"Life is too short to wait. Travel.": August 2017

Hot air balloons of different shapes and sizes took flight for the 1st time in Lubao, Pampanga. The festival was usually celebrated in Angeles City.
The Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta is the longest sports aviation event in Asia, gathering aviators and spectators from around the world for four days of non-stop flying action.
For more info, visit: http://philballoonfest.net/

Tour:
Tickets are P200 per head while the parking fee is P50 for cars and P100 for buses.

How we get there:
From Manila, go to NLEX and take the San Fernando toll booth exit and onto Jose Abad Santos Avenue. Drive past the towns of Bacolor and Guagua to reach the town of Lubao. Past the Sta. Cruz bridge, turn right onto Lubao Bypass road (to avoid heavy traffic at Sta. Cruz market) en route onto Lubao-Dinalupihan welcome arch and where the venue is located on your right.
travel time: almost 2hrs.
*We reached the location at around 2-3AM as we expected that there were lots of people piled up to join the event.

What's there to look forward to?
1. Of course, hot air balloons! Ang dami nila!
2. Street dances, car shows, wake boarding demonstrations, a cooking competition participated participated by hotels and culinary schools, live band performances, kite-flying, radio-controlled aircraft demonstrations, a firework display and awarding ceremonies on Governor's Night.

travel experience: 5/10
*We didn't stay long as we left at around 9-10AM and went to my friend's relatives nearby for lunch. Gutom and pagod na kase kami. :p

Enjoy your stay! :)

Colorful balloons!

Angry bird talaga sya!

Hello, Asimo! Asim mo! :p

Ice cream, anyone? Ang init dito pramis!

Bike rider. Astig ni kuya!

Tabi! Ayan na ang tren! Choo choo!

With the giant beers. Tama na yan, inuman na! :p

Paragliding

I wanna try this next time.

Meet our pack. L-R: Glaiza, Ken, Roxanne, Marianne, Iris

Located on the western coast of Luzon facing the South China Sea. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its history and one of the few towns left in the Philippines where old structures have mostly remained intact with colonial Spanish architecture.

Tour Package and Accommodation:
DIY (this was my first time to travel solo)
1. There were already kutseros waiting to give you a tour in different popular spots in the area. I hired Mang Diosdado together with Hanni and it's kalesa.
tour fee: P150 per hour (I was able to explore the city for 4hrs.)
2. Le Pram Hotel located in San Simeon, Currimao, Ilocos Norte. (far from Vigan as I needed to attend my friend's wedding near the area. She was the one who recommended to stay here. But, I heard that the hotel was already closed?)
Hotel rooms are clean and a nice and comfortable place to relax.
Complimentary breakfast tastes good too.
The manager and staff are very accommodating. Very good customer service.

How I get there:
1. I took a bus from Cubao, Quezon City to Vigan. You can check the bus schedule and fare here: http://www.phbus.com/partas-bus/
travel time: 8hrs. (I took the night trip)
2. From Vigan, I rode a bus going to Laoag as it will pass through my next destination, Currimao, Ilocos Norte.
travel time: 3hrs.

What's there to look forward to?
1. Historic walking areas. Specialty museums.
2. Sacred and religious sites. Churches and cathedrals.
3. Observation deck and towers.
4. Gardens and Zoos.

travel experience: 7/10
*I didn't roam around that much as I just attended my friend's wedding. I'll definitely get back to experience more of Ilocos all the way to the North!

Enjoy your stay! :)