Bagan, Myanmar (Burma)

Bagain - this place is totally epic. One of the main pulls for us to come over to Myanmar. We cut our time in both Cambodia and Thailand short to wedge a week in Myanmar…and I’m so glad we did.  Even the ‘sampling’ we were doing – how we’d only spend a frustratingly short time in all of these place – was good for us to experience and to promise we’d come back…but with friends and family next time.

From Bangkok on Asia Air, we flew over to Mandalay. Spent 4 hours on the ground before continuing to Bagan around sunset. We made no reservations but luckily the Lonely Planet had some good suggestions and we found an open room first try – at the New Park hotel.  The word ‘hotel’ is funny, because it conjures up a certain image.  Bagan is more of a village feel. Places to stay more resemble hostel or guest houses. Streets are dirt, except the 2 ‘highways’ to Bagan.  It is a sleepy place, the main restaurant street  - all open air - and the whole village is built around small temples. It’s remarkable. Excellent food. VERY friendly people. Everywhere people were so friendly.

The New Park had bikes for rent ($1.50 for the day). We stepped out for dinner at an open-air sit down place, right in front of a temple.  Wow…was this place for real?  Got to sleep early so we could wake up at 5 a.m. and bicycle (with headlamps) out to the main place where people go to watch sunrise.  There were maybe 50 people on top of the temple – which was a vertical climb.  We had no idea what we were about to see. No way to prepare for that kind of immense and spiritual moment.  As the sky was breaking dawn and light started filtering down…HUNDREDS of temples below us started popping into view. Really? How lucky we are to be able to see this – wow.  Wow – epic.  (The recollection of this moment is giving me chills right now as a write this.)   Horse carts, bikes, temples, active farms between the temples, the village of Bagan 20 minutes away by bike. All of it. So amazing.  Put this on your bucket list people!

We spent the whole morning our visiting temples. Came back at noon to try to arrange transportation to Ngapali. We had to go the next day in the morning because other flights were booked. (I was SO pissed we only had 1 full day in Bagan OMG). So after a 'pout-y' lunch on the beautiful Irrawaddy river (!), we rented electric bikes and scooted around town to the pagoda and then out to Bagan temples again. We went all over. Had an awesome time on these bikes. Became skilled at negotiating the sand ‘roads’ to the further out temple sites.  We heard that one of those was a great sunset view. 

Back at 7 p.m. to return the bikes, we went next door to the best Indian food ever. Shaking my head re-living this experience right now. Amazing. That’s all I can say. Do yourselves a favor and go to Bagan.  But stay a while.

Next morning we had an 8:15 flight to Ngapali…but that didn’t stop us from hiring a taxi at 5:30 a.m. to take us to sunrise again and to spend every last second in Bagan.  Then (with luggage loaded), we jammed to the airport and got on the flight.  

(Note: if you’re short on time, fly everywhere. A 40-minute flight translates to 7-9 hours driving. There are several regional airlines – all sort of expensive.  We flew from Ngapali to Yangoon for $105 USD, for example. It took us a little over an hour, but would have been 17 by road. Worth it).