Up in the Air!

I had been watching the ads of the Philippine International Hot Air Balloon fiesta on local TV channels. It was scheduled to be held from 11 to 14 February ’10. The clips on TV were quite tempting & made me wonder if Mifu could spare time from his hectic schedule to visit Clark, the venue of the event. The airfield at Clark was the former American airbase. The place was a 2 & half hour drive from Makati.
Luckily, the class coordinator of MDM, Lyndon, decided to visit Clark for the balloon fiesta. So Mifu planned that we go with him as he knew the place well. Another lady working at AIM joined us for the trip. On the morning of 13th Feb, we met Lyndon at the lobby of AIM at 10.30. We took a cab to the Victory Liner bus terminal at Pasay. The buses ply to different places from Manila every half hour. We boarded a bus to Pampanga at around 11.30.
By 1.15pm, we were at Pampanga. I bought a burger for Raheel at the bus terminal as we weren’t sure about food at the venue. Next we took a 10 minute tricycle ride to the jeepney stand of Clark. A crowded jeepney drove us to the International airport complex of Clark.
The ambience outside the airfield was a festive one. The entry fee was a reasonable 150 pesos. Once we walked in through the crowded main gate, we got the real feel of the event. On one side of the field, fighter jets, army helicopters, combat jeeps, micro light aircrafts and even a few tanks were put on display for public. Raheel was very excited to see all the army stuff! We saw people getting into the tanks and we decided to try it too. Though I and Raheel did climb on to a tank, it was quite cramped inside with hardly enough space to move!
Soon a loudspeaker blared about the start of balloon bursting competition. We moved ahead to a spot from where we could a better view of the event. Interestingly many locals had set up portable tents all over the field. The place looked more like a huge picnic ground!!
The balloon bursting show was fun. The light aircrafts were used for this and most of the pilots could hit their targets. Next was the civilian sky diving event. Since it was quite an expensive affair, only a few foreigners participated in it. The hot air balloons were supposed to appear only at 5.30 in the evening and so we decided to explore the place for the time being. There were stalls selling everything from souvenirs to t-shirts to kites, etc. The sky looked brilliant as people flew kites of various colors and shapes. We discovered a KFC stall and took a quick lunch.
Having taken a full round of the field, we moved back to our original spot to witness the ultra light & micro light aircraft formations. The dare devil formations in the air delighted all. Next in line was the aerobatic show. Planes going topsy-turvy in the sky were fun to watch!
I was surprised to see Capt. Joy Roa moving about the airfield. I had seen him on Philippine TV a few times where he anchors an Asian travel show. Being a veteran pilot, Roa was an active organizer of the balloon fiesta. He was busy giving instructions to the pilots of the hot air balloons. As evening gradually approached, a colorful group of tribal dancers appeared on the ground. Capt. Roa announced that the hot air balloons were about to follow shortly. The local troupe of dancers was, in fact, escorting the pilots who had come from different countries. A few paragliders meanwhile moved about above us. Soon big jeeps pulled in the balloons as the people cheered. However, Roa announced that due to very high speed of wind, the balloons may not be able to float up. This dampened our spirits but we still waited & watched. The pilots were trying their best to inflate the balloons. Finally, after almost half an hour, one balloon was fully inflated and everyone cheered again. Camera flashes went on in frenzy as people captured the sight. Soon another balloon came up and then a few more! Capt. Roa said that we were lucky that the balloons could at least be inflated. A blue balloon with red hearts came up, reminding all about Valentine’s Day which incidentally falls on the next day!
Though the wind obstructed the balloons from actually rising up, yet the pilots’ efforts to inflate them for the enthusiastic spectators delighted all. As for us, it was indeed an experience to cherish….