Your survival guide and tips to 17th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2012

Wednesday, February 08, 2012
P2116762
I'm posting again my tips and guide for the "17th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2012", I'm revising the tips that I posted last year and I'll add more new tips for this year. So read along below.

Read the Event Info
If you are planning to attend the hot air balloon fest, make sure that you read first the event details and check all schedules of activities from the event website or to my blog :) you might find some activities that will interest you to check it out.

I posted here in my blog the list of attractions, balloon info and plane exhibits that will be present starting on the 1st day of the hot air balloon fest tomorrow Feb 9, 2012 - visit http://azraelsmerryland.blogspot.com/2011/02/16th-philippine-international-hot-air.html

Official event website
Don't also forget to visit their official website for more detailed info, they posted everything you need to know - http://www.philballoonfest.net/index.html

you can also read my coverage and also blog post about my experience during 2010 and 2011 Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta

2010








Entrance Fee and Ticket
Tickets are available at the ticketing booth onsite of the hot air balloon fest inside Clark Freeport Zone, There will be around 2-5 ticket booth and all you need to do is pay a P200 for the entrance fee and you can use the ticket for the entire day, if you plan to leave the event and go back there in the afternoon or at night, just make sure that you keep the remaining part of the ticket and get a stamp badge on your arms.

Ticket price: Php 200 per person

The Poster
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my 2012 tips
1. Read my tips from 2011 and 2010 - you might learn something from there
2. First time visitors please read tips 2011 and tips 2010
3. If you are going there via public transport - read tips 2011
4. The scenario is the same and all tips from 2011 and 2010 can be applied
5. Don't bring any remote controlled helicopter toys or airplane, they prohibit this because it will cause obstruction to some official flyers of the event (parachute,planes and other RC heli and planes)
6. Don't leave your things unattended
7. Don't let your child walk alone, the area is big and there's plenty of walk ground, just advice your kid that incase he got lost, he must approach any staff of the balloon fest and for the parent, there's a PA system and customer announcement service in the area. Or you can advice your kid that in case he got lost, you can meet up at the hot dog area with giant inflatables (just an example)
8. BRING UMBRELLA...big rain last year for day 1 in the afternoon almost cancelled the 2nd flight
9. Bring money - everything inside the event venue are so expensive
10. Bring food and drinks! ( I haven't check if bringing food is allowed)
11. Wear comfy clothes, light clothes, comfy shoes (rubber shoes, running shoes, any closed shoes, don't wear sandals, on the way is very dusty, grassy and sometimes muddy, but the venue ground is cemented, but hot during the afternoon)
12. Will add more tips later.

My tips from 2011
1. I suggest you leave tonight, because the bus in Victory Liner terminal, both Pasay and Cubao terminal, they ran out of bus and I didnt expected that all people will be at the terminal, all 4 bus that was supposed to be have a 40 min. departure each, just left all together and bus in Pasay got only the 5:10am departure. I got lucky that I rode a bus in Cubao, I successfully left Manila at around 4:30pm. The hassle is that you need to fall in line to buy tickets first.

2. Traffic in NLEX exit to San Fernando, Pampanga.

3. Traffic in Clark road

4. Jeepney terminal lacks lots of PUJ at around 5am and beyond. Big group of people are falling in line and everyone went chaos to ride a jeepney, it happen only if a jeep comes, so para saan pa yun pila di ba? buti sanay ako at taga maynila ako pagdating sa garapalan at unahan sa pag sakay.

5. Jeepney unloading zone is at the end of the Clark field, near the stop light, PUJ are not allowed to stop infront of the hot air balloon site. You need to walk all the way from the end going to the entrance

6. Long lines in buying tickets, I suggest you buy tickets at Ticketnet

7. Long lines in entering the venue

8. Lots of flying mosquitos in the grassy area,I suggest bring mosquito repellant lotion or do not wear shorts and also high heels, I saw lots of women there getting tired of walking over a grassy and muddy ground

9. Bring water and drinsk, softdrinks in can costs P45. and I bottled water will be expensive too.

10. Caltex Phil. gives free slurpee and coffee in their booth, just present your ticket

11. Free photo printing, just look for that photo booth at the other side of the hangar

12. Souvenir and food booths are everywhere

13. Bring umbrella or rain coat, I heard that on the end of day 1 and day 2, hot air balloon flights were cancelled and the site experienced an Ondoy like storm, and the areas got flooded.

14. Portalet CR are available. Long lines are expected

15. There's a free shuttle ride going to Marquee Mall and then vice versa

16. If you plan to go here tomorrow and leave Manila at 3am. I suggest you leave Manila at around 1am, if you plan to ride the bus, just visit the website of Victory Liner and other buses for bus schedules.

17. Bring money, everything inside are expensive. I bought a souvenir shirt - P300 only.

18. Eat in Max's Restaurant in Marquee Mall. sarap ng Kare Kare. There's free wifi here in Marquee Mall.

19. if you need more tips. just txt me or call me at 09275340309

20. whew! im going home now!!! 2012 hot air balloon will have my revenge!

2010 tips and guide
TIPS and GUIDE for 1st time visitor
If you plan to go there and its your first time, I like to share some tips that can be helpful for you. It was my first time last year and I learned so many things on my first trip at the hot air balloon fest and my budget for an overnight stay and 2 day coverage is P3,000, thats good for two persons. I might use this tips again for my 2nd visit.

1. Plan your travel first before you go there, it will be better that you are prepared and also you can prepare your pocket money if you plan to travel via commute or your own car.

2. If you have your own car, its easy to go there, but if you will travel riding the bus, there are lots of things that you should know.
(a) ride the bus - Victory Liner going to Dagupan
(b) drop off at the Dau Terminal
(c) walk on the other side of the highway and ride the tricycle going to SM Clark
(d) ride a jeepney that will enter Clark Economic Zone
(e) if you ride the jeep, just advice the driver in advance to drop you off at the hot air balloon event site
(f) if you got lost, dont be shy to ask the people there, people in Pampanga are nice and helpful when it comes to giving directions.

3. Bring these items if you plan to stay there for long
(a) extra shirts
(b) money
(c) sun glasses
(d) sun block
(e) back pack
(f) wear light clothes
(g) camera
(h) laptop and internet usb dongle (if you plan to blog after the event)
(i) copy of the program schedule of the event
(j) cellphone with load
(k)bottled water
(l) folding chair or travel chair
(m) umbrella

4. If you plan to stay overnight, there are lots of hotels in the area, but last time we went there we stayed in a cheap motel. I trust a clean and cheap motel. My target that time was to stay in SOGO hotel,but the motel is under construction last year, but I know they are now open, and if ever I'll stay overnight, I can check in there at night and check out at around 3am. I remember that McDonalds operates 24 hours a day, because we ate our breakfast there and stayed til 4am.

5. The hot air balloon departure flight starts at around 5am, and I advice that you should be there an hour or 2 hours before the big flight. There will be many people and visitors going there, and the viewing area will be crowded, if you want to watch the balloons in a close range, just be there early and stay infront of the perimeter fence. You can seat on the pavement or grass or use your folding chair that you brought so that you can rest before you wait for another hour for the show to start.

6. After the balloon flight, there will be other activities happening in the area, and if you plan to stroll somewhere and rest, there might be a service vehicle outside going to a mall. Last year we experience to ride for free going to Marquee Mall and back to the balloon site. I'm not sure if SM City Clark will provide the same arrangements like free transpo ride for visitors going to SM mall and back to the event site. If ever they have a free transpo, I will just ride and stay inside SM Mall and do lots of stuff like eat, watch movies or shop. And if I feel to go back to the event site, I'll just ride the tricycle or the free transpo ride. Because there will be a hot air balloon flight arrival at around 5pm before the sun sets.

7. There are lots of food stalls inside the event site, they also have an eatery with tent, tables and chairs. Souvenirs are sold from left to right. Photo op activities are also available, exhibits and get a close encounter with our soldiers and officers, try also to hold those heavy rifles, guns and bazookas, ride a mini tank and also try to sit inside a small helicopter. That was last year, I don't know what will be there gimmick for this year, but I do hope that it will be the same.


8. If you're going to ride the hot air balloon, there's a special rate and you can avail the ticket and arrangement at the official website. I heard that the price of the hot air balloon is equal to a plane ticket to Hong Kong. Its a long ride transferring to another city, I'm not sure if its a one way ride. But last year, we rode the hot air balloon and it was my first time to ride it, it was a smooth flight and a bumpy landing. The flames are not that hot when you are inside the basket, and the balloon pilot is friendly and he will instruct you on what to do during the landing. In our ride, its a short ride lifting us up for minutes and going down after wards, the organizers offer a special rate for that ride, and I don't know where to get it, I'll investigate on that for my visit on day 1 on Thursday.

9. Okay thats it for now, I will add more tips and guide when something came in to my mind, but if you have your own tips and guide, pls share it here by posting in the comments below.

Thanks and happy trip to all!
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