“There are views in the world to which one is proud to belong to the human race. Bagan at dawn is one of these. On the immense plain, marked only by the shining argument of the immense Irrawady River, the clear silhouettes of hundreds of pagodas slowly emerge from the darkness and fog: elegant, light, each as a delicate hymn to Buddha. ”
SoTiziano Terzani It describes what it feels like to see the sunrise from the top of one of the thousands of pagodas that make up Bagan's treasure. And this is how we have lived: something unforgettable, a gift that is priceless.
From the top of the Shwesandaw Paya, at 5 in the morning you can only hear the distant prayers of some devout monk who, like a canteen, make you feel a bit like in a dream world where reality and fantasy seem to melt, the roosters sing, everything is dark and only in the distance You can see Mount Popa that with its golden golden lights the sky. Suddenly the show begins, and the shy shining of the sun that appears behind the clouds makes you feel small and at the same time you are surprised by the greatness of what we can do, you forget the tiredness of the kilometers made, the 4am alarm clock, the many stairs, rather climbing, and even your ass hurt by the potholes of the dusty roads that connect the temples ... then you find the peace of the senses.
Incredible, there is no other word that can define the feeling you feel when the sun gives you good morning and in front of you the majestic landscape of Bagan is revealed. The previous days we spent riding on our bikes, whether visiting the main temples or getting lost in forgotten streets, yes, always trying to survive the implacable Burmese sun.
The people of Bagan are very kind, so between temple and temple there is always time for some chats with a vendor, and we even became a friend: Ih who with her 20 years studies Burmese culture, sells lacquers and sand drawings and speaks Spanish . It has been curious to watch the sunset with her chatting in our language.
Everyone here tries to sell you something and if you can't pay him because "I have no Money here" don't worry, because they "Eat with you at your guest house!" or if you don't want to buy anything because “I am a backpacker and I have no space in my backpack” does not happen na !! They take out bracelets that you can always carry over or drawings that do not take up space hehe.
But when they understand that you are not going to buy anything, they play their last card, the exchange of things: they give you what you want and you give them makeup or perfume. That was how we had our first tanhaka-therapy session: I brought a lipstick to Ih and she made us the most authentic Burmese style. We could see how rubbing the wood on a surface and mixing it with water, they take out this curious sunscreen and makeup so typical and that at all times it surrounds us in the faces of boys and girls.
Our passage through Bagan ended yesterday morning, when after a delicious breakfast we took the pick-up to go to Mandalay. But this is another story ...
USEFUL INFO
Transport. How to get?
We arrived in Bagan with a night bus that left from Yangon at 6pm and that at 4 am approx was in Nyaung U, a town about 4km from Old bagan, where the backpacker lodgings of the area meet. The bus cost us 15,000 kyats, very comfortable, had a pillow, water and set with toothbrush and a perfumed clínex J. Paró 4 times, 1 of which in a maxi service area where there was something like 600 Burmese and two tourists, who do you know who they were!
To move in Bagan you have essentially two options since it is not allowed to rent motorcycles to tourists: bikes or horse carriages. We opt for the first one, since apart from being cheaper, it allows you to go at your own pace. We rented in front of the San Kabar restaurant two bikes for 3 days at 5000 kyats, the very nice boy. Horse cars we understand that they cost about 10000-15000 kyats a day ... there are everywhere
Accommodation Where to sleep?
We have spent the 3 nights at SHWE NA DI, guest house about 5 minutes from the bus station. The room cost us $ 12 a night, and we recommend it. The value for money is very good, and the treatment of the staff has been exquisite: the person in charge does not speak very good English but supplies him with incredible kindness.
Gastronomy Where to eat?
It is full of restaurants that cook Italian dishes, so my need for gnocchi that was reaching critical levels has been plating. Perhaps the restaurant that we liked the most, has been the Holiday, in the "Restaurant Road"
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