Take a hot air balloon ride to watch the sunrise！ Ascend into the sky and gaze upon the mysterious Burmese dynasties

Text & Photos／Evan

Ding-ding～ Let’s see what kind of sparks fly when the mysterious Bagan Dynasty meets a sweet hot air balloon ride? (I always start with “Ding-ding～” because I really can’t think of a better opening—comments below with suggestions for Evan’s opener XDD)

This was Evan’s first time riding in a hot air balloon, but why did he choose Bagan, which is twice as expensive as Turkey? In fact, even before Myanmar opened up, Evan was full of curiosity about this country. What was life like for the people in a nation that had been closed off for so long? Their culture, customs, and the way history shaped their society were all things I was very curious about.

When it comes to Myanmar, most people would think of the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon (which was also one of the highlights I was looking forward to on this trip, more on that later), and then there’s the Bagan Dynasty, known as the "City of a Thousand Pagodas."

It’s said that within a 40-square-kilometer area in Bagan, there are over 2,000 pagodas, most of which were built between the 11th and 13th centuries. Legend has it that at its peak, there were as many as 4 million pagodas (is that even possible?). No wonder it’s one of Southeast Asia’s three great Buddhist heritage sites～

Alright～ Enough rambling, let’s get to the point～ Actually, daily life in Bagan is pretty simple—watch the sunrise early in the morning and the sunset in the evening～ XDD Riding around on a little electric scooter, zipping through this mysterious land, is incredibly freeing . So one day in Bagan, we chose to watch the beautiful sunrise from a hot air balloon.

There are roughly three hot air balloon companies in Bagan, all foreign-invested and completely safe. The main differences are the price, the time of the flight, and the number of passengers. Here’s a brief introduction to these three companies.

We chose the red company, where the main languages are English + charades XD

Because the red company has pretty good reviews all around, and they also have the most balloons. After riding with them, I gave them quite high praise. At the beginning of the day, we had a small hiccup, because the hot air balloon company required us to confirm in person at their service office the day before for the booking to be valid (this was only mentioned in the contract after we had already paid = =)

But since we couldn’t make it there the day before, we were worried the company wouldn’t come pick us up at our accommodation, and we had arrived late by night bus—their office was already closed when we got there, and it wasn’t open yet at departure time. Thankfully, after some twists and turns, we found out that regardless of whether you check in beforehand or not, they will come pick you up from the hotel you indicated (so if you run into this issue later, no need to worry too much!).

Upon arriving at the hot air balloon launch site, the company also provided simple breakfast and coffee. Amidst this joyful atmosphere, the pilot went over the safety instructions with us. There wasn’t much to note, just don’t touch his hand while he’s operating the balloon and don’t chat with him... (Isn’t that... a given? XD)

One key point is to sit during landing, because not every landing goes smoothly～～～ Sometimes the balloon might tip over or shake～ so～～～～

Preparations

W’s lovely figure XDDDD

Our pilot (Australian—he said he flies in Myanmar from October to April every year, and the rest of the time he’s in Africa during the great migration, due to wind direction and air current issues. Hearing him talk made me want to take a balloon ride during the animal migration too～ I digressed XD)

Finally up we go Up～～ Isn’t it just super beautiful

Here comes the sun

We also flew over areas with sandbars and rivers, truly stunning.

We were also lucky enough to capture our own shadows—it’s so cute！

The entire flight was very smooth and cool (except when the balloon “fired up” ), flying above the Bagan Dynasty and watching the sunrise actually brought tears to my eyes. We were enjoying the same sunrise and sunset as people from the 11th to 13th centuries. Even though we’re not in the same era, we’re enjoying the same beauty (Oh no～ I’m crying again).

I think many people have watched the sunrise before, and of course I have too, but this time it was quite special for me, because with the blend of culture and nature, such a beautiful scene emerged—it was so moving～～～ After this gorgeous journey, we also had a perfect landing. The pilot said such a perfect landing must be celebrated with champagne, and unexpectedly, waiting for us after we landed was champagne and snacks.

Oh my god～ What a wonderful experience～～～ How could I ever forget this in my lifetime

Evangeline-Evan
Hello everyone, I’m Evan, someone who’s timid and easily scared,
But through independent travel, I’ve slowly found my courage,
Each independent journey has helped me discover a different side of myself.
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