Chasing Balloons and Sunsets in Bagan

by Linda Stacy (Australia)

A leap into the unknown Australia

I had wanted to vist Bagan in Myanmar for such a long time. On the plains of Bagan beside the Irrawaddy River, there are more than two-thousand ancient temples dating back to the 11th Century. The massive scale of this UNESCO World Heritage site and the beautiful pictures of hot-air balloons floating over the temples had captured my imagination. I arrived in Bagan on the river ferry from Mandalay and after settling in at my hotel, I walked into town to get my bearings. I walked through the town and found a place on the banks of the Irrawaddy River to watch the setting sun as it slipped behind the distant mountains, turning the sky and the river gorgeous shades of pink and red. The stupa of a Buddhist temple beside the river glowed golden in the fading light and a sense of peace and tranquility came over me as night settled in. Walking back to my hotel at the edge of town I met a persuasive local woman who wanted me to hire an electric scooter from her stall to see the temples. I was a bit unsure at first as I had never ridden an e-bike on my own before. But after a quick lesson and a trial run, I decided to take the scooter out the next morning to explore the area. I was up before dawn. Thankfully the road was quiet as I gained some confidence on the e-bike. It was freezing cold. I wore my down jacket and hiking boots but I wished I had gloves on as well. There were no street lights and it was pitch black. After riding for about twenty minutes, I realized I had missed a turnoff and I was completely lost, on my own in the dark, on the plains of Bagan. I was looking for a viewing platform near the Sulimani Temple, hoping to see the sunrise over the temple with hot-air balloons overhead. But I had no idea where I was. As I tried to find my way on the bumpy dirt road it started to get light. I rode past many small ruined stupa’s and temples and eventually came to a hill beside a small village. Surprisingly, this turned out to be an ideal viewing place as the hot-air balloons were taking off nearby and I watched them float over the village up into the sky and across the plain. As I stood enjoying the peaceful rural scenery, a man drove past in his ox and cart. Back on the scooter I stopped to give way to a herd of goats on their way out to graze. I continued along the dirt road and passed through a dusty landscape scattered with small temples. I soon found my way to the main road and then took a turn off to the Dhamma Ya Ka Za Pagoda. As I arrived at the impressive Pagoda, I was dazzled by the golden stupa reflecting the bright morning sunlight. At the entrance were a number of people from Myanmar who had come to pray and there was a large group of young nuns dressed in pink robes and several monks amongst the visitors. I found the Sulimani Temple and the viewing platform I had been looking for later in the afternoon. It was the perfect place to watch the sun setting behind the ancient temple, throwing beautiful pink and orange colours across the sky and into the dust haze that had settled over the plain. The next morning I rose again before dawn. This time I was to fly in a hot-air balloon and I had been looking forward to it for a long time. There were around thirty brightly coloured balloons taking off that morning and it was a spectacular sight. The wind took the balloons and we drifted peacefully over stupa's and temple ruins, with river and mountain views in the distance, and the faint pink glow of early morning in the sky. Floating over the plains of Bagan in a hot-air balloon is an incredibly beautiful experience. It was a highlight of my visit to Myanmar!