Thousands of flowers have once again painted Baguio City on its annual Panagbenga Festival. The highlight and the grandest among the month-long series of events was held last February 28 – March 1, 2009.

Panagbenga, is a local (Ilocano) term which means “season of blossoming.” Because of its cold weather, Baguio is renowned for its spectacular blooms that are sold around the Philippines and are sometimes exported abroad.

The Grand Street Parade (Feb 28) featured street dances from students in Baguio and other sponsored groups. Most of the performers I have seen were kids and they were really good. The costumes were very beautiful, and some are even came dressed as a flowers.

The Grand Float Parade, the most awaited and most celebrated Panagbenga event was held last Sunday, March 1, 2009 at around 8am. It showcased like 20 floats with different themes and dressed up with lots and lots of flowers!

The street dancers interpreted one particular song- the Panagbenga theme song that gave me ear worms. I can still hear it!(Tenenen tenenen tenenen.. ahaha.) it sounded happy anyway.   oh gosh. earworms! i can’t resist humming the tune!!!

Some local celebrities also joined the parade which made the crowd cheer louder.

I think this year’s celebration must have been the grandest. reason is, aside from Panagbenga, Baguio is also celebrating its 100th year of inauguration as a city.

Just to give you some tips,  it’s better to arrive a day earlier so that you can come early to the parade and have a very good view especially if you are into photography. Also, tour around the city. Baguio has a lot of interesting places to go to.

I’ve been wanting so much to see (and even ride) a hot air balloon ever since I heard about the festival. But it was only last Sunday (February 15, 2009), when me and my friends went to Clark for the 14th Hot Air Balloon Festival.

Excited, we left at around 3:00 am and had a short pitstop at an NLEX oasis (that’s what I call gas stations in the highway) to have breakfast. Despite our early arrival at Clark (5:30 am), we already got stuck in traffic! Well, this was the first time we would be seeing the festival so we didn’t have any idea what it was like.

Anyway, while we were stuck in traffic, we saw that the hot air balloons were being inflated already! It was a bit upsetting because that was what I wanted to see! By the time we had parked our rides, the balloons were already high up in the sky. But it wasn’t that bad because there were still events and planes to see anyway. Be always optimistic – it’s a key to happy traveling!

Some Hot Air Balloon Facts:

- it was the Chinese who first used the hot air balloon which is used for military signaling. It is called Konming Lanterns.
- the famous Montgolfier Brothers was the first to adapt the concept of Konming lanterns to carry humans and use it for navigation.
- it was invented during the reign of King Louis XVI of France the husband of the ever famous Marie Antoinette of Austria.
- the basket is made of wicker, the same material used for gondolas.

We went inside and saw a showcase of (according to the slogan) everything that flies. We saw a few not-so-ancient warfare aircrafts, mini-planes and 2 hot air balloons left on the grounds. There were also skydivers. They were actually pretty good. They ran around the sky with an enormous fan at their backs that propels their direction and a chute to stay afloat in the air.

There were jets that made an aerial exhibition. I wasn’t able to watch all of it though. We were kinda busy shooting. To continue, we lined up to ride the not-so-ancient aircraft and what annoyed me is that some people are really inconsiderate. There was this long line of people who wanted to ride the plane and yet there was this woman (who was so lazy to fall in line) cutting in. She even shouted at her kid and told her to climb the plane right away. It pissed me off. If parents are setting that kind of example to their kids, I won’t be surprised why there are lots of undisciplined people nowadays.

Anyway, ’nuff said,  I think there was this kite exhibition thing going on at the time. when we got bored we decided to leave and have lunch, bought chocolates and went to Subic Tree Top Adventure… Haha… And that’s another story to tell for another time.

What we realized when we got home is that we should have brought a copy of the schedule or we should have asked around… We could have gotten back in the evening for another round of the balloon flight. Sigh… maybe next time.

It was a very tiring weekend of everything that flies. Even our minds are floating, tired and sleepless, I felt giddy and all but still it’s a weekend to remember.

Title: 16th PTAA Travel Tour Expo 2009
Location: SMX Convention Center
Link out: Click here
Description: The TravelTour Expo was conceptualized by PTAA in 1994 to showcase the products and services of its members. Since then, the show has evolved into a much awaited annual industry event, covering practically all segments of the travel business.

After its successful move to SMX Convention Center this year, preparations are again underway for the 16th TravelTour Expo 2009 which will take place on February 6 to 8 at Halls 2, 3 & 4 of SMX Convention Center, Pasay City.

With the theme “Travel in Style” , the event features two new segments – lifestyle (which will cover travel accessories, health and wellness products and services, culinary schools, car rentals and the like) and food sellers with lounge areas.

Why join TravelTour Expo 2009?

* TravelTour Expo is the biggest event for the travel and tourism industry
* TravelTour Expo offers you an expanded customer base
* TravelTour Expo is the ultimate destination for the best travel deals
* TravelTour Expo is the prime marketplace for your destinations
* TravelTour Expo is continuously doing its best to bring you a special show every year!

Date:
06 to 08 February 2009

Venue:
SMX Convention Center Halls 2, 3 & 4,
Seashell Drive, Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City

Opening Hours:
6 February – Friday
11 AM – 9 PM

7 February – Saturday
10 AM – 9 PM

8 February – Sunday
10 AM – 5 PM

Ticket booths close 30 minutes before end of show hours

Accompanying Events:
Daily Raffle Draws, Entertainment & Games and Exhibitors\’ Presentations & more surprises
Start Time: 11:00
Date: 2009-02-06
End Time: 17:00