Day # 7 Bagan Ballooning ~ Heavenly Bound

Day #7 Bagan Ballooning ~ Heavenly Bound

January 10

We are the only tour members partaking in the 4:30 am ballooning event.  One member of our tour had a friend who died in the recent Egypt balloon disaster.  John does not tell me about this fact until after we touch down safely.  So I am excited to go ballooning and undaunted by yet again another early morning awakening. I recall my son Seth telling me how much he enjoyed his ballooning trip in Cappadocia in Turkey. The company called Balloons over Began picks us up in a pre-WWII Chevrolet bus partly made of wood and employs British pilots and some 80 locals to operate 10 balloons. 

Each balloon can hold 16 people. They seem very professional and offer us coffee while we watch them fill their UK-made balloons with hot air.

This 45 minutes sunrise experience from the balloon is magical and I am glad we have done this. 









Our landing is safe and we are greeted with champagne and croissants when we return. Our pilot tells us he has never had an accident and that this is the safest air travel possible. 

As usual when our balloon lands we are greeted by people, including children who are selling their art. I buy some of the children's art and John buys this man's sand art. 

Sand Art 

We are late for our 8:30 am tour but our guide has left us a horse-cart and driver at the hotel.  One of us sits with the driver looking forward while the other sits either sideways on the large platform seat or looking backwards.  

John's pee spot 

We are delighted with this independence as we can pause where we like to take pictures of people farming, or for John to take a pee. 

 I am taken with a northern tribe of people coming to town in their ox-carts for a local festival.  

This hour long ride 

around the Taung Be village area eventually connects us with

our tour group at a temple (Kenmon Gia Temple & Sulamani Temple). 

Here I am impressed with 

these temples 13^th century murals on the walls and ceilings.

Lacquer ware

On our way back to lunch we stop at a lacquer ware factory.

This artistic practice started in the 11^th century. Oo Myint shows us how the craftsperson first weaves a bamboo frame.





Then the lacquer is coated over the framework and allowed to dry for several days. Next it is sanded down with ash from rice husks and another coating of lacquer is applied. 

A high quality item may have 15 layers altogether.  Finally, the lacquer ware is engraved, painted and polished to remove paint from everywhere except from within the engravings. 


It can take 5-6 months to produce a high quality piece of lacquer ware. You can tell a top-quality bowl if its rim can be squeezed together until the sides meet without suffering any damage.  I buy a few bangles and one small bowl to show the method to my friends. It only cost $10 so is probably not high quality or else this is slave labor. I am impressed with these people’s patience and persistence to produce a high quality product. 

Tune Thiri Island Village

house yard 

kitchen 

In the afternoon we take a local ferry boat to this island so we can walk around this village comprised of 300 families.  I am reminded of our Vashon ferry and community but this ferry is packed with people carrying produce on their heads or backs.  This peaceful, clean and orderly village seems romantic to me and I tell John I would like to live here and work in the local school. He tells me he won’t stay with me. 

While there are outhouses as
 bathrooms, solar electricity 
and solar  powered flashlights, amazing bamboo-built and human propelled machines for cutting bamboo leaves for animal feed and stable looking houses on stilts there is also a peaceful atmosphere about this village. 

The people and children look healthy and have sparkle in their eyes.  

Peanuts 

They smile at us when we ask to
 take their pictures.  

We walk about this village peering into homes feeling like peeping toms.  

Bed 

Kitchen 

Water Jugs 

Carving a boat 

We see some monk boys and people gardening, washing or making dinner.  

We end up at the school and meet the teachers there and watch the healthy, motivated looking children at their desks doing extra work after school hours. 

I notice there is an English poem on the blackboard.  They sing to us both in their own language and in English and all enjoy this immensely. We leave them a donation to help support their educational efforts. This is my favorite part of the trip so far. 

Nats

 Oo Myint has been talking to us about nats that predated Buddhism in Myanmar and believed to dominate a place or person. Separate shrines were built for these nats and apparently a good nat could aid worshippers in accomplishing important tasks or getting rid of enemies. While initially efforts were made to eliminate nats by destroying nat temples, eventually the king incorporated nat’s coexistence with Buddha by making it subordinate to Buddhism.  Elements of nats can be seen in unhusked coconuts or the traditional red and white cloths or colors tied to a rear view mirror or ornament. These are thought to be colors of protection. A village might have a nat shrine, which looks something like a dollhouse-like structure of bamboo to protect the village guardian spirit. I observed one of these in the village we had walked through and I wonder if that is why this village seems so romantic and peaceful.  Could I have one on Vashon?

We take a sunset ferry trip back to the mainland for a Burmese dinner (Nanda restaurant), which includes a marionette theatre show. This very touristy place is uninspiring but I love seeing the puppeteers operate their gorgeous puppets and managing the choreography of the puppet bodies to music using 10 or more strings in one hand.  I want a puppet and to learn how to do this …. perhaps I once lived here in another lifetime? or perhaps this is my retirement project?