Sunrise Over Bagan: Hot Air Balloon
Intro
For people who love to travel and explore the world, one of the most famous tours in Southeast Asia (in my opinion) is the sunrise tour over Bagan. While I will eventually publish a full experience, I wanted to share a couple of mesmerizing photos from this morning, as well as a little bit about the experience.
Wow, Just Wow
There are a few things I would wake up for at 5:00 am in the morning, especially after one too many Myanmar beers from the night prior, but this is one of them. With the staff banging on my door, informing me that it was time to leave, I felt a sense of excitement in the air. However, I also felt a little bit scared due to my fear of heights.
A shuttle was waiting outside to take us to the balloon launch location, approximately 10 minutes from the Heritage in Bagan. Following that, free coffee was available, and the chief pilot, Gavin (from the UK as well), instructed the safety briefing.
Squished in like Sardines, 16 people per balloon, we headed up, climbing to 2000 feet. Nerves started to fill my body and to be frank, a part of me was ready for the hour-long adventure to be finished. However, as soon as I saw the sunrise, all of that quickly went away.
Side note: did you know hot air balloons have registration numbers?
Back in the day, there used to be around 35 balloons per day patrolling Bagan during sunrise. Nowadays, the company is lucky if they are able to fill up two balloons, while the cost has significantly decreased from 3-400$ to 160$.
After an hour, we touched back down nearby to Bagan Lodge, and it was time for the post-flight party. Champagne filled the area, pictures were taken, laughs were shared, and an overall fantastic experience.
Final Thoughts
While this is just a brief synopsis, I wanted to share some insight with those wondering whether to travel to Bagan. The hot air balloon tour is now much cheaper, and thus, I have to highly recommend it! If you are scared of heights like me, don't worry, you'll be alright!
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