Bagan

Arriving in Bagan somewhat haggard after the 19 hour off road like train journey, I grew excited to see one of the most famous travel destinations in the world. Bagan is a large area consisting of over 3000 temples, pagodas, payas, and stupas all built from the 12th-15th centuries. It is believed that at one time 10,000 temples existed, but over time with war and earthquakes, the number has decreased. The area is very dry and flat bordered by two mountain ranges to the east and west. Bagan is one of the key travel destinations in Myanmar and rightfully so, as the thousands of temples are each an impressive work of architecture.

Almost every hotel and many other businesses offer bicycle rentals or electric bikes for tourists to cruise around the vast area to explore the many temples. Being that the area was so expansive, I opted for the electric bike everyday. My days were spent riding around to whatever pagoda (a temple with no entry inside) or paya (a temple in which you can enter) that caught my interest. Some of the temples are enormous, being several stories high and attracting thousands of visitors a day, while others are more off the beaten path, where I found myself completely alone in these amazing structures.

All around Bagan the local people, especially children, hang around the highly visited temples in order to make a buck or two off the tourists. At the most visited temples, stands are manned by women selling a variety of clothing, jewelry, and many other souvenirs. Others sell beautiful paintings on white cloth. All of the children sell post cards, which they are relentless salesmen. At one temple I met a fifteen year old boy. After turning down his multiple postcard pitches, I agreed to hire him for the next morning to take me around from sunrise until noon. We agreed on $10 and he said he would meet me at my hotel the next morning at 5:30 am. 

My first evening about an hour before sunset, two Burmese girls asked where I was going to watch the sunset. Not really knowing, I told them the enormous pagoda that most people view it from. They said nonsense and told me to follow them to a completely off the path paya where we watch the sun dip below the western mountains turning the sky a combination of reds, oranges, and pinks. The pagoda where I was intending to go was packed with hundreds of people, where only the three of us sat quietly upon this hidden gem of a paya. I took note of the location and intended to come back the next day.

My second day was spent with my guide, Pew Pweh, who took me around the less visited temples. We went back to the pay a the two girls showed me and watched a stunning scene of the sun rising while the dozens of hot air balloons rose into the sky. It was a truly beautiful scene.

Finally my third day was spent doing more of the same. By the end of my third day I was getting pretty “templed out” and was ready to move on. In the end I watched three sunsets and two sunrises, with the sunrises being the most spectacular part of my stay in Bagan. In all it was a fun three days touring one of the most famous places in the world.

Here's the video. Youtube said that my use of ELO's song violated copyright terms so the song may not play for you, but nonetheless: