We really enjoyed Yangon, but with a population of 5 million, we were ready to get out of another big city and explore the country. One huge plus for Yangon - they don't allow motorbikes in the city at all, so the streets were so much quieter and less chaotic than most of Asia. We took a 7am flight to Bagan, an ancient city less than an hour away. It has an estimated 3,000 temples and pagodas, many dating back to the 11th-12th centuries, and a few small towns. Just what we wanted!
Our new guide, Aung Thu, met us at the tiny airport and took us straight to the local market to kick off a full day of sightseeing.
The thanaka supplies are very popular.
The people here were either fascinated with the kids or annoyed that we walked so slowly through the market. Most people buy their food fresh every day here.
Lots of Myanmar people chew betel nut instead of smoking. They're easy to spot because their teeth are red and it looks like they're spitting blood (it was a relief to realize the paths weren't bloodstained! Just lots of betel spit). In the market, they chop the betel nuts and wrap them in leaves to carry.
Forced smiles because they enjoy the markets for about 10 minutes and I could stay there all day :)
You can even get custom dresses made in about an hour.
Traditional way to carry the groceries home!
Next, it was time to start our temple tour. Our first stop was Shwezigon Pagoda, circa 1100. Hard to believe these statues were almost 1,000 years old! The outer layer has been redone but the original was still visible in the back.
Stop and share the joy three times...every time you see a bell...
It was beautiful in the morning light! The pagoda is fully covered in real gold leaf.
Our guide knew lots of cool picture tricks. The gold pagoda looks amazing in sunglasses.
I'm glad we went early because it was already getting very hot and this one gets very crowded.
Behind the pagoda, we found some local school kids who were visiting from upriver. This sweet girl was dressed in all her best and so interested to meet us. Every time the boys talked, all the little girls would giggle!
Prior to the introduction of Buddhism in the area, spirit worship was prevalent and many of the original images have been preserved here for nearly 1,000 years. The Bagan climate is very dry so many relics like this can last for centuries.
This just made me laugh!
King Bayinnaung's bronze bell was cast about 900 AD and is inscribed in three different languages. It's hard to imagine relics in existence for so long.
One other interesting point - a small pool was created by the lead builder so that he could make sure the pagoda was being built straight. Pretty impressive engineering for a time when engineering didn't exist yet.
This was probably my favorite golden pagoda :)
Gubyaukgyi temple was our next stop and our first experience with the plethora of shopping available at every popular stop. This city has certainly learned how to pry cash out of the tourists but people made some pretty interesting handicrafts, so it was worth the time to shop.
The frescoes inside were just gorgeous and amazingly well preserved for being created in the early 12th century. Sadly, during WWII the Nazis stripped many of the priceless pictures from the main room and had already cut many more in preparation of removal.
Our next temple was Htilominlo, a real beauty, even with the top being reconstructed. Bagan gets earthquakes occasionally so the temples suffer and need restoration from time to time.
...and on one side protected from most of the elements, even the stucco details have survived.
Being one of the larger temples, Htilominlo had a ring of stalls completely encircling it but many artists were happy to show us how they create their art. Sand painting was especially popular in Bagan because apparently the sand from the river is the perfect texture for gluing on fabric and painting.
Lotus weaving was particularly interesting. It takes hundreds of threads from the lotus stems to be wound together and woven into thread thick enough to be used in fabrics. The process is very slow and work-intensive.
We also got our first glimpse of a ring-necked lady. The women are from the Kayan tribe and start wearing the brass rings as children. This lady was weaving scarves by hand.
Finally, we left the crowd and explored in a small area of temples. Everywhere we looked up and down the roads there were temples and pagodas, so it was great having a guide show us the best stops.
There are only a few temples which can be climbed now, mostly because of instability from earthquakes. We were excited to get up to the top of this one for the view.
The view from the top was great! Temples as far as we could see.
After a really interesting but hot morning, we were happy to stop for some lunch and cold drinks.
The idea of exploring by horse and buggy sounded quaint, but I was pretty happy with a car and air-conditioning.
After lunch, we enjoyed a much-needed rest and checked into our hotel. That blue pool was calling our names!
The Areindmar was probably the nicest hotel of the week and we loved the fresh flowers all over the bed and room.
After a swim and siesta, we visited the local lacquer shop to see how they create their lovely pieces. In order from left to right, they wrap bamboo into shape, coat with lacquer, smooth and sand it, then coat it 6 more times. Each coat has to dry in the basement for a week. Then the design is hand carved and colors are applied one by one. It takes a huge amount of work to finish every piece.
Men do most of the building and lacquer, but only women do the carving and colors. They were all hard at work on all kinds of bowls, vases, and even cabinets.
Our last temple tour for the day was Ananda Pagoda, from the 12th century.
I had to laugh every time we entered an ancient temple and they had electronic signs or LEDs behind the Buddha's. This country loves its electric lights!
Inside the temple we found four impressively tall Buddha images, facing in four different directions.
This was our guide's favorite Buddha. He called it the Mona Lisa, because from a distance he was smiling...
...but from down at his feet was was serious.
We stopped by to admire Dhammayangyi temple, with very different architecture. Rain clouds started building and we were afraid we'd have to cut our evening short.
We headed to our sunset location with our fingers crossed. We climbed to the roof of the highest pagoda open for climbing and enjoyed the views of Dhammayazika Pagoda next door. This was Ben's favorite.
The landscape was pretty incredible.
Temple explorers!
A little annoying that the hawkers were up top selling their wares but you can't knock their dedication.
We did not get the pretty sunset we had hoped for, but we also didn't get rained out so it was a successful evening.
The kids made an Aussie friend up top and someone wanted pictures with all the kids...surprisingly this was only one of two photo stops for them.
We enjoyed our last temple stop!
Dinner that night was delicious wood fired pizza in Bagan. Check out the lightning in the right corner! Thankful that weather didn't ruin our plans.
Since I felt cheated from a nice sunset, I dragged everyone out of bed at 5am the next morning for the sunrise. I'm that kind of mom! Back at our nameless temple roof, Ben parked himself and watched the light change over his beloved Dhammayazika pagoda.
It's hard to beat the first light of the morning creeping over the horizon.
I actually preferred the back side of the temple to watch the other pagodas come to life.
Getting close!
Such a perfect morning!
Hot air balloons are a popular way to see the temples and I was so happy we got to watch one.
Good morning, sun!
We had exactly enough time to get back to our hotel for breakfast, then check out and head to Bagan airport. The line at the departure door was not long.
The guys with our driver and guide.
We boarded another quick flight to Heho, with an elevation of almost 4,000 ft, so we were excited about some cooler temperatures ahead and new adventures.
