Saturday, June 25, 2011

Our spectacular (and very wet) Varekai experience!

When Vince and I started dating more than a dozen years ago, one of the stories he fascinated me with was his adventures in Las Vegas. Vince, you see, is a well traveled guy. I used to get enchanted and frustrated whenever we'd watch movies and he'd say, "I've been there!"

Anyway, one of his must-see attractions in Vegas is Cirque du Soleil. So when Cirque, together with Manila Hotel, SunLife and BDO, announced early this year that they're bringing their Varekai show to Manila, I just had to buy tickets!

On Wednesday, the show had its gala night. I was lucky enough to buy front-row seats to the second night. Front-row seats, baby! So last Thursday, Vince and I left Makati at 5pm... and arrived at the Quirino Grandstand two hours later!!! We knew it was going to be ma-traffic but we did not anticipate the floods that Typhoon Falcon caused!
Still a few inches deep but the rain wouldn't let up.
We paused for several long minutes before we braved this foot-deep flood. We were so stressed out!

Buendia, Roxas Blvd and South Drive were submerged. We were so happy to see Katigbak Drive flood-free but as soon as we turned left to Parade Ave, where the Grand Chapiteau was pitched, the water was again rushing down the street. So frightening! Ya know, if the tickets weren't so expensive, I'd have asked Vince to turn back!
Such a welcome sight in a night of darkness and rain!
We parked and--woah! The water was up to my knees! Vince told me not to use the umbrella. I said, "What! And get my hair wet?!" Well, umbrella was useless, even dangerous. The wind was so strong and so was the current, I was nearly knocked down! I shut the umbrella quickly, told Vince not to rush me because the current was so strong, I was afraid I'd be swept away. Finally, after wading through the flood, we got to the tent, wet and cold and... happy!!!

The show was beyond amazing. Amazing! I don't have photos (cameras not allowed inside the tent) so I'll grab a few of my favorite performances from Spot.ph:

We had such a grand time! I was applauding so much, my palms and arms hurt. Plus, since we were seated right up front, my neck hurt from looking up at the stage. Best seats are somewhere in the middle.

After the show. Rain finally stopped!
Sooo happy!
The drive back home was just as horrific. We even got lost! It took us almost three hours to get home but our verdict? Worth it!!! So worth it. I urge you all to watch Varekai. It is spectacular! I even Tweeted tips after the show to help others going there:

Buy your tickets here. You can buy the cheapest seats. The tent is small and cozy so even the farthest seats offer a fantastic view. Enjoy!

9 comments:

  1. Good thing you were wearing Melissa flats no? Water proof!

    My Mom wants to see this, and so do I! It is pricey, but with you saying that the venue is cozy, I guess we won't be disappointed with even the cheapest seats. So maybe we'll get to go after all. :) Thanks for the review, and glad you had a good time despite the rain and flood. :)

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  2. Ohmygosh! I really really wanted to go but my mom doesn't like the venue! :-(

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  3. was thinking about you and vince that night! buti nalang umabot kayo!

    the show was fantastic! but did the "twins" really perform?? they didn't last night! :( was so looking forward to them since i saw varekai clips on youtube before na. was thinking they change the acts per show :( the 4 girls on trapeze didn't perform din!

    still a great show though! and one thing off my bucketlist!

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  4. I was so worried kasi after you left it started raining so hard! :( And I remember medyo putikan outside of the tent. But I truly am glad you enjoyed the show despite the rains. I shared the link to our likers so they'd know it truly is worth watching kahit umuulan :)

    It was nice seeing you again, F!

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  5. Vera and Michelle. GOOOOO!

    Zee and Tee, aww, so sweet of you to think about Vince and me on that horrible night!

    Zee, iba-iba daw kada show. We had the twins but not the guys in the orange suits and the jugglers =(

    Tee, I walked all the way to Valero, too! Lakas ng ulan! Basa ako hanggang pwet!

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  6. Hello, are digicams or videocams allowed inside? We are going on July 5 so I asked. Thanks.

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  7. Mickey, they allow photo-taking around the place but not of the show. We were allowed to bring our cameras inside but I don't think anyone dared take photos. There was like a gazillion bantays! =D

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  8. Agree, super worth it! :) The gala night was also bagyuhan, so many people were late. Good that you catched the show in time. :)

    PS: Tagal ng milk tea! :p

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  9. Dang, oo nga! Ano na nangyari sa milk tea date natin???

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