I missed another Clark Hot Air Balloon Festival

3 years ago, best friend Ranel shared his valentines date with wife Enid at the Hot Air Balloon Festival in Clarkfield, Pampanga. The hopeless romantic that I am, I have longed to bring my special girl to such festival as well.

Clark 2011 Hot Air Balloon/Air Show
Image taken from here.

As fate would have it, I missed another year of enjoying this aerial spectacle. The Clark 2011 Hot Air Balloon/Air Show just concluded last week. Aargh!


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That Darth Vader hot air balloon would definitely bring me to another high.

The closest I got to going was last year. I initially I wanted to ride in one of those beautiful looking hot air balloons. But when I saw in magazine that the cost is way beyond my wallet's capability, I decided to settle just watching from the ground.

When I brought up the idea with Ranel in February some time last year, he said that I should have reserved accomodations way, way before. He said that it would be ideal if we could be in Clark the night before as the flight of the hot air balloons is scheduled early next day.

It's good thing that I kept the plan under wraps. Other wise my words would just hot gas that is only good for those hot air balloons.

I'm looking forward to the 2012 Clark Hot Air Balloon Festival and beginning now, I'm trying to reach friends who are close to the venue.

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Check out Ibon Ebon Festival this February 2011

The Ibon Ebon festival (Birds and Eggs festival) is a unique and colorful event which celebrates Candaba's eco-tourism, being home to thousand of migratory birds, and showcases its local duck-egg industry through various activities.

Image via Flickr, courtesy of jhayzapi
Photo taken at last year's Ibon Ebon Festival

Over the weekend, I just learned from a Sunday newspaper, of a unique event called the Ibon-Ebon Festival.

It is a colorful event celebrated in Candaba, Pampanga showcasing this municipality as a haven of choice for thousands of migratory birds including rare bird species and its very own duck-egg industry.

This year's celebration of the Ibon-Ebon festival will be on February 4 & 5, 2011. Bird watchers & nature-lovers in general will surely enjoy the bird watching tours, swamp & river cruise, parade and "bird-kite" flying among other planned activities.

PLDT & Smart are part of the information drive about the festival. And I share their call to rediscover the northern part of the country beginning with this Philippine festival.

The Ibon Ebon festival is one of the unique celebrations that we can promote and further develop. It even has an ecological aspect in it in these times of environmental awareness and care.

Here's a video of the Ibon Ebon Festival last year.

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