From Bagan we took two days to ride out to the holy site of Mt. Popa and back just before the end of the year.
One of our last days of biking took us through some tough sandy roads on the outskirts of Bagan.
Our two-week bicycle tour of Myanmar came to a spectacular finish, along with the year 2013, in the stunning ancient Burmese capital of Bagan, where 10,000 temples, stupa, and pagodas crowd the flat landscape along the Irriwaddy river.
We closed the tour — and the year — with a very long New Years Eve. We got up at 5 am for a sunrise hot air balloon tour of Bagan. Neither of us had ever been in a balloon, and it was an incredible experience to float across this remarkable place — one of the world’s leading destinations for ballooning.
We spent the later morning on our last biking segment of the tour, pedaling to visit some of the most striking temples. After watching the sun set over the temples, we then enjoyed a wonderful goodbye News Years Eve dinner with our five cycling companions and our guide, Chan, at our lodge on the riverside. Once midnight rolled around, many of the hotel’s staff were freed up to join the party. We had a blast dancing with them all until almost 1:30 in the morning. Happy New Year, everyone!
Waiting as the balloons get prepped for our early morning departure.
Not only was the landscape spectacular, but it was fascinating to watch the other balloons.
The temples of Bagan are an awesome backdrop for ballooning.
The last sunset of 2013 over Bagan
Our riverside lodge was a fun place for a festive New Years Eve countdown.