A air balloon mobile drifting lazily overhead is an inspiring sight, conjuring images of fantasy and fascination. But a Wedgwood blue sky dotted with 650 luminescent teardrops of every conceivable color and shape is nothing short of spectacular. During the first week of October, Albuquerque will hold its 21st International Balloon Fiesta. More than 1.6 million people are expected to attend, the world's largest event of its kind.

Even if you have flown in hot-air balloons and experienced the graceful ascent, peaceful vistas that stretch forever and the euphoric sensation that overwhelms you as you float above the treetops, nothing can compare to flying amid hundreds of airborne pastel bubbles in a mass ascension.

Lifting off in a crowd, you feel as if you are in the center of an undulating gum ball machine with a kaleidoscope of vibrant color and wild patterns swirling all around you. Several pilots fly close enough to wave and greet each other in the stillness high above the city, and closer still to touch gently - called "kissing" in balloon lingo.

As you rise higher and spread out across the vast horizon, the scene is transformed into a stunning montage - specks of color everywhere in the distance, the lazy Rio Grande shining in the sun like a silver ribbon winding its way through fertile fields, against a backdrop of the verdant hillsides of Albuquerque under a canopy of blue.

Each October, balloon enthusiasts gather here to celebrate the 209-year-old sport, held this year Oct. 3-11. Since its 1992 debut with a meager 14 balloons, the fiesta has become the world's largest, with 650 entrants from 18 countries and more than 1.6 million visitors.

This year's theme is a salute to international cooperation, transcending cultural differences, language barriers and political polarities, according to Jody Baugh, marketing director for the AIBF.

As the walls between nations tumble, 578 U.S. entrants will mingle with 72 balloons from 17 foreign countries, ascending together into the sapphire skies above Albuquerque. Among the nations taking part in the fiesta are Kenya, Portugal, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Canada, England, Germany and France.

During the nine-day period, there are mass ascensions each Saturday and Sunday morning at 7, plus various weekday activities featuring displays of unusually shaped balloons and assorted competitive events.

One event that now takes place around sunset on the first Sunday evening is the spectacular Balloon Glow. For this, the balloons are tethered to the ground and inflated. Flames are shot into the balloons with propane burners, lighting them from within.