we spotted many other landmarks in the hazy Dubai skyline.
As we approached a road in the desert, Christoff prepared to land. "It is important to land near a road so that our support crew can reach us easily," he explained.
A slow descent and then with a huge thud we were back to ground.
While I was still dusting the sand off my jeans, the crew got busy dismantling the equipment. The balloon was neatly folded and everything was packed and ready for transportation by the time the support team arrived to take us back.
If you go
Entry to the Dubai Balloon Festival is free.
The flights take off from an area adjacent to gate seven at the Global Village.
Two mass flights will take off at 7am and 3.30pm on December 28, 29 and 30.
The Night Glow can be seen from 7.45pm onwards on December 28 and 29 followed by a fireworks display.
The Children's Carnival organised by ETA Star Education Management Systems and supported by Etisalat and DIFC will take place from 9 to 11am and from 6 to 8pm on December 28 and 29 in a tent decorated with balloons, adjacent to gate seven of the Global Village.
Besides painting competitions themed around ballooning, the activities and entertainment include a DJ workshop, photography workshop, bonny baby and little angels contests, quizzes, egg painting, face painting, clowns, stilt walkers and acrobats.
What the balloonists said
The festival has brought to Dubai balloonists from around the world. Some fly as a hobby while others have made it their profession.
Astrid Geihardt from the German RWE team is a champion balloonist. She has been flying for 12 years and holds the world records for distance, altitude and duration at the World Air Games and recently won the German Championship where she was the only woman to participate.
"I love ballooning because on the ground there are so many troubles and we become slaves to our busy schedules. But when you are in the air you just have to go with the wind," she said.
"I run a company specialising in animation and have done work for several Dubai based property developers. Coming here to fly gives me the feeling of completing the circle," she added.
Sky turtle
Belgians Lenny Cant and Filip Audenaert are professional balloonists and partners in a company that does tourist rides and ballooning shows. Their balloon, called Mr Bup, is a bright yellow and orange turtle with a red cap and a huge smile.
"I designed this balloon because I wanted to create something special for children to enjoy and I gave it a name that is universal and easy to remember," said Lenny.
Besides doing demonstration flights and "night glow" events at the Global Village, the balloonists are looking forward to flying over the desert and landmarks such as the Palm during this visit.
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