hot air balloon festival

February has never been eventful for me until 2013. From my perspective, that was the turning point for J and me.

My bestfriend, G, met J in February. She liked him instantly and couldn't wait for J and me to get together. I suspect that she wanted to play Cupid so she invited us to join her and her then-boyfriend-now-husband JS on their trip to Clark Pampanga for the annual Philippine Hot Air Balloon Festival.

It was our first time on the road together. J picked me up at around 3am and drove down the road that led us to Pampanga. We made it just in the nick of time to see the hot air balloons take flight. There's something to be said about being up so early when you're not an early morning person. But seeing the hot air balloons even just from a distance was worth the effort.

Pampanga,
February 23, 2013.

The field was filled with feet of all shapes and sizes, young and old. Some were more prepared than others. But almost everyone I saw was happy and excited, watching and waiting as the hot air balloons prepared to fly. One by one, the hot air balloons flew (some were not able to take flight though). We watched with delighted smiles on our faces.

 

And each time a hot air balloon flew, I heard a chorus of "wow".

After the balloons have all taken flight and were merely tiny specks on a cloudy sky, we decided to stay and watch the Breitling Jet Team Aerobatic Show.

And it was so amazing!

The sun shone unforgivably after the aerobatic show. As it was getting too hot, we decided to drive to Subic. We bonded over steaks for lunch and then decided to have a massage where some of us were able to catch a few minutes of sleep. Soon after, we headed back to Clark to see the hot air balloons again.

Instead of hot air balloons though, the field was filled with people flying kites. So we decided to partake in the fun. It was a fine afternoon to fly kites after all.

But flying a kite is not as easy as it looks... or perhaps we just really didn't know how. It was definitely fun though and something I'd like to do again.

All too soon, the sun had set and we were engulfed in darkness. The hot air balloons lit up and it was nice to see them against a black backdrop. With the day of firsts and ticking off items on our bucket lists almost done, we headed back home to Metro Manila; our happy feet tired but our adventurous souls soaring in happiness. I will always remember this trip with giddiness and a happy heart because it was during this trip when J first held my hand with the lovely hot air balloons on the background.