Amazing Bagan! (Myanmar Part 2)

What can be more exciting than being in a hot air balloon gently rising off the ground, the cool silky breeze tickling your face as the warm whoosh of the burners' flames effortlessly lift the balloon into the early morning sky. Eyes fixed on the horizon, giddily anticipating the sunrise that would soon be bathing the temple-filled landscape in fiery hues....
  
Whoa! I'm getting way ahead of the story. Let's rewind and start again.

On the Road to Mandalay! (Myanmar, Part 1)

When I was planning our anniversary trip last month we were all set to do a temple run à la Angelina Jolie's Lara Croft in Siem Reap, Cambodia and stuffing our faces silly with yummy Vietnamese food on a back of the bike foodie tour in Saigon. But then I came across a picture of a hot air balloon gently floating across a vast plain dotted with temples as far as the eye can see. It was an early morning scene with mists still blanketing the surrounding countryside. WOW! Talk about taking your breath away.

Change of plans! We're going farther north into a country famous for its thousands of temples, a nation just starting to open up to visitors and the home of Nobel Peace Prize awardee Aung San Suu Kyi. The land of the golden pagodas, MYANMAR.

Totally awesome! My picture does not really do justice to the scene we've experienced.