Bagan - in the temple sea of the former royal city

Before we reached Bagan, one of the undisputed highlights of our entire world trip, we had another long bus ride ahead of us. This time, however, we decided to take a day bus ride, as we could see more of the country and its people. We already knew from the journey to Nyaung Shwe that the ride through the mountains was very winding and sleep was out of the question.

During the ride through the mountains, we could admire the beautiful landscape on the more or less well-developed roads and observe the daily life of the Burmese people. Road works, for example, are a bit different here than in Europe, and we didn't have to wait long for the roadside vendors at every stop.

After about 9 hours of driving, we finally reached our destination, Bagan, the former royal city. After the exhausting bus ride, our only task was to organize a transfer to our hotel. This was our first experience with a very unfriendly person in Myanmar, who was obviously trying to establish a taxi monopoly in the tourist region and rip off tourists with exorbitant prices. However, we didn't let ourselves be fooled and looked for a driver with reasonable prices. After we found one, we thought the matter was settled, but the aforementioned nice gentleman didn't give up and put pressure on our already engaged driver until he paid him some kind of tribute. Well, be that as it may, we were brought to our hotel safely and at the price we had in mind. Tip for everyone: Never use the first taxi or tuk-tuk you see and think in advance about what a realistic price is. For us, it was 8,000 MMK for 4 people, which is about €5 for a distance of 10km from the bus terminal to our hotel in New Bagan.

With its over 2,000 preserved temples and pagodas, Bagan is one of the largest and most important archaeological sites in Southeast Asia. The incredible images of the temple sea among the trees, the visit to them, and the breathtaking sunsets and sunrises were one of the main reasons why we came to Myanmar and why this country was at the top of our travel wish list. The Kingdom of Bagan flourished around the 11th century and was then one of the richest, if not the richest city in the world, favored by its location on the Irrawaddy River, the lifeline of Myanmar, where trade routes from China and India converged at that time.

After we had settled into our new accommodation, which unfortunately didn't convince us apart from the beautiful rooftop terrace, our only plans for the next 4 nights were to relax and have dinner. We also had a relaxed start the next day. Since Annika had unfortunately fallen ill, the three of us initially explored the new surroundings. For this, we rented two e-scooters for the next 3 days, each for 5,000 MMK, which is about €3.50 per scooter per day. We would definitely recommend this to any traveler in Bagan, as the distances can be quite long and it's simply too hot for bicycles ;-). By the way, motor scooters are banned for foreigners, so only e-scooters can be rented.

View from the rooftop of our hotel (Manisanda Hotel)

On our first day, we visited one of the most famous pagodas in Bagan, the Shwesandaw Pagoda. Here we enjoyed a great view of the pagoda field and already inspected the surrounding area with the best spots and temples for the following days. At noon, we were the only tourists on the temple, while during sunrise and sunset, it's crowded with tourists who arrive by countless buses and tours. The 100m high pagoda offers a great view and should definitely be visited.

The next day, Annika was feeling better fortunately, and we were able to explore the area again as a group of four =). During our temple tour with perfect weather, we visited some smaller and very beautiful temples and pagodas, as well as the Shwegugyi Temple. This temple is also worth a visit, as you can easily climb it and have a great view of beautiful pagodas.

View from the Shwegugyi Temple

From here, we immediately chose another pagoda for a closer look, the Mahazedi Pagoda, which can be climbed from the outside. From here, you have the opportunity to admire temples and pagodas with various shapes from over three centuries of construction history in Bagan. This was also one of our favorite places =)

After a break back at the hotel, we watched the beautiful sunset on a pagoda near the overcrowded Shwesandaw Pagoda, although we had expected a bit more from it. So, for our last evening, we had to find a better-suited pagoda or temple for an unforgettable sunset.

On this day, our e-scooter unfortunately let us down for the first time... One of the tires fell victim to the temperatures and road conditions. Fortunately, we weren't going fast and nothing else happened. The scooter was quickly replaced by our rental company and the ride could continue. However, during our days in Bagan, we had no luck with our vehicles, and this would unfortunately not be the only incident.

During our sunrise tour the next morning, Paul's scooter's battery died and we had to exchange it for another one.

Fortunately, we had planned enough buffer time so that we could enjoy the beautiful sunrise on the Shwegugyi Temple just in time.

Afterwards, we visited more temples, including the Dhammayazika Pagoda, from where we had a breathtaking view of the temple and pagoda sea in Bagan.

On the way back, we passed a really strange procession and stopped out of curiosity. We were lucky to see a novitiation ceremony and procession for novice Buddhist monks. On this day, the girls and boys dress up like princes and princesses before they give up all material possessions, get their heads shaved, and receive their red robes. Many of the children stay in the monastery for one or more years before returning to their families, while others stay for a lifetime. Of course, elephants are also part of the procession ;-)

During our afternoon tour to the Ananda Temple, the Irrawaddy River, and the Hitomilo Temple, we had our next scary moment, as another tire went flat at higher speed...

Fortunately, we were able to handle this as well and nothing else happened. The first time, we believed it was an unfortunate coincidence, which in retrospect was a bit naive.

TIP for everyone: Pay attention to the e-scooters and examine the tires very closely. They are often only glued and the adhesive melts in high temperatures. The tire quickly becomes flat, which can be really dangerous! We were glad that nothing else happened and were quite angry with our rental company. However, the problem and danger are generally underestimated, and it didn't bother them either...

However, the absolute highlight of our days in Bagan was still waiting for us with the sunset. For this, we had chosen the Dhammayazika Pagoda, but then realized that there was an even more suitable, smaller temple for the sunset.

This is an insider tip and should definitely be visited, as the panorama is simply stunning...

If you want to visit the temple, you have to drive past the Dhammayazika Pagoda directly in front of the entrance, pass the large pagoda to the back, and climb a small hill to reach the temple. The entrance to the almost square temple is on the left side.

Unfortunately, during our time in Bagan, there were no hot air balloons due to the rainy season, which only fly during the peak season from October to March and create an incredible view. Therefore, we must definitely return to Myanmar in the future =))