Balloons, bombers and bonsai: an incredible last day

One hour of sleep is ridiculous. We had no choice, apparently, but to get ourselves to Pet and Omai's mountaineering buddy Reggie's place by 3:30 a.m., the appointed meeting time. By whose appointment I have no idea. I was just along for the ride.

Now, don't think me foolish to go to an unknown place with a bunch of strange men at the wee hours of the morning...okay that sounds really bad. To put it in context: I had a cell phone, money, street map, a rudimentary idea of where I was, and was with people I'd known for at least four weeks who were friends of my Winnipeg band-mate for upwards of 25 years. NOW it sounds boring. I would never go off with someone I'd just met to a completely strange place - but doesn't it sound exciting? The sort of story to give one's mother a worry fit. Hi mom! : )

Arriving at Reggie's I woke up enough to realize we were at the home of an artist or interior designer. Art hung on the walls and the chairs were stark white and 1950s-like. Everything was extremely precise in colour and placement. I sat carefully on a snow-white chair and snoozed delicately for a bit. A girl I was later introduced to as Neeka sat across from me. No one was fully awake yet. Eventually we went out and waited while various cars (Reg has quite a collection) were rearranged and got into one that was the appropriate size for our group of: Reg, Neeka, Eugene, Pet. Omai and me. Omai sat in the trunk - I think it was a jeep - and Pet, Eugene and I sat in the back seat. Heads fell immediately back on headrests and much snoozing ensued.

We arrived as the sun rose to a large field turned into an efficient parking lot marked with banners and string. The annual Winnipeg Folk Festival parking disaster could be much improved if it followed a similar system! Immediately we were accosted by Taho vendors and had breakfast. Yes, I am now a Taho fan, thanks to Alfie.

Omai ready for anything as we arrive at the Balloon Festival.

Master Photographer at work for pleasure.

We arrived just in time to see the festival kick-off. A bunch of sky-divers parachuted to earth most patriotically:

Paraglider with Philippine flag.

Giant Cake balloon!

Cake lift-off!

The Festival was also an opportunity for the Philippine Army to display its equipment, much of which comes from the US Army.

A massive AK Something-or-other, US made.

Recruiting, of course!

A recycled whosiwhatsit.

Oh, THAT's what it is.

We waited in line for a million years to have a chance to sit in various aircraft including this one:

L-R: Reg, Neeka, Reg's friends, Pet, me, Eugene.

Then everyone had a fun poseur moment: I channelled Isadora Duncan...

...or Amelia Earheart.

The day quickly got too hot to stay out much longer so we retreated to a mall in Pampanga for lunch. Turns out it's a mall for which Reggie designed the green space!

The artist explains his work.

Everything had meaning and symbolism. I could never do Reg's explanation justice and will probably get it all wrong but basically, the waves represent the ocean, all the plants are indigenous, and the site is a former rice field so there's a symbolic rice square in the middle of it all.

Ocean waves

Beautiful walk ways with carefully selected plants.

The designer in his space. Behind us is the rice square.

"Whenever you do an activity with Reggie, it usually takes the whole day," Pet remarked - approximately. You can't just do one thing. There's so many things to do when you hang out with Reg. After lunch we went back to his place. Neeka disappeared and we snacked on frozen fruit. He gave us a tour of the house and explained some of his art works. We also got a peek at several prototype cars that he is designing. Very exciting!

He then proposed going to tour the UP (University of the Philippines) campus where he and Pet and Eugene had been members of the Mountaineering Club. It was lush and green, busy with students. As we drove past one group of young men, we observed one standing with his back to the road facing the trees. "Peeing is more fun in the Philippines," Reg quipped dryly.

Next on the tour was a Japanese Bonsai garden that someone had donated to the UP.

UP bonsai garden.

Exotic plants in the bonsai garden: an inspiration for my own yard.

Pet, Reg, Eug et moi.

Sculpture or natural rock?

Moose or Elkhorned tree.

A flower pot to envy!

A Pavlova moment in the garden.

Someone please name this plant!

Greenhouse.

My own personal garden gnome: Omai at his tricks!

Lipstick plant.

Another "name that flower" contest.

Tiny stone monkey.

Finally we returned to Reg's house in Quezon City and retrieved Omai's car. Wending our way back to Ramil's place Omai stopped in several places to deliver or pick up camera parts. We also dropped off Pet's guitar with a repair shop that Aldrin had recommended.

Alfie's entire family was home just finishing dinner so Omai and Pet were able to say goodbye to their childhood friend. For the last time in who knows how long.

Norman, Ruperto, Alfie & Evawwen

We three musketeers also said our farewells.

My new bffs Pet and Omai. The pose is "the grabbing hand" from the Depeche Mode song "Everything Counts." It's an Alfie thing!

What an incredible two days! And I still had to finish packing. It was hard to believe that the next day I'd be getting on a plane and leaving this place that I'd come to think of as home, and that I would not see my new group of friends for who knows how long. I don't think my tired brain was able to process it. I just kept moving, not thinking of finalities at all. I'm still not. I have formed a community of wonderful friends and I am obliged to return.