I’d never been up in a hot air balloon, so what better place to try it than Bagan? Seeing the temples spread across the plains while drifting by is one of the most incredible experiences you can have.
Bagan is the former capital of the Kingdom of Pagan, and is located just southwest of Mandalay, on the eastern side of the Ayeyarwaddy river. During the kingdom’s height of power, between the 11th and 13th centuries, over 10,000 temples, pagodas, and monasteries were located in the area. Over 2,200 of these structures are still standing along the dry plains, in what is now known as the Bagan Archeological Zone. Unfortunately, the area is also an earthquake zone, so many of the temples have been damaged or destroyed over the years. The military government renovated and repaired many of these in an attempt to make it more of a draw for tourists, but the restoration efforts often ignored original architectural styles and materials, and have been a subject of condemnation by art historians and preservationists, hindering the efforts to have the area declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The site also suffered an earthquake in August of 2016, destroying 400 temples and damaging many others including the Sulamani and Myauk Guni temples- which are now being restored with assistance from UNESCO experts.
Unfortunately, we were there just after the harvest season, so the sky was incredibly hazy with smoke from the burning of fields and waste. Here are the shots from our sunrise balloon ride.