And so on to Bagan. While it may not be appropriate to compare it directly with sites such as Angkor Wat and Machu Picchu, it certainly is up in that realm, with some 2,500 pagodas, temples, stupas and shrines spread over a mere 40 sq km area. These were all built during a 200 year period from around AD 1050 to 1250, and while neglect, looting, earthquakes, erosion and bat dung have all taken their toll through the years, over half of the originals still stand, and the crumbling nature of them is half the appeal, along with the sheer number of them in this concentrated area. Bordering the area is the famed Irrawaddy River, along which many visitors cruise from Mandalay, which is exactly what I did 36 years ago, and what particularly attracted me
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