Hot air balloon flight over Bagan

“Balloon flying is a popular activity in Bagan. Five years ago, only one company with two balls worked here, and now there are already three companies and fourteen balls,” says Sergey Dolya.

(Total 45 photos)

1. I really like to fly balloons. Smooth movement, panoramic access, no windows, etc. Five years ago I took many interesting aerial shots, but this time I surpassed my previous result. There was a haze above the ground, the whole sky was strewn with balls - it was a pleasure to shoot! Under the cut are four dozen of the best shots that remained after a long and painful selection ...

2. They bring you to the place of rise on an old, colonial-era bus.

3. The flight starts at dawn and, accordingly, delivery takes place at dusk.

4. How to inflate the balloon: first, two fans draw air until the balloon takes shape. After that, the burners are turned on and the already warm air is blown.

5. After the briefing, they are invited to the basket. This time we had a very spacious basket for 16 people. Square holes on the walls are made in order to make it more convenient to climb inside.

6. Our pilot. A very skilled and experienced aeronaut.

7. The ball can be rotated around its axis. To do this, the pilot has a complex rope system that changes the shape of the canopy, which in turn leads to rotation.

8. In the first minutes of the flight, all the balls fly in a tight group.

9. Bagan is known for a record number of temples - about 5000. They make up the main part of the Bagan landscape. Where there are so many temples, I will tell in a separate post.

10. We rose with the sun. You could say it was our 15th ball.

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12. Among the thousands of temples, there are many remodels. During an earthquake in the last century, almost half was destroyed, and restoration work is going on to this day. Most of the stupas are brown, although it used to be customary to paint them white (one of these is visible on the right side of the frame).

13. On the right stupa, if you look closely, you can see people. Many climb to the tops of temples to meet the dawn. There are even their own "sunset" and "dawn" stupas, which offer the best view

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17. The previous photo is slightly toned in yellow, and the next one is in a cool shade. Capturing the exact color is very difficult, so I saved a few options. Which one do you like better?

18. Over time, the balls disperse over the plain. The more experienced the pilot, the lower he flies. A balloon is an inertial thing, and to get the hang of maneuvering it, you need a lot of experience.

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20. The tower of an unusual shape, which seems to be a religious building, is actually a local hotel with an observation deck. It was built a long time ago, apparently, when Burma was under martial law (I don’t see another explanation for how such a “skyscraper” appeared over the valley).

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24. The very first temple that appeared in the valley.

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29. Near the airport.

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32. Only an experienced pilot can fly so low and close next to the stupa

33. The plane is landing.

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35. A unique pentagonal stupa built, according to legend, for the next coming of the Buddha. At the moment, it is not ready, however, there is no particular hurry yet - it is believed that the Buddha will return only in the sixth millennium.

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37. They flew over the peasants and the "cargo" oxen.

38. Tractors I have not seen here at all. They plow on cattle, the old fashioned way.

39. Sheep. The only time we saw any animals other than oxen.

40. Parallel to the ball, a tourist bus and a truck are traveling along the ground, carrying the ball and the basket.

41. The balloon comes in for a landing.

42. Our landing was soft and easy, although it is often acceptable to roll over the basket during landing.

43. The guys fill up the ball.

44. Our hyper basket.

45. After landing, kids run up with a souvenir. Children's drawings of balloons for sale look especially cute.