Beautiful Bagan

Bagan is home to over 2,200 temples that are 1,000 years old! Over the years they have had to endure major earthquakes, bombings during WWII, and looting. We arrived late in the afternoon and went straight to the hotel to check in and get some rest for the next day. We went out to the hotel bar to enjoy the sunset along the river under the massive acacia trees.

Just a 5 minute walk from the hotel was a huge temple and I could not resist getting a close up view our first evening.

The next morning was packed with visits to several old temples and pagodas which we then climbed up in order to get a better view of the area.

Before ending our morning session we stopped by the local market to see what was on offer. We would often see monks carrying around their offering bowls but in the market they had their hands full with most stall owners giving them offerings. 

The women in Myanmar use thanaka - a "cosmetic" on their faces which comes from the bark of a tree. We went to a stall in the local market where they sell the logs. The girl was nice enough to give us a demonstration on how it was made and applied. We were told it provides good protection from sunburn, helps remove and prevent acne and gives you smooth skin.

Boys use it, but it is predominately for girls. Our guide in Mandalay explained that when the kids are young they apply it for them, but when they get older they want to do it themselves. Each girl has her own way how she likes to apply it, there are even stencils to make intricate designs.

The bark like most cosmetics comes in grades and the high quality can get pretty expensive.

Another local specialty is the beetle nut which is wrapped in a leaf with tobacco, and lime juice and chewed. It is often used by drivers who work long hours and need to stay alert. When you chew it your spit turns blood red and it stains your teeth. There were times I would look on the street and think there was a bad  motorbike accident here but quickly realized, no it was just people spitting their beetle nut. Yuck!!

Most of the murals inside the temple were gone but some still show color all of these years later which is pretty impressive.

Our first evening we took a horse carriage ride around. We stopped on a hill to get a better view where we ran into some children selling their home made post cards.

Just before sunset we got to the largest temple that you can climb to the top of for a view, needless to say we were not the first ones there. 

The exteriors of the temples are impressive now, but when they were built they must have been spectacular! Most of the exterior carvings have fallen off showing just the brick below.

Our last night we had a private boat ride on the river to watch the sunset. Like before, as soon as we arrived at the dock we were surrounded by kids asking our names. This one girl was very persistent. Even after we climbed on the boat she climbed onto the neighboring boat to remind me to "have a hard think".

On the river we got to spend some quality time with our guide learning about the way things were and how things were much better now with the country opening up.

Next stop Yangon!