Hot dog, jumping frog…

Hey ppl,

For anyone who’s puzzled, the title has nothing to do with anything. It’s just a reference to the 80s song ‘King of rock and roll’ by Prefab Sprout, which mentions Albuquerque. Btw, no-one on this side of the pond has ever heard of it :-)

So, resuming where we left off, having returned from our road trip, on Thursday, we were back in Albuquerque for a well-deserved rest and an opportunity to stretch our legs – first souvenir shopping in Old Town, and then with a night-time return to the Balloon Fiesta.

This time, we were there for a ‘balloon glow’, where scores of crews inflate their balloons at twilight, tethered to the ground, and then ignite the burners – often in unison - to provide a beautiful colour-filled spectacle. To top this off, that night only the ‘special shapes’ balloons were displaying. There were bumble bees, a train, fire engine, the Brandenburg Gate, a stagecoach and many more. It was topped off by fireworks and a well-deserved beer!

On Friday, we had another early start for the special shapes ‘mass ascension’, to see the balloons from the night before fly. I was a little disappointed at how quickly they were up and miles away from the balloon field, but this is part of the unpredictability of ballooning – you go where and as fast as the wind takes you.

A big consolation prize was in store though in the shape of the ‘key grab’ event, which involves hundreds of balloons arriving at the site, then dropping down and attempting to skilfully navigate within reach of a several-storey pole, holding the keys to a new car. A sight like that - with dozens of balloons jostling in a tiny area, metres off the ground - really gives you an appreciation for just how skilled these people are. It also created the kind of gorgeous scenes that have made the Fiesta the most photographed event in the world.

That evening, we had a thoroughly enjoyable dinner with Karen’s Dad, and then went out for some drinks and partying NM-style.

And so, back to Saturday: well, the party was a lot of fun, and its really nice and humbling to have so many well-wishes and even gifts from people who I barely even know. The people down here certainly are very open and friendly.

I’m slightly relieved to report that nothing too hectic has happened in the last two days! Today it was time to say goodbye to my family, which was very sad. I really appreciate how supportive they’ve been – I know it can’t be easy.

Tomorrow, Karen & I will fly back to Washington, where I will resume my search for gainful employment ;-)

All the best, Mark