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Published: September 15th 2013
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"On August 9th we flew to Bagan, Myanmar. When we got there we took a horse ride to the temples. One of them had bats. I can prove it because I stepped in bat poop because we cannot wear socks and shoes in the temples. My dad downloaded an app on my ipod and we had to find these pictures or buddhas. In Bagan, there were 100s of temples. Then we ate at 'Be kind to the animals on the moon'. It was a vegetarian restaurant, but I am not a vegetarian and neither is my dad. It was good though. Then we went to other temples. What I liked about the temples was that the Buddhas had different poses. Some sit, some stand, and some lye down. Most of them sit. Then we went back to the hotel and ate there. On August 10th, we went to more temples, but in a car. Our driver was named coo coo. First we went to a market. I did not like it. I really do not like markets. Then we started going to temples. We continued to do the thing on my ipod. I found all of them - I 'm good. At one of the temples I got this thing you put on your face. I do not know what it is called, but my dad's book does. At other temples we bought gifts for other people. Then we went to the hotel and we played tag. Then I jumped in the pool with my clothes on. My dad came in. Then we played pool (not in the pool). I was not too good. Finally we at dinner and then slept." -
Sofia's Journal Aug 9-10 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Daddy's Comment/Details: Bagan was one of my main reasons for coming to Myanmar. Travelling with a young child, these outdoor museums that one can climb and walk through are just as appealing to kids as adults. I had loved the 4 days we had spent at Angkor Wat in Cambodia when Sofia was 2. While she did her fair share of climbing and exploring climbing temples, she was now at an age where she could appreciate it at a different level.
We took a very early flight from Rangon to Nyaung U, which is very near the temples. We stayed at
Thazin Garden Hotel in New Bagan. It was very nice with a small little Stupa near our room. We put our stuff in our very large room and arranged to do the first day of sight seeing by horse and carriage. It was great. While I had done a little research on some of the temples before we arrived, there were just too many. I decided to just go for the ride and let the driver decide. We were to do the first day by horse and second by car. So while I attempted to put some names to the temples afterwards, I am probably wrong on many of them. More important, was our game. I had downloaded and app on Sofia's ipod and our mission was to find the 2-3 pictures of sculptures or artworks within or around the main temples. It was a lot of fun and Sofia had a blast trying to find them (and was often better than me). There were some temples with bats, which Sofia absolutely loved.
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We stopped for lunch at a place called "Be kind to Animals on the Moon" in Old Bagan. Great food and service. It
rained in the afternoon, but not too hard and we were equipped with our cheap poncho. More temples ending at Shwesandaw Paya which we climbed and had great views of the temples of Bagan. Magical. Back to the hotel Sofia asked if she could jump in the pool with her clothes. Why Not? She took a swim and after some wifi e-mails and a "bit" of work, I jumped in as well.
Next day, we travelled by car. Our driver's name was "Coo Coo". Very nice guy. Many more temples, and travelled to temples further away. Sofia decided to get her face painted with Thanaka. Thanaka is very unique to Burma and many to most girls and women wear it on their face, as well as some men. It comes from the bark of a tree. Sofia loved it. It would not be her last time. Many locals took pictures of her. A great lunch at Green Elephant, then some more temples, more Buddhas and artwork that did not get "old". I thought Sofia would be "templed out" but the ipod app scavenger hunt made each temple a new challenge. Back at the hotel, it was time to play
tag and then pool.
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Bagan was incredible, but after 2 full days of temples, it was time to head for Mandalay.......
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Graciela
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Burma/Myanmar
Last year I visited Myanmar with a friend. We did it on a package because we did not have much time and we covered nearly the whole country. It was very interesting. I always try to follow the news about their road to democracy... Amazing culture related to Budha all the time... Nice.