麻豆社

Izzati and Atiqah Khairudin are Malaysia's first female hot air balloonists - they're also sisters and there was a bit of sibling rivalry as to which one of them would claim the title first. Their father was also a ballooning pioneer. He was one of the first pilots in the country and turned his hobby into a business, staging a hugely popular ballooning fiesta every year. The sisters are currently in the middle of a balloon tour of the Malaysian peninsula and Matthew Bannister caught up with them during a pit-stop in Kuala Lumpur. Izzati told him how their dad's passion for balloons started while he was living in the UK.

(Photo: Atiqah and Izzati Khairudin flying high. Credit: AKA Balloon Sdn Bhd)