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The Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta is perhaps the
most awaited event of the season, especially this time that we are hearing
'this is their last'... Yearly hosted by the country and now on its 21st year.
A para-glider carrying the Philippine flag as the show started
With its tagline "a weekend of everything that flies"
denotes that the playground is not limited to an enclosed dome with a
standard stage and with a different category of seats for spectators,
rather, an open field vamped with grass and refined cream sand close to dust and
the horizon colored with white and sky blue are the true exhibition hall. The
star players here are the aviators, pilots, para-gliders, skydivers and so on.
Though, you can also see sports car racers and drifters. These people do the
easiest way to play with the air, to us ordinary people it's really impossible
and unfathomable.
Waiting for the balloon inflating activity at early dawn
Inflating of hot air balloon
Trivia: Did you know that the 2nd lightest element is helium? This element is what makes the balloon flies.
Inflated hot air balloons ready to take off
Inflated hot air balloons ready to take off
The activities are enjoyable and everything that goes in the air
is at sight. Of course, the highlight of the entire event is the gigantic hot
air balloons. In the early dawn, the area barricaded with fence which
separates the players and the onlookers is little by little populated with the
gigantic colorful like cloth laid on the ground and the pilots with their
assistants starting to inflate the colossal rubber sheets, until such time
you'll see a giant balloon and one by one flying in the sky until it disappears.
Floating hot air balloons
Floating hot air balloon
Floating hot air balloons
You'll need to be at the venue as early as 4 am so you'll witness
the start of the grand exposition and gradual floating of the rubber sac
filled with gas. If you miss this glamorous show, you have another round at the
evening for the finale. The balloons are arranged and filled again with air.
This time, the inflated rubbers need not fly, but to stay still and light the
dark night. Together with the moon and the stars, they are like the
glimmering Christmas lights of December. After the balloon evening show, you'll
have a choice to stay and enjoy the live concert.
The glimmering balloons, a the night show during the lighting activity
The author and her best friend Rio during the lighting of the balloons
The event also features many activities which you'll enjoy like
aerobatic exhibitions, formation flying, car drifting, paragliding, I just
don't know if there was a car racing but believe it or not there was
a race of a sports car and a chopper! Unbelievable! Of course, don't
forget about the fun eating from the huge selection of foods and refreshments
and souvenir and local goods shopping activities in the stalls around the area.
And If you are lucky enough, your eyes may catch a live marriage
proposal, to romantic Filipinos, this kind of occasion is a perfect venue for
such.
Live marriage proposal
The planning team
The para-gliders with their magnificent exhibition
The para-gliders with their magnificent exhibition
You'll experience a true nature. Starting a cool breeze of
air in the early dawn to hot and humid during noon time and the drop-in
temperature at from dusk to night. You'll hear as well from the audience/s exclaiming
'libre pulbo' (free face powder), due to the dust which was blown by
the wind every time a vehicle passes the ground next to the railings where the
spectators are standing. The gesture of the people (including me) is to cover
their face with handkerchief or jacket while waiting for the wind to pass
across them, then afterward take off once gone. Some of the spectators
already have their own face mask, maybe because they already experienced it
from the previous fiesta.
The para-gliders with their thrilling performance
One more thing that an observer may notice is though there
was a lounge with special services intended to those political dignitaries and
those who can pay the VIP pass but apart from that what your eyes can witness
were the same.
Aircraft exposition
One of the airplane in the exhibit
Watch colorful kites flying during day time
Souvenir Shop
A hearsay is that perhaps this is the
last... due to the expansion of the Clark International Airport. If this is for
real or some sort of marketing strategy, well, definitely the organizing
committee will not allow it to an end. Possibly, they will just relocate the
venue which was the stage for 21 years and look for an area where they can
relocate the entire activity arena. In the first place, they've been doing this
remarkable and a true Filipino pride event for so long, would they want to end
it like that?
The author and her best friend Rio
A side trip in Sandbox Porac while killing the time for the grand hot air balloon finale
The fiesta was held on Feb 9 - 12, 2017 at the Omni Aviation
Center, Freeport Clark, Pampanga with 31 hot air balloons from 14 countries
participated and an approximately over 100,000 attended both local and
foreign visitors the 4 days event (source).
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