As the AIA European Carnival is around everyone’s lips at the moment, I would like to share with you a ‘special’ carnival experience I’ve had in Myanmar! This was the annual Balloon Festival taken place at Taunggyi, a city in East of Myanmar. Taunggyi is located at 1436 metres above sea level and the carnival is on a mass and flat land near the city. The fair runs all day long until early next morning and was absolutely packed in the evening! (there will be another blog post about the balloons!) Interestingly, local people in Taunggyi wear warm clothing (ear muff, hat, thick coat…) due to altitude and temperature difference between day and evening, whilst tourists mainly dress light clothing, some even in shorts and tee shirts! The carnival attracted countless local people. There was no entrance fee and was very ideal for families. Attractions included a fun-fair, rock music concert, many cooked food stores, bars, game booths and rides. This time, pictures and video clips can do justice! Abandoned used tyres are in the best usage! 點擊圖片放大 BINGO and tattoo stamps! Looks basic and simple entertainment (for us) but would have been luxury to be able to join. Then it was the Ride attraction. I was, for a few seconds, appealed to those vibrant and colourful rides as they looked exciting. However with a closer look, I found them even better than those in the carnivals in HK. Way more interesting by just looking from below than being on the ride!! THEY ARE ALL MANUALLY OPERATED, including merry-go-round, ferris wheel and the galleon ride (I am still a bit skeptical about the galleon ride as we did see one of the galleons was powered with electricity, but most of them were pushed and pulled by underaged workers) 點擊圖片放大 We were gobsmacked, totally, by the fact that those kids worked in height without any protection or safety precaution at all. Please visit my facebook page for more video clips! https://www.facebook.com/cherish.as.i.see.it
