Breathtaking Bagan

This is the third and last part of our Myanmar trip last November 2016. Sorry for the long delay but here it goes.. 

After resting at the hotel, we decided to come out to explore the market in Bagan. Our hotel was a bit far but they didn't hesitate to arrange a car to take us to the market and explore it.

We went into the market and looked around. Very much like the markets back in the Philippines with tiny stalls and a lot of products for sale ranging from longyi, food and souvenirs. We then ate lunch and attempted to locate the riverside bar that was on the map but we got LOST. We ended up watching the sunset on the riverbanks.

We were afraid to be lost further so we retraced our steps and went back to where we can ride a taxi back to the hotel. 

The next day, we asked our helpful hotel staff to get us a taxi for a temple tour and to drop us to the bus station after. This was a good idea as we've checked out of the hotel by noon. The rate given was around 25,000 kyat (20 USD) for 1 car. Not bad.

First temple we visited was Shwezigon Pagoda. It was said that this was built to enshrine one of the four replicas of the Buddha tooth in Sri Lanka. It was also built to mark the northern edge of the city.

Traveling tip: some temples can allow you to bring your footwear if you put it into a plastic bag. It is best to have wet tissue ready. Some won't allow you to bring them but just don't leave them near souvenir shops otherwise you will be somehow forced to browse their products and later on buy at least one. 

Next up was Hitlominlo Temple. It's a large majestic temple 46 meters high and was restored after being affected in the 1975 earthquake. 

Small Buddha images are enshrined in the walls of the arched entrances.

The terraces are closed so it is no longer possible to climb to the top. I think they have been doing restoration at the time of our visit. 

As with other temples, there are souvenir stalls surrounding this Pagoda with sellers eager to offer souvenirs to visitors. 

We headed off to Ananda Phaya after.

This is one of Bagan's best known and most beautiful temples. It is well preserved and is one of the first great temples built in Bagan. This was also damaged during the 1975 earthquake.

The temple has 4 majestic Buddhas that are adorned with gold leaves. Each one is facing a specific direction. They each have their own name and are thought to represent each state of Nirvana. 

This entrance leads to a huge reclining Buddha in Manuha Phaya. I did not expect to see a huge Buddha from the very small path. It seems as if it was cramped. It is said that a captive King was allowed to build this temple and these represents the stress and lack of comfort he had to endure. 

Tired of walking, we rested in one of the benches outside the temple and took in the view of this small pagoda.

Actually, I lost my list of temples when we were about to start our temple tour. So, we had to rely at the kind driver's heart on what temples are worth our time. We wondered why he was driving through tiny and bushy roads. Then we saw this lovely view of Dhammayangyi temple. The driver asked us if we want to stop the car to take a photo. We were so happy to do that and ended up walking towards the temple instead of driving all the way. It is the largest temple on the plains of Bagan and from a distance resembles an Egyptian pyramid. 

On closer look in one of the entrances of the pagoda are hanging dolls which may seem eerie at first. It was not that bad as this is one livelihood of locals and they made use of hanging branches to display their goods. 

It is said that the king who built this temple killed his own father and brother to become the king. Because he was afraid of bad karma, he built this huge place to gain merit and compensate for the killings. It was believed that he was killed by invaders from Sri Lanka.

Sellers of sand paintings can also be seen in some entrances. 

I had a good time walking around the temple and its grounds. It was very picturesque. But some parts seem to be ruined or maybe unfinished since the temple was built. The brick work of the temple was nicely done. There is a story that the kind had the laborers killed or chopped off with hands if the work was not done perfectly. 

The last but not the least temple we went to was the Pyathadar Temple. This is a popular place to watch the sunset and quite near from the Dhammayangyi Temple. If one is hungry or thirsty or wanting to shop first before watching the sunset, they don't have to go far as stalls are right outside and in front of the temple.

Pyathadar or also called Pyathatgi Temple was built in the first half of the 13th century.  It enshrines several large sitting and standing images of the Buddha.

We were confused on how to get to the top terrace but thankfully found the stairs at the back of the Pagoda. 

People were already there way ahead than us and already chose the prime spots to watch the sunset. Some even positioned with their cameras ready. We chose to just walk around and see things from different directions. We met this nice Myanmar kid who speaks good English. He is here in the temple to sell post cards and sand paintings with his brother.

View from the top terrace before the sunset. 

A few minutes later, the sun began to go down and different lovely hues covered the sky. We can see country animals herded for home below and a small traffic for the tourists who are rushing to come up from where we are. Cameras flashing and clicking can be heard all around as people wanted to record the lovely moment. 

It was a perfect ending for the short trip. We then headed out to eat dinner and caught our bus back to Yangon.

This trip was short and so we didn't have time to explore Mandalay. Hopefully in the future I can get to visit the big city as well as Inle Lake. Thank you for reading and 'til next blog!

Overnight Bus Trip and Sunrise in Bagan

After 2 days and 1 night in Yangon, we caught an overnight bus to Bagan. Among the bus companies, we chose the JJ Express bus because of the good reviews. Our bus tickets (from Yangon and back) were prebooked at around 19 USD per way per person so we had less worry. 

Taxi from down town to Mingalar Bus Station was about an hour and 30 minutes. Our jaws dropped when we heard this but we wanted to get to the bus station early anyway considering the traffic in Yangon. 

Arriving at the bus station, we were shocked at the number of buses parked and moving. It was a chaotic place but our driver was kind enough to drop us directly in front of the JJ office. After showing the staff our ticket, we sat down and waited. Their office had a lot of seats and coffee was offered almost every hour. We also took turns to go out from the office to buy interesting snacks from the outside stalls. 

At around 7:30pm, we were asked to board our bus. The seats were wide and there was an outlet for phone charging. We were given blankets, a wet tissue, one bottle of water and a snack box.

The driver drove quite fast but I didn't mind. We were busy talking and eating anyway. After 3 hours on the road, we stopped at a place where there were stores, restaurants and toilets for bus travelers like us. 

There was no loud music being played on the bus during our travel. The only annoying thing was that it was very cold, like I was punished and sent to the freezer. The blanket helped a lot so I was able to sleep amidst the temperature.

We arrived in Bagan at around 5:30 in the morning. A lot of taxi drivers greeted us when we came down from the bus. We managed to make a deal with one driver to take us to the hotel after seeing the sunrise in a pagoda. Makes sense to see the sunrise now so we won't wake up so early the next day. He drove fast and took us to Shwesandaw Pagoda.

Along the way, he stopped in front of a ticket booth wherein we were asked to pay 25,000 Kyats entrance fee for Bagan Archaeological Zone.

This was the first of the many pagodas we were to visit in Bagan. Shwesandaw Pagoda is one of the taller pagodas with its height of 328 feet. It is a white painted symmetrical structure consisting of a bell shaped stupa set on a base of five square receding terraces. It was built in 1057 by King Anawahta, founder of the Bagan Kingdom. 

We were asked to leave our shoes before climbing. It was quite steep so holding on to the railing was a must. 

I had to catch my breath at some point during the ascend. The sun is rising fast and I can see that at the top, people were ready with their tripods and cameras.

Being cute (read: short), I had to find a way to get a glimpse of the sunrise amidst the tall people in the crowd and of course take some good photos. I situated myself in a tiny space at the wall, just enough for my feet to fit so that I can stand and be quite elevated from the rest.

While waiting for the sunrise, one man (or local) was trying to persuade some visitors to come down from an area very near the stupa. He said that out of practice and respect for the place, people are not allowed to go beyond our area. They did not budge and was very rude to reply that they don't understand English (What the??). (Note: Dear readers, please don't be rude tourists/travelers.)

A few minutes later, the sun began to rise. It was so beautiful to see its rays slowly shedding light to the plains and showing silhouettes of the pagodas beyond. Then, the famous Bagan balloons began to appear. 

The balloons added to the romantic scene. I've read about Balloons over Bagan before but it was too expensive for me so I didn't try. Anyways, the scene unfolding before me was already priceless.

The crowd became less after that but we can't get enough of the sight yet so we stayed a bit. Tourists would politely ask us to take their photos and in return volunteer to take our photo as well. :)

Taking in the view, I realized there were so many pagodas to visit. But of course, being afraid of being templed-out, we already had specific pagodas to go to.

The air was cool and the sun was not that hot yet. It was a fun thing to observe how travelers attempted to strike beautiful poses while being at the top. It was really a good place for photo opportunities. 

After enjoying it all, we had to go down and back to our waiting taxi. The struggle to go down was so real. Locals selling souvenirs were waiting at the foot of the pagoda to offer their goods.

We were then taken to our hotel to rest and be ready for the day's activities.

Thank you for reading and 'til next blog!