A Weekend of Everything That Flies!

This experience would definitely work for an interesting story. J

My heart was almost crushed when I thought our Pampanga trip for the 18^th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta would be cancelled. L You see, this had been planned long ago and everything had been set until Friday came. Aside from the bitchy weather, there were also other un-cool reasons that I’d rather not talk about so as not to taint this happy post on my happy blog. HAHAHA!

I woke up to a very sunny Saturday, like it wasn’t raining cats and dogs the day before. Faith, Jusz and I felt sad, because we were supposed to watch that day. We were so dismayed. But after an exchange of text messages, we decided we’d go even if we had no idea how we’d get there and where we’d be staying and what’d happen. Talk about adventure! J

Then, we bumped into Rochelle at the mall and kidnapped her to go with us! Booyah! HAHA! 

Travel was surprisingly smooth and easy. We didn’t get lost or anything. Upon arrival, we looked for a place to stay in for the night. We checked into Bliss Hotel which provided us with a very nice room at a reasonable price. J

me, che, jusz, faith

There was no stopping us at this point. Come Sunday morning, we headed straight to the Clark Freeport Zone for the last day of the 18^th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta. Yay! Happy kids! J

the supposed 7-minute walk turned out to be a 30-minute one. pft!

The hot air balloons looked so vibrant and beautiful. They were like huge candies in yummy colors scattered in the sky. My eyes were feasting on them the whole time. Too bad the huge pink elephant wouldn’t go up. It was still cute, though. We had to stay ‘til 6PM to see them again, but they were absolutely worth the wait! J

taken at around 7AM, that's why they still looked gloomy.

One of the highlights of the 18^th PIHABF was the Breitling Jet Team Aerobatic Exhibition!!! OMG! J They were truly amazing. Everybody’s jaw dropped when they did all those breathtaking aerial synchronizations and maneuvers. Spectacular. Just spectacular. I couldn’t take my eyes off them even if my eyes already hurt because of the sun’s brightness. Seriously, how could they be that awesome? J It reminded me a lot of Top Gun. I even pictured Tom Cruise as one of the pilots. HAHA. I felt like I was watching a movie that was just so badass. I could use as many adjectives as I want but those words wouldn’t equate to how incredible it really was. Only those who were there would understand. J Because of what they did, pilots now have a place in my heart! HAHAHA!

goosebump moment. :)

Just so you know, Breitling Jet Team is a civilian aerobatics team from France. One of the pilots even gave a thank you message over the radio while they were up in the air. Sweet! Kilig! HAHAHA!  

This was followed by a number of other aircraft displays. We’ve had more than enough of planes in one day. HAHA. Funny thing, it was a hot air balloon fest but we saw more planes and jets than balloons. Whatever, it was still fun. HAHAHA.

The only thing I hated about this day was the scorching heat of the sun. Hassle. It’s an open area so there wasn’t really any way we could escape the sun. Besides, we didn’t wanna leave our place ‘coz it was already a good spot for viewing. Looking at the bright side, at least it didn’t rain. I’d rather endure the hot weather than have a rainy and muddy day at the fest. Hell no.

the crowd + the sun's heat + the wind dust! so many people! 

There was also the kite flying demonstration accompanied with music. The first part had a three-kite demo, followed by a two-kite display, then a four-kite show. Man, they were really good. J How could those people possibly control and synchronize those kites like that?!  How come they didn’t get those strings tangled up or anything? HAHA! Cool balls. 

Then, Rochelle, who we just ambushed to join us in this trip, had the time of her life. J She was among those picked to experience car drifting. Ain’t that cool? HAHA! Our girl got even luckier ‘coz the driver she was with was a cutie! HAHA! Happy for her. She really was meant to be with us! J

there she is at the bottom right! :)

To cap off the fest, there was the Hot Air Balloon Night Glow. Beautiful. We were ooh-ing and aah-ing every time all the hot air balloons on display would light up simultaneously. They all looked better at night when lit up. What a view. What a great way to end the festival. Aaaah.

Plus, the fireworks! J I’m not sure if they intentionally timed the fireworks display with Psy’s Oppa Gangnam Style, but it was really cute. J

Hooray for friends who are always game for anything!

It was definitely a fun experience. Something for the soul. J

Lesson of this trip: For as long as you want something, you can make it happen. Action and motivation bring forth fruition.

Carpe diem.

*Thanks to Faith for the photos! J