hot air balloon part 2
as mentioned in previous post, we stayed at blue bianco. it was one of those quarters of the US service men which was transformed into a hotel when the Philippine government kicked Uncle Sam's a** and got control of these bases (the same goes with subic). It was really ordinary, but good for the price: 2 big beds, a tv and an aircon, quite big dining and living area and a toilet and bath. It was nothing fancy, it was really ok for the price. the only complain i have about it is that it had low water pressure, and the heater was not working.
i had a good night rest ( i must have been tired of driving) i had to be the first to get up (as usual!) as i take the longest bath time (this was according to the survey we did before calling it a night) i had long been awake when jimmi got off the bed, and the first thing that he did, was to take a picture of us!!! but luckily for me, i was able to hide under the sheets when he was taking picture, hehehe!
as a gentleman, (hehehe) i allowed jimmi to take a bath first. as i was in the mood for a little stretching. while waiting on them to finish, i went down to check on the car. it was sooo cold outside! mas malamig pa sa room namin na may aircon! no wonder gen advised us the night before to bring some jacket.
we hurriedly left blue bianco to catch the take off. on the way, we saw some balloons airborne already. there were so many people and there was heavy traffic on entrance. we can actually feel the festive mood already. we had to park far away from the entrance, as there were really many vehicles. (i haven't seen that many cars!) we had to walk a good 50 meters from where we parked to the entrance.
jimmi already started clicking his camera and we willingly posed for him ;0) i don't know, but the mere sight of the balloons delighted us ( parang ngayon lang nakakita ng hot air balloons noh!) the size and the colors i guess woke the child in us, promise! nakakaaliw sila tingnan!
after having breakfast, we walked around the area, and there sooo many people, from all walks of life. there were families, friends, riders (with those big bikes and leather suits!), men from the uniformed service, old, young! it was just a huge celebration. and like everybody's clicking their cameras to capture the fun of it all! many people posed beside the planes and choppers displayed by the Philippine Air Force and the Philippine Navy.
we settled to one place and see the acrobatic airplanes and all we could do is watch in awe and applause for the great acts!!! there were also some skydivers who had their colorful parachutes on. what a sight to see! we didn't mind the pain in the neck and the nape when we watched the skydivers and the paragliders go!
the program was really packed! there was activity after activity. the people continued to pour in. however, we decided to go back to blue bianco because we had to check out. the sun is now up, and there was scorching heat when we left the festival area to get to the car. and when we we're back at blue bianco, we had to freshen up as it was really hot outside.
while i was waiting for them to settle our bill, i had the biggest suprise! i saw my long lost daddy (as in father figure ha!) of the airforce, Gen. Oban! the last time i saw him, he was a Lieutenant Colonel, and it's only during the festival that i saw him again, and now his a one-star General! (yes! it was that long!) we had a short chat as he was also hurrying up because some VIP from the Air Force and the AFP was going to arrive and as a matter of protocol, he has to receive them. (boy, am i glad to see this brilliant man again!)
we went to lunch at SM Clark and did some shopping (hindi ako, sila lang, hehehe!) and since we thought it will still be hot in the festival area, we decided to see the PX goods shop. we went to Puregold and bought some chocolates and a whole lot of Spam (right rocel? hehehe!) and then we were off to the show again. we waited for the night glow part as the balloons will light up as it gets darks, and when we saw it, it was worth the wait. (i will try to post the video of the night glow in my next post).
after the night glow, we thanked Gen for the help he did, and we had dinner at El Mexicano. the food was great and cheap! ;0) after a sumptuous meal, we were off to manila.
til the 12th hot air balloon festival!
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