The 12th Hot Air Balloon Fiesta
"Like a shamanistic language, flight speaks in different idioms. We can blast rockets to the stars. We can race across the sky on fixed wings. Ballooning appeals because it is more languorous and low-tech; it's adventure in an antique mood.What a treat to stroll through the veils of twilight, to float across the sky like a slowly forming thought. Flying an airplane, one usually travels the shortest distance between two points. Balloonists can dawdle, lollygag, cast their fate to the wind and become part of the ebb and flow of nature, part of the sky itself, held aloft like any bird, leaf or spore. In that silent realm, far from the mischief and toil of society, all one hears is the urgent breathing of the wind and, now and then, an inspiring gasp of hot air."
-Diane Ackerman, "Traveling Light,' op-ed in the New York Times, 11 January 1997
How great could it have been if we really had a chance to ride one of those balloons and experience the feeling described in this quotation; but too bad.. all we had was a glimpse of them.. being inflated, set to rise, soaring above, and have landed.
My friends and I decided to pay off a little visit to the North, to see the 12th Hot Air Balloon Fiesta. We decided to meet in 7-11 Kamias at around 3am so we can get there early and find a good spot for balloon watching, lomo photoshoot and of course.. dozing off. There were already a lot of people when we got there around 5 and like us, they were also excited to see the balloons in flight.
The weather was fine and perfectly suited for the whole process.. 21 balloons participated but one balloon unfortunately wasn't able to fly (some technical problems, perhaps). Everyone had their favorite balloons and were clapping as they were launched. The launching, I have to say is the only exciting part. The rest were just so-so. Good thing, I was with my friends and they made the stay fun and enjoyable.
We brought along a tent which was so hard to pitch. None of us were boy scouts or girl scouts, nor hikers and campers. We were figuring out our way to make the tent stand and after a long trial and error of inserting pegs into wrong holes, with the crowd witnessing our every move, we made it. There was even a woman probably on her fifties who congratulated us for having finally pitched the tent. She said, "O buti naayos na.. nakatulog na ko at lahat..". Oh well, we have teamwork!
We didn't stay there 'til the end of the day. At lunch time, we headed to SM Clark for sumptuous meal in Pollo Rico. They have good food. Wide selections, various dishes, fair serving, that will surely suit all budgets; but dining out in groups can really help you save a lot. There were 9 of us and we ordered, 4 dishes and 2 java rice good for 4, sodas and ice teas, and we only get to pay I think P1,000-P1,300. Not bad.
After a long day, we decided to finally head back to Manila and promise to come back next year for new balloons, more food adventures, and of course more bonding moments.
Here's a list of things that help us got along in that trip:
- a P1,000 amount of unleaded gas for the CR-V
- tent, mat, pillows, umbrellas
- some poi, RC helicopters and a kite for leisure
- pocket money (the trip didn't cost us much.. we only paid the contribution for gas (100 per person), the entrance (P100 each), and the food (prob P200-P300)
So that's it. With a budget of probably P500 per person, you and your friends can now start planning your trip to the next Hot Air Balloon Fiesta.
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