Blogs from Bagan, Mandalay Region, Burma, Asia - page 17

Acre upon acre of temples, scattered across a dusty plain in the very heart of Myanmar - that was Bagan. Last of the ancient 'lost cities' that we had still to see, it captivated us in a way that Cambodia's Angkor had been unable to do. Perhaps because it was not over run with visitors and there was still space to breathe and enjoy a spiritual moment but it was also an amalgam of things; the dry desert climate - hot by day, cold by night. Cactus bushes and acacia trees. Days spent wandering or cycling among temples where, apart from postcard sellers, you hardly saw another soul. The blissful sensation of being able to sleep at night without need of a fan. Crisp, cool mornings and empty star filled nights. One of our favourite pastimes ... read more

Bagan - Monywa Little did we know when setting off to explore a couple more of the four thousand or so temples of Bagan, that a few hours later we'd be backstage meeting the stars at a 'pwe' - a pagoda (temple) festival. Our self appointed guide, who was all of 15 years old was thrilled to be the one who had brought these exotic foreigners with cameras back behind the scenes, to the place where the travelling performers live, sleep & metamorphasize into all manner of characters once on stage. Despite the cool weather, we'd chosen this time of year to visit Burma again knowing that there was a good chance of stumbling upon a lot of festivals. The first such experience was at Alo Pyi Pagoda here in Bagan. Large outdoor pwes or festivals ... read more

Somehow, I arrived in Bagan still able to function. It had been a 15 hour bus ride, with seats designed for midgets. I was locked into place, just barely able to fit into my seat, and my headrest was lodged between my shoulder blades. I didn't think it was possible for a 6' guy to have this kind of problem. Live and learn. The bus had almost all locals on it, with the exception of David, an American who had moved to Northwestern Australia about 10 years ago. I was starting to doubt how much I was going to like this town, why I had spent all the time in the bus only to spend one night here and then do the whole ride all over again. It also took some time for me to get ... read more

... alte Tempel bzw. was noch davon steht gibt's in Bagan - alle haben wir nicht geschafft, aber den Grossteil;-) Nach 2 Tagen Mandalay ging es mit dem Bus weiter nach Bagan. In froher Erwartung eines halbwegs komfortablen Reisebusses und um nicht zuviel Zeit zu verlieren haben wir uns fuer den Nachtbus entschieden - der Zusatz "Local" haette uns zu denken geben sollen... Die Planabfahrt hat sich um ca. 2 Stunden nach hinten verschoben, da der Bus erst geladen wurde. Primaerer Zweck ist naemlich die Befoerderung von Guetern und nicht etwa von Personen (siehe Fotos)! Wir hatten eine echt nette Sitzbank bzw. ein Sitzbrett und der ganze Bus war am Boden mit Reissaecken ausgelegt. Im Mittelgang gab's dann fuer die Einheimischen die billigen Plaetze - einfach auf dem Reissack sitzen. Insgesammt waren so schaetzungsweise 50 Einheimische ... read more

On Dec 30, 2006, our bus picked us up at 4:30 am, to go to Kalaw, which is east of Bagan. The bus has about 35 seats, but 12 additional seats were placed in the aisle for passengers who did not book their seats early. A few people stayed on top of the bus (on a rack), probably for the full 12 to 15 hour trip. Several stood in the front area (near the driver) of the bus for the entire journey. The seats were narrow, and not reclinable. The tall foreigners sitting behind us keep sticking their knees into our butts. To add to our torture, some people keep farting. Our trip took 12 hours (many carried on to the next destination, about 3 hours further) and we reached Kalaw at 5 pm. Susan and ... read more