Vic Lactaoen

As dawn breaks over the valley, a hot-air balloon begins what is a leisurely but spectacular journey.

 

When I signed up for a hot-air-balloon tour of Myanmar’s (Burma) Bagan temples famed for its kilometers of Buddhists temples, I had visions of a raiders of the lost arc -style adventure transplanted in this misunderstood country. Two maroon colored majestic balloons awaited me with jets of golden flame roaring into their bellies. For a unique bird’s eye view of the ancient temples, check in with Balloons over Bagan(www.balloonsoverbagan.com) where you get a bird’s eye view of one of the million old temples of Bagan.

 

Cruising along the dry plain area of Bagan, a bell-shaped temple comes into view – the instantly recognizable shape of Bupaya, reputed to be one of the oldest in Bagan. The sky glows a fiery orange as the gilded stupa stands at attention at sunrise, silent sentinel to centuries of once a thriving city of culture and commerce. The temple complex is perhaps the most amazing sight in Myanmar, if not South-East Asia. Across 40 square kilometers of country stretching back from the Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy) stand literally thousands of stupas and temples. In every direction you look you’ll see ruins of all sizes – huge and glorious temples like the Ananda soaring towards the sky, small, graceful zedis(smaller temples) stand alone in fields. Some come with all manner of historical tales, while others are identified only by a number.

 

A sudden roaring blast of the burners shatters the morning peace as our pilot John Emery (a former British Airways pilot) forces the balloon higher. By now, a brilliant sun has burned off the early morning chill. We sail over the Bagan archeological zone which impresses me like a giant chessboard. Another blast and we lift to 300 meters. From that height my traveling companions can see a 40-kilometer stretch of the “old Bagan” area, a golden strip running east to west.

 

One could easily spend a week or more exploring the Bagan area. The extraordinary religious fervor that resulted in this unique collection of buildings lasted two and a half centuries. In 1044, King Anawrahta ascended the throne in Bagan. Having just transitioned from Hinduism to Theravada Budhism, he set about building religious monuments at a frantic pace. Temple construction continued unabated until 1287, when Mongols overran the area and the plain fell silent. But those two centuries were enough to build as many as 4,000 temples in a compact area. The towers were built of fine stone; and then one of them has been covered with gold a good finger in thickness, so that the tower looks as if it were all of solid gold; and the other is covered with silver in like manner so that it seems to be all of solid silver. The King caused these towers to be erected to commemorate his magnificence and for the good of his soul; and really they do form one of the finest sights in the world, so exquisitely finished are they, so splendid and costly too! And when the sun strikes these temples they are most brilliant and visible even from a vast distance.

 

The devout come from all over Myanmar to worship here – especially during the annual full moon festivals at Sehwezigon and Ananda temples. Overwhelming too are the numbers: more than 2,000 paya (temples or pagodas) cover an area of about 4 square kilometers. An earthquake rumbled through the region in 1975, and looters have long since made off with jewels from inside the Budha’s images and shrines. But after Unesco support and extensive restoration, Bagan presents an impressive sight.

 

As we began our descent, the pointed tops of the temples where just like at arms length away. Below us were some of the temple ruins spread like lava far into the distance. We drifted towards our targeted landing dock, 15 kilometers from where we started. “Take your landing positions” says Captain Emery, “and hold on tight.”

 

Back on the ground, we finally got our champagne as we toast the success of our 45-minute joy ride. It’s only 8 a.m. plenty of time still for a country breakfast of fresh brewed coffee, fried rice and sausages, the better to prepare a day of rambling in the valley of hundred year old temples.

 

The active traveler can rent bikes (kt 1000 an hour) to explore, through sand tracks leading to many off-the beaten track pagodas or through horse cart – a rustic and pleasant way to take in the sights (kt 3,000 – 4,000 per day). Outfit yourself by picking up a sarong-like lonyi in cotton (kt1, 500), useful at temples. Buhhist Myanmars are easy going people, but one unbending rule is that footwear is prohibited in holy places – socks notwithstanding. The market is also the place to buy thanaka, the traditional yellow tree-bark cosmetic used by men and women alike as astringent, sunscreen and cosmetic.

You can pick up plenty of souvenirs in the market including, lacquer ware boxes and decorative woodcarvings.

 

Climatewise, the best season for visiting the temples of Bagan is between mid November and February – during these months, it rains least and is not so hot.

 

Thai Airways International(www.thaiairways.com) is you best link to Bagan from Manila. You can get connecting flights  from Bangkok direct to Nyang U-Bagan airstrip in Bagan. You can also connect through Bangkok Air (www.bangkokairways.com) which also offers daily service to Bagan. Accommodations are aplenty around the Bagan archeological zone from tourist to five star resort hotels including the Bagan Thande Hotel- a government run hotel or the 108 room Bagan Hotel next door.