Wednesday November 5, 2025 - Bagan Archaeological Zone
Our day started out with me hearing
Greg scream in the shower. I go running in and see nothing but steam coming out
of the shower head. Yikes! We tried to report it to the front desk, but nobody
understood. Myint Swe explained the situation, and we were told to let it run
for 15 minutes and it should be fine. It wasn’t. We just ran the cold water and
got a bit of a shower. We told them perhaps the water heater needs to be turned
down and they didn’t understand. The knobs were too hot to touch to turn them
on or off.
The Bagan Archaeological Zone, which
is a World Heritage Site. The wide-sprawling complex covers 40 sq miles and
consists of over 2,000 temples, pagodas and towers. Built by different kings
during mid-to-late 9th century, most temples and pagodas are left hollow and unattended,
but some are still in use as spiritual centers. Stupas are enclosed and without
entrances, as to protect the sacred relics contained within. a stupa tends to
be a structure that usually can not be entered, while a pagoda is often
referred to as a building that can be entered. It is easy to get confused
because a pagoda is generally a temple, but the design of a pagoda evolved from
stupas. a temple is where Buddhists come to mediate. It is usually a collection
of buildings, stupas, pagodas and wats.
Our first stop was Shwezigon Paya
(Pagoda), which is the first Burmese-style pagoda and all pagodas across
Myanmar are built based on its' grandiose pattern. It was constructed in 1060, and
it is still the most worshiped shrine in Nyuang U of Bagan. The gold-leaf was
jaw dropping with the morning sun hitting it.
Shwezigon Pagoda complex is also known for the shrine that is the "Home of the 37 Nats," where pre-Buddhist spirits (Nats) were officially integrated into Buddhism by King Kyanzittha, with statues placed around the pagoda; these figures, representing powerful historical people who died violent deaths and couldn't reincarnate, so their spirits roam and influence human affairs, often depicted as mischievous or powerful. They were later moved to a nearby hall (the Nat House), and replicas now reside in the shrine.
Myint Swe had told us prior about the 37 Nats, but being hard to understand, we weren’t sure what he was talking about. (insects like gnats or what?) So, we really enjoyed visiting the 37 Nat Shrine and it was nice to finally understand what he was talking about.
As we tour the temples most have buddha statues in 4 stations as you circle the building, representing North, South, East and West. (which the guide felt he needed to repeat to us in each one in the longest way possible) Many look similar with maybe a different hand position at each station.
Next, we stopped at Htilominlo Temple
built during the reign of King Htilominlo, 1211–1231. The temple is three
stories tall, with a height of 46 metres, and built with red brick. It is also
known for its elaborate plaster moldings.
I don't know the name of next set we toured. (guide was
hard to understand sometimes and no signs in English) It was a fun one to walk around and you could peek in and see inside the shrine.
After that we toured Ananda Temple which is named that because it
culminates in a small, gilded pagoda (hti) at its peak.
Manuha Temple is a small temple in
Bagan known for its Buddha statues that are unusually large in comparison to
the temple's size. The temple's design and layout provide insights into the
cultural and religious practices of the region.
It was now lunchtime and Myint Swe
took us to a lovely place overlooking the water. Sunset Restaurant for lunch which had great views of the Ayarwaddy River. We had a great lunch of pork curry, smoked chicken, a potato and chicken dish, a fish
dish and tempura vegetables. Their cats kept us company and they did get some table scraps.
He then took us to a Lacquerware
factory that was in a garage. It was interesting to see the long process and the
precision needed for the final details. We visited their store which was full
of beautiful items in several rooms, from small containers to dining room sets.
It was all quite expensive and most too large to take home. They even took us
back to a special room to show us things there. We always feel a bit guilty not
buying anything in these types of stops, but we travel a lot and there is only
so much room in the suitcase (and our house for that matter).
Myanmar lacquerware making (Pan Yun) is a complex, multi-stage art involving creating a bamboo/wood base, layering it with Thitsee tree sap (lacquer) mixed with ash/sawdust for strength, drying in dark humid cellars for weeks or months, polishing, and then etching intricate designs freehand before adding vibrant natural pigments like cinnabar (red) or orpiment (yellow) and gold leaf, with the whole process taking months or even years for one piece.
After that we had some free time and went back to the resort. We had some ice cream at the restaurant and then walked to the Bagan Nann Myint Viewing Tower to take in the views. We continued to try to work out the steam/water situation. I thought using the tub might be a better option and got in and did get some water before it turned to steam. I screamed and tried to turn off the water and got an electric shock. My fingers were numb for a couple of days. Greg got me out of the tub (it was deep and slippery). Greg took a video of the steam coming out and showed that to the front desk. That seemed to help as they now seemed to understand that the heater needed to be turned down. (the rest of our showers were great)
Our first stop after our break was the Shwesandaw Pagoda was built in A.D.
1057 by King Anawrahta and is the second highest pagoda with 5 large terraces.
It was getting near sunset, and we
passed a massive red ball of fire in the sky but instead of stopping to get a
shot they took us to a lookout point. It was pretty much done when we got
there, but we were amused by a cute goat herd. The moon was more captivating
than the sunset.
I don’t think I mentioned that our
guide and driver live in the Bagan area, so they drove from there to do our
tour in Mandalay and then back to Bagan with us. On our 2nd day in Bagan,
we had a different driver. Myint Swe told us that he had a relative that had
been picked up by the police. (young man at an age the government wanted him to
serve in the military) He also explained that if the family has money, they can
pay the money to get the young men out and if not, they are taken to serve. The
driver’s family must have money as they wanted $2,500 (USD) which is a ton of
money in Myanmar for the average family. The driver was gone until the last day
that we went to the airport and he was back. His brother was our driver in the
interim.
Myanmar’s civil war started in 2021
when a military coup ousted the elected government. All young men must serve in
the military due to a conscription law activated by the ruling military junta.
A junta is an authoritarian government led by a committee of high-ranking
military officers that seized power in a coup d’état. Part of that mandated
that military service is mandatory for all young men aged 18 to 35 and women aged 18 to 27 must serve
up to two years. The government
struggles to contain armed rebel forces fighting for greater autonomy in
various parts of the country. The guide said it was mainly near the border.
When we were talking to the teachers in Mandalay, they said some of their
students were going on a holiday break and probably wouldn’t be back. If they
can get out they will stay out of the country.
We saw the same vendors/beggars at
each sunset spot and at every temple. Some followed the trail and we would see
them various times. Most were annoying, but one guy was so nice and not pushy,
just always there with a smile and showing us his sand paintings. How he knew
where we were going next is beyond me. We finally relented and each bought one.
They are beautiful and were only about $6.
The vendors are relentless due to lack
of tourism from the political unrest and of course, Covid was a total shut
down.
We were also told today that the hot
air balloon ride wasn’t going to happen tomorrow morning. No reason was given. Weather
is fine, could be political reasons but who knows. Maybe that particular
company hadn’t started operating yet in the year or was out of business. Jason
said he was told it was because of the typhoon near the Philippines. We couldn’t
have had a more perfect weather day. I was part of the chase crew for hot air
balloons for about 5 years so that was definitely the reason.
Tomorrow, we have another full day exploring
Bagan.
Bagan Day 2 https://photos.app.goo.gl/gEhHiVvhwFS8UfKW9
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