When we left off, we were floating peacefully above the Bagan plain watching the first of the two balloons land as planned in a field below us. We were too high to land, so our pilot, Ian, sized up the situation and decided to shoot for a sandy spot on an island in the middle of the Irawaddy River. This meant that we’d get a longer balloon ride, and that instead of taking a bus back to the launch area, we’d first have to take a boat. What fun! This unplanned adventure was just fine with us. The champagne tasted all that much better on the sandy beach as we toasted our crew and headed back with our new friends by boat.