Myanmar Day 4 - Bagan - 22 May 2012

As the drive from Mandalay to Bagan is about 4 hours, it is best to set out early in the morning so you can avoid the hot afternoon heat. Otherwise, trying to sightsee hundreds of pagodas in 40C heat can be frustrating. So we left Kyaukse around 5am and stopped at Meik-Hti-Lar Pit Stop for breakfast.  The food was slightly more expensive compared to other places BUT that pit stop opens 24 hours, it was really clean, the service was efficient and there was free Wi-Fi. So I guess its worth it yea.

We both had yellow sticky rice for breakfast.

Mister paired it with deep-fried beef while I paired it with dried fish.

So so yummy that we couldn't stop talking about it for months.

Till today, Mister always asked me to go to Peninsula Plaza (near City Hall MRT, Singapore) on Sundays to eat that sticky rice.

Of course, the one in Myanmar was much better. But oh well...

Just before we reached Bagan, we stopped by at my cousin's father-in-law's office. He was a site engineer for a company building roads in the Bagan area so he knows the area pretty well. He volunteered to be our tour guide! Quite nice of him haha :D

At make-shift office compound of my cousin's father-in-law

A must see place at Bagan is right at the start, the Bagan Lookout Tower. Up at the top, you get a beautiful 360 degrees panoramic view of the entire Bagan. Locals say that wherever you point in Bagan, you will be pointing at a pagoda. Back in the 11^th to 13^th century, over 10000 Buddhist temples, monasteries and pagodas were constructed but only about 2000 remain today, mainly due to earthquakes. That is still a staggering figure in any context!!!

At the entrance of Bagan Lookout Tower

From the top of the Lookout Tower, we saw this pretty hotel! I really did not expect to see such luxurious hotel in the middle of an ancient city, among the pagodas! So out of curiosity, I asked around about it. It is called the Aureum Palace Hotel and the rates start from around USD200 a night to USD1100 a night for a double room! Set within Bagan Archaeological Preservation Zone,  I guess USD200 a night is quite reasonable for such a resort in that kind of touristy location! Even the Hard Rock Hotel in Singapore charges around SGD400 a night for a double room!

After the Lookout Tower, we went on to do more sightseeing.  We were rushing to visit as many pagodas as we can before 1pm.  Temperature was above 40C and stepping out of the air-conditioned car in the morning sun was already such a pain. I really did not want to be out around 1-3pm. 

A few noteworthy pagodas you would want to visit are the 5 pagodas known as Pyae Nga Pyae [Nga = 5, Pyae = Fulfill]. Legend has it that if you make the same wish at each of these 5 pagodas, it will come true. Unfortunately, I really could not remember the names of all 5 pagodas.  IF you are interested in visiting, please let me know and I will ask my relatives (:

My dress ended above knee level and it was not very respectful to visit pagodas in clothing which could not even cover your knees. So, I wore Myanmar sarong (longyi) on top of my dress.

With the Irrawaddy River

Around 1pm, we stopped for lunch, checked into a hotel, showered, took a short nap before heading out again around 3+pm.  One of my daddy's closest friends stays near Bagan, in a town called Pakoatku. He was really nice to me and my sister so I decided to drop by to say Hi! To counter the hot weather, he treated us to a refreshing plum juice. Mister loves it so much so we decided to go to the shop selling all sorts things made with plum. We bought Plum syrup, dried sugar-coat plum, ginger flakes and so on. Pakoatku is famous for its sweet plums after all.

 Plums being dried under the hot sun

Plum Paste? :D

After a short drive to Pakoatku, we went to Ananda Pagoda which is known for its superb architecture.  It really is one of the must-go places in Bagan. 

 Wall Paintings 

I wondered why there is no green or blue?

As for the best sunset view in Bagan, climb up the Shwe San Daw Pagoda. It gets crowded around 530pm so be sure to go early to book a great viewing spot! Additionally, you can visit the Shin Bin Tha Lyaung which is located right at the foot of Shwe San Daw Pagoda. It is a 60 foot long reclining Buddha image, lying on his right side. I will just let the pictures do the talking for this sunset view. Simply beautiful (:

 Each step is like 10-12 inches high!

Thank god for those handrails, otherwise I would not have been able to enjoy the beautiful sunset!

Being an ancient city, there was nothing much to do in Bagan after dark. Besides, we woke up at 4am that day.  So we went for dinner after enjoying Bagan's sunset.  It had been a tiring yet fruitful day! We really enjoyed ourselves very much (:

Adios!

xoxo

Miss N