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Myanmar: Bagan sunrise

That first night in Bagan, I woke up to a weight at the end of my bed. My first thought was of Laurie waking me up for our rendezvous with the sunrise. When I felt the weight slipping under the cover I realized I was either dreaming or experiencing something closer to a ghost encounter.

In a city as ancient as Bagan, it is easy to imagine coexisting with spirits and superstitions. But exhaustion won out fear, and the only thing I could muster was a request to the spirit/bad dream to go away. When the real Laurie woke me up at 4:45 AM, I was still exhausted from a night too short. But even with disrupted sleep, sunrise over Bagan is not something you miss.

We rented electric motorbikes from our hotel for 1,500 kyat each ($1.10 U.S.). We rode in the dark to Thitsarwadi temple, one of the many ancient temples near our hotel. It was pretty easy to find with instruction from our guide. Go past the Dhammayazika temple (the big golden pagoda was hard to miss), turn on a small road, then when you see a small sign, turn off to a dirt road around the bend on the right. It took us about 15 minutes to get there.

The temple was small unlike the Shwesandaw, the Sunset pagoda we were at the day before. We climbed up the steep steps and found we were not alone. Several early birds with heavy-duty professional cameras around their necks were already sitting on the edges of the brick overhang. They were waiting the perfect moment to capture the sunrise.

Armed with our mighty iPhones we stood in a scene reminiscing of the movie ‘City of Angels’.  We were like the angels at the beach listening to the tinking of the bells as the sun rose. It was – and I don’t use this word often – magical.

Soon the morning ray peeled open the cloak of darkness and bathed the valley around us with warm orange light, revealing red brick temple tops and its green surrounding. Watching it unfold to the soundtrack of Gymnopedies was peace epitomized. It is human nature to want to find our place in the chaos of life and meaning in random encounters. And I wish that I could say something more meaningful for having witnessed the beautiful scenery, but there really are no words to replace the experience of having been there.

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Myanmar: Bagan – The ancient city

We took the overnight bus from Yangon to Bagan. Although technically we could have afforded plane tickets, we decided to try the local way. I’ve traveled by bus before in Thailand when I was younger, but this was a whole new ballgame. First, it was freezing cold. It seemed the driver was compensating for the hot weather and turned up the AC. Then there’s the roads. They were so bumpy we thought we were on a Mars rover.

To maintain a semblance of comfort, I found having these items helped: 1) Ear plugs (there were snorers); 2) Socks, jacket, scarf, sarong or whatever to keep warm; 3) Sleep mask because they left the lights on; 4) Water and snacks. Not all buses will give you food so don’t count on it; 5) Wet wipes. There were no bathrooms on the bus and the quality of bathrooms at the different stops was not standardized. One of the rest stops only had squat toilets with water in a bucket for washing.

When taking an overnight bus in a country where you lack the language skill, it is important to pay attention to what the driver said or ask your neighbors when in doubt. I know this should be a no-brainer. But at 11 PM, the mind does not think straight.

At the 76 km mark, the bus almost left our little group behind at a food stop because. Our fault. We didn’t know we only had 30 minutes. The driver had some attendants hunt us down while we were eating the last of our hot noodles soup. The walk of shame back to our seats was pretty embarrassing.

We arrived at Bagan just as the sun was rising. Bagan is an ancient archeological city that was the seat of the Pagan kingdom from the 9th to the 13th centuries. At its height, there were over 10k Buddhist temples, of which 3,122 remained. We spent our first day here in 4 of them: Shwesri Gon Pagoda, Htilominlo, Ananda Temple, and Shwesandaw, the Sunset Pagoda. The Shwesri Gon Pagoda from 11th century contains the bone relic of the Buddha. The Ananda Temple, another from the 11th century, has 10k Buddha images. Some depict the story of how the Buddha transformed from a prince to the enlightened one. There were more things we would have learned had we not had to siphon all of our effort toward not passing out from heat stroke. 

The temples would be best visited early in the day. The walls of the temple absorb the heat and by end of the day it felt like 120 degree with 100% humidity inside. It was not easy to stay focused on our knowledgeable guide as he lectured about the differences in Buddha images from century to century. After a while, all we wanted was just a cold drink.

A few things I did learn:

1) Never, ever go to the Shwesandaw for sunset. It was a zoo! The precarious steep steps are dangerous to navigate when congested and the clouds made it impossible to see the sunset.

2) Some tourists can be rude if stuck on the said stone steps. They seemed to bring out the worst in some people. Just move slow and hug the wall.

3) Bobby will buy anything if under enough pressure. There were hundreds of vendors hawking all kinds of tourist trinkets. Some were extremely persistent. Bobby is now a proud owner of a painting he will never hang.

4) Always order the Burmese set meal. Always. You choose the meat (I chose fish and shrimp but there were also beef and chicken), which were then cooked in spices, onions, and peppers. It also came with a soup, a vegetable side, and rice. Heaven.

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Myanmar: Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon

Shwedagon Pagoda is a must visit in Yangon.

The ancient temple is a source of pride for the Burmese. From the first look, I knew why. At night, the Shwedagon Pagoda is a sight to behold. The 99-meter tall (325 feet) structure stood like a titan against the black backdrop. In flickering candlelight and orange incandescent, the golden pagoda, stupas, and temples gleam like the center of the sun.

The sky was sprinkling rain. We began our journey by leaving our shoes at the entrance. It is a common and expected practice when entering any temples or homes in Southeast Asia. The floors were slippery but the temple lined a path of non-skid plastic tiles for its visitors to walk on. While the hard plastic dug into my feet making it painful to walk on, it was better than falling on my face.

We navigated through the rain and worshippers who came from various corners of the world to see this famous sight. Around us are sounds of chanting, little boy monks playing, and bell tolling. The smell of incense permeated the air.

Our guide, Thar Thar, from LM Travel Myanmar told us that the Shwedagon Pagoda contains the hair relic, staff, water filter, and robe of Buddha. And according to legend, it was built over 2,500 years ago, making it the oldest in the world. Historians and archaeologists disagreed. They maintained that the pagoda was built by the Mon people between the 6th and 10th centuries AD. Regardless of its age, the Burmese consider this ancient place the most sacred pagoda in Myanmar.

The pagoda is plated with real gold and its top, the umbrella crown, is encrusted with over 2,000 rubies and 5,000 diamonds, the largest of which is 76 carats. All were donations from Buddhist believers. My friend, Laurie, asked our guide whether the temple worries someone would steal the treasure. Thar Thar replied that once the people gave the gift, they no longer think of them. It is a practice in letting go.

Buddhism teaches that human struggles stem from attachment: to things, to people, to our own ego. Sometimes the weight of it all can prevent us from moving forward. I am not a Buddhist but I do agree that the practice of letting go is a healthy exercise for the mind. While it is not easy nor pleasant to detach, learning to do so would lead to a true acceptance of the impermanence of life.

At the end of our visit, Thar Thar led us to a quiet corner of a veranda. It was a good spot to absorb the peaceful vibration in the air. This place leaves a strong impression. For generations, it serves as a witness to periods of wars and peace in one of the oldest civilization in the world. I wondered whether it would it stand for another millennium. Where would our humanity be then?

Click here on how to travel Myanmar in 7 days.