Getting Quirky In Albuquerque: International Balloon Fiesta Recap

Ni'Kesia Pannell
Oct 5, 2016
7 min read

When I got the call about attending the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, I didn't quite know what I should expect. If I'm being quite honest, the only thing I could ever remember hearing about Albuquerque was the jokes that Bugs Bunny would make in the old cartoons. Never did I imagine that this city that was once never even on my list of places to talk about, become home to one of the most liberating, care free, and inspirational events that I would have visited to date.

The Balloon Fiesta — as it is so commonly called — is actually the largest event in the world. Expected to bring in around 1 million visitors during its 2016 run, the festival hosts about 550 hot air balloons annually and brings in some of the most interesting shapes and designs imaginable. Though the numbers were supplied to me before I agreed to go on the trip, I don't think I quite believed the statistics because, ya know, it's just a balloon festival. However, when I landed in Albuquerque Friday afternoon, I learned just how far off from the truth that assumption was.

Before I jump into the trip itself, let me start off with my flight. The trip, which was sponsored by the incredible North American team of Hotels.com, could possibly go down in my book of favorite travel arrangements ever. Not because it was super fancy or anything, but because it was literally flawless in execution and I had no issues at all when it came to getting everywhere I needed to be. The car service (and I'm not talking Uber) was on time the morning of my travel to the airport and my driver, Phil, was the most polite ever. Not only did we have a conversation about God, we even prayed together before I left the car to get on my flight. I'll always love a good time to fellowship, and have no issue doing it anywhere at any time. So, special shout out to Phil for reminding me that there's never a bad time to speak about God and all of His wonder.

The first leg of my flight went from Atlanta to Minneapolis and was first class. Listen guys, I've never flown first class for anything because if you really know me (which some of you will get to), I'm the cheapest person out here. That being said, if it requires me to spend a penny over what I've calculated, it ain't happening. Though the Hotels.com team had no idea that I've never flown first class, it was a really special treat for me to experience that. While I won't bore you with the specifics of my travel arrangements, I will say that it was probably the best set of flights I've had in a long time. Great seats, nice passengers, and no bumps.

When I got off my plane, I was immediately welcomed with signage plastered throughout the airport dedicated to Fiesta goers. I guess I should've known the event was legit when Delta was offering $1,000 in trip vouchers for people to give up their seats for my first flight leaving Atlanta, but it didn't hit me until I was already on the other side of the country waiting on my driver to pick me up.

Once picked up, I immediately went to my hotel to get settled in. We were hosted at the Hyatt Regency near downtown Albuquerque, and I must say, it was very nice! From location and design to the kind service and cleanliness of the room, I was pleasantly surprised with the arrangements that were provided. Though the hotel was truly amazing, the best thing about it was there was a 7-Eleven three minutes away! Score! (Because, Slurpees are my thing, if you didn't know.)

After dropping my bags and getting my fix, I went back to the hotel to get ready for our team dinner, which was hosted at Garduño's inside of Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town. Our crew, which included four Hotels.com members, Captain Obvious from the Hotels.com brand, myself, and the creator of TheFlightAttenLife.com, Kara Mulder, enjoyed a delicious Mexican dinner (that wouldn't have been complete without margaritas, which you can read about here) and time getting to know one another before our first day on the field began. Since our call time for the first day was 4:00 am, we headed back to our hotel around 9:00 pm and got settled for bed.

Since Albuquerque is two hours behind Atlanta, I had trouble sleeping the night we arrived. Needless to say, the struggle was more than real when it was time to get up and get ready for Saturday's activities. Nevertheless, I got my life and got it together as close to on time as I possibly could. Though I knew the desert could get pretty cold, I wasn't anticipating the low 50s to feel like I was stuck in the sequel to Frozen Saturday morning. But, I guess the joke was on me.

With Saturday being the opening day, the focus was on Captain Obvious and the first flight of the Hotels.com balloon. As he conducted his interviews and we prepped to do the lift off, the field — which is the size of 54 football fields — quickly filled with more people than imaginable. While the sunrise turned the sky into beautifully arranged canvas with hues of pink, purple and orange, the first waves of balloons began lifting off, and it was as beautiful as ever. From there, it was an overflow of balloons piercing the white clouds and blue sky all day long.

Next we were able to witness a live chainsaw carving! Though the Hotels.com carver had already began on his carving prior to arriving, being able to see him add the details of Captain Obvious to the wood block was incredible to witness. Much respect to Captain Obvious for sitting down that long, too, because it couldn't have been me!

After a quick intermission back at the hotel (which was the Hyatt Regency Albuquerque), we returned to the field for opening night lighting ceremonies. Now, when I first heard of this part of the opening weekend, I was like 'what the heck are they going to be lighting and why is everyone making such a big deal out of this ?' Pardon me for being slightly ignorant, but ya know, I'm alright with admitting I can be a little off track at times. At any rate, I was in attendance with any empty belly (because, free all-you-can-eat food will make feel like you're in college again) and wide eyes like a kid on Christmas! And, let me tell you, after the first lighting, I see why it was a favorite amongst many! Seeing that was probably one of the most incredible sights to ever experience. Post getting our bellies full and showing up at the light show, the entire crew — including Captain Obvious — went back to the hotel and had a celebratory drink (or two) to end a successful run of events for the dat, Now, of course this could have been the highlight of the trip, but the next morning before I boarded my flight to leave is what really did it.

As we trekked out to the field one last time, the droves of people were already pouring in to get into their places for Sunday morning's first lift-off. The only difference for us though, was that we were going to be apart of the lift-off! If you know me, you know I don't do heights much, so loading up in the Hotels.com hot air balloon with Kara was me conquering a long held fear of mine. Though I was scared out of my mind and probably didn't unlock my knees for the first 10 minutes of the ride, once I got up there and focused on the scenery instead of being afraid, I realized how incredible it actually was to be sailing through the sky without being in a plane.

I've had the opportunity to do some pretty amazing things in my life, but I can honestly say that going up in that hot air balloon that morning was one that can't be compared to anything else. Now, I'm not sure if it's because I'm in a completely different space in my life right now, but being up there brought me inspiration. It made me feel somewhat liberated. It reminded me that God is working no matter how things may feel at the moment. To me, that ride was a representation of how even in the most terrifying situations, beauty can always be found. And that no matter what, you have to set out to conquer your fears. It was just an overall incredible feeling and great way to cap off my short stint in Albuquerque. Though I wish I could have stayed for just a few more days of the Fiesta, I'm so grateful that I was even able to see what I did and feel what I felt.

So, my overall recommendation? Go. At least once in your life. Though it's not an even that you'll find many people of color (I probably was one of 30), it's always good to step out of your comfort zone and know that you'll be welcomed with open arms. Take your kids, take your family or just go by yourself. I promise you won't be disappointed. And, while you're there, don't forget to stop by Garduño's Restaurant and Blake's Lotaburger if you have time! I had the pleasure of eating at both and you can read about my thoughts on them here.

Special thank you to Hotels.com and their incredible team for making this happen for me. It was an amazing thing to do and I can't wait to get a group of people together to do it again next year!

Until next time: pack light, travel far, and eat until your heart's content!

With Creative Thoughts,