My Myanmar Journey: A Bagan Chapter
Is train lag a thing? Because i sort of had it.
One, time in Myanmar is an hour and a half behind Malaysia. This was the first time i had to use thirty minutes or 0.5 hr in calculating back to Malaysian time. Strange but true. Lucky there was no need for watch adjustment between Bagan and Yangon.
Two, the 20-hour overnight train ride messed up the day/date. Often when my friend and i talked about our earlier time of the day, we actually referred to the day before in Yangon and not the morning part of the train ride. Probably due to the lack of proper sleep. Day 1 in Bagan was Day 3 of this Myanmar journey.
Three, sunrise was early, about 5.30 am. By six in the morning, the sky turned blue then amber, unlike Kuala Lumpur when it gets bright at seven. Sunset was about 6.30pm.
As soon as the train halted at Bagan Railway Station, we were once again swarmed by locals offering taxi service to town. We read that there was Grab service in Bagan; unfortunately, when we fired up the app, there was none in use. We told one of the men that we were heading to New Bagan and he instantly knew where our hostel was. He claimed to be from the area and so his familiarity with it. After agreeing on the price, we followed the man, without even passing through the small station building, to meet his relative and we entered the taxi.
Once the capital city of the Kingdom of Pagan, Bagan is today fondly known as the 'sea of temples'. It was a delightful change of environment from Yangon. The land was flat; plains peppered with temples, pagodas, stupas and ruins dating from the 11th century. No modern skyscrapers. Sandy terrain. While people often speak of Bagan, there were actually three main clusters namely New Bagan, Old Bagan and Nyaung-U. I wasn't familiar with them until i studied the map. The train station and domestic airport were in Nyaung-U. New Bagan, where we set camp, was a more organized town with plenty of hostel and restaurant options. Old Bagan, i believe, was where the major attractions (read: temples) are. They are far but not too far, near but not too near from each other. Pick where you prefer to stay and you should be able to get around alright.
We purchased our Bagan Archaeological Zone Pass from a tourism booth along the main road. The Pass was valid for five days from the date of purchase. Bring the Pass with you whenever in Bagan in case you are asked to present your ticket. Bagan is, however, not yet a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site due to accounts of its restoration works. May be in time it will.
The taxi stopped us right in front of Ostello Bello Bagan. We registered upon check-in and waited for our room to be ready. The fun colours of the social lobby created a lively and energetic ambiance. There were boards to write your name on if interested for daily organized activities such as sunset trips, Mount Popa hike and yoga sessions. We participated in the daily night games. A friendly space to meet travelers. This hostel was also strategically located near yummy restaurants. Our room had an unpleasant smell when we entered and after a complaint, they were quick to rectify. I recommend this hostel for its cheerful staff, good activities and location. We kept our bags and set foot out for lunch.
Shwe Ou Food Garden was less than five minutes walk from the hostel. The waitress could speak English. It took a while for our food to be served after order. I supposed they were prepared from scratch and they were tasty. We had the buttermilk curry chicken and cowpea meat with white rice. For desserts, the homemade avocado ice cream was divine in the heat.
There is a food rhyme in Myanmar that goes 'of all fruits, mango is the best; of all meats, pork is the best; and of all leaves, lahpet (fermented tea leaf) is the best'. We had mango juices or cuts quite frequently.
Just across from our hostel was the Black Rose Restaurant. The eatery was a little dark with few lights on for dinner.
We woke up at 4am and rented a two-person scooter from a stall outside our hostel. We were cutely called "Malaysians" by a kid at the booth and wherever we met outside. Perhaps there weren't many of us in Bagan. After a trial run (i don't ride motorbikes; not exactly ABC but i got the hang of it) around the oval-about and familiarized myself with its tools (throttle, brake, battery, honk and signal), we joined an Indian traveler we met the night before. We set course for the sunrise spot near Sulamani Temple and an empty lake, recommended by our hostel receptionist.
The receptionist mentioned a hill and i asked her if it was challenging to hike. She chuckled. Upon arrival at the site, it was more of a slope than a hill, and already crowded with tourists. We parked our scooter and ascended the slope, stood alongside eager sunrise-chasers.
We bade farewell to our Indian friend and started our engine. The light now shone on the surrounding previously in the dark. We made a pit stop at the Htilominlo Temple on our way to Nyaung-U. This three-stories temple was similar in design to the Sulamani Temple.
We continued on to Shwezigon Temple. It was quite a distance, seemed secluded, and mostly locals. However, i suddenly had to use the toilet and there was none in the area. We left almost immediately to a restroom area. Surprising, it was clean enough for me to relieve myself. Then we unexpectedly discovered the Ywa Haung Gyi Temple.
Back in Old Bagan, probably the most beautiful temple in the region, Ananda Temple was our next stop. Remember to remove all footwear and dress appropriately when in the temple grounds.
From beautiful to big, the nearby Dhammayangyi Temple claims to be the largest temple complex in Bagan with its pyramidal structure. King Narathu, who rose to the throne from 1167 to 1170, presumably built this temple to atone for his sin.
We rode through the Tharabar Gate and parked by the side of the road to visit the reconstructed Thirizayabumi Golden Palace. King Anawrahta was the first king of all Myanmar from 1044-1077. A separate fee was charged to enter the compound.
Before heading back to New Bagan, we stopped by the tallest temple- Thatbyinnyu Temple. However, part of the Temple was under maintenance during our visit. It was not uncommon to see locals trying to sell souvenir to us at entrances of Temples. Often, they would remark that it was to fund their education or simply to add foreign currency to their collection. Some could be quite persistent. I didn't check how legit their reasons were.
After all the morning activities, it's funny how we were only going to have our breakfast now. Tucked in a neighbourly corner, popular among the locals, Kan Htoo is among my more memorable dining experience. Surprisingly, it didn't appear in my research. It was recommended by the food map at our hostel. A hidden gem indeed.
We returned to our room and rested. Due to the hot weather, we scheduled our activities in the morning and evening. To my surprise, a downpour came just slightly after noon. The rain helped to cool the day. When it stopped, we gathered our things and left for lunch in Old Bagan. We followed the map to The Moon Vegetarian Restaurant (Be Kind to Animals). We were the only customers there (at odd hour). There was a branch at New Bagan known as The Moon (2) but i wanted the original.
We went to Shwesandaw Temple early to explore its surrounding and then wanted to book a spot for sunset viewing on its platform. Disappointingly, the stairs and platform of the Temple were barricaded off from visitors- meaning no vantage point. We walked around the compound.
There were several locals who offered temple climbing for sunset view. Many known temples were already closed or locked (due to structural safety) and they claimed to know those that weren't. Tempting but we politely declined and tried to explore ourselves. After several attempts, we decided to return to the hill/slope we went for sunrise. It was cloudy and the sun was nowhere to be seen.
Before dark, we left the hill/slope and headed back towards our hostel. Our scooter rental was until 7pm so our timing was just right. As i was riding out from the ground terrain to tar main road, i noticed the scooter began to slow down and my mind figured the worst. We ran out of juice! We tried to restart our scooter several times. When stationary, the scooter showed a few bars of battery but when we moved, it decreased substantially. We decided to get down and push the scooter instead. We were about 5km away but it wasn't the distance i was concerned. It was already dark.
Not long then, a police officer pulled over and checked on us. He tried to call the rental service provider for us but to no avail. A friend of his soon arrived and also tried to call them. He managed to reach them and told us that a replacement will come in twenty minutes. We phoned our hostel to inform them of our ordeal, note our location off Mingalazedi Temple, and also confirm with the rental service provider outside for the said replacement. The police officer and his friend waited with us. It started to drizzle.
The replacement scooter came but it had diminished in size- a single rider scooter. Nevertheless, we got on it and rode back carefully to the hostel.
For many, their Bagan memories would likely be the stunning sunrise or sunset view, or the rising hot air balloons with the temples on ground, but for me, it was this whole scooter riding (drama) experience. I don't know what went wrong with the scooter or its supposedly full battery for the day, but i am thankful for the police officer and his friend to assist us; job or not, they made me feel safe and comfortable.
After breakfast in our hostel the next morning, we walked over to U Ba Nyein Lacquerware Workshop. An elderly lady in the shop was the second generation owner of this workshop. There were many lacquerware products on sale. A shop attendant spoke good English. She described some of the products and their purposes, and showed us a room filled with higher quality products that cost much more. Later, she followed us to the workshop to explain the lacquerware making process. I was surprised to learn the details in lacquerware- meticulous, repetitive, handmade.
We checked out from our hostel. The JJ shuttle bus (do call to confirm with the service provider a day before travel date) swept across towns to pick us/passengers up and then dropped us off at its bay in the Bus Terminal. From there, we boarded a bigger JJ Express Bus. The ticket was slightly pricier but more comfortable than the mini bus for intercity transfer. The answer to my question was written in large and in multiple languages (found Bahasa Malaysia too):
Indeed! Now en route to Mandalay in 4 hours.
I really wanted to love Bagan. I really did, to put Bagan among the ranks of Hoi An or Luang Prabang in my book. May be it was the heat that beat me down. If i was there in the cool, dry season, i may feel differently. Don't get me wrong, i still thoroughly enjoyed my time there. It was definitely laidback and relaxed with sufficient dose of adrenaline with its unique personality. Bagan itself is a jewel for keep and when you visit Myanmar, it is difficult not to include Bagan in your itinerary. I will close this chapter here, for now.
One, time in Myanmar is an hour and a half behind Malaysia. This was the first time i had to use thirty minutes or 0.5 hr in calculating back to Malaysian time. Strange but true. Lucky there was no need for watch adjustment between Bagan and Yangon.
Two, the 20-hour overnight train ride messed up the day/date. Often when my friend and i talked about our earlier time of the day, we actually referred to the day before in Yangon and not the morning part of the train ride. Probably due to the lack of proper sleep. Day 1 in Bagan was Day 3 of this Myanmar journey.
Three, sunrise was early, about 5.30 am. By six in the morning, the sky turned blue then amber, unlike Kuala Lumpur when it gets bright at seven. Sunset was about 6.30pm.
As soon as the train halted at Bagan Railway Station, we were once again swarmed by locals offering taxi service to town. We read that there was Grab service in Bagan; unfortunately, when we fired up the app, there was none in use. We told one of the men that we were heading to New Bagan and he instantly knew where our hostel was. He claimed to be from the area and so his familiarity with it. After agreeing on the price, we followed the man, without even passing through the small station building, to meet his relative and we entered the taxi.
Once the capital city of the Kingdom of Pagan, Bagan is today fondly known as the 'sea of temples'. It was a delightful change of environment from Yangon. The land was flat; plains peppered with temples, pagodas, stupas and ruins dating from the 11th century. No modern skyscrapers. Sandy terrain. While people often speak of Bagan, there were actually three main clusters namely New Bagan, Old Bagan and Nyaung-U. I wasn't familiar with them until i studied the map. The train station and domestic airport were in Nyaung-U. New Bagan, where we set camp, was a more organized town with plenty of hostel and restaurant options. Old Bagan, i believe, was where the major attractions (read: temples) are. They are far but not too far, near but not too near from each other. Pick where you prefer to stay and you should be able to get around alright.
Majestic. I liked Bagan more. It felt like a place locked in history.
We purchased our Bagan Archaeological Zone Pass from a tourism booth along the main road. The Pass was valid for five days from the date of purchase. Bring the Pass with you whenever in Bagan in case you are asked to present your ticket. Bagan is, however, not yet a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site due to accounts of its restoration works. May be in time it will.
The taxi stopped us right in front of Ostello Bello Bagan. We registered upon check-in and waited for our room to be ready. The fun colours of the social lobby created a lively and energetic ambiance. There were boards to write your name on if interested for daily organized activities such as sunset trips, Mount Popa hike and yoga sessions. We participated in the daily night games. A friendly space to meet travelers. This hostel was also strategically located near yummy restaurants. Our room had an unpleasant smell when we entered and after a complaint, they were quick to rectify. I recommend this hostel for its cheerful staff, good activities and location. We kept our bags and set foot out for lunch.
Shwe Ou Food Garden was less than five minutes walk from the hostel. The waitress could speak English. It took a while for our food to be served after order. I supposed they were prepared from scratch and they were tasty. We had the buttermilk curry chicken and cowpea meat with white rice. For desserts, the homemade avocado ice cream was divine in the heat.
The restaurant along the main road.
We returned for noodles lunch the following day and i prefer this. My friend had the Kyae Ooh soup and mine was the Kyae Ooh Hsi Gie- dry vermicelli with lots of garlic, quill eggs, tofu, Chinese cabbage and delicious pork meaty ball. The meat balls were winners of this dish. Portion was large and i was full.
As it was the low season during my Journey (a high temperature of 41 deg Celsius recorded, ending of dry days and beginning to get wet), there were less tourists around, hot air balloon companies were closed for business and generally quieter roads. I could imagine this place growing busy during the peak period. After our lunch, we explored New Bagan on foot. Use a face mask if necessary as the air could be dusty/sandy.
Near the Lawka Nandar Lake, close to the Irrawaddy River.
Trees and temples. Just so you know, we saw a squashed black scorpion on the road. Later at night at the hostel, they found a live scorpion.
Just about any turn, you'll be able to spot a structure. I didn't bother counting them.
There were approximately two thousand historical sites- the densest concentration of Buddhist temples in the world! So instead of visiting all (anyone done it?), we narrowed down to the top temple sites for our visit tomorrow.
The temples reminded me of Polonnaruwa in Sri Lanka where temples could be seen among the township and definitely part of the local scene.
Fun fact: Bagan is located in an active earthquake zone. Over 400 recorded earthquakes occurred between 1904 and 1975. Some restoration works had been performed due to these.
Local style noodles. It was ok- for lack of words.
We woke up at 4am and rented a two-person scooter from a stall outside our hostel. We were cutely called "Malaysians" by a kid at the booth and wherever we met outside. Perhaps there weren't many of us in Bagan. After a trial run (i don't ride motorbikes; not exactly ABC but i got the hang of it) around the oval-about and familiarized myself with its tools (throttle, brake, battery, honk and signal), we joined an Indian traveler we met the night before. We set course for the sunrise spot near Sulamani Temple and an empty lake, recommended by our hostel receptionist.
The receptionist mentioned a hill and i asked her if it was challenging to hike. She chuckled. Upon arrival at the site, it was more of a slope than a hill, and already crowded with tourists. We parked our scooter and ascended the slope, stood alongside eager sunrise-chasers.
Bus loads.
Horse carts.
People watching.
I didn't get those postcard shots. It was cloudy; there was no blanket of mist. Not as many temples as i thought back-dropped from this angle. After the expected sunrise time, we stayed a little longer. The sun peered through the clouds, as if for consolation.
Despite the high anticipation, i like this silhouette picture. Unedited, real, shy.
We bade farewell to our Indian friend and started our engine. The light now shone on the surrounding previously in the dark. We made a pit stop at the Htilominlo Temple on our way to Nyaung-U. This three-stories temple was similar in design to the Sulamani Temple.
Intricate facade.
We continued on to Shwezigon Temple. It was quite a distance, seemed secluded, and mostly locals. However, i suddenly had to use the toilet and there was none in the area. We left almost immediately to a restroom area. Surprising, it was clean enough for me to relieve myself. Then we unexpectedly discovered the Ywa Haung Gyi Temple.
Aglow with the morning radiance. If you're feeling adventurous, i recommend to use the scooter (locals called them ebike) while in Bagan as it is an easy mode of transportation. My friend was afraid of the scooter- even when i mentioned to him before the travel, he was not mentally prepared enough for it. He claimed he didn't like motorists in general. So i did most of the riding while he navigated. With the scooter, you can have the flexibility to stop by any temple you see interesting and get down to explore. Like we did with this temple.
It was relatively cheap to rent a scooter for one day and do negotiate for better price.
Back in Old Bagan, probably the most beautiful temple in the region, Ananda Temple was our next stop. Remember to remove all footwear and dress appropriately when in the temple grounds.
Panoramic shot of the Temple. Built in 1105, the shiny pagoda at the top was covered by an umbrella known as hti- the name of the umbrella or top ornament in almost all pagodas in Myanmar.
From beautiful to big, the nearby Dhammayangyi Temple claims to be the largest temple complex in Bagan with its pyramidal structure. King Narathu, who rose to the throne from 1167 to 1170, presumably built this temple to atone for his sin.
Monks at the Temple.
Modelling with an arch brick window. It is said that with fine brickwork, even a needle cannot be put into its joints.
We rode through the Tharabar Gate and parked by the side of the road to visit the reconstructed Thirizayabumi Golden Palace. King Anawrahta was the first king of all Myanmar from 1044-1077. A separate fee was charged to enter the compound.
Walkway to the Hall of Lion Throne.
Rather empty, the Palace was small and we completed it fast. The breeze was soothing while i admired the royal-coloured columns.
A side view of the tall Temple.
Video of us cruising along the main road between Old Bagan and New Bagan with temples on our sides.
After all the morning activities, it's funny how we were only going to have our breakfast now. Tucked in a neighbourly corner, popular among the locals, Kan Htoo is among my more memorable dining experience. Surprisingly, it didn't appear in my research. It was recommended by the food map at our hostel. A hidden gem indeed.
Mohinga, the unofficial national dish of the nation, was our quick pick. Then, the waiter told us that there was only enough for one (at least there was one for us to try). Sold out- must be good! We enjoyed it. Served noodle and soup separately, we had to submerge the noodles in the bowl of sourish-spicy fish soup before eating it. The soup tasted like Asam Laksa of Malaysia. The replacement dry thick noodles did not go unnoticed (if i'm not wrong, it is known as Nan Gyi Thohk or Mont Di). The noodles tasted like udon with an overcoat of chickpea flour.
We returned to our room and rested. Due to the hot weather, we scheduled our activities in the morning and evening. To my surprise, a downpour came just slightly after noon. The rain helped to cool the day. When it stopped, we gathered our things and left for lunch in Old Bagan. We followed the map to The Moon Vegetarian Restaurant (Be Kind to Animals). We were the only customers there (at odd hour). There was a branch at New Bagan known as The Moon (2) but i wanted the original.
I had the Vegetarian Burger and it was delicious. The patty was flavourful with a little crunch, well buttered buns and fresh vegetables. I did not try my friend's noodle soup dish but he finished it too. Later, we sampled the free tamarind flakes- unique to Bagan, a sweet/sour snack after meal. It reminded us of the childhood haw flakes.
We went to Shwesandaw Temple early to explore its surrounding and then wanted to book a spot for sunset viewing on its platform. Disappointingly, the stairs and platform of the Temple were barricaded off from visitors- meaning no vantage point. We walked around the compound.
This stupa enshrined the hairs of the Buddha.
Donning the common cloth outfit known as longyi, tied with a front knot the size of a tennis ball. For male, it is called paso while for female, it is known as htamein. This Temple is sometimes referred to as the Ganesh Temple as the elephant headed Hindu god once stood at the corners of the terrace.
Next to the Temple was a building that housed a reclining Buddha.
There were several locals who offered temple climbing for sunset view. Many known temples were already closed or locked (due to structural safety) and they claimed to know those that weren't. Tempting but we politely declined and tried to explore ourselves. After several attempts, we decided to return to the hill/slope we went for sunrise. It was cloudy and the sun was nowhere to be seen.
Although the sun hid behind the clouds and there was no sunset, it was still a good time to reflect on the day. From this position, we could see all the temples and the Palace we visited during the day. We tried to point out which is which, aligning our map in this direction.
Before dark, we left the hill/slope and headed back towards our hostel. Our scooter rental was until 7pm so our timing was just right. As i was riding out from the ground terrain to tar main road, i noticed the scooter began to slow down and my mind figured the worst. We ran out of juice! We tried to restart our scooter several times. When stationary, the scooter showed a few bars of battery but when we moved, it decreased substantially. We decided to get down and push the scooter instead. We were about 5km away but it wasn't the distance i was concerned. It was already dark.
Not long then, a police officer pulled over and checked on us. He tried to call the rental service provider for us but to no avail. A friend of his soon arrived and also tried to call them. He managed to reach them and told us that a replacement will come in twenty minutes. We phoned our hostel to inform them of our ordeal, note our location off Mingalazedi Temple, and also confirm with the rental service provider outside for the said replacement. The police officer and his friend waited with us. It started to drizzle.
The replacement scooter came but it had diminished in size- a single rider scooter. Nevertheless, we got on it and rode back carefully to the hostel.
For many, their Bagan memories would likely be the stunning sunrise or sunset view, or the rising hot air balloons with the temples on ground, but for me, it was this whole scooter riding (drama) experience. I don't know what went wrong with the scooter or its supposedly full battery for the day, but i am thankful for the police officer and his friend to assist us; job or not, they made me feel safe and comfortable.
All smiles with them when the replacement scooter arrived.
After breakfast in our hostel the next morning, we walked over to U Ba Nyein Lacquerware Workshop. An elderly lady in the shop was the second generation owner of this workshop. There were many lacquerware products on sale. A shop attendant spoke good English. She described some of the products and their purposes, and showed us a room filled with higher quality products that cost much more. Later, she followed us to the workshop to explain the lacquerware making process. I was surprised to learn the details in lacquerware- meticulous, repetitive, handmade.
A huge hsun ok (food offering vessel) on display. Frankly, i didn't know lacquerware is a notable specialty item in Bagan until i passed by many lacquerware workshop during the temple run. This travel was at most played by ear or spontaneity.
The stages of lacquerware making. The quality and price of lacquerware varies depending on its material (bamboo, teak wood, horse hair), layers of lacquering and accessories. The more layers, the higher its value. Lacquer is a natural resin obtained from the Thit-si tree.
The first step is to produce the inner frame. It is then layered accordingly with lacquer. Each layer will need to be dried for 7 to 10 days. After the desired number of layers has been applied, designs are etched and coloured. The finished product is the result of weeks (may be months) of effort.
The drying room.
ICYMI, Joyous Journey.
Indeed! Now en route to Mandalay in 4 hours.
I really wanted to love Bagan. I really did, to put Bagan among the ranks of Hoi An or Luang Prabang in my book. May be it was the heat that beat me down. If i was there in the cool, dry season, i may feel differently. Don't get me wrong, i still thoroughly enjoyed my time there. It was definitely laidback and relaxed with sufficient dose of adrenaline with its unique personality. Bagan itself is a jewel for keep and when you visit Myanmar, it is difficult not to include Bagan in your itinerary. I will close this chapter here, for now.
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