Taunggyi: Aung Sein Phyo careers toward the ground, hanging from one arm on the basket of one of Myanmar’s human-powered Ferris wheels, reliant on gravity-defying agility and split-second coordination honed since the age of nine.

Fireworks shower down onto jubilant crowds nearby from stunning, if treacherous, hot air balloons at the annual festival in Shan State’s capital Taunggyi.