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Hot
air balloon fest enthralls enthusiasts in Jaipur
by Lokendra Singh
Jaipur:
Jaipur city was treated to the pleasure of hot air balloon flying
contest on Wednesday. The Rajasthan Tourism Corporation organised the
festival in a bid to woo both domestic and international tourists. The
festival, which started in Badmer on February 17, moved to Jodhpur before
reaching the Pink City on its third leg. As many as 18 balloons from foreign
countries including England, the US, Ireland, New Zealand, Germany, Mexico,
Poland and France took part in the festival. "Hot air ballooning is considered
an adventure sport in the international level, therefore we began working
to organise such an event here in Rajasthan. We started working in that
direction and as a result today we are organising the first and biggest
international hot ballooning. Eighteen balloons from 11 countries are
participating in this festival," said Vinod Jutshi, Secretary of the Rajasthan
Tourism Development Corporation (RTDC). The participants said they were
thrilled to fly over the desert city. "It has been absolutely fantastic.
Wonderful take off sites. It's a beautiful area," said Joseph Lee, an
Irish balloonist. "This is an exhilarating feeling. No such programme
was conducted here earlier. We never got such experience before. Its a
very nice feeling," Dikishta, a visitor added. Hot air ballooning, though
new to India, is rapidly gaining popularity.
-Feb 23, 2006
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