緬甸Day 1-4: Bagan萬佛朝宗

Posted On 04/06/2016

I got another visa for travel just upon returning from my Taiwan trip. It's been 7 years since I've traveled with my dear roommate in ourBus Trip to Vietnam. This time, we were working in different cities. But with a discounted ticket, we hurried in discussing our next trip. Typing in a cold text box on screen didn't stop the excitement of upcoming new adventure. And here we go, Myanmar!

Taking the midnight flight means we could save a day of annual leave and going straight to the airport after work. Yet the draw back is, when we landed in this stranger airport, searching for our hostel in the dark road side. We almost got scared to death by a pack of stray dogs barking crazily from the middle of nowhere. Well but we did get to our hostel safely, as usual. From Yangon to Bagan we could either take the overnight bus or the plane. To save time, we took the plane.

In Yangon's domestic terminal, everything is interesting. From the hand-written boarding pass, to the mysterious "CIP" Lounge, to the baggage weighers that looked like those I saw in a history museum...

We landed on this tiny airport of Bagan on a propeller plane. Bagan us the first capital of Myanmar history.

We met a new friend A at the hostel and rented e-Bike together. None of us had any motorbike license and we ended up crashing, falling off, and running out of battery mid way. We managed to finish our first day of sightseeing "safely". It was a pain to sterilize the wounds but funny enough to warrant a picture of our beaten feet.

Buddhism is the main religion in Myanmar with over 3500 Buddhist towers in Bagan. In the city center of Bagan, we often see monks lining up for donations from citizens. Monks had a very high social status in this country and the ordinary people usually offer the best food they have to the monks.

There are specialized school for the young monks as well as mixed school for both. No matter sacred or ordinary, young or adult, they are all similarly interested in foreigners. We got invitations to shake hands, hi-five, and photo taking very often.

We woke up in the dark and climbed up the almost vertical stairs without seeing them, just to get to the top in time to see the sunrise. It was a cloudy day but Bagan in the morning mist was still spectacular. With the Buddhist towers poking out from the greenery here and there, the whole place felt so sacred.

The Buddhist towers are so sacred that one must walk inside without shoes. It creates a psychological dilemma in travellers. We hope for a sunny day for good pictures. But on a sunny day, the floor was grilled so hot that it was searing our feet. We eventually learnt the trick of jumping, just like the desert bugs.

 

The sunset of Bagan is as specular as the sunrise. With some clouds, the colours are layered and the occasional beam of light make it so remarkable and memorable. The air is getting cold by night, but the floor is still warm with a full day of sunshine.

Leaving Bagan, we took a night bus back to Yangon, then immediately changed to the early morning train to Kyaiktiyo for the golden rock. What a long night!