Bagan - never heard of it!

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Wow - this country has blown me away - from stunning scenery to friendly people and amazing sights. I have to pinch myself and realise how lucky I am to have this opportunity to experience the country that is Myanmar. My fear is that, like other places, tourism will take over and spoil the very thing we come to see.



From Mandalay we headed south to Bagan - yes I had never heard of it either - staying just outside of Old Bagan in Nyanja U. It is an ancient city standing on the eastern banks of the Ayerarwady River and has more than 2000 Buddhists monuments in its Bagan Archaeological Area. Apparently it had various names the last of which was Pagan which the locals didn't like so it was changed to Bagan. The group split up to explore the sights, some went on electric mopeds, some brave souls took bicycles, and the rest of us went by pony cart. Old Bagan is littered with Pagodas (which you can go inside - and have Buddhas of varying sizes) and Stupas which are solid dome shaped Buddhist shrines. Anyway our tour took us to the largest Pagoda there, the tallest Stupa, a major pilgrimage site, ending our day with a stunning sunset over a breathtaking view. Photos can't begin to do it justice (If i can ever get enough bandwidth to upload them).

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