Myanmar (mis)Adventures 2013: 23.06 - 30.06.2013 (Part Two)

Day 5: 26th Jun 2013

We woke up as early as 430 AM to watch the sun rise. To cut it short, we got lost finding Shwesandaw pagoda, the pagoda renowned for best place to watch sunrise. So we stopped at Damanyangyi Temple (The biggest temple in Bagan) to watch the sunrise. Me and Kan Xuan managed to climb a ruined wall in the premise of Damanyangyi Temple.

Beautiful Sunrise

And my favorite shot of the day, jump shot. I'm a fan of jump shots. 

Artistic shot by Kan Xuan. 

Can you spot me?

At the gate of Damanyangi Pagoda. 

After visiting Damanyangi, we headed back to hotel to shower, relax, had our breakfast and then off to Bagan ancient town. For your info, Bagan was the beginning of Myanmar as well as the beginning of Buddhism. The temples here were built over a thousand years ago. There used to be countless number of temples in Bagan but many were destroyed during the earthquake.

There are still many temples that showcased the culture and tradition of Bagan, the first Myanmar.

 

 

 
 

 

 
 
Cheerleaders wannabes. We sure attracted a lot of attention there. Haha, we looked like some jokers to the locals. There were people who literally stopped at the road to look at us. Who knows, we were the first people to do that in Bagan. #YOLO!

 

 

We met Chun-hao, a fellow traveler from Taiwan. He is real friendly person. Managed to bond and talk with him for a while. Got his facebook address, hope we can keep in touch. 

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Ananda Temple

:)

View of Bagan

Panoramic View of Bagan Pagodas

Mooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Oh yeah!

Then we went off to see sunset at Bu Phaya at the brink of Ayeyarwaddy River. Just before we go back to Hotel to wait for Bus to pick us. We were leaving Bagan to Yangon at night.

Magnificent, isn't it. Well, a day in Bagan was the highlight of the trip even though it was an impromptu decision to visit Bagan. Worth every single moment. So reader, if you are thinking of travelling to Bagan, Myanmar, here are a few tips that you should take note of. 

1) When you are at the temples, pagodas, kids/adults will approach you to sell postcards. They can be pretty aggressive. Simply walk away, just ignore them. Yeah, I know it is kind of cruel but well. 

2) There will be people following you insisting on telling you the story, myths, legends of Bagan or the temples. Put on a deaf ear, they will eventually walk away. Or else, prepare to pay them some money. They are going to bug you to give them some money for telling you the story.

3) You can rent a bicycle for whole day at 3 USD or 1000 Burmese Kyats. 

4) You might have to purchase permit card to visit the ancient temples which costs 15 USD now, but you can avoid paying. It's up to you whether you want to take the risk or not. 

5) Best sunrise and sunset can be seen at Shwesandaw Pagoda. So, be there as early as 430 AM and 500 PM respectively. If you prefer watching sunrise at more tranquil place, I recommend going to Damanyangi Pagoda too. And climb the walls of the temple, don't worry they are easy to climb. 

6) Keep your valuables with you all the times. Don't be surprised when kids approached you for money and keep following you until for God's sake. Just ignore them. Because the moment you gave them money, you will be surrounded by more and more kids asking you for money. You might not want to witness a bloody scene. ;)

7) Good luck and enjoy Bagan. You won't regret going there. 

Funfair at Shwe Zi Gon Pagoda

Shwe Zi Gon Pagoda at night. Looking marvelous and magnificent. /\

Part three to be continued.