2nd World Pyro Olympics

January 13, 2007 was the last day of the 2nd World Pyro Olympics at the Espalanade of Mall of Asia. We went there to watch the fireworks display of China and Philippines.


Flashback:
A week earlier when we watched Day 2 fireworks of USA and Spain, we forgot to bring our tripod so I was not able to capture decent fireworks photos. The North Wing restaurants of MOA fronting Manila Bay is the best spot to watch the fireworks if you're in MOA so we went to Highlander Steakhouse. It would be like hitting two birds with one stone - watching world class pyrotechniques in MOA's sweet spot and enjoying the food of Tagaytay Highlands' Highlander Steakhouse. The pricey food of the steakhouse would be justified by the excellent fireworks display. A great deal if you ask me. But our stone did not hit the two birds - the steakhouse was fully booked. So we ended up watching the fireworks display in the open parking fronting the Esplanade that was cramped with people .

Even the North Wing multi-level parking is full of fireworks spectators.

We still enjoyed the fireworks display. So the moral of the story was:

Fireworks, like most birds, fly high. So you can enjoy the World Pyro Olympics even without paying PhP 100 or PhP 1,000 or more. And of course, never forget your tripod.
End of flashback.


So on January 13, we parked in the wide open lot in front of SM Hypermarket. It was a few hundred meters away from the Esplanade but had a great view of where the fireworks would be. This time we have more than enough elbow room, we brought our tripod and we have plenty of snacks and drinks to enjoy between the show.

The parking area and the side of all roads were full of vehicles

But the cool breezy open lot was not too crowded. Actually, it was like one big picnic. Families sat on the grass, some brought tents, some brought tables, there were photographers standing on top of their vehicle where their SLR camera and tripod and there were portable boom boxes playing music.

We found our spot and waited for the fireworks to begin. China and our country, Philippines, did well. Here are some of the shots I took.

Ten countries participated and United Kingdom won first place.

Going home was a long, exhausting and sleepy moment. It took us an hour to drive less than one kilometer from our parking spot to the big globe in front of MOA and another hour to reach Magallanes Interchange.
Whew!

Participants to the 2nd World Pyro Olympics (Jan 5-13, 2007)

Esplanade, Mall of Asia, Pasay City, Philippines

Australia
Show FX Australia Pty. Ltd.
*** Winner: 1st World Pyro Olympics

China
Glorious Group

Germany
Nico Lünig Event

Spain
Astondoa Piroteknia

Denmark
Bright Star Fireworks

Poland
Flash Art GmbH

Canada
Pyro Studios

United Kingdom
Westcoast Fireworks Ltd.
*** Winner: 2nd World Pyro Olympics


United States of America
Melrose Pyrotechnics, Inc.

Philippines
La Mancha Pyro Productions, Inc.,