The bus ride to Bagan was long, but compared to the other rides so far, it really was nothing to complain about. A taxi from the bus depot was really a taxi, much to my disbelief. I had to clarify one, two, three times: tuc tuc? Taxi! Tuc tuc? Taxi! Tuc tuc? Taxi! Ok, I guess it's a taxi! Yes indeed, a car with a taxi sign on it - who would have thunk it???
Our first night was spent on the ' back packer' street. Many little shops open their doors onto the street with their wares pleasantly hanging from rattan awnings. Wooden carvings, hand painted umbrellas, sand paintings, women's funky gypsy pants and tours and tickets for any part of Burma. The options for dinner were numerous. After a bit of 'snooping' around (aka looking at menus and peoples dishes) we decide to go the a "Bagan Restaurant", although in my opinion, it is a bit touristy. Anywhere that offers a hamburger is a No No. DInner was pretty good. The reality was that it was nice to sit down clean, and relaxed. The food was ok, but not as good as we've had at roadside restaurants. Dinner ended with some wafer thin tamarind candies.
Back at the hotel, Jon is slowly but not willingly, accepting that we are not in a five star hotel. He is not happy but realizes that "this is travelling." He manages to block the light from the hallway with the free maps we've been given, I've put our sheet on the bed to make it homey and we cuddle up for a good night's rest.
Up early we have a leisurely Burmese typical breakfast. It is a spicy soup that has noodles, onions and some crispy bits. I had read about this dish in Naomi Duguid's book Burma. So nice to have it cooked by a family; it was delicious.
We rented bikes ($1.50 each) and headed out to look for the temples of Bagan. Heading along the backpacker street we stop in two that seem beautiful in their aging bones. We rode down the street and out to another major street. We stumble upon temple after temple. The plains are dotted with temples, some small, some large, some ornate and others are gold or white. There are more than 3000 temples in this area. Back in the 11th century, the Kings would build a temple and all their people would help them. ANother King would see the temple and then try to 'outbuild' him with another temple; next thing you know, there are thousands of them. So of like keeping up with the Jones'.
Eventually we head up the stairs of Sulamani. This structure is huge but you are allowed to climb up it's steps and are then rewarded with a fantastic view of the plains. Palm trees poke up amongst deciduous-looking trees, a pagoda sticks out its neck begging you to sit and stare in awe. It's all fine and dandy heading up those steep, irregular stone steps but thinking about going down is an anxiety trigger like my students experience every single day. I sit there glued to the stucture like a tree frog, as Jon explores and chats with a man selling sand paintings - yes, he selling paintings on a. 2.5 ft wide surface, 4 stories high and NO railings! Not only is Jon talking with him, he is practically this guy's best friend. Me on the other, I am sitting in the same spot as where I arrived thinking of all the possible ways of falling down those steps. I could go face first, I could slip and skin my shins along the way, I could fall and hit my spine on each stair as I flail down! I could go on, but that just brings on the fear and anxiety again. By the time we are 'ready' go down the stairs, I have envisioned several scenarios, none of them good. Jon tries to coax me to go down, I cry. I'm crying at the top of a beautiful pagoda built in the 11th century - how wrong is that! I am covered in sweat, my shins are sweating for goodness sake. I'm close to shaking. On all fours, I turn around and manage to get my first foot on a step and Jon describes how far the next step is. He knows to only talk to me. He has tried to touch me, that resulting in the hibbie-jibbies going through my legs and then more crying. He talks me down the stairs as I constantly ask "how many more steps?" At the bottom, I declare that he can use my camera for the sunset shots tomorrow, there is no way I am going up again.
As we travelled along the road, we came upon a huge temple and decided to drive up along the sandy side street to have a look. Hundreds of make shift tents were set up at the side of the road. Complete with cows, clothesline and cooking facilities, these little tents were housing many people. For some families, horse buggies were used as kitchens: their pots, pans, and food items stored off the ground on the buggy. In front of the tents, people cooked, did their laundry and bathed. It was an entire village set up. There was a very important festival going on. From the temple, we could hear a monk reading from the Dharma. He was in a constant recitation and we could hear it loud and clear on the grounds of the temple. A soft, deep and soothing voice spreading over the property. The heat of the hot sun beating down on the temple property was cooled by his voice. Inside, we saw him. Calm, restful and reading from a thick book. We could see the other monks waiting for their turn to read. It was all very meditative.
We left this temple and rode in the direction of Old Bagan, from the top of Sulamani it looked like it would be a nice spot. The bike ride should probably have been 20 minutes, however, if you top every 200 m it takes a lot longer. And if you get a flat tire, it takes even longer! Jon's back tire was kaput, fini, that's all! So we walked. This allowed us to enjoy the view but secretly we were both a bit uptight... How long would the walk be? Was there a gas station or someone with a pump near by? Stopping a tuk tuk was not at all helpful, but the lovely young girl selling Orange Crush at the side of a pagoda was quite helpful. "Three minutes" up the road. Okay! We can handle that, that's nothing. But we were both doubting her, does she really know? A short walk proved that she did know! We filled up Jon's tire and headed towards Old Bagan.
As soon as we approached Old Bagan the activity on the road increased significantly and we were looking forward to finding a spot for lunch. Until....Jon's tire was flat again. Fortunately, there was a tire repair guy RIGHT THERE, so he fixed it for us while we nuzzled up with the locals and ate pancake pockets filled with quail eggs on the side of the road. Lekker schmekker double decker!
Our lunch spot was a nice vegetarian place at the west side of the temple with the big festival. We had a lovely lunch in the shade as we watched the people go by and tourists scoot around. I bought a lovely shopping basket that I'm sure will be a problem lugging that around for three months!
We rode back in the dark, grab a quick shower and then headed out for dinner. Since tomorrow would be a long day out on the e-bike motoring around, we grab a pizza (which was really tasty) and head home early.
Five a.m. comes earlier than you think, but we are surprisingly alert and ready for our day of exploring. We head to the 'anxiety temple' and climb up it's uneven, crumbling steps in complete darkness. Jon heads to the top but I go for 'safety' and make it to the third level. It turns out, this is the place to be; everyone prefers the top and they are quite crowded up there. I, on the other hand, have an entire level as my photography studio. I get my lenses and filter out, my iPhone out and sit and wait in solitude as the big orange ball slowly appears on the horizon. At the first site of the burning ball, we can hear the cameras clicking away. It was a long enjoyable sunrise as the sun peaked itself up from the horizon and then hid behind some clouds. This hide and seek only served to heighten our expectations. As the sun emerged in full, the hot air balloons started to slowly ascend into view. One by one they emerged as if to draw us in for the show. In all there were 21 of them. When you think of the price, at $375 USD per person, that is a lot of money in the sky. I think viewing them from the (near) top of a pagoda was a much better idea!!
We spent the day riding the e-bike on sandy, dusty roads. The 'roads' are more like pathways in what seems like the desert. It is really hot and dry; once a vehicle, even a bicycle passes you, it's best to wait a few minutes so the dust settles otherwise you have a dry eyes and an overall grit feeling on your body. We visited many temples. They vary vastly in their condition and appearance. Some have been looted for their paintings, others are covered in moss and black staining and some have been restored to reflect their original beauty. In all of them there are Buddhas. A commonality is the four sided nature of the inner part of the building and each side contains a Buddha. They are active sites of worship and each Buddha has offerings placed in front of it. It's a pretty interesting site to see given their age. We took time out during our touring and would see and ponder what it must have been like 1000 years ago.
We ran into Rejean and Huguette and decide that we will meet them for sunset at one of the bigger pagodas. We rode around first visiting New Bagan via a road that passed through a small town. Incredible how some of these people are living with the bare minimum, it's a tough road for a lot of individuals. We passed through Old Bagan and then finally to the sunset spot. Up on the third level, it was a hot and seemingly long wait for the sun to set. Then the click, click, click begins again. The setting sun as a back drop to silouhetted temples was majestic - the photos do not do it justice. It's better to just sit and enjoy it.
Riding back to our hotel was a treat since the 'festival' at the Ananda Phaya was in full swing. Young men with nice dress shirts, funky t-shirts and their longis filled the street...as did a LOT of cars and busses. So much so that there were hired police officers at the intersection to the festival. This in an area where 24 hours earlier you could not see much more than a few bicycles!! The concert was in full force. As we drove by, we could feel the bass of the music and see the laser lights passing through the smoke filled sky. This was definitely the place to be.
Back in Ngyuen-U, we showered and met Rejean and Huguette for dinner. A lively spot lit up with Christmas like string lights was an attractive spot for dinner. The crowds of burmese young people was another attractive feature, of course most of them men. It seems that the social crowd is predominantly men; it's rare to see a lot of women out. We had a lovely dinner on the patio. This was a great way to end our visit to Bagan. We had a lovely two days of history, spent time with new friends and ate great food - what more could one ask for?
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