Ancient British bus from the colonial-era picking up passengers for Balloons over Bagan |
Our European (Beligian I think) balloon captain |
Pre-dawn preparations for balloon launch from the field next to Shwezigon Pagoda, Bagan |
Each balloon holds 8 passengers |
Preparing the balloon for inflation |
Ground crew members inspect the inside of the balloon as it is inflated with cold air |
Partially inflated balloon |
The balloons are made in the UK by Cameron Balloons Ltd |
Flame On! |
Filling the balloon with hot air |
Balloons Over Bagan - inflation |
The balloon rises |
Balloon inflation nearly complete |
The balloon lifts the basket to the upright position |
On the day of our flight, 2 balloons were used |
Completing the inflation |
Boarding the balloon |
Dennis sharing the basket with a girl from Hong Kong |
Dennis wearing his Balloons Over Bagan cap |
The balloons flame is loud |
Up, up and away... |
Takeoff over the three buses of Balloons Over Bagan |
...and perfect timing for sunrise... |
Sunrise Over Bagan |
The second balloon launches |
Shwezigon Paya |
Amazing view of the golden pagoda of Shwezigon from the balloon |
Aerial view of Shwezigon Paya with the Irrawaddy River in the background |
Balloons Over Bagan |
Floating low over the houses of Nyaung U |
Early morning smoke from a fire as we float over the Bagan-Nyang U Road |
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Drifting on the gentle wind to the south, away from Shwezigon |
Dennis on his first hot air balloon flight |
Balloon Over Bagan |
Balloon passing over a smoking fire, Bagan |
It's not cheap at $300 per person but it's really worth it |
Floating over a monastery, Nyang U, Bagan |
Sulamani Guphaya in the distance across the plains of Bagan |
Sunrise as we float at treetop level |
Brickyard |
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Treetop view of palms and paddies, Bagan |
Gubyaukgyi Temple (Wetkyi-in), 13th Century, Bagan |
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Bagan Tower |
Small brick pagodas, Bagan |
Flying low over the plains of Bagan by balloon |
Balloons Over Bagan - sunrise |
Anawratha Road, Bagan |
Balloon flying low over Anawratha Road |
Bagan sunrise |
Flying below tree-top level |
Bagan balloon |
Bagan sunrise with pagodas |
Low flight in a balloon, Bagan |
High concentration of monuments on the Central Plain, Bagan |
Central Plains of Bagan from the air with Dhammayangyi Temple in the distance |
Treetop level over the Central Plains of Bagan |
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Flying low over a local family preparing the morning cooking fire |
...the captain said none of the balloons had ever hit a temple... |
Flying low over Bagan |
Bagan sunrise, treetop level flight |
Bagan sunrise, treetop level flight |
Flying at an altitude of maybe 50 feet over the Central Plain, Bagan |
Bagan temple sporting a new tin roof |
Low flight over the temples of Bagan |
Central Plain with Sulamani and Dhammayangyi Temples in the distance |
Balloon Over Bagan |
Sunrise with Bagan Tower |
Small temple on the edge of a plowed field |
Low enough to read the signs - Bagan Monument #355 and 356 |
Central Plains of Bagan including Mahazedi Pagoda, the large one on the left |
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Balloons Over Bagan |
Balloons Over Bagan |
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Temple - Bagan Monument #433 |
Stupa - Bagan Monument 434 |
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Balloon sunrise, Bagan |
Early morning flight over the Temples of Bagan |
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Balloons Over Bagan |
Balloons Over Bagan |
Passing close to a cluster of stupas with Sulamani Temple in the distance |
Low flight over the Central Plains of Bagan |
Balloons Over Bagan |
Balloons Over Bagan |
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Sun eclipsed by a balloon, Bagan |
Sulamani Temple, Bagan |
"Aerial" photo of Sulamani Guphaya, one of the major temples of Bagan |
Balloon with Thabeik Hmauk Temple, Bagan |
Balloon with Thabeik Hmauk Temple, Bagan |
Gaining a little altitude as we float past Sulamani Temple, Bagan |
Balloons Over Bagan - a great way to see Bagan |
Balloons Over Bagan |
Sulamani Temple, Bagan |
Sulamani Temple, Bagan |
Roof-tops of a monastery near Sulamani Temple |
Dhammayangyi Temple, the largest in Bagan, 1167 AD |
Silhouette of Sulamani Temple with the early morning sun |
The other balloon passing by Sulamani Temple, Bagan |
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Dhammayangyi Temple dominating the Central Plains of Bagan |
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A military helicopter patrolling over Bagan - apparently General Than Shwe was in town |
Balloon floating past Sulamani Temple, Bagan |
Dhammayangyi Temple from the air, Bagan |
I'm sort of surprised that so many of Bagan's temples are surrounded by active farmland |
Balloon floating past Sulamani Temple, Bagan |
Dennis Over Bagan |
Early morning balloon flight, Bagan |
Sulamani Temple |
Passing due east of Dhammayangyi Temple |
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Shadow of our balloon cast on Dhammayangyi Temple |
The balloon climbing for more altitude |
Pyathada Paya in the distance on the left |
Balloon pilot, Bagan |
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Flying over a stupa, Bagan |
Basket directly over a stupa, Bagan |
Dhammayangyi Temple from the southeast with Thatbyinnyu Phaya in the distance on the left |
Balloons Over Bagan |
Dhammayangyi Temple with gold-topped Ananda Phaya on the right |
The second balloon behind a temple |
Balloon climbing to pass over the top of a temple |
Aerial view of Dhammayangyi Temple with Ananda Phaya and Old Bagan in the background |
Balloons Over Bagan |
The major temples south of Old Bagan including the white stupa of Shwesandaw Phaya |
Southern Plains of Bagan from an alititude of around 500 ft |
Balloons Over Pagan - south plain |
Looking south from the balloon |
Looking back at the southern façade of Dhammayangyi Temple |
Dhammayangyi Temple recedes into the distance |
The other balloon didn't come as high as we did |
Balloons Over Bagan - view north with the golden stupa of Shwezigon marking our starting point |
Balloon Over Bagan with Sulamani Temple |
View southwest towards New Bagan |
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Plain south of Old Bagan |
Shwesandaw Phaya (sunset temple) and Thatbyinnyu Phaya (tallest temple), upper left |
Aerial view looking northwest to Old Bagan |
Aerial view looking northwest to Old Bagan |
Dirt tracks passing through agricultural fields, Bagan |
Balloon Over Bagan |
View northwest to Old Bagan |
Balloon Over Bagan |
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Balloon Over Bagan |
Dhammayangyi Temple to the north |
Balloon Shadow, Bagan |
Looking west towards Myinkaba |
Southern plains, Bagan |
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Gold stupa of Dhammayazika Pagoda, 1196 AD, Bagan - West Pwasaw |
Aerial view looking north across the Plains of Bagan |
Scrubby area of the Southern Plains, Bagan |
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Aerial view of the Plains of Bagan by Balloon |
Balloons Over Bagan - Highly Recommended |
View northwest towards Myinkaba, Bagan |
Balloons Over Bagan - looking north |
Gold stupa of Dhammayazika Pagoda, 1196 AD, Bagan - West Pwasaw |
Southern Plains at New Bagan |
Temples on the edge of New Bagan |
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Dennis and the girl from Hong Kong, Balloons Over Bagan |
Gold stupa of Dhammayazika Pagoda, 1196 AD, Bagan - West Pwasaw |
Descent for landing to the east of New Bagan |
The road from Pwasaw to New Bagan |
Early morning mist with the palm studded plains to the east of New Bagan |
Crossing the road that leads northeast from New Bagan |
Approach to Landing |
Balloon on approach to landing, Bagan |
Balloons Over Bagan |
Balloon registration XY-AHF |
Balloon on approach to landing near New Bagan |
XY-AHF landing in a field near New Bagan |
Preparing to deflate the balloon |
Opening the vent in the top of the balloon |
Open vent to deflate the balloon, Bagan |
Balloon deflation |
Balloon deflation |
Cameron Balloons - Bristol, England - Z 315 |
Happy Face |
Deflating the balloon, Bagan |
After the flight with Balloons Over Bagan |
Preparing to deflate the second balloon |
The balloon envelope begins to collapse |
Balloon post-flight duties |
Folding the balloon after the flight |
Balloons Over Bagan ground crew |
What's a balloon ride without champagne |
Packing up the balloon |
The pilot presents Dennis with his Balloon Flight Certificate, 2/2/2010 |
Framed photo from the balloons remote camera |
Balloons Over Bagan booking office at Thiripyitsaya Sanctuary Hotel |
Inside the Balloons Over Bagan bus back at the hotel |