Big is Beautiful

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With its faint searchlight trained on the muddy banks of the Irrawaddy, the ferry eventually found the jetty for Nyaung U in the darkness. The riverbank was alive with a bustle of touts and families greeting their friends and relatives after the long trip from Mandalay and the village’s en-route.

We caught a small taxi into the main town after paying the unavoidable government fee of $10 to visit the Bagan Archaeological Zone. Nyuang U is located a couple of miles from Bagan but it is where the majority of the budget hotels are situated. The hotel we had booked was a small Chinese run establishment but it was clean, comfortable with a wonderful hot shower to boot.

The next day we set about exploring Bagan and chose to do so by horse cart. These rickety wooden carts are a great way to get around the area. The cushioned interiors are brightly upholstered and there was something wonderfully romantic about trotting around the ancient sights of Bagan, kicking up plumes of red dust as our strong horse dragged the cart over the bumpy dirt tracks under the blue sky.

Bagan is not just one temple but over 3,000 of them all contained within a vast area of agricultural land and fenced in by mountains and rivers. The ancient kings of Burma decided to build an incredible amount of temples dedicated to Theravada Buddhism and considered this construction project the ultimate act of devotion to this cause. Initially they built over 4,400 of them on this enormous plain but over the years they were allowed to fall into a state of disrepair with the fall of the empire and invasions of Mongols as well as certain natural disasters.

The temples vary in size, shape and colour and it would be easy to spend weeks here exploring every nook, cranny and Buddha statue in the vicinity. Unfortunately I didn’t have this luxury but was more than content to discover some of this areas fascinating highlights.

The smaller (but still pretty big!) temples are crumbling red-brick built structures with creeper vines attempting constantly to pierce the ancient mortar slopped between the bricks. These temples generally have a square base with a cool, dark interior. Inside one can find wonderfully intricate and colourful (now quite faded) murals depicting Buddhist scenes. At the rear end of the columned hallway in many of these temples it is possible to find a large Buddhist statue with the usual look of serenity on its face.

The top of these types of temples are crowned by bulbous brick built stupas, which resemble bells, which soar towards the great blue sky above. These crumbling domes were accessible usually by obscure, hidden doorways which revealed claustrophobic stairwells leading out into the brilliant sunshine. The dark, uneven steps in the stairwells led upwards and out, allowing us to clamber up for some fabulous views of the area.

It is such views that introduce visitors to the grandeur of Bagan. It is not only the singular temples that are the big attraction here but the incredible array of them in the area. From the panoramic vantage points of the upper levels, clambering up over ancient, crumbling brick-work, it was possible to survey the scene.

The vast plain of green and brown agricultural land is punctuated by patches of jungle and trees. In the far distance mountains frame the entire scene. From this colourful patchwork of green, yellow and brown thousands of temple stupas are visible. They pop up everywhere like a vast audience of masonry bells, and are crisply visible against the green background and the bright blue, perfect sky. There are so many it is impossible to count, all varying in shape, size, grandeur and stages of decay. The view is breath taking and an incredible structural feat for the builders in the 11th century.

Our horse clip-clopped on as we discovered countless temples, each one fascinating to explore. As well as the brick temples that dot the area there are some more important ones that are an immense sight. These huge, vast temples dwarf their smaller brick cousins. Many of these are also built on a square base and soar upwards to be crowned by a bright gold sikhara or hti on top that protrudes like a prominent beacon across the landscape. The largest of them is the mighty Thatbyinnyu Pahto which rises 207 feet to its tip.

They are also more complex structures inside and out with larger clearings and outer paved courtyards providing shady space to enjoy the structure as well as market-vendor space. Large cracks are visible in some of these temples that betray their frail structural integrity and inability to cope with the earthquake a few decades ago. The epicentre of this was smack bang in central Bagan.

Inside these white giants it is possible to explore multiple Buddhist images, statues and murals by walking around the interior on the cold, smooth stone floor. It is not possible to climb further up these temples as many of them are not structurally sound but from the outside and the view from a distance they are incredible. Similar to vast white Lego bricks with bright white and gold spires sticking out of a lush green landscape set against a blue sky. It was beautiful.

Around many of the popular historic areas are market vendors selling a variety of tourist tat. There are a plethora of objects to barter for including Buddhist bells, lacquer-wear, pipes and statues as well as impressive paintings, masks and textiles. Some of the vendors act as a nuisance at some of the sights but generally the wonderful craftsmanship is impressive to observe. I was saving my shopping for my return to Rangoon’s markets so I was merely browsing for inspiration.

We had trotted round to various temples (and thus, markets) all day, some huge, regal structures and some derelict piles of jungled brickwork, but most in between the two. Our cart had protected our convoy of two (two people in each cart) from the oppressive sun which allowed us to enjoy the perfect temperature of the dry season. The sun soon began to sink on our first day here though and we were eager to enjoy the sunset from the best location.

The best location also happens to be the busiest which, thankfully, we had anticipated. Arriving at 4.30pm at Shwedandaw Paya we climbed the steep steps to the top to triumphantly claim a prime position for the days climactic event. Within half an hour the first three tiers of this impressive temple were packed with bus loads of package and other tourists of varying nationalities vying for the best positions. The numbers were incredible and it is testament to Bagan’s size that it can contain so many people, yet still feel wonderfully isolated and remote.

The sunset didn’t disappoint as it slowly slid down towards the high hills it threw its magnificent glare towards us. The suns final orange rays swept across the landscape bathing the staccato of various stupas before us. As the sun moved the shadows danced across the horizon and licked the brick and white spires casting shadows on the fading green foliage surrounding them. The sun finally disappeared leaving faint red flickers on the horizon as dusk settled in over Bagan.

We slowly returned to Nyuang U, waiting for all the tourists to file down Shersandaw Paya’s steep steps before making our way. Bagan has reached the scintillating heights that only the likes of Angkor Wat can boast. The incredible size and complex nature is spectacular and is enhanced by the twisted vines and jungle-clad surrounds of the landscape. It was positively radiant at dusk and I was itching to experience the daybreak tomorrow.

I awoke at 4am the following morning and met my Italian friends in the hotel lobby. We each exchanged a familiar look as if in unison questioning our own sanity to wake up, yet again, at an ungodly hour. The familiar hoofs of our horse carts met us outside and before long we were making our way slowly on the empty roads of Nyuang U, through Old Bagan to our sunrise vantage point. There was a cold bite in the air but, armed with a fleece and hat, I was able to snooze in the comfy cart for the 30 minute journey.

We arrived just before 5am at (what I think was Pyathada Paya) the viewpoint and climbed the steps under torch light to the viewing platform above. In the darkness we even scrambled to a higher ledge to get the best possible view. We were totally alone in the darkness this time and not a single soul stirred around the mighty stupa.

In our eagerness we had arrived a full hour earlier than anyone else but the benefit of this was that we could enjoy the full spectrum of colours the sunrise was sure to bombard our iris’ with very soon. At the moment a velvet-black sky flew overhead, speckled with a thousand shining stars and a dull yellow moon resembling the grin of the Cheshire Cat. Dark silhouettes of the thousands of temples rolled away in front of us, scattered across the silent landscape.

Dark purple and blues began to appear on the horizon, above the hills far into the distance, signalling the beginning of the main event – the sun’s imminent arrival. The purples and blues began to wipe the sky of stars before the eruption of colours. Intense dark concentrations of yellow, red and orange bands flickered across the hills and began to give life to the large cold brick and stone stupas.

A few more tourists turned up at this point and gazed up at us curiously, probably questioning our sanity at being so precariously perched and here so early. Meanwhile, the colours continued to dazzle as the soaring spires of temples were warmed by the suns colourful rays and night soon faded behind us completely to reveal another bright blue sky. The sun rose like an awakening sentinel to confirm the new day as well as the arrival of hot air balloons that launched west of our position.

The ancient sprawl before us was mesmerising as the hot air balloons rose higher above the ancient temples stupas. The green jungle and farming fields came to life as the orange glow of the sun caressed them to life and the familiar colours of Bagan – rusty red, white, blue and green – in all their splendour were unveiled. The sunrise thus proved to be a very suitable note to leave this epic and wondrous place.

For the rest of the day we had decided to travel to nearby Mount Popa. Perched on top of this curiously shaped mountain is a temple which, combined with the myriad of interesting possibilities to visit en-route made for a perfect day trip. We chartered a pick-up truck for the day to achieve this, a thin straw mat the only material separating our sore bums from the denture-rattling ribbed metal floor.

We stopped first at a workshop that produced palm oil. The rugged road led out of Nyuang U and we stopped here after 20 minutes of bum-numbing driving. It was an interesting place to observe and encased in a thatched, open hut surrounded by plantations of high palm trees.

Here we watched the process of turning the nut from the tree into oil as well as other items such as an amazing, albeit sugary solid sweet, vodka and honey. Workers were making their way up tiny, rickety wooden ladders into the trees to retrieve the nut which was ground by a dizzy cow powering a grinding machine. We spent some time sipping the vodka and tasting the various treats before buying a few snacks for the road.

Our pickup cut through heavy school traffic, and by that I mean an army of school children swarming across the road, and onto a local market. Our presence here drew curious looks but it was a fascinating place and we ended up spending nearly an hour in this small area.

Vendors were lined down small wooden stalls and sold a variety of colourful produce from woven fabrics and textiles to fruit, vegetables and spices. The crudity of local life was fascinating to see as a whole manner of fresh produce from garlic and chillis to tea and papaya were weighed on some scales counter-balanced by some big batteries.

It was also great to interact with many of the locals who were obviously not used to seeing tourists. This single event crystallises even further the benefits of travelling independently as opposed to tearing past such incredible places like this in an air-conditioned package tour bus. We laughed, joked and took pictures with locals, bargained for goods and fresh produce. As well as this we were able to get close to stranger ingredients we were not familiar with such as weird looking fruits, the stacks of smelly dried fish and fragrant large oblong bars of soap stacked high.

We had particular fun whilst bargaining for a catapult that Daniele took a shine to. The price negotiation was followed by multiple test shots we fired at makeshift targets. Our attempts were woeful, but drew many more looks and laughs from those shopping and selling at the market. The slingshots are generally used to keep cattle in order and are actually really well made – a bargain for just 2,000 kyat ($1.50) – after much haggling (the price started at 5,000)!

We made a beeline after this to Mount Popa and stopped at the small village of Popa for lunch before climbing up the stairwell wrapped around the mountain. Mount Popa is a curious sight indeed. Rising out of a landscape of lush forest and greenery, the vertical rock faces poke out of the ground resembling a 2,418 foot thumb. It looks positively bizarre amongst the surrounding landscape of sculpted high, rolling green hills.

The mountain itself is home to 37 Nat – Burmese Buddhist Spirits. These are located in various areas up and around the mountain and on the temple. The temple is perched impossibly on top and resembles a giant golden crown from a distance. We began our climb around the steps after our lunch of fried noodles and fries, determined to burn a small percentage of the congealing fat that we had consumed. They really love their oil here!

Monkeys line the route up the tiled, covered stairwell and walking up morphs into a game as we constantly had to dodge angry monkeys and their foul-smelling shit. This task became all the more important when we had to continue bare-foot. The monkeys surround this area in droves and rattle on the corrugated iron-sheet roofing, tussling with each other or sombrely sitting on the steps in a contemplative pose.

We survived the climb and arrived at the summit with tired legs but shit-less feet. The temple complex is pretty and much bigger than I expected as many corridors lead to statues and rooms for worship. The views are impressive as all around rolling hills, thick with green forest fall away in all directions. A large lake is visible in one direction, as is the small village of Popa at the base of the mountain.

We drank in the views on yet another gorgeous day before doing the shit-skip back to the village and our pickup truck. Just before we left the summit we also marvelled at the scaffolders repairing a stupa at the mountains summit. They were erecting a bamboo scaffold that was blowing precariously in the wind – they seemed to be having fun and I’m sure the views were very good as they beamed bright smiles into our lenses.

The journey back to Nyuang U was every bit as bumpy as the ride in but three times as fast. Our driver flew back down the awful tarmac road, skirting dangerously past smoking trucks on blind corners as he narrowly missed pedestrians. He explained his reasons as we neared Nyuang U an hour or so later, just minutes before the only petrol station in town closed – at 4pm!

After a large meat-feast dinner we collapsed after another exhausting day. Tomorrow promised to raise the bar on our insanity as we had to rise at 3.30am. The crazy departure time for the only bus to Kalaw, our next destination, was responsible. This gave us just a few crucial hours sleep before we had to endure the torrid trip across central Myanmar.

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Photos

Bagan
One of the larger temples.

Crumbling Temples
Bagan

Busy Viewpoint
Sunset at Bagan