We flew Bangkok Airways to Mandalay. It was one of those planes that we had to take a bus out on the tarmac to board. The flight was about an hour and a half and then we killed many more hours at the Mandalay airport waiting for our flight to Bagan. It was an interesting set up where you had to stay outside security until your gate opened. So we set up camp in one of the cafes and then once we could go in, we went to the ticket counter and were given a hand written boarding pass.
The flight to Bagan was only about half an hour and it was on a small plane that did boarding Southwest style - first come first seat. Upon arriving in Bagan, we learned we had to pay a tourist fee to enter the world heritage site. It was roughly $15 per person (Nov 2019 price).
The Bagan Heritage Hotel was absolutely amazing. We got all checked in and texted Kara & Nate that we had arrived and had a present. Turns out they were right next door! S gifted the Cheez-its he carefully transported from Austin to Bagan. Apparently Kara ate them all that night!
Massages are very affordable in Asia, so we got another one at the hotel.
My alarm went off waaaay too early, but it was necessary so that we could be picked up at 505a for a sunrise hot air balloon ride! I was so incredibly excited about this adventure and it was totally worth it.
Our new friend Susan from the trip joined us in the basket. We were all so excited to watch as all the balloons were unfurled then started to launch. Our pilot from Balloons over Bagan said there were going to be 31 balloons in the air that morning. When we booked our adventure, the only one available was a champagne sunrise tour. While it was more expensive, it was totally worth it because there were eight to a basket (compared to 12 or so) and a tasty champagne toasting breakfast was prepared for us right after we landed!
Our new friend Susan from the trip joined us in the basket. We were all so excited to watch as all the balloons were unfurled then started to launch. Our pilot from Balloons over Bagan said there were going to be 31 balloons in the air that morning. When we booked our adventure, the only one available was a champagne sunrise tour. While it was more expensive, it was totally worth it because there were eight to a basket (compared to 12 or so) and a tasty champagne toasting breakfast was prepared for us right after we landed!
Thoughts about our ballooning company. They were fantastic! Most of the support staff is local so this is a great way to support the local economy. The pilots are experts, mostly from the UK. They spend about half the year in Myanmar and the rest back in the UK or wherever else they might fly. Once you arrive at the launch site, it is fun to watch them send up small balloons to confirm the wind pattern. After the safety briefing and the balloon is ready, everyone crawls in and then you go up up and away!
The floating feeling is incredible. The sun rose and we could see the region covered in some clouds. We were able to see hundreds of pagodas! We learned that back in the day they were whitewashed. What a sight that must have been! A large earthquake hit the Bagan area in 2016 and damaged quite a few temples. We could see several had tarps on them in various states of repair.
I think we were airborne about 50 mins or so. It went by so fast. We had a soft landing in a clearing followed by a delicious breakfast in the field. I purchased a sand painting from some of the kids that clamored over to the landing balloons.
Myanmar money note. You have to get local currency there. I could not get it ahead of time like I usually do. Also, spend it all or change it back before you leave because it just becomes a souvenir. If you pay with USD as some like, you will need CRISP bills like no folds at all. When we arrived, we visited the ATM and it came out in a HUGE stack. $1 USD was about 1500 Myanmar Kyat when we were there.
After breakfast we loaded back in the buses and returned to the hotel. I still had adrenaline pumping from the experience so found a quiet corner to read. This was "day 0" (travel day) for the Kara & Nate tour so folks started showing up to the hotel throughout the day.
The pool was the hangout spot for the afternoon and the group got bigger and bigger as the day progressed. Most of us were from the US, but we had a Canadian, two folks from Australia, some expats working in Kuwait, a couple from the UK living in Singapore and a Longhorn living in Hong Kong (but about to move back to TX).
After spending most of the afternoon in the pool, we had a big group dinner on the patio. My tiredness finally caught up with me as I almost fell asleep on my plate. Nate gave the breakdown talk about the next day/the week and then I went to the room and crashed.
Next up, our awesome adventure with Kara & Nate in Myanmar!
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