March 29, 2015

The 19th Philippine Hot Air Balloon Festival checked off my bucketlist


This hot air ballon was so fascinated with all the other balloons - 19th Philippine Hot Air Balloon Festival


I've always wanted to go to the hot air balloon festival. I've been putting it off for the longest time for various reasons but this year I made the decision to make things happen instead of waiting for things and events to happen to me. 

I can credit my fascination with hot air balloons from a childhood filled with Jules Verne's books and a fascination at how science has managed to make people's dreams of flying a reality. 

The event was a four day affair (Feb 12-15) but we decided to catch the festivities during the last day. We decided it was best to check in the night before to avoid the traffic from the influx of festival goers during the early hours of Feb 15 and we also wanted to get a little rest. 

We checked in at Tune Hotel via Agoda. For a budget hotel, it wasn't so bad. The beds are comfy, pillows are a bit thin. The rooms are, as expected, just the right size to accommodate two people. The bathrooms are clean, there's cable TV and the air-conditioning worked well. What I wasn't expecting was the wonderful service. We checked in a bit late and were told that while we had booked a room with twin beds, the only room available had a queen sized bed. They apologized and instead gave us the option of a late check-out to compensate for it. I also realized that I forgot to print out our hot air balloon tickets. The staff, at the ungodly hour of 3am printed it out for us and told us it would be ready at the reception.

Tune Hotel Pampanga



At 4:30 AM, we decided to leave the hotel, there was already a long line of vehicles going to the area and there was a bit of traffic as cars were led to the parking areas. I was rather impressed though with how orderly it was done. There were designated parking areas and a lot of people to assist and answer any questions people might have. The queue to get inside the venue was also very efficiently run, and I was grateful for booking online tickets since there was only a short line.


My favorite part of the program, aside from the balloon flying was the part when the skydivers jumped out of the plane with the Philippine Flag. That was the most amazing flag ceremony I have ever experienced!
A video posted by Deandra (@deandracmg) on
19th Philippine Hot Air Balloon Festival - One by One the Balloons come to life


19th Philippine Hot Air Balloon Festival - Little Boy and Little Girl


Early morning fun

This little devil of a hot air balloon thinks it can go to heaven

So many cute merch!

Colorful Pasalubongs

We had so much fun watching the balloons take off as well as watch skydivers jump off the plane.
Afterwards, we went back to sleep at the hotel and checked out at lunch time to eat at Meat Plus and have coffee/tea at Cafe Tre.

Cafe Tre
Unit 45 C & D, Austine Bldg. Regency Park Townhouses
J. Abad Santos corner E.Aguinaldo St., Clark Freeport Zone



The condensed version:

What to bring:
Mats, banigs or chairs so you can be comfy while waiting for the program to start
Water - preferably a reusable bottle (help save the environment, avoid disposable bottled water)
Your trusty camera
Insect repellent


What to wear:
Comfy tops
Shorts or leggings
Sunglasses
Bring a light raincoat, you never know what the weather will be like (I reco Uniqlo).
Sneakers/Rubber shoes - the grass in the parking area can get muddy if it rains but the grounds are actually concrete.

Other Tips:
If you have the budget for it, book at the Holiday Inn or Widus
If you're on a budget, Tune hotel is worth it
If bringing a car, be there early, the line at the parking is long (but efficient)
Buy tickets online






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