Hi guys! I know a lot of you have been anticipating this post so without further ado, I'll now share my marvelous experience at the recently concluded Hot Air Balloon Fiesta in Pampanga.

Most people who travel all the way to Pampanga for this event would usually go on a one- day trip, but my family and I figured that it would be too tiring, not to mention we don't go to Pampanga often so might as well enjoy the place thoroughly, hence we booked an overnight stay at Clearwater Country Club.

Clearwater Country Club used to be a private resort for the members of Yats International, but the owner decided to open it to the public. It's a huge chunk of nature situated 2-3kms away from the venue of the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta. This place is very quiet, especially at night and those who are used to going on night outs may find this place a little boring. I liked its setting so much because the place is so serene, and it really helped ease my mind even for just a day. By the way, the body of water you see in this photo is a 3- hectare man- made lake. :)

We got the Presidential Suite because it was the only vacant house in the place.

 Let's take a virtual tour inside our cabin! :D
Receiving Area/Living Room: We had to ask the management to add two beds in our cabin because there were five of us.
Bedroom with a King- sized bed.

It doesn't really look like a Presidential Suite to me, but at least it's decent. :)

Click READ MORE and see the fiesta! :D


What I like about this place is it has a lot of cool amenities such as this quirky man- made beach. They imported white sand for this! :D

There are also other refreshing activities such as fishing, trekking, volleyball, tennis, boating, and kayaking.

Overall, I had a fairly happy experience with Clearwater Country Club because the place is absolutely wonderful. However, food is not so great, but it's not what I was there for. :D

Now onto the much- awaited part: THE HOT AIR BALLOON FIESTA!

Alright, we headed to the venue of the fiesta at 5:30 a.m. because the Hot Air Ballons fly at 6:00 A.M. Shockingly, traffic was horrible and there were millions (lol) of people who were waiting for the gates to open-we also had to park in a far, far away place and walked around 1 kilometer just to get to the entrance! My advice, if you're going to catch this fiesta next year, be at the gates at least 2 hours before the opening. Otherwise, you'll end up like us, who didn't get to enter the venue anymore!

Good thing we caught a glimpse of the balloons from afar.
A space shuttle hot air balloon! Cuteness! There was also this much cuter pink elephant hot air balloon but unfortunately, it failed to take off--I guess the nose of the elephant was too heavy and too long!
The Hot Air Balloon exhibition lasted for about one and a half hours, and it was followed by the Meynard Halili Aerobatic Exhibition that featured colorful biplanes.

And here's my most favorite part of the fiesta: THE BREITLING AEROBATIC EXHIBITION!

The funny thing was, when we've given up on the thought of catching the Breitling Pilots perform and decided to return to our resort, we saw the Breitling Pilots practicing on a parking lot for planes just a few meters away from the venue while we were on our way back so we decided to stop by and watch. Ha! We were so lucky! :D
Actually, Breitling is a pricey watch brand, and it has long sponsored this group of pilots who are specializing in Aerobatics. They're world- famous, I tell you. Every year, they perform at the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta.

Anyway, going back to the show. Talk about defying human limits and gravity. The Breitling Pilots maneuver their jets with so much precision, and I gotta commend them for their amazing talent! The stunts are quite death- defying, and they seem as if they're just driving bump cars in the sky! LOL!
The Breitling Aerobatic Exhibition lasted for about 30 minutes and for their finale, they disintegrated and each plane spouted flame sparklers in the sky. Man, AMAZING was the only word I could say after witnessing this marvelous show. This show alone is enough for you to go and see the fiesta next year! I'd love to go again next year with my BF, but I hope by that time, the fiesta's management is more organized!
And there goes my wonderful weekend at the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta. How about you? Have you ever been to this annual fiesta? Share with me your experiences and thoughts! :)