Sunbathing In Clark (2010 Clark Hot Air Balloon Festival)

Jeanne, Michelle, and I went to Clark for some sunbathing today. Okay, so we we’re not really there just for the sun. We went to the 2010 Clark Hot Air Balloon Festival. The balloons were scheduled to fly early so we left the house early since we wouldn’t want to miss the highlight of the show.

After two hours travel, got there just as the balloons were already taking off! The road was congested with cars heading to the show so we decided to hastily stop and park by a side service road. We watched and took pictures as the balloons flew up, farther and farther. We also soaked up the sun which was just coming up. Sunbathing in Clark!

That was the best part of the show. Once the balloons were gone and the traffic thinned down somewhat, we proceeded to the show venue only to encounter traffic congestion and chaotic parking. But we eventually found a spot. Next, we had to contend with long ticket lines. They only had one booth and the queue was snaking around already. I lined up and after a lot of slow shuffling forward, paid P300 for two tickets.

In the show venue, there were various military and civilian displays as well as food and shopping stalls. But what struck me was that it was so crowded! There were people taking pictures, posing for photos, eating, shopping, flying kites (lots of kites!), and just milling around. And it was getting hot as midday approached. For some, it could be a fun and festive carnival atmosphere. To me, it just wasn’t.

I convinced Michelle to make a quick exit and head to the duty free shops. After an inadvertently prolonged side visit to the bank– Jeanne fed– we got to the duty free area just in time for lunch. The problem is that we couldn’t find any good place to have lunch at. We decided to just forgo duty free shopping altogether and just go back to SM Clark for lunch.

At SM, we met up with Khae who happened to be in Angeles City for lunch at Xtremely Xpresso. Reasonably good food and good espresso. I think they use Lavazza based on the cans of coffee grounds I saw on display. A good ending to our Clark visit.