Hi Julie,
I was being too nice to JY in my post - I am really pretty annoyed over this. JY need to revise their policy of not facilitating balloon rides on their tours. I have been told that I can arrange them in my own free time, but this is just not feasible - and JY know this - as on those tours when we are in places where there are balloon rides, there are always excursions on during the times when the ride can be done (i.e. early morning) so they do not facilitate us even booking them ourselves as we would have to opt out of an included excursion - again, which often is not possible as the tour is going on elsewhere afterwards. It is ridiculous that because of one accident years ago in Egypt that they have stopped balloon rides on all tours - just about every other tour company still offers them! Rant over.
Cheers,
Bob
> just about every other tour company still offers them!
Indeed. I was in Burma last January/February with another travel company which did offer a balloon ride over Bagan as an option selectable before we left the UK - one of the reasons which influenced my choice of company. Burma may still be underdeveloped, but its tourist infrastructure is now first-class, and the balloon rides were no exception. The pilots were trained, and received their licences, in the UK (the Bristol centre, I think), and the balloons and ancillary equipment were all sourced from the UK. It was all handled very professionally.
This was my first balloon flight, so I was a bit nervous beforehand, but any anxiety was soon dispelled on the day, and at no time did I feel unsafe. The flight was a wonderful experience, and the sight of all the temples distributed across the plain was unforgettable.
We were collected from the hotel at 05:30 for a dawn flight and we were deposited back at the hotel again at 08:50, just in time for a late breakfast before departure at 09:30 for the day's sightseeing, so fitting this into the schedule was not a problem - and shouldn't be for JY either.
Jim
http://tinyurl.com/BalloonBagan - although this does not really do it justice.