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Road Trip
Up, up and away
The annual hot air balloon event in Clark, Pampanga, has grown into a colorful affair that's worth traveling to and waking up at ungodly hours for
Words by Dinzo Tabamo; Photography by Chino Acosta and Jaykee Evangelista
Sleep has always been a prime commodity with the Top Gear staff. With the kind of schedules we have, sometimes slumber gets pushed to the wayside. There are times when you will see us slumped on our desks, stealing a few minutes of shuteye to recharge. I myself have a rather interesting relationship with sleep (see The Top Read story).
So on weekends, when other people are getting out of the city for much-needed R&R or golf, we can be found in the comfortable embrace of our beds, with the curtains drawn, wallowing in the nothingness of it all, oblivious to the world. So when it comes to waking up early on weekends, there's a short list of what's allowed to interrupt us while cavorting with Katrina Halili in our dreams. And one of those—other than mountain biking (Paulo), Xbox 360 (Jaykee) and bringing the girl home (Vernon)—is a Land Rover Discovery 3.
Land Rovers are relatively rare on our roads. They belong to that automotive circle of a small but fanatic group of owners. Both Top Gear off-road editors belong to this passionate fraternity. For them, their Land Rovers are up there with family, God and personal health—and don't ask them in what order. Because when it comes to driving off the beaten track, Robby Consunji and Beeboy Bargas will entrust their lives to only this brand.
But we weren't borrowing the Land Rover to take it off-road. We just wanted to attend the 12th Hot Air Balloon Fiesta in Pampanga, and we needed a solid, dependable vehicle to bring us there. What we didn't count on was how comfortable and exceptionally quiet the Disco 3 was. I needed no further proof than Jaykee reverting to his weekend sleeping schedule soon after I picked him up. Our suki photographer Chino Acosta lasted a bit longer, but he also entered dreamland soon as we hit the smooth road of the North Luzon Expressway.
We met up with the Hotwire TV crew who were also covering the event, then proceeded to Clark. The venue wasn't hard to find. It was literally a case of all roads leading to the hot air balloon event. We parked our cars, disembarked and entered the madness.
After passing through the gates, we were immediately drawn to the display of the Philippine Air Force, which operated a base inside Clark. On long tables were various machine guns, long firearms and rifles—all with no ammunition, of course. The soldiers were behind the tables, just lending the military hardware to the public, who were excitedly taking snapshots while posing with the guns.
Then something caught my attention and grabbed it by the lapels—a rocket launcher. At that moment, I knew it was for me. So I asked the soldier watching it if I could give it a go. He helped hoist it onto my shoulders—wow, it wasn't light at all—and showed me how to see through the scope. It felt very good imagining that rude bus that cut me off the previous week in the bazooka's sights.
The Air Force area even had a small helicopter on display, as well as some jeeps and rescue equipment. It was a good PR demonstration on the military's part, and the animated crowd obviously boosted the soldiers' morale. And this wasn't just because of the pretty girls in the crowd.
There were many more booths: souvenir stands, food stalls, car booths with demo units, real estate desks, and even a photo exhibit and competition. But the main attraction was on the airfield where activities on anything and everything about flying were being held. There were exhibitions like skydiving, kite flying, remote-controlled aircraft, rocket demonstrations, paragliding and plenty of flybys from light planes and helicopters. All these activities were bookended by the hot air balloon flights. Throughout the four-day festivities, there was a flight in the morning at 5:30am, and at sunset in the evening.
In the open space beside the cordoned-off airfield, people were flying kites of various designs. There were bigger kites built with corporate sponsors and small personal kites being flown by the public. Nearby on display were armored personnel carriers and a tank courtesy of the armed forces, with people again taking pictures and clambering aboard. It's funny how we can be so amused by instruments of warfare.
A minor complaint would be their choice of music. Somehow, I didn't warm up to the techno version of 'Sweet Child O' Mine'. But strangely enough, in the context of the carnival atmosphere of the event, the music was appropriate. There was something that filled the air, but it wasn't too familiar to distract you from the activities.
All around us, families and couples were strolling and enjoying the sights and the attractions. This wasn't a bad event at all. Sadly, we didn't see hot air balloons take flight that day because the wind was too strong. As night fell, we headed back to the vehicles and called it a day. We had one more chance to watch the hot air balloons the next morning, and we weren't going back to Manila without seeing them.
On the fourth and last day of the hot air balloon event, we were back at the venue before the crack of dawn—at 4:30am—just in time to get a prime spot on the grassy knoll beside the airfield. Cars were already streaming in at a constant pace. By 5:30am, our view was starting to get crowded.
In other cars, this would be a limitation, but a Land Rover isn't 'other cars'. I toggled the switch beside the transmission and raised the Disco 3's suspension to off-road height. I then clicked the Terrain Response dial to grass/gravel/snow and just ambled along to a better vantage point. Just in time for the show to start.
You might be wondering if we tried to hitch a ride in one the beautiful balloons. Of course, that idea was enticing: Soaring high above the ground and going where the wind took you, we could almost hear the Fifth Dimension's 'Up, Up And Away' in our heads.
But enlightenment came over dinner the night before. We were with event organizer Joel Paje, and he recounted how so many people wanted to ride the balloons, but rarely stopped to think of how the balloons landed. Oh...
Hot air balloons only have a burner to control the amount of hot air inside—meaning they can only manage their ascent and descent. If you want to land, you open a vent at the top of the balloon and off-road chase vehicles follow them until they hit the ground. Not all landings are smooth. Joel said the basket carrying the passengers usually gets dragged for a few hundred meters before coming to a stop.
That's why come morning, we were sitting cozily on the Disco 3's tailgate, listening to music from the Harman Kardon sound system, and relishing the view.
And what a sight it was. If you've never seen hot air balloons, you might wonder what the big deal is, because technically they're just larger versions of the decorations you see during children's parties. But that's like comparing the amount you give a fixer to a presidential kickback. The radiant sunrise bathes the sky in an amber glow that dramatically illuminates the hot air balloons.
There were over a dozen hot air balloons from different countries representing their national colors. There were corporate balloons like Kellogg's Tony the Tiger, and a bright yellow 'zeppelin' from heavy equipment maker CAT. Since the festival was around Valentine's Day, there was also a blue balloon with big red hearts around it.
But our pick for favorite balloon was a red octopus complete with tentacles protruding from its sides. We watched as it hovered rather low above the city, looking like a cute monster terrorizing the kapampangan folk.
We reveled in the colorful sight until no more balloons were left on the airfield except for one—a Philippine balloon tethered to the ground so people could ride it up and down safely. There was something symbolic about watching our national colors go up and down, wanting to soar but being held back.
We went back to our resort for lunch before heading back to Manila. There's a common tradition among hot air balloonists that calls for having champagne upon landing for a toast, to celebrate a good flight and safe landing. It sounded like a good idea, so we did our own toast during our meal.
Instead of champagne, we went for something a little more up our alley—a yellow bottle of Margarita King tequila cocktail. It tastes great and it passes through your system quickly, letting you drive just an hour after drinking it with no hangover. Ah, the Top Gear kind of drink.
We'll definitely be back for next year's hot air balloon fiesta. It has already secured a place in our list of things worth waking up early for.
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Top Gear Philippines - April 2008
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