The 2009 Academy Award winning animated film, UP, is a fantasy, depicting an escape from life when circumstances become too exasperating. The main character, Carl, is a 78-year old widower who becomes increasingly irritated by impinging events on his daily life. He ties 20,000 balloons to his house, ascends and floats to Paradise Falls in South America, thereby fulfilling a promise to his late wife, Ellie. After an adventure filled journey, his house lands at Paradise Falls.
Great, but what does that have to do with our trip? Think escape! Think strange lands! Think balloons! Think landing in paradise! This three-week adventure has been fantastic and has allowed us a float above all the stuff happening in the US and the reaction in the rest of the world (thanks to the result of our presidential election), while having new and strange experiences as we ‘land’ each day. So it seems appropriate that taking a balloon ride is a fitting way to finish our journey before reentering our every day lives at home.
While a balloon ride may be poetic and a great idea, the day began with a shock when the alarm awakened us at 4:30 AM to transit to the launch site for our four-hour hot air balloon ride over Bagan. Reaching the launch site, we could not see anything. It was completely dark – no moonlight, no lighting other than our shuttle-bus’s headlights. It was cold. The shuttle-bus dropped us off in the middle of what seemed to be an empty field. We just stood there, wondering where we were supposed to go. The driver spoke no English. He sent a couple shouts into the darkness. At last we spotted a light moving in our direction. Our pilot, Graham, was attached to the light. Somewhat taken aback, he wondered why we were here so early since we were not scheduled to take off until 6:30. He was quickly joined by several members of his ground crew, carrying flashlights to lead us to the assembly point near our balloon. They had arranged a semicircle of stools to sit on, and set up a coffee station with a tray of mysterious breakfast buns. Since we had plenty of time, we used the opportunity to talk with Graham. He is an internationally licensed balloon pilot, speaks with a British accent, and lives in Boulder, Colorado. About ten years ago, he decided to leave his profession (he never revealed his profession), to spend full time on his hobby, ballooning. He travels throughout the world, spending one to three months at a location for the balloon season.
Are we early for the balloon ride? Is anybody else here?
As the sky began to lighten, we could make out a balloon’s basket (our ride) laying on its side, about 50 feet away. More light revealed 12, 8×20-foot baskets distributed throughout the four-acre field. The balloons, which were merely collapsed, nylon bladders, referred to as envelopes in the ballooning jargon, laid near each basket. The ground crew, in teams of 10, had unrolled the envelopes, positioned the tether lines, and secured them to the wicker baskets. At about 6 AM, the 12 pilots gathered and released a very small, helium filled balloon carrying a light aloft. It rose slowly to about 3,000 ft. The pilots followed its ascent to observe the wind direction and velocity, as a function of altitude. After a group discussion, the group agreed on today’s flight path and altitude.
Daylight reveals our balloon. Inflation begins.
It was time for the exciting task of blowing up this monster. The first stage of inflation used a large fan to blow ambient air into the mouth or throat of the balloon. The fan was powered by electricity generated by our shuttle-bus /recovery vehicle. Three crew members held open the throat, allowing air to enter the envelope. The rest of the crew was positioned around the edge of the deflated envelope. Holding the edge of the envelope, they performed a wave, similar to what fans may do at a ball game, to help distribute the air being blown in. When it was sufficiently inflated so the throat would stay open without the help of crew members, Graham entered to check the integrity of the envelope, make sure all the control lines were attached, and the parachute was properly closed.
The parachute is a round (~20 feet diameter) section that forms the top – known as the crown, of the envelope. A control line is secured to the edge or seam of the parachute while the other end of the line reaches the pilot in the basket. When pulling on this cord, one edge of the parachute peels away, creating a hole in the envelope through which a small amount of hot air can escape, thereby permitting the balloon to descend faster than waiting for the air to cool. If the pilot wants to stop descending, he releases the cord, allowing the parachute to pop back into place and close the hole (similar to a rubber stopper over a sink or bathroom drain hole). On landing, as the basket gets very close to the selected landing site, the pilot opens the whole parachute – which in turn releases the hot air quickly, allowing the basket to gently drop to the ground, and collapsing enough to permit the ground crew to reach the tether lines and guide it away from where the basket sits (don’t want to have the envelope wrap the basket and passengers).
Time to blow hot air into the envelope.
Our balloon begins to right our basket.
All the balloons around the field are getting inflated.
What a great sight with the sound of blasting propane burners filling the air – like jet engines.
Today’s armada is just about ready.
But back to today’s flight. Once the envelope is filled with enough air to keep the throat open, and having checked all the key components, Graham ignited the burner that sits on top of basket (remember, the basket is still horizontal at this time) to blow in hot air. After about 10 minutes, the balloon began to rise off the ground. As it reached its vertical position, it rotated the basket to its normal, upright orientation. Looking all around us, balloons were popping up everywhere – quite a sight. Graham quickly gathered us for the pre-flight safety briefing. There were 16 passengers on today’s flight, with four people in each of the four passenger sections. We were instructed on how to climb into the basket, and what to do when we land: all cameras and bags on the floor held down by our feet; sit on the narrow bench and face inward; brace ourselves with outstretched arms against the inner compartment wall; no standing or trying to get out until notified by Graham.
Everyone on board, and ready for lift off.
With everyone on board, Graham started a long burn as we began to lift off. It was very smooth, no rocking, or jarring – everything was going to happen very slooowwwllly. The sights were beautiful, especially as the sun began to rise and to light up the golden tops of pagodas and stupas. It highlighted how pervasively they dotted the landscape. Hot air balloons don’t hold a constant altitude – they are either rising after the burner is lit, or descending as the air in the envelope begins to cool. So we bobbed up and down very gradually. It takes 2-3 minutes after a burn for the balloon to respond and begin to ascend. At the lowest points we could see oxen pulling plows, wash hanging out to dry, and people waving at us. Graham would rotate the balloon so that both sides could experience the view into the sun, as well as away from the sun. He explained that he is able to open a side vent with one of his control cords, releasing a narrow stream of air from the envelope – much like side-burners or jets on space capsules are able to change orientation – to rotate the balloon.
We are ready to join the ascending formation. Just beautiful.
The sun begins to rise on the horizon.
An eerie mist sweeps across the landscape.
The sun reflects off the golden temples and stupas.
Breathtaking!
Our group in mid flight.
As we floated towards the targeted landing site, all the balloons began to converge. Our balloon bumped an adjacent balloon, which is common and not dangerous. However, Graham tried to raise the other balloon’s pilot on his walkie-talkie, asking him to take a specific action to avoid getting too close. No response! Graham was miffed, suggesting that the other pilot was ‘target obsessed’ and was not paying attention to his surroundings in the sky. He was only focused on the landing site. Graham finally shouted at the other pilot to get his attention, asked him to take a specific action to create separation. As our basket touched down, Graham unleashed the parachute crown, quickly releasing the hot air. A beautiful sight to look up through the balloon and see a large round hole as a window to the blue sky.
The shadow of our basket on an adjacent balloon – maybe too close?
When our basket touched down with a slight bump, it tilted about 45 degrees and dragged us about 20 feet across the field, until the envelope had released enough hot air so it could no longer overcome the weight of the basket. Yeah! We made it! A truly wonderful experience that I would highly recommend to everyone. The shuttle/chase-bus was waiting for us. The crew had set up chairs, and quickly provided us with glasses of champagne and tea sandwiches. As we learned, celebrating a flight with champagne is a ballooning tradition. The story behind the champagne toast goes back to the start of ballooning. As the sport became popular in France in the late 1700’s, balloons often landed on farms. The farmers who had never seen balloons before would approach, ready to attacked with pitchforks. Balloonists found it to their advantage to carry champagne to pacify the landowner. Today there were no farmers, no pitch forks, but plenty of champagne.
Champagne all around to celebrate a successful flight!
Time to get on board our chase vehicle for the ride back to our ship.
The luxury of this shuttle needs no words.
Loading into our shuttle-bus, to return to our ship, the bus couldn’t move. It seemed it did not have enough power or traction to tame the ruts in the field. After several attempts, they signaled for us to get off. What? To lighten the load? To help push it? Nope – just to board another shuttle-bus in a more level area of the field. These buses have a history. They are 1944 Chevy C-15 trucks, built-in Canada, and brought over to Myanmar and used by the British, Americans, and other Allied forces during World War II in their campaign against the Japanese. They were used as trucks, not passenger vehicles. After the war ended, they found their way to Yangon and were recast into a new role – public buses shuttling people throughout the city. They remained in that role until 2012, when the company ‘Balloons over Bagan’ purchased them for their current role – chase vehicles and balloon-passenger shuttles. They are definitely not luxurious or comfortable. Wooden benches along both sides was it. I sat next to the driver to get the full experience. The floor had several holes the size of basketballs. I watched the driver go through some unusual gyrations to shift gears and to stop or brake it, making me want to jump off before we crashed into something.
Returning to our ship, we collected our luggage and headed to the Bagan airport to fly to Bangkok, by way of Yangon, and make our way back home. At this point, our group began to disperse and take different paths to reach their homes. About half had chosen to stay in Bangkok overnight to visit the Royal Palace, since it was closed for the King’s funeral events during our stay two weeks earlier. The Bagan and the Yangon airports were as chaotic as before. It seemed like a miracle that we did not lose any luggage. We overnighted in a small, boutique hotel with only 24 rooms, which was built-in 1941 by the current owner’s grandfather and grandmother. It was a nice oasis of respite with an outdoor restaurant serving traditional Thai fare.
The King’s palace in Bangkok.
incredible artwork, everywhere. It’s overwhelming.
People waiting in line since before dawn to show their final respect to the deceased king.
The Royal Palace campus.
The next morning, we met our guide to visit the Royal Palace. This time, there was less of a military presence, yet security remained high. The crowds continued to be huge with many Thais waiting in long lines to show their final respect to the King. The palace grounds, with all its buildings, statues, and artwork, are rather overwhelming, but beautiful and well maintained. I’d like to return at another time, when the crowds will be smaller and we will have more time to appreciate some of the details.
After finishing the tour, we had the afternoon and evening to explore parts of Bangkok before catching our international flight at midnight. Our guide had suggested an excellent restaurant within walking distance from our hotel – Cabbages and Condoms. With a name like that, how could we resist? Three of us grabbed umbrellas from the hotel and headed out in search. Rain, high temperature, very high humidity along a very congested road, and walking in the shadow of the Sky Train tracks running over the road, gave us a solid workout. Finally, we arrived, drenched, not from the rain, but rather from perspiration.
At last! We found the Cabbage & Condom restaurant.
Condom mannequins and artwork throughout the grounds.
Making fun. Thailand is not a democracy, but has plenty of condoms.
Crossing under the arched signage, the shortest path to the entrance was lined with life-sized mannequins dressed up in rubber condoms – Santa Clause, Captain Condom, among many others. Several placards told the story behind the restaurant. Cabbage and Condoms was started by an ex-politician and philanthropist, Mechai Viravaidya – who wanted to improve the lives of Thai people by focusing on sexual health and population control. Every day, markets throughout Thailand offer cabbages. Mechai believes that condoms should be like cabbages – ubiquitous. Hence the name: Cabbage and Condoms. Their tag line is: “Our food is Guaranteed not to cause Pregnancy.” All profits go to support the Community Development Association, which is dedicated to family planning and HIV/AIDS prevention in Thailand.
Once inside, we were rewarded with a wonderfully air-conditioned place to dry out – can we stay here until we make for the airport? Perhaps distorted by the lens of pleasure brought on by a cool place to hang-out in, we enjoyed the best Thai curry we’d had so far. After finishing, our waitress brought our check in the customary wallet, along with what appeared to be a square chocolate mint wafer. What better way to check the aftertaste than a piece of chocolate? How civilized! I quickly tore into it, ready to pop it into my mouth – ooppps – it was a purple condom! Yikes! I’m scarred for life. I may swear off after dinner treats from now on.
This no chocolate wafer mint that I’ve ever had. Ugh!
As the light on this trip begins to fade, the end of this blog approaches, and the reality of what is happening in the world is coming back into focus, I am driven to slow down the clock, to prolong the experience and savor each moment of the last few weeks – very similar to what I do when I read a book I deeply enjoy. Approaching the end, I begin to ration the number of pages I may read each day – no dash to the end. So I rationed the time writing this blog. This is my justification for my tardiness in finishing this trip’s blog. Now that I’m at the end, I put on my headset and listen to Leonard Cohen’s 1988 song: Everybody Knows. All this creates a gravity pulling me into an atmosphere of melancholy – a place not unfamiliar, a place not unpleasant, yet a place that is merely transitional, a flight path into the earth of reality. The reality of how fortunate we are in living at a time, in a place, that is unequalled. This trip has grounded me.
Speaking of grounding, as Carl’s house has landed in Paradise Falls, he settles in and discovers Ellie’s diary in a pile of books. Tears line his eyes as he flips through the pages of their lives together. Her final entry was: “Thanks for the adventure. Now go have a new one. Love, Ellie.”
We’re now off to create a new adventure, perhaps unanticipated, perhaps unknowable, yet still exciting to discover and learn.
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