Out of This World!

Had I gotten sick before I got to experience the long stretching plains dotted with pagodas and temples, I would have never forgiven myself. There’s no doubt, Bagan has the #1 thing to see in Myanmar! Leaving the country without visiting would be a definite no-no! I had set aside 2 days to enjoy the pagodas as I thought I’d spend one day in Old Bagan and one day out on the plains. Turned out there’s plenty to see on the stretch from Nyaung-U to Old Bagan, so a day was enough to see a huuuge chunk of the thousands of pagodas that are around. And since I was put on “bedrest” after this outing, I was very happy to have a day with no plans 🙂 I actually had to cancel my trip to Mt. Popa too. That’s what 9 hours in the sweltering heat in Bagan might do to your body. Felt like I was boiling inside. A form of heatstroke, I guess. Took me 3 days to get back to normal 🙁 I am very happy I hired a private taxi to take me around. I saw a few tourists out on bikes, and it looked like a very exhausting experience. I counted my blessings that I had chosen to do the e-bike rental the next day, which now we know didn’t happen 🙁 Another pro for going with a taxi is that the area is big and the number of pagodas mind-blowing. It was convenient to have someone who knew where the most beautiful ones were. And they are gorgeous! White ones, golden ones, but mostly brick ones. After stepping inside a fair number of them, you realize they kinda look the same inside. When I overdosed on interior, I did exterior only 🙂 The day ended with witnessing the sun set over the plains. And what a magnificent view! Not all pagodas are allowed to be climbed, so this one (the most popular one) was filled to the rim. PS! The recent earthquake had taken its toll, but with the insane number of pagodas, you will still have an incredible time.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.