Blogs from Bagan, Mandalay Region, Burma, Asia - page 13

By the middle of the second day (or it could have been at the end of the first) many of the ruins started looking quite similar to me. Don’t get me wrong Bagan is an amazing place, however knowing little about architectural styles except a slight understanding of the difference between Thai, Khmer and Burmese, it can get slightly monotonous. At least the vistas from the top of the payas remained amazing no matter which one or where it was located because they overlooked different viewpoints. On the second day we broke up the monotony of temple hopping and cycling by taking a boat ride down the Ayeyarwaddy River. We left just before sunset to see life on the river and Bagan from another viewpoint. In the afternoon on the third day we explored some of ... read more

Flug nach Bagan. Erster Tag wieder mit einem Guide. Zweite Lektion: Gesellschaftliches Verhalten. Sagen wir es positiv: Männer werden in ganz Myanmar bevorzugt behandelt. Sagen wir es ehrlich: Alice Schwarzer bitte kommen! Es zeigte sich beispielsweise darin, dass bereits der Guide eine Tafel in der Hand hielt mit der Aufschrift: Mr. Eckel + 1 Pers. (Foto im Anhang) Wenn die Moni eine Frage gestellt hat, musste ich sie wiederholen um ihr überhaupt eine Bedeutung beizumessen. Nach nickendem Einverständnis gab es eine prägnante Antwort mit staendig auf mich gerichteten Blick. Das Frauen selbst Brieftaschen mit eigenem Geld besitzen koennen halten die Menschen hier für völlig ausgeschlossen. Punkto Arbeit werden Frauen hier aber saemtliche Rechte eingeraeumt. Da darf man nichts vorwerfen. Zu Bagan selber. Der Guide erzaehlte uns sehr viel. Das Land hat glauben wir eine brutale, faszinieren ... read more

So, we got back to Mandalay and prepared for the last big trip of our visit to Myanmar - the ancient ruins of Bagan. According to Wikipedia... Bagan formerly Pagan, is an ancient city in the Mandalay Division of Burma. Formally titled Arimaddanapura or Arimaddana (the City of the Enemy Crusher) and also known as Tambadipa (the Land of Copper) or Tassadessa (the Parched Land), it was the ancient capital of several ancient kingdoms in Burma. It is located in the dry central plains of the country, on the eastern bank of the Ayeyarwady River, 90 miles (145 km) southwest of Mandalay. So, yes, this is how we got to Bagan, via boat down the Irrawaddy, the best way of getting there to be honest, so we're getting to know this river quite well it seems. ... read more

Well here's our last blog from Myanmar. I'll try not to taint it with the anger I feel at the firing range here (Laos) being closed. Buses in the North of Myanmar take a great many hours to travel very short distances. Hence why the trip from Mandalay to Bagan took all day. Oh well, at least it wasn't as horrible and windy as the one from Inle to Mandalay. All the buses are crappy old Japanese bangers with rips and tears everywhere. On the plus side, we no longer have a fear of any bus ride anywhere else in the world. However long, however bumpy, however smelly - bring it on! We stayed in a nice little hotel called New Heaven (forget the old heaven!), where we first met the encountered the wet douche of ... read more

The following is the translation from the Myanmar Popular Journal - a leading weekly journal from Myanmar (Burma). The original article is written in Burmese, in journal vol. 13/No. 1. It has some interesting facts about train travel in Myanmar which would be of interest to some of my visitors. url=http://www.myanmar2day.com/travel-stories/2009/01/to-all-the-visitors-who-would-travel-by-train-to-bagan-pagan/To all the visitors who would travel by train to Bagan (Pagan) It has been quite a long time since I visited Bagan the last time. While I was visiting Mandalay this time, I think I should visit Bagan. Bagan is quite pleasant during this time of the year, with green grass, blue sky, beautiful clouds, colorful twilight and the reflection from Irrawaddy (Ayarwaddy or Ayeyarwaddy). In my mind, I was thinking of the old scenes of Tuyin Mountain from the green fields in the... read more