Bagan Journal 3, January 2015

Our first adventure for the year - riding a balloon to catch the sunrise! A smooth and pleasant romp, 2000 feet at its peak, and 40 minutes of viewing temples, stupas, pagodas and the Irrawaddy River.

The balloon and its wicker basket weigh 550 kilos. Add 8 passengers and the pilot, and that's 1.4 tons, yet it floats like a feather in the air. Amazing! 18 balloons flew that day - 10 red balloons (from Balloons Over Bagan), 6 green balloons (from Oriental Ballooning) and 2 yellow ones (from Golden Eagle, one of which we took). We were one of the first to take off so we saw the others float up one by one. Quite a sight!

Our pilot was a gentleman named Curt Frieden, a quiet, but friendly Swiss German. He personified calmness and confidence. If there was something like floating on a cloud, he made us feel like it.

Bagan has over 3,000 temples, stupas & pagodas of varying sizes, importance & disrepair. Our flight covered 8 km. We saw ruins everywhere and basked in the sunrise.

In keeping with ballooning tradition, Curt Frieden served champagne when we landed. I couldn’t imagine a better way to start the day. Jim R. Roger’s poem, “Good Morning!” was echoing in my head …

I love the way a new day feels.

Those few moments when

Yesterday’s memories

Are slept into a docile file for later.

When rest gives birth to new eyes

That see a life with energy and hope

And a chance to try again.

We also visited Shwe Lake Too, too. Check out my Bagan Journal 4.