After 9 hours on a freezing, unsteady bus, we finally arrived in Bagan. It was 5 am and too dark to see anything around us. Being too early to check into our hotel, we took a taxi to see the sunrise over the famously beautiful landscape of Bagan. The most popular spot to go is the Shwesandaw Pagoda, as it’s the tallest building that can still be climbed (UNESCO is really cracking down on this for preservation purposes). So we found a little spot right at the front and waited for what seemed like forever. When the sun finally started to appear over the horizon, the sky turned a foggy shade of pink and began to slowly illuminate the landscape. It was absolutely breathtaking to watch each temple and pagoda reveal itself and show us our first glimpse of Old Bagan. I could not help but be in awe. In the distance you could see hot air balloons rising into the air and traversing the sky. At one point, all the balloons rose over a few of the larger pagodas and temples to create one of the most beautiful images I have ever seen; A dotted, luminescent sky over ancient landscape.
The only down side was that it was flooded with other tourists, which made it difficult to really focus on what was in front of us- but we made the most of it and still took some time to reflect. When it was all over we looked around us and could not believe how many pagodas and temples decorated the landscape. We later found out there are over 2,000 still standing- though at one point in history there were over 4,000! Absolutely incredible.
But of course all good things have to come to end don’t they, and our end came when Mike got food poisoning. Of the places we’ve been so far, it does not surprise me that it happened in Myanmar, especially given that we had eaten at a few local places the day before that didn’t look particularly “tourist with a sensitive stomach” friendly. This time our food curiosity came back to bite us. So we spent our first day in Bagan lounging in our hotel hoping desperately that Mike would feel better.
Our second day in Bagan was a bit of a roller coaster. We set out in the morning to join our new friends Janine and Victor on a private tour of Old Bagan. I have to give so much credit to Mike for refusing to cancel and mustering the strength to go on our tour. Though he had a rough go of it at first, thankfully since it was a private tour we were able to take things slow and give him time to get better throughout the day.
It was an incredible experience to have a local guide give us a detailed history of the area and teach us everything we wanted to know about Buddhism and local culture. Min was a truly amazing and inspiring person. He is devoutly Buddhist, and as such lives his life always trying to do good deeds for others. The entire day he gave us invaluable insight into what it’s like to live and work in Myanmar and how religion and politics shape their everyday lives.
Min took us to some really incredible temples and pagodas, but my favorite one has to be the Manuha temple, or as he affectionally dubbed it “Aung San Suu Kyi’s temple”. Quick background- Aung San Suu Kyi is a revered Burmese activist and politician who was placed under house arrest for 15 years by the military after publically opposing their rule, and won a Nobel Peace Prize for her struggle. She is largely attributed with helping Myanmar finally free itself from 50 years of military rule. Now onto the temple- it was commissioned in 1067 by Manuha, the King of Mon, who was placed under house arrest after his kingdom was conquered by the King of Pagan (current day Bagan). The temple is incredibly unique because it houses four massive Buddha’s that are too large for their rooms, making them look restricted, awkward and uncomfortable. They are meant to represent the suffocating feeling of being under house arrest. It’s for this reason that it was the first place Aung San Suu Kyi visited when she was released a few years ago. The place is dripping in symbolism and historical/political significance.
I fell in love with this temple not only because of its history, but because it is completely unlike anything we’ve seen on this trip. To get around each Buddha you had to walk in a single file line, that’s how cramped each room was. Looking up at these massive Buddha’s looming over you, you couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed. My favorite statue was of a reclining Buddha in death. From one end it looks like this massive Buddha is frowning- from the other he is smiling. It was meant to show the King of Pagan that he could never win because in death Manuha would be set free. Morbid I know, but also strangely beautiful.
It was an eye opening and emotional experience to be in a place that, for so many, represents democracy and freedom from oppression. Today’s Myanmar is moving forward- it’s leaving behind the turmoil of it’s past and for the first time in decades, looking toward it’s future. To hear the stories of change and hope from Min, and see this progress in action (if only for a day) made me feel optimistic and fortunate for the life of freedom I have always known.
Next stop, Yangon.