Hot Air Balloons

After reading about the German man that cause a number of calls about a UFO, when he sent a number of hot air lanterns into the sky to propose to his lady, I thought I should share our hot air balloons. We did not cause much concern with the locals, but maybe it is because these are often used in festivals in Northern Thailand.
The balloon is made of what I assume is rice paper and is about a meter high and about a meter in diameter. The top is closed and in the center of the bottom is a small ring of material that has been soaked in kerosene and then covered in wax. Bamboo is used for the top and bottom ring but nothing on the side so it will collapse to a flat ring. When you are ready to fly you open it up and light the ring in the center of the bottom. After waiting a little time the balloon is filled with hot air and will fly off into the sky.
We released eight of them and I was amazed at how high they went. Our guide said they would fly for about thirty minutes. As for the fire danger, I would not think there is much of a problem. They go very high and will not come down until the fire goes out. And the material the is burning will all burn so there should be now embers by the time it reaches the ground. It was a very fun activity and Marilyn started saying immediately that it would be fun to do it here but I don’t think our neighbors would think much of it.