Bagan

Today marks the first day of my tenth week of travel. What a trip it has been so far! Myanmar hasn't disappointed with its gorgeous sunsets, plentiful temples and curious people. Although I was only in Bagan for two nights, when you wake up at 4:45 to catch the sunrise, you really get more out of your day. I rented an e-bike for the morning to venture out to see the temples before the bike tour is booked for the afternoon. Having little (or no) experience on a scooter, I was a little skeptical, but two minutes into the ride, I decided I'd found my new mode of transportation. It may not have much power, but the e-bike is fun! The receptionist at the Floral Breeze Hotel gave me a map of Bagan and circled all the hot spots. She also pointed out the best place to watch the sunrise. With map in hand and the key in the ignition of my little scooter, I headed out across the hot, red Myanmar countryside. Upon arriving at the first temple on my journey, I realized I had mixed up Shwezigon Paya with Shwesandaw Paya and didn't get to see the spectacular sunrise I was hoping for. Can you blame me? The names are practically the same! Nonetheless, it was pretty cool to be there at 5:30 am and have the whole place to myself. 

To avoid boring you with the details, and since I know very little of them anyway, I'll just show you pictures of the rest of the temples I visited along the way. 

Shwezigon Paya

Htilominlo

Ananda Temple

Thatbyinyu (to be posted when I have better wifi)

Bu Paya (to be posted when I have better wifi)

Shwesandaw Paya (to be posted when I have better wifi)

Dhammayangyi (to be posted when I have better wifi)

Sulamani (to be posted when I have better wifi)

Pyathada (to be posted when I have better wifi)

Returning to my hotel at 9:00, I felt like I'd had a full day already. Nine temples in four hours really takes it out of you! I opted for a nap by the hotel pool until I couldn't take the heat any longer (30 minutes) and returned to the comfort of the AC in my room. 

I fueled up for my afternoon ride with a healthy lunch of lentil soup and tea leaf salad at The Moon in Old Bagan. Myanmar food is pretty unremarkable, especially after spending a month in Thailand, but they make great lentil soup. The herbal tea leaf salad had also become a staple of mine in nearly every meal. It's got a great mixture of crunch, rang and spice combined together for a perfect start (or main part) of every meal.

The afternoon ride was extremely hot - 100 degrees - but if you tried not to think about the heat, it was a nice ride. We visited some local villages, a lacquerware workshop, some temples and a monastery. One of the villages had only recently gotten electricity installed in the last year. They have four wells that provide the water for the whole village. Life here is really different!

The trip ended with a cruise on the Ayarwaddy River at sunset. Having ridden over 60 km in the past four days, I treated myself to a massage at the hotel before retiring for the night. Great day in Bagan!