Reflection of Myanmar Part 4

Bagan, What can I possibly say. amazing, mystical, impressive, awesome, there are not enough words to describe this place. We arrived in Bagan not quiet knowing what to expect but we soon found it to be an undiscovered gem. We have been to some amazing places such as Petra in Jordan, Machu Picchu in South America and the Ruins in Cambodia and Bagan is right up there with these.  We allocated 5 days to visit Bagan and I am so glad we did because there is so much to see.  The best way to get around is on electric bikes and they are easy to rent all over Bagan. Bagan is separated into three little towns New and Old Bagan and Nyaung U. We stayed in New Bagan which for us worked really well. And it is interesting to go to each of these towns to explore.

We arrived into Nyaung U as that is where the jetty is and we had cruised down from Mandalay. Nyaung U has a lot of atmosphere as well as a lot of things to see. Lots of restaurants and some handcraft factories, wood carving etc. Old Bagan has a lot of ambience and I particularly liked going to the restaurants there and sitting in amongst the ruins. New Bagan where we stayed had everything you needed and was a good starting off point to explore the temples. Lots of great restaurants and a hive of activity. 

But you go to Bagan to see the temples. There is something like 2000 temples spread across the three towns around Bagan (40 sq miles). Its hard to describe but each temple is so different with different in architecture, brick work, mosaics, marble, gold etc. Many of the temples have different statues and Buddhas inside them. These temples were built to garner religious favour.  Once Bagan was the religious hub of Myanmar and now it is quite a tourist hub. I loved the freedom of jumping on the e-bikes and going where you wanted to and walking in all sorts of different temples exploring and discovering. My kids absolutely loved this place. It was such a great learning experience for them and they turned it into their own personal playground. Of course you will come across the inevitable locals pushing their wares but when they know you are not interested they generally leave you alone.

The e-bikes were a big draw card for the kids, they loved the whole experience.

For my kids it was a playground.

Everyone stays for a sunset.

Bagan is stunning there is no other way to describe it and I think that everyone's experience would be their own special experience because you see different temples and you explore where you want to explore. The landscape itself is beautiful and its just enjoyable experiencing that. If you are going there I would encourage you to give yourself enough time so that you don't sell yourself short and regret not seeing everything you wanted to see. You MUST go to Bagan.

Anyway, Next time I am going to finalise our trip with our visit to Ngapali beach and back to Yangon.

Til next time,

Kat