16th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2011

Whether you're a family looking forward to spending some quality time, a couple on a pre-valentine's date, a barkada in for some group adventure, a sky adventure enthusiast, a photographer, a young at heart, or what have you, this annual event is the place to be.

It was on a Saturday, Day 3 of the Festival, we arrived at the venue at around 4am. It was a bit too early, thinking we've just won the race, surprisingly a lot of people were already there. We were all first timers so we didn't know what to expect. We didn't know where we could have breakfast but that's already been taken care of. A lot of food stalls were already setup. We had one at Jollibee stall. I had this outrageous idea to bring and pitch a tent, but I was not too sure if it's allowed. We saw there were a lot of tents setup. Apparently some families already camped out the night before. Awesome, I wanna try this next time so I could get enough sleep at least. :p

We immediately went to the front part of the field. The first 3 rows were already occupied. But we were still able to have a fair view of how the hot air balloons were being setup.

Finally, at around 6, the show began. Yipee!

After the show, on our way to the parking lot, we can't help but succumb to any photo op that gets presented to us. hehehe

We decided to take a sidetrip to Mt. Samat where we spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon...

Then, arriving early for the night show, at 3pm, we decided to take some rest first. Finally, at 430 we walked back to Clark Field. We roamed around a bit. The environment was a lot like school fairs we used to have back in high school. Kite flying was a popular activity. It was really relaxing and amusing to stare at the colorful sky for long, thanks to the shielding clouds.

We passed by the photo booth where it could appear as if you were actually riding the hot air balloon, and for a price that's far less than 150 USD (per head). We bought some souvenir, a mini-hot air balloon. You could do some interesting trick shots with it, with enough patience. Hehe.

Finally it was time for the late afternoon flight of the balloons. But unfortunately, it was announced that because the winds were too strong, the hot air balloons cannot anymore be flown. :( But they were still generous enough to entertain the audience by inflating them and doing the night glow show, with grounded HA balloons.

Aftermath: My friend was right. The traffic was indeed terrible. All in all, it took us more than 3 hours drive back to Manila. I'm not sure but it was most likely because of this trip that I had some terrible flu, that left me bedridden for days (prolly because of lack of sleep). :(  But no matter, it was one of the funnest trips I've had. :)))

Tips:

1. Buy tickets before going there. You can get it from Ticketnet, available at SM.

2. Bring tents or mats so you can lay or sit comfortably.

3. Bring picnic food. I think it'd be fun too. ;)

4. Bring telephoto lens.

5. Ask nicely/persuade/coerce your buddies to SHOOT A MUSIC VID! (Ok, it's just me hehehe!)