It was definitely love at first sight. I love Bagan so hard it's not even funny. It is hands down, the most spectacular place I've ever been to. I call this ancient city My Unicorn Land (yes, it's that magical to me). We only had 2 days in Bagan but I would quite happily spend 2 weeks here. 

Bagan is the site of a ruined city in central Myanmar that was a powerful capital nearly a thousand years ago. At its peak there were over 10,000 temples, pagodas and stupas in the city. Today, there are only just over 2,000 remaining. What makes Bagan so remarkable is that there is always a temple in viewing distance. With so many temples scattered everywhere, it was impossible to visit all of them. These are the key temples we visited during our short stay.

Built in 1105 AD, the Ananda Temple is Mon architecture at its finest. 

Built in late 12th century, the Dhammayangyi Pagoda is usually associated with King Narathu, who built the temple during his ruthless 3 years tenure. Legend has it that the the evil king (he killed his father, brother and wife with his own hands) demanded the temple brickwork to be fitted together tightly so that even a pin could not pass between 2 bricks. Failure to achieve this resulted in the slaves being killed as it was assumed that they lacked work efficiency. The Dhammayangyi Pagoda is the biggest temple on the plains of Bagan.

Bagan surprised me in every way, the pureness of the nature, the picturesque scenery, the simple lifestyle. It is hard to imagine a place so ancient and unchanged in the modern world of Southeast Asia. It was a privilege to be able to walk through this former empire. 

I have read on blogs that at some point, you get "templed-out" or simply tired of seeing the same Buddhas, temples and sunsets. After 2 days, I still wasn't "templed-out". I felt like I could have repeated the days I spent there over and over again and never get tire of it. 

Everything in Bagan felt romantic, and this oldness was something I dreamt about. There is nowhere in the world like wonderful, magical Bagan.

Mandalay is known as the economical hub connecting China and Myanmar, and is home to many ancient monuments. The former city of the kings is also the hub of transportation, as this is where numerous motorways, railways and waterways from various parts of the country are linked. 

We started our trip at Amarapura, a township of Mandalay which is mainly known for its silk and cotton weaving and the world's longest teak wood bridge - U Bein Bridge. Constructed in 1850 and standing at a length of 1.2 km, the bridge offers stunning views, with both locals and tourists crossing it the whole day - monks, kids going to school, couples in love, self taught artists.

We then drove to the Mahamuni Temple, the holiest pagoda of Mandalay and considered the second holiest place in Myanmar after the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon. The pagoda is huge with several entrances and hallways leading to its center, where the gold-covered 4 meters tall Buddha statue sits. Only males are allowed to enter the center. Females can catch a glimpse of the statue from the outside or from the televisions mounted on the walls - a policy that has been subjected to heated discussions. The atmosphere is so devout I did not take any photographs of the temple. I simply be present.

Our next stop was the Kuthodaw Pagoda, otherwise known as the world's largest book. There are 729 alabaster marble slabs, each housed in its own small stupas and relaying the entire 15 books of the sacred Tripitaka scripture. Each of these white stupa contains one page.

From here, we visited the Shwenandaw Kyaung. This structure was initially built within the palace walls in Amarapura as a residence for King Mindon. After the king died in it, it was converted to a monastery and moved to its current site. This saved it from being destroyed by allied bombings during World War II, making the monastery the single remaining major original structure of the original Royal Palace. It is notable for its teak carvings of Buddhist myths, gilded pillars and ceilings, and the atmospheric interior.

We concluded our tour by catching the sunset atop Mandalay Hill, where the Sutaungpyi Paya (Wish Granting Temple) perched high up at the summit. 

Yangon was swelteringly hot, full of crumbling colourful Colonial facades. Certainly there were slums in Yangon, but the city has many faces, as most do. The roads were chaotic but unlike in most other Southeast Asian cities, there was not a scooter in sight - they are illegal in Yangon. 

Contrary to what I expected based on TripAdvisor and travel blogs, (I read the internet was unusable, buses and trains were uncomfortable and unsafe, power cuts were frequent and long lasting, food and water were unclean and caused dysentery, the absence of toilet paper in toilets) Yangon is really not that bad. It is actually a pleasant city. 

My favourite part aside from pagoda-hopping across town, is eating. I developed great joy and an obsession with eating traditional Burmese food. Did I mention Yangon was hot? And that I was dressed conservatively throughout this entire trip out of respect when visiting the pagodas? It was worth the sweat though. I was quietly awed by the 2,500-year-old Shwedagon Pagoda. Its compound has hundreds of shimmering gold temples, stupas, statues, Buddha images and pieces of art. 





A glimpse into our brief getaway 1,000 meters above sea level.

 

 

The Lakehouse

A quaint tudor-style boutique hotel sitting on a hill slope,

overlooking the Abu Bakar Lake.

 

 

 

 

   

 

Many times, it's just being in the moment with people you care about.

 

Today, we paid to get ourselves bruised because you know what they say - 

"The family that bruise together stays together".