Aung careers towards 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.

As ear-splitting techno pumps out from the fairground, the team of lithe youngsters coax captivated onlookers onto their Ferris ride, hamster-wheeling it round to fill up the baskets.

Aung Sein Phyo, 22, blows his whistle and then scampers with his teammates up the 20-meter-high structure.

For nine months a year his team of 15 are on the road and they work without a day off, earning between $70 and $100 a month before resting up during the monsoon season.