Golden Express Hotel Bagan

... molt rutilant i jo en tinc per dos dies), amb la unica companyia dels ramats de cabres que pasturen pels voltants i dels venedors que t'assetgen fins i tot en la pagoda mes raquitica i perduda que visitis. Deu ser l'unic lloc de tot Birmania a on la presencia de turistes es fa notar, pero malgrat tot, hi ha tanta pagoda que es possible passar desapercebut i tan sols trobar-te'ls quan a la posta de sol gairebe tots anem a petar al parell o tres de pagodes que ofereixen les millors ...

... No em queda altre remei que declarar el dia perdut i fer nit aqui i agafar el primer vaixell cap a Bagan l'endema a les 5:30 del mati. Es impossible lluitar contra tants contratemps. S'ha de saber tirar la tovallola a temps.

... Buddha; they all seem like they are in a Temple that is too small. This was done intentionally to convey the stress and discomfort by the captive King. Reclining Buddha signifies the act of entering parinibbana (final passing away). The way the head faces represents different things (North - entering Nirvana, West - Common people's questions are answered, ect.) There is an outdoor Temple here that is dedicated to the nat (spirit) of Mount Popa, Mae Wanna and her ...

When we arrived at Bagan, we also had to pay a $10 archeological sites fee, which is basically just a way for the government to get money out of foreigners. None of that money goes back into restoring the temples or shrines in Bagan. We headed to a guesthouse that was recommended by the other trekkers. We got a few beers and sat on the roof talking. It was a nice way to spend the evening and Bagan was ...

... thr*ugh s*me black market Indian *p**at*rs in the backstreets *f Yang*n. We w**e appr*ached, n*t s* c*v**tly, by a deal** as I was buying s*me street wat**mel*n, which incidentally, was t*tally ******, *ff**ing us an exchange rate *f 1,300 kyat t* the d*llar. C*mpared t* the 1,200 we w**e getting fr*m *ur h*tel, this was a great deal, and we decided t* change a bulk *f m*ney bef*re leaving Yang*n and the guarantee that we'd get as g**d an exchange rate *utside the ...

... to climb up, with an unobstructed view of a temple more to the west, was not easy. We had to settle for some fields that had little vegetation to interfere, but the sun didn't cooperate fully either - so there's a few pictures here, but not the ultimate one. However, much fun was had in the quest and George even let out a hardy whoop when we found the best angle - so mission accomplished. In between all the temple-ing we spent time luxuriating at our hotel, which was quite a bonus. The ...

... there was no such boat. Our options now were to hire the whole boat ($35US) or spend the night. Obviously being the cheap-o's that we are we opted to stay the night. Okay, all we need now is a guesthouse! We hopped in a horsecart from the "ferry pier" (which actually is a dirt path down the bank to the river) and off we went. We went to a couple of guesthouses but they can't take foreigners; then we went to a government hotel - which ...

... destination - Inle Lake, saving us a renowned bone-crunching bus journey - plus you've got to love being able to catch a horse and cart to the airport at sunrise, trotting past temple ruins - not many places in the world you can still do that, eh?

... were the first foreigners to ever eat there. I must admit by the looks of the place and where we were in town that I wasn't too surprised to hear that. It's really becoming apparent just how few tourists there are in Myanmar. Most of the sights we visit we are the only people visiting. The only time we see other visitors is when you are supposed to be at a site at a specific time like sunset or the monk feeding. We really struggled with coming here and supporting ...

... River plain. They come in all sizes, many different shapes and styles, and a variety of finishes and colours. We saw hundreds, inspected dozens and entered or climbed several over the next few days. Many we had to ourselves, while others were shared with Europeans, often on tour buses. A few sites are popular and spacious enough to support a collection of vendors. They offered little of any interest to us, with the exception of ...