Balloons over Bagan

    I wake up to the unmistakeable sound of a hot air balloon being filled with, well hot air.  I know it is 6:55 a.m. and I am in Bagan.  I look out our hotel window and see no less than 10 balloons slowly rising and drifting by.  Huge I might add, as our room is apparently very close to the launching site.  I marvel at the wonder of it, and consider it my wake up call.  Of course we would love to do it, see all the temples in the morning light, still, calm, only the sound of whoosh as the burners refill the balloon.  I get out my Myanmar book to read up on it.  Sounds great until I get to the price.  $350 for an hour.  Nope.  Guess I will find another way to enjoy the temples of Bagan.
     And we did.  The two main ways to cover the vast area on which the 4,727 temples of Bagan reside is by electric scooter and horse and buggy.  The ladies did both, I stuck with the scooter.  I have never really seen another sight like Bagan.  Between 1,000 a.d. and 1,300 a.d., while Europe was blinded by the Dark Ages, Myanmar was creating spectacular things.  Temples that literally boggle the mind.  They are laid out in an area perhaps 10 miles square, all with conical steeples that rise to varying heights.  The insides, due to the passage of time, are for the most part barren, though they have their Buddhas and what is left of the intricate frescos that used to cover the walls.  They vary in size from small structures, maybe 20 feet high, to giant ones that one can see from miles away.  The ones I loved could be climbed by steep staircases, giving one a 360 degree view of the vast complex.  Temple after temple greet the eye.  Hardly any other type of structure sullies the sight.  Fields of sand separate the temples.  A sight to behold.
     But the temples do not come without a price, and I don't mean financial.  At all the main temples, and many of the minor ones, one is bombarded by vendors selling their wares.  Cynthia and I are used to this, living in a tourist destination in Guatemala.  But there the people keep their space and take no for an immediate answer.  Not in Bagan.  One can be followed, made to feel somewhat guilty if you don't buy, given the feeling of no escape.  It did color our experience, no doubt about it.  One either approaches it with a desire to buy, or with blinders on heading immediately to the door of the temple.  It didn't by any means ruin the experience, but it did make it less pleasant than it could have been.
     I did love the scooter.  Reminded me of my motor cycle days which have, for the most part, passed me by.  It allowed me to get to some of the more remote areas and enjoy the solitude.  The two ladies were going to ride as well but Kathy wiped out on the first try (she hadn't ridden before and it does require a knack), so we went two up and Cyn rode solo.  The next day Cyn and Kathy went by horse and buggy.  Kathy only got a few scrapes but I could tell it bugged her to the point she wanted to get back on, but the opportunity did not allow.
     For us the scene changed in Bagan.  Tons of tourists.  At least on Myanamar standards.  We even got pizza!!!  But it was a slice and I have no regrets about making it one of our destinations.  We left this morning on a river boat which pulled away from the dock, in the dark, at 5:20 a.m.  But that's for the next installment.  Right now we are all happy, healthy and glad to be here.                 JB