Following a morning flight from Yangon to Bagan, I took a taxi to Old Bagan to begin my temple run. There are those who do this with horse carriages, some who do this with electric scooters (which is what I did on day 2), but for the first day, I just did my Bagan temple run on foot. Although this may seem crazy when temperatures are 37-40c, in what feels like desert area, I must say it was a fairly positive experience, and felt much more local. I met a lot more people, I experienced things as the locals do, and I really felt the contrasts between the outside and the very cool temple indoors. This does make you want to linger in each temple as long as possible, and that’s when seeing a friendly Buddha face is the reassurance of a cool revival from the scorching heat outside.
Most of the temples are very close to one another, so you can just pick one starting point and randomly jump between them. Ananda temple is a good starting point, as it’s very close to the center of the old Bagan area. Each temple offers something a bit different that makes it an attraction, and with some temples you can climb up and get some grand views of the temples in the area. Early morning, those climbing friendly temples are a good place for you to watch the hot air balloons hovering over Bagan for those who have about 400USD to spare for an short ride to see the temples from above.
Let’s head out for a temple run…
Ananda Temple
Location:
That Bin Nyu
Location:
Myat Taw Pyay Old Bagan
Location:
Bagan Archaeological Museum
Location:
Want more? More to follow soon.