Balloons Over Bagan
January 29, 2016I stood on top of a large temple with a group of fellow travelers, staring at the giant orange ball peaking above the horizon and surveying the tops of pagodas slicing through the silvery haze. I tried to imagine over 10,000 temples and pagodas surrounding me, the staggering amount that existed during 11th and 13th centuries. But I could barely fathom the 2,229 temples that were currently standing before me.
The morning prior, we had rented e-bikes at 5am, rode in the dark to one of the larger temples, slipped through a small opening of a gate, and climbed up two pitch-black passageways that led us to the rooftop. No one else was up there- we had the temple to ourselves and relished the fact that our spot was unique. We sat anxiously, peering in the direction of where both the sun and hot air balloons would rise. The sun came, but no hot air balloons. We found out later that the winds were too strong and the rides were cancelled that day.
Eager to see the balloons fly over the temples, we returned to our same secret spot the next day. After moments of anticipation, we saw the hot air balloons rising in the far distance. Slightly worried, we thought they might remain miles away. But as the sun rose higher, the balloons floated straight towards us. Eventually some of them passed directly overhead, close enough that we could hear the flame blasting into the mouth of the balloon. We waved to the people hovering in the giant basket above us and they waved back.
I smiled. In that moment, everything was perfect.
