Tuesday, April 5, 2011
This hotel was one of our favorite.
It was like an oasis in the middle of a desert.
The $27 rate included breakfast. Subtract 2 breakfast's at $7 comes out to paying about $13 for the room.
Goldy and I decided to strike out with bikes this morning. He took off at at sunrise and I left around 8 a.m.
I would ride for several minutes, shoot a picture, then move on.
This temple had steps to the roof.
You can always count on a statue of Buddha inside of them.
I climbed the steps up to the top of this temple. What a view.
Several monks had the same idea.
Not a major pagoda but nonetheless a real attractive one.
The ever present Buddha.
This is low season due to the heat. During high season in the fall, these booths are filled with souvenirs.
There are many farmers in this area doing their daily chores.
I stopped at a small village for water and decided to catch some scenes with my camera. That is a local private bus.
They are always packed to the max.
These women are tough. Think of how much money they save by not buying cosmetics, shoes, fashion clothes, a car,
not doing their nails and hair, etc., etc.
Beer cost $2.00, rum $4.00, whiskey $5.00.
I spotted a mansion amongst all the poverty.
And a dance class.
Back to the bike.
I ran into James at this pagoda. The sign said the structure was unstable and visitation was prohibited.
Around noon, we returned to the hotel for quick dip into the pool. Then we
hired an air-conditioned car and returned to the plains. We revisited Thatbyinnyu.
The most massive temple in Bagan is Dhammayangi. Built in 1167-70 by King Narathu, it is one of Bagan's architectural
marvels. It has withstood the ravages of time, natural disasters and vandalism throughout its long life.
Standing on these dry fields, it is difficult to visualize that during the rainy season these fields are green with cabbage,
corn, seseme, beans, etc.
We stopped to take a picture with these friendly kids who are on summer vacation.
Let's look inside.
Oh yea, a beautiful looking Buddha.
I walked completely around and took photos of the back side.
These kids were on tour. The best students in Burma go to school from age 5 to 15. They attend university for 3 years.
At 18, they enter the work force.
Shwegugyl Temple was built in 1131 by King Alaungsithu. It had a real nice entrance gate.
Inside the gate was the temple path was lined with souvenir stalls.
Up close, this place is impressive.
I remind you that Bagan, with its thousands of temples, is not merely a tourist site. It is a living place of worship for Buddhists
as it has been all through the past centuries.
It was hot and we caught these youngsters napping on the hard tile floor.
This was our last chance to buy any gifts.
James purchased several items from this cutie. Their ages really fooled us. They
look much younger then they actually are. She was 12 years old.
The last temple we visited was the Shwezigon Pagoda. Built in 1059 by King Anawrahta, it is the most sacred pagoda
here because of the relics of the Buddha himself, a frontal bone and sacred tooth.
A shop with some nice carvings.
After 2 days of sight-seeing, I was beginning to suffer from temple fatigue. Visiting temple after another, it is very easy to
get templed-out. James on the other hand, would be content to stay here another month and still ask for more.
On our way back to the hotel, we saw a funeral procession. They bury the dead here.
This was our last night at Bagan. We talked about how much we enjoyed this site and the possibility of returning next year.
The temples of Bagan are of a splendor rarely witnessed anywhere else in the world. We had to fly halfway around the
world to visit them. Was it worth the effort? HELL YES!! We're outta here tomorrow and off to Mandalay to find out what
Frank Sinatra was talking about when he recorded, "On the Road to Mandalay." TO BE CONTINUED .........................
