Bagan balloons restricted

This item appears on page 4 of the January 2016 issue.

In Myanmar, new rules for hot-air balloon flights over the site of Bagan, whose pagodas were built in the 9th to 13th centuries, began on Oct. 15.

Requiring that balloons remain at least 300 feet above Bagan and prohibiting them from landing within the grounds of the pagodas, the rules are meant to protect the ancient structures from being damaged. (No incidents have been reported.) 

There are more than 3,000 pagodas in the Bagan Archaeological Zone, the tallest of which, Thatbyinnyu, is 200 feet tall.