Photo courtesy of Anything Under the Sun.
I heard about the 17th International Hot Air Balloon Festival so many years ago. I didn’t give it much thought because it was too far for me to visit. Besides that, I didn’t have a budget for the board and lodging needed for such an event.
So, when my wife told me about it, that little light bulb above my head came to life with a “ting” sound.
With that, I texted family and friends and made plans to head out to Clark Air Base in Pampanga to watch the festival.
Table of Contents
Tickets
Not all trips are perfect; and for this trip, the problems were encountered before even leaving Manila.
The first time I got tickets at the TicketNet branch in Megamall, things proceeded smoothly. The second experience wasn’t as good.
Paragliders. Photo courtesy of Anything Under the Sun.
When my friends asked me to get them tickets a couple of days later, I rushed back to the TicketNet. Like the first time, the line was mixed with balloon and concert ticket buyers. But this time is was long and slow because people were buying fifteen to twenty tickets at a time. Then you had the concert ticket buyers taking their sweet time in picking out a seat, slowing things down even more.
When the cashier finally separated the balloon ticket buyers in to their own line, forty-five minutes had passed for me.
By the time it was my turn arrived to buy tickets, I was told that credit cards weren’t accepted. I informed the cashier that I paid with my card days before, but the cashier wouldn’t budge. What was more annoying was that she didn’t even bother to give optional solutions to my dilemma.
In the end, I lined up for nearly an hour only to go home empty handed; not exactly the best way to start a trip that needed tickets.
Saturday Afternoon
We expected traffic to be heavy and it was. Even worse was that cars continued to come in straight in to late afternoon. The result was that it took forty-five minutes, instead of the usual ten to fifteen minutes, to get to our hotel.
Aircraft. Photo courtesy of Anything Under the Sun.
It wasn’t all bad though, as the activity in the sky kept us entertained. Planes were doing a few loops and paragliders flew in formation.
We were very tempted to drop by Clark Air Base but held off since our tickets were only good for a single use. So if we used it for Saturday, we’d need to buy another set for Sunday. And since the balloons are launched at dawn, it would have been a waste to go in the afternoon.
With this in mind, we used the remaining time to visit Monestario de Tarlac, hear mass at the Parish of the Holy Rosary, pig out at Bale Kapampangan, and then relax by the pool at Prism Hotel.
Sunday Pre-dawn Parking
It was around four in the morning when our doorbell rang to wake us up. With heavy eyes, we got ready to leave in half an hour.
As the rest of our group trickled out of their rooms, we found out that one of my friends had gone on ahead. But instead of taking a car, he walked.
Right before we left, my friend called to say the ticket line was a kilometer long and that we should hurry. So instead of taking several cars, we all piled up in the Asian Utility Vehicle, or AUV, of another friend.
Pre-dawn. Photo courtesy of Anything Under the Sun.
When we arrived on Saturday afternoon, we thought traffic was bad. But in the dawn of Sunday, it was downright horrible. Thankfully, there were people managing the traffic at every intersection. This allowed us to slowly get through the Friendship Gate.
Traffic slowed to a crawl when we got on Manuel A. Roxas Highway. It was so bad; the highway was fast turning into a parking lot. So, to avoid wasting more time, we made a U-turn at the next available opening.
Instead of parking at one of the designated Clark areas, we left our vehicle by the side of the road beside a Shell gasoline station on Manuel A. Roxas Highway. Not only was it free, it was closer to our hotel. We hoped the proximity would shorten the time to get back to our hotel later.
As we disembarked, I noticed quite a few families sitting on picnic blankets by the side of the road. Instead of having to go through the crowds, they do this so they can watch the balloon festival for free.
While I will admit it is not as great as being inside, it does serve a purpose if the family is on a very tight budget.
After parking on the side of the road, we walked over to the entrance. And from afar, I could already tell that my friend was wrong about the line. It wasn’t one kilometer-long, it was longer than that.
After braving the long lines, dealing with people who try to cut, and the tight, funnel-like entrance, we were finally in.
Air Force
Since this was basically an air show, it was no surprise to see quite a number of aircraft on display. There were helicopters, an aging fighter jet, several civilian jets, and a huge military transport plane all behind a barricade so people could only look and not touch.
Huey. Photo courtesy of Anything Under the Sun.
Of all the air craft in the area, nothing gets people’s attention more than the distinctive “Thump-thump-thump” of the Huey helicopters as they land on the tarmac.
Though I was not part of the Vietnam generation, my exposure to these choppers was during multiple coup de états during the 1980s. Back then, the sound of the Hueys was so distinctive. It got the blood pumping because we never knew if rockets or heavy machine guns would go off at the next moment.
Aircraft. Photo courtesy of Anything Under the Sun.
While many of the aircraft were off limits, the Philippine Air force did have a plane for civilians to sit in. Located in a hanger by the tarmac, the line was short but people spent a bit of time in the cockpit, making it slow moving.
There were also men from the Philippines Air Force all over the hanger who encouraged civilians to examine the plane. They also answered all questions, no matter how mundane. Not only that, but anyone wanting a picture with them got it.
Army
Armored Personnel Carrier. Photo courtesy of Anything Under the Sun.
Several men from the army were also in the hanger. Dressed in either fatigues or camouflage, they allowed civilians to hold the heavy machine guns they carried. They even wrapped the bullet belts around people for photographs.
Like the men from the Air Force, they were all smiles and gamely posed for pictures whenever asked. They also explained the details of their weapons to those curious enough to ask.
Not only were there light, medium, and heavy arms on display, two armored personnel carriers were parked on the field near our picnic spot. Throughout the day, people went in, up, and around the vehicle.
Sunday Dawn
People started filling the balloons with air while the light was still weak. In the night sky, bursts of flame would shoot up in to the air. And as the light began to creep in, more and more flames lighted up the dawn sky.
Balloons. Photo courtesy of Anything Under the Sun.
The first to be filled were the typical bulb-shaped ones with colors that were simple. But as time went by, the multi-colored balloons were beginning to stand out in the gray sky.
Paraglider. Photo courtesy of Anything Under the Sun.
Speaking of gray sky, there was a brief moment when it started to drizzle. Looking up, it looked like it was going to be a torrential downpour as it was dark gray. Thankfully, the drizzling stopped and it didn’t rain until later that evening.
Getting back to the balloons, there were now several elaborately shaped balloons taking shape over the field. There was a cake, a car, an ice cream, and a flower.
And as the balloons were being filled with gusto, paragliders would float by in elaborate formations. Gliders with the seats under triangular wings would zip on by. And planes of all shapes buzzed overhead. It was a big sky but everywhere I looked, something was always flying or floating by.
Perhaps the one that took the cake, pun intended, was the parachutist with the Philippines Flag. Gliding down, he nimbly touched down with the flag proudly fluttering.
Sunday Morning
As the balloons were filled, they took flight one by one. Gracefully climbing in to the sky, they added color to an otherwise drab sky.
Not everything was able to take off though. A flower seemed to have trouble staying inflated. It eventually disappeared from the tops of people’s heads later on.
A colorful balloon beside it also did not make it in to the air. I heard that baskets of another balloon collided with it as it climbed, ripping a hole it. Ouch. That’s gotta hurt.
When the last balloon finally took off, it was the turn of the fixed wing aircraft to dominate the sky. They did loop de loops as well as twists and turns to the delight of many.
Balloons. Photo courtesy of Anything Under the Sun.
Later, several of them did flybys to bomb targets with sacks of flour. I was actually thankful they bombed targets because the schedule wasn’t too clear if the audience was the target during flybys. And while may not get hurt, cameras might not fare as well.
By nine in the morning, we were beat and decided to head on back to our hotel. So after taking a few more pictures pictures, we packed up our stuff and walked on back to our AUV.
On our way out, I was surprised to see cars all over the place. The parking lots were crammed with cars, buses, and motorcycles. Out in the streets, the story was the same. Every empty place had a vehicle in it. In fact, by the time we got to our vehicle, it was crowded enough to slow our drive back to the hotel.
Final thoughts
I’ve never been to a balloon festival in my entire life. The closest I have ever got to watching hot air balloons in the past is on television.
Balloon. Photo courtesy of Anything Under the Sun.
Even with the lousy ticket experience, the wading through heavy traffic, the waking up at the crack of dawn, and the dealing with throngs of people, watching the 17th International Hot Air Balloon Festival has been most satisfying. We had so much fun that my family decided we need to start planning for next year’s festival.
Well, it’s time for me to go. Join me for the rest of our trip as we go to several other places while still in Pampanga. These include Prism Hotel, Monestario de Tarlac, the Parish of the Holy Rosary, Bale Kapampangan, and Abe’s Restaurant.
Till the next time, keep your camera batteries fully charged and your memory free because you may need them for the next place you visit!
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We would like to thank Mr. and Mrs. Winefredo Rodriguez for helping us with our Pampanga itinerary.
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