Blogs from Pampanga, Philippines, Asia - page 2

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Asia » Philippines » Pampanga » Clark February 23rd 2013

Morning is arriving, and large clouds – remnants of the previous day’s constant rains – are hovering above the Clark Freeport Zone, about an hour and a half north of Manila. Gradually, the clouds give way to sun rising from the horizon punctuated by Mount Arayat. Crowds who have sacrificed sleep to be at the grounds at the crack of dawn are greeted with the good news – weather reports have forecasted a nice, albeit cloudy, day. With good visibility, the weekend schedule for this year’s Hot Air Balloon Fiesta goes on as planned. Now on its 18th year, the festival – dotted with hot air balloons from participants all over the world, fairs from various aviation schools from the Philippines, and a host of other shows both related and not to flying – perhaps best ... read more
No politics, just lots of hot air
Breitling Jet Team
DSC_0027-27

Asia » Philippines » Pampanga » Clark January 5th 2013

The trip started with 4x4 drive to a base station. Not Mazda Tribute drive to Wheatsheaf, but a bone jarring, butter churning experience that nearly caused an eruption of my own which would not have been pleasant for anyone complete with sulphurous gases, albeit hydrogen sulphide not sulphur dioxide as one might expect wth a volcanic eruption. I did get a sense though of what 4x4 enthusiasts get out of the 'sport' - by the return trip though - I was completely over it. The first thing that struck me was the terrain - almost lunar if you ignore the luh tropical growth at the top. The amount of lahar that reamins after the lasst eruption (1991 I think) is truly amazing. Having said that - I was told that it's a common misconception that a ... read more
Geaological Autmn
And again
Pit stop

Asia » Philippines » Pampanga » Bacolor July 22nd 2012

The year was 1991. Mount Pinatubo's eruption marked the Philippines in the world map. It was the 2nd largest volcanic eruption in the whole world in the 20th century. Just a year before, a major earthquake struck an area just a hundred kilometers from the Mount Pinatubo region. About 7.8 in the Reichter scale. Enough to awaken this dormant volcano of a hundred years. And just like the disastrous earthquake, this Pinatubo disaster left many dead and homeless. It was June 15, 2001 when Mount Pinatubo unleashed its fury. Who would have thought that this eruption of a volcano lying dormant for a good century would be the major force to drive out the Americans from their military installation in Clark Air Base in Angeles, Pampanga? I have seen too many rallies and protests seeking to ... read more
Church Windows Now as Entrances
A Half-Buried Church
Arches Touching the Floor

Asia » Philippines » Pampanga May 23rd 2010

Last May 22, 2010, we were invited by my officemate Henry to his hometown, Sta. Rita, Pampanga for the celebration of their annual town fiesta in honour of St. Rita of Cascia. St. Rita is known as the patroness of impossible causes. Kampampangans are really religious and traditional. Going to Sta. Rita was a challenge. We were stuck in a NLEX heavy traffic (Traffic #1) - four hours from Clover Leaf to Valenzuela. The cause of the traffic was just the on-going construction of a new exit. We arrived at Henry's cousin's house in Guagua, Pampanga at 2:30 PM to eat our late lunch. The usual Filipinos "handa" during fiesta were served. Kare-kare, Menudo, Lumpiang Ubod plus my favorite Mangga with Bagoong were among the "handa". After the late lunch, we went to Henry's house in ... read more
Henry and Lhea
Dan, Lhea, Cel and Me
Festive mood

Asia » Philippines » Pampanga April 9th 2010

Three reasons why I consider myself in a way as a Kampampangan: (1) My grandfather was from Bacolor (trivia: Bacolor was the former capital of Pampanga before it was transferred to San Fernando), (2) I can speak and understand Kapampangan but I must admit I can understand more than I can speak and (3) my surname is Angeles (hehehe). I have discovered the answers why I should be a proud Kampampangan during our Pampanga Tour last July 2009. Discovery #1: Kapampangans are good cooks and love exotic dishes. We ate our breakfast at Bale Capampangan in Dolores, San Fernando. Take note at a price of Php 100 we had a filipino style buffet meal partnered with a sooo chocolatey hot tsokolate (so redundant!). It was one of the best breakfast I ever had, but the El ... read more
Bale Capampangan
San Guillermo Parish Church
inside Betis Church

Asia » Philippines » Pampanga » Clark February 14th 2010

Since I was a child, I've heard plenty of appreciation of the country’s one and only Hot Air Balloon Fiesta being held every month of February in Clark Field, Angeles City, Pampanga. So when I had a chance on February 14 of 2010, I grabbed the opportunity, packed my things up and headed north to experience the show in the air. I really thought I would go there alone so I was a little nervous because that was my first time to visit the place. Thankfully, one of my colleagues decided to go with me so it was a relief. We started our trip as early as 3 in the morning. I was still sluggish as we walked going to the bus terminal in Cubao, a busy district of Quezon City. The first bus to depart ... read more
Me And The Balloons
My Colleague Angel
Up In The Sky

Asia » Philippines » Pampanga » Clark October 9th 2009

(Day 553 on the road)How to write a blog entry about a place that has such an awful reputation as Angeles City in the Philippines? The place is possibly the sex capital of the world, with between 10.000 and 20.000 prostitutes selling their bodies every night. During the time of the U.S. airbase here, as many as 100.000 working girls were offering their services. I had a morning flight the next day from Clark airport just outside of Angeles, and decided to spend the night here instead of crazy Manila and see this place for myself. I soon realised that accommodation in Angeles is definitely not geared towards backpackers, and after walking around for an hour in the afternoon heat with my backpack looking for an affordable place to crash I finally had to admit defeat. ... read more
Bored prostitutes inside one of the countless bars
Going home after a hard night's work - Deserted Fields Avenue in the morning
Apparently Angeles is not quite the safest place to be - Security guard at my hotel

Asia » Philippines » Pampanga June 1st 2008

During the Holy Week, I happened to read a news item in a local paper about an unusual celebration of Lent in Barangay Cutud in San Fernando, Pampanga. I was staying in an hotel in Manila then, trying to cool my heels off inside an air-conditioned room after my daily travel to popular tourist spots in the city. Everyday in late March and April, it was unusually hot in Manila, more so in Central Luzon and in other parts of the country. Holy Week is observed with deep seriousness by a predominantly Christian nation like the Philippines. As early as Monday, every church in the country and in almost every barangay would erect a makeshift structure with chairs and tables and decorations of religious ornaments/photos depicting the Passion of the Cross or the suffering of Jesus ... read more
Lenten Season Spectacle
Flagellants
Holy Week Spectacle in Barangay Cutud

Asia » Philippines » Pampanga March 17th 2008

Next in my itinerary of travel or adventure (whatever you call it) is Angeles City. It's just an hour's drive from Manila. I left my hotel in Ermita early in the morning after taking a free breakfast of corned beef and scrambled eggs. I did not take the taxi waiting outside the hotel. "Are you going to the airport?" asked the driver. Although I was headed for Angeles City, I did not tell him that. If I rode in his taxi, I would have paid much in taxi fare. The reason was that driver works solely for the hotel to drive guests to the airport or to other destinations in the city. And you have to shell a hefty fare should you decide to ride in his taxi. Now I am learning. Right now, I am ... read more
Inside an Air-conditioned Bus

Asia » Philippines » Pampanga December 22nd 2007

Day 19 Went for a walk in the morning around the streets near our Hotel. Noticed a nice hand-crafted outdoor setting in one the garden areas of the Hotel. Already early in the morning it was warm. While swimming in the pool, I witnessed the sunrise-interesting to watch the sun's rays lighting up the hills. Once light, I took this photograph of the view down to Subic Bay. We had breakfast in the Dining room-once again there was a large group, so the staff had to arrange the tables accordingly. Tim had Eggs Benedict (which looked very tasty). img=http://img246.... read more




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