Bagan is known for its 2,000 ancient stone Buddhist temples remaining from past civilizations. By the time I reached Bagan, I was pretty templed out. But I’d heard & read such amazing things, I geared up for a big two days. My introduction was a 5am sunrise viewing atop a temple overlooking hundreds of other temples. My first taste of Bagan was simply stunning & just what I needed to get excited. During the day, I toured until about 12pm, stopped for lunch & then headed back to the hotel for a break from the sun, a rest & some pool time bc it was 108-110 degrees. I’ve never been in a hotter environment (including the Middle East) & Yangon & Mandalay’s scorching hot stone pagodas had nothing on Bagan.
I’d start again at 4pm when the heat starts to break & continue through sunset. I watched what I proclaimed to be the prettiest sunset I’d ever seen in my life atop a different temple w 3 funny German guys while overlooking hundreds of temples (again), the Ayeyarwaddy River & the mountains in the background…along w a red-bursting ridiculous setting sun. I know I’m one for superlatives & sometimes I tend to exaggerate a bit, but it really was spectacular. The Germans agreed w me on that & the fact that Bagan certainly rivals Angkor in Cambodia, which is currently the biggest tourist draw in all of SE Asia (for now). Angkor temples were generally bigger (although there are a handful at Bagan that would rival their size) but they are much more spread out so at most, you can see one other temple at the same time. Here in Bagan, the temples are clustered and literally everywhere you look, you can see several. So I think it rivals it in beauty but from a historical perspective, I’m sure it lags behind. While the ages are similar, it seems to me the Myanmar military government has taken some shortcuts in restoring the temples & also made some pretty blatant money grabs before losing power including laying down a golf course & luxury resort in the midst of the temples as well as erecting an eyesore viewing tower at a 10k kyat access charge (I’m unsure who would possibly pay to do this when there are stunning views atop many authentic temples but clearly uninformed tourists do so & line their pockets). This is all on top of a 25k kyat “archaeological” fee you pay upon arrival. I’m more than happy to pay this as long as the money is funneled to the purported cause. Oh well, I have hopes they’ll sort out these kinks under the new government.
The food in Bagan was the best yet in Myanmar which, in hindsight, didn’t really surprise me that much as Bagan is probably the number one tourist destination in Myanmar so the related industry is that much more developed. Gives me great hope for the rest of the country as it’s just a matter of time. I relied heavily on Trip Advisor recommendations for good local Burmese food restos & had quite a bit of success as I enjoyed some great curries & other local dishes at a few different spots within walking distance of my hotel. I’ve found, however, that the food, including the curries, tend to be sweet vs spicy. And I’m a girl who loves her spice. So while I found some good local food, it’s just not exactly to my taste. But no food poisoning yet. Knock on wood.