There are two types of balloons, ones with fireworks, mostly in the form of missiles pointed down at the spectators.

And there are illuminated balloons with hundred of lanterns hanging from the side and on a lattice carried below.

Both balloons are quite large, likely over 10 meters in height. Before they are fully released the ground team takes care to spin the balloon at least once so everyone in the stadium (especially the judges) can have a good look at the ornate designs.

Teams truck the balloons in along with a sizable entourage. It’s a loud, boisterous affair. In this image on the right you can see the torches used for heating and inflating the balloon before a heat source is inserted. The pagoda on the left is covering the wick which attached inside the balloon and lit to keep the balloon rising into the sky.

Many hands hold the balloon off the ground while torches are used to heat the inside.

As the balloon rises, the carriage carrying the fireworks or lanterns is prepared.

The crowd roars with applause as the balloon receives its last touch.

The firework laden carriage lifts up and the team celebration begins, at least until it begins raining hellfire on the people below.

Up and away! 

 And now the real fun begins.

The largest entourage of the night arrived with few hundred people bearing torches.

Young exploding balloon enthusiasts arrive to support their team.

It’s a team effort getting these balloons off the ground.

 A team awaits their turn.

Another team brought their own peacocks. The mating dance was a real crowd pleaser.

The fireworks can go on for quite a long time.

This balloon has gained a lot of altitude, you can see it as a small object in the top center of the frame.

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Several teenage boys were hanging (literally) off the side of a Ferris Wheel. A curious mind would naturally have asked, WTF?

As we approached it all began to make sense. This is Myanmar, years of isolation and sanctions have left machinery and reliable electricity in short supply. This Ferris Wheel was an adaptation to utilize  readily available resources, teenagers with no fear and plenty of gusto.

Teens climb up the middle, move to the side, and voila, spinning Ferris Wheel!! It’s a very effective method that gets the wheel spinning disturbingly fast, never mind the bowing undulations of the wooden spokes. How fast can it go?  How old is this contraption anyway? I’m concerned for their safety, but what happens if they fall on me? All questions that probably should have been considered before climbing aboard in the first place.

This is the part where an absence of fear is comes in handy.

Vincent, a fellow from Holland who rode up with us was enjoying the ride, at least until he had to pee and we were stuck at the top. As it turns out, the wheel needs to be well balanced. To let one set of passengers go they must put another set on. We had to wait our turn to get back to the bottom, and it was a slow night.

We seemed to be the only people who found the whole spinning process of any interest whatsoever. 

Proper safety gear? Flip flops? You decide. 

Looking a little too relaxed.

Taking a break, AND acting as a counter balance.  

Very nice but 45 minutes was plenty of time to enjoy the view, and almost enough time for Vincent’s bladder to burst.

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Goods being brought to the market.

 Heading home..

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Hiring a local taxi for an early evening ride. She was an expert paddler, who didn’t seem to appreciate my constantly taking pictures, presumably of her derrière. Though I do think I did her justice. 

Mother and daughter navigating one of the many canals.

Fisherman checking his traps.

If you see a picture of someone rowing a boat in this manner, you know it was taken on Inle Lake. Things really get interesting when he starts spinning fine china plates…

Young novice monks collecting alms in a lakeside village. For some reason, just the sight of those pink robes makes me happy.

In one of Inle Lake’s floating villages, a young girl whiles away the time in her father’s boat.

Inside and old teak clad monastery, a monk greets visitors who come to pray.

A troupe of felines lined up and ready for take off, this can only be one place… Jumping Cat Monestary…

Rolling cigars in a floating village factory. Many of Burma’s older generation (including women) regularly smoke stogies.

Threads being prepared for the loom in a weaving center. All of the machinery is hand powered and used to produce textiles made from cotton, silk, and lotus thread textiles.

A weaver checks her product.

Unique to Inle Lake is textile production based on fibers pulled from the stalk of a lotus flower. Traditionally they were used to making special robes as an offering to Buddha, each containing up to 220,000 individual stalks and requiring the labor of sixty weavers to complete in ten days. 

During our visit to Inle lake we joined the steady stream of locals heading to the  Taunggye Ballon festival, but that is another story…

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Burmese lacquer is a resin tapped from the Thit-si tree. lacquerware products are made from layers of thin bamboo coated in successive layers (minimum 7) of resin. Finished pieces are inscribed with intricate designs.

Resin prepped and ready to be applied to the bamboo armatures. 

The initial coat of “Thayo”, a resin paste of lacquer and mixed ashes is applied by hand to the bamboo armature. For increased flexibility, horsehair is also included in the armature. 

Brilliantly black and polished to a high finish, each piece is highly resistant to heat and cold. A good quality lacquer ware cup can be squeezed until the opposite edges touch with no resulting damage.

Many of the workers in the factory are busy inscribing the patterns into the lacquerware pieces. Once inscribed, the pieces will have colorful pigments applied.

Inscribing a finished product with the Golden Cuckoo trademark.

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Popa is a volcanic plug with the Taungkalat (Taung Kalat) Shrine perched picture perfect on the top. I didn’t mind the monkey pee but was a little concerned about the considerable amount of blood splatters on every one of the 777 steps to the peak. The view and the monkey antics however, are well worth the effort.

Traditional Myanmar road building in progress. The destination is Popa, but the road leading there has plenty of interesting activity.

No rest for you, young goat. Perhaps a half hour old, the family herding its mother had a destination in mind. Just throw the baby under your arm and keep walking.

We came across some farm activity conveniently placed along side the road. 

A hired hand pressing peanuts for oil.

Collecting sap from the ever so versatile toddy palm

Fermenting toddy, an alcoholic beverage made from palm sap. 

Distilling and bottling

Bottoms up!

One of the farmhands taking a break.

Plenty of fruit is available at one of the roadside markets.

Jars of Sakawa flowers for sale

Most people come to Mount Popa for spiritual reasons. I come here for monkey photo shoots on the steps leading to the shrine. After this session I came away with a few tips for aspiring monkey glamour shot photographers.

Rule #1, Never get between a monkey mommy and her baby.

Rule #2, always have a slingshot handy

Rule #3, ALWAYS have an eye on your food,water, personal items. I can’t stress this one enough.

And finally… Rule #4, NEVER RISK A MONKEY BITE. Rabies shots are expensive and the series of five shots need to be administered shortly after a bite to be effective, this could be problematic in Myanmar.

After my trip through Myanmar I met a Russian woman in Thailand that was just beginning her series of rabies shots. She’d done what so many others in Asia do, she fed the monkeys. Sure they’re cute, but they’re not cuddly.

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There are more than 2,200 pagodas spread over 41 square kilometers. Prior to a devastating 1975 earthquake there were over 5,000. 

One ‘must do’ activity here is to climb a pagoda for a sunrise or sunset view.

Balloons over Bagan. You too can ride one of these fine 8-12 passenger balloons. Price per ticket is $300USD for around 45 minutes. Like so many of my fellow budget travelers, I chose the cheap seats on the high side of a temple.

Buddism is practiced widely in Burma. The monks hoofing between the temples may well outnumber the tourists. 

Many of the temples are still used for prayer.

The people in Burma can be quite shy to the camera, especially women, so please be respectful. Of course some people are more extroverted than others. This fellow is settling down to eat after showing me some of his best boxing moves…

Everyone in ancient Bagan enjoys a good sunset. Especially when they’re chatting on a cell phone.

Distances between sites are short, cars might be considered overkill. Bicycles can be rented and are a pretty good option if it isn’t too hot, and you’re not dragging 40lbs of camera gear around.

Just about anywhere you see a shady tree in Old Bagan Town, you’ll see a horse cart ready for hire. Prices are reasonable but it’s wise to bargain. 

Some of the more popular temples can be quite busy for sunrise and sunset viewing (mostly sunset). 

It’s not too hard to find less visited places to perch.

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 And how about those pink lady monk outfits?

The main stupa is adorned with gold plating and several thousand precious stones, including a 76 carat diamond whopper on the tip of the spire. Sit tight, a friendly monk will approach you with interesting information about the history of the temple, then lead you to some of the secret positions around the platform where you can catch a glittering glimpse of the diamonds embedded high on the stupa. Be prepared for a donation request when he is finished.

Serene and squeaky clean as volunteers constantly circle the stupa busily sweeping away the occasional dust bunny. 

 Prayers are the main activity, everyone participates.

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