The Pinay Solo Backpacker

My sister and I, left Dau, Pampanga at 5am. It’s just 2 jeepney ride from Clark Field.  There’s  a young couple who are also headed to the event, the guy was so helpful and asked us to join them until we get there.  I’ll be writing about our misadventures in Pampanga the night before the event soon.

Anyway, it was still dark when we arrived at Clark field, as expected there’s a lot of people. There’s 2 long lines to the ticket booth but it’s really easy to get in once you get your ticket.  We found ourselves standing in a huge  field full of  stalls  selling all kinds of stuff, drinks, and food.

Suddenly,the batteries of my good old digital camera died, the spare ones are empty as well! That’s because we were so amazed with the wall mural on the cheap motel were we ended up staying during our misadventure the previous night so we took a lot of pictures inside the room. “No way! It can’t be, the event is about to start!”, I sighed. So we looked around and found a store selling films and souvenir pictures and disposable batteries.

After eating at Yellow cab’s booth, we walked around the field to explore the rest of the field.  The event is not only full of people but also overflowing with DSLR cameras. I haven’t seen so many huge lenses and high-end cameras in my life before.  We waited a for an hour before the event started. From this point on let me share you the pictures of what you can see aside from the tiangge before the event starts; the must-see exhibits.

Experience riding in a helicopter, jet plane, army truck and the likes. Learn the history of  the aircraft. It’s a rare chance to see the anatomy of an aircraft. Get a glimpse of the life of the US Marines through their photo exhibit and see replicas of  navy vehicles, boats  & air crafts. You are free to hold the guns or try on those diving  gears of the Philippine coast guard and showcase of high-end vehicles.

But  at the end of the day, still, nothing beats the sight of naive children playing or  their sweet moments with their parents. The Hot Air Balloon  is a wonderful event to spend and make precious moments with  your family, your friend or your lover.

How to commute to Clark Free Port Zone, Pampanga:

ride a bus that’s bound to Dau, Pampanga (Victory Liner,  Baliwag Transit see contact info below) Fare is below Php 200. then from Dau Bus Station walk left to Caltex Gas station (you should pass by the jeepney station to SM Pampanga) cross the street, you should be on the other side of  Caltex ride a jeep headed to Main Gate. Fare is Php 7.00 then from Main gate, ride a jeep to Clark. Fare is Php 10.

By Car:

NLEX, SCTEX – Take the North Luzon Expressway from Manila and continue past Dau toll plaza — but do not take the Dau exit. Pull to the right and take the SCTEX on-ramp. From the SCTEX toll booth, take the southbound lane to Clark South exit. You will be entering Clark through the Yokohama complex. At the stop light, turn right into Roxas highway. The Balloon Fiesta is situated on the right

NLEX, Dau- Getting to the Clark Special Economic Zone by car is easy. One simply needs to take the North Luzon Expressway from Manila and exit at Dau, Mabalacat. Take a left turn towards Angeles City and make an easy right turn into Clark itself. After entering the main gate, proceed along Roxas highway, and the Balloon Fiesta will be to your right. The car trip should take about an hour and a half from Manila.

*********************************************************************************************** About the Blogger : Gael is a Filipina solo adventurer, a dream chaser and a student of life.  Her (mis) adventures are documented in this blog. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter. For advertisement, partnerships and sponsorship, click here. or email me at thepinaysolobackpacker(at)yahoo(dot)com. **********************************************************************************************

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