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Today the alarm woke us up rudely at 4.15am, we were planning on hiring a horse cart to take us back to the temples for sunrise and then a morning exploring further a field. We got up and dressed before heading out to meet the other two and then headed off. Typical the day we wanted a horse cart to pass us ...none did and instead we had to make our way to the bus station. It was only a short walk but every minute counted this morning so we hurried along. Once there we were bombarded with drivers who quoted overpriced fares, probably as they knew we were short on time. After a good ten to fifteen minutes discussion we were finally at the point of closing the deal... Only if we got to the sunrise in time.
We clambered into two horse carts and set off... As soon as we did I massively regretted the decision to take one. We felt that it was all part of the experience here to see the temples by horse cart but I tend to avoid animal related ventures as I feel they are often over worked. This horse looked well fed and looked after but was obviously not happy walking along a Tarmac road while being intermittently tapped by this young boy... Problem being that the horse simply couldn't go at the speed he wanted on this type of road. I tried to explain that it didn't matter and let the horse go at his own speed but the boy could understand little English.
After about twenty mins we suddenly turned off the road on the left hand side, we could now see that we weren't going to the temple we expected but hoped this one may be a hidden gem that not many people knew about. On arriving we were a bit taken a back as this small temple barely looked like it had a view although it was indeed quiet so that was something. We climbed up and saw that there was a view albeit not the highest viewpoint in the area, but a view all the same and no tourists or hawkers in sight. We sat at the top enjoying the peace, which was short lived as soon enough a few more people arrived at the temple... However it was mostly independent travellers on horse carts and thankfully no tour buses. The view was beautiful none the less and it was very peaceful and quiet, we walked around admiring the view from all sides and just marvelling at the beauty around us.
Sadly Kristin was not feeling so at peace and was struggling with tummy cramps and nausea, which had quickly come on while en route. She was trying her best to enjoy the moment but you could see she was struggling. We tried to keep her spirits up and remind her the sunrise wasn't far away, which I'm sure made little difference to her spirits. Steven was wandering around and enjoying the view while me and Arnauld were playing around with my camera and trying to get some nice shots.
Soon enough a small red ball could be seen through the clouds and the familiar clicking of cameras could be heard. We sat and enjoyed the sunrise for as long as poor Kirstin could tolerate it then made the descent back down. Here Kristin and Arnauld were going to head back to the hotel as they had a night bus tonight so wanted to rest up and hopefully Kristin would feel better. While we were waiting for the horse cart drivers (they were re-shoeing the horses), me and Steven had a little look at what we wanted to see today. We had covered a vast amount of temples since arriving which took the pressure off and meant we could have a slow morning. Steven grabbed the map and followed the driver around to the front of the horse where he was was going to have a cheeky smoke. On passing Edo (our horse for the day) decided he wanted to get to know Steven a little better and had a nibble on his arm, from where we were standing we didn't see this and just suddenly noticed the horse getting restless and pulling on the cart, to which the driver settled him. Next thing Steven came back over holding his arm and moaning that the horse had bit him.
The wound itself was like a blood blister and not open... Think he just pinched him as thankfully horses don't really have sharp teeth. It looked very red and sore and Steven was feeling a bit sorry for himself, but thankfully it wasn't too bad. We told the driver and he didn't really say anything ....just shrugging his shoulders while his mate said it would be fine. By now the other two were ready to head off and we waved goodbye and hoped they would have a restful sleep.
We discussed our plan for the day with the drivers friend (our guy couldn't speak English) and set off ready for our first destination. The horse was thankfully more chilled now as it was walking mostly on soft sand rather than the hard road and we had tried to emphasise to the driver that we were in no rush so we could go at Edo's pace. We trotted down the road and soon found ourselves at the Sulamani temple which was built in 1181 under the rule of Narapatisithu. The temple is often considered the crowning jewel of Bagan and has some of the best brickwork of the area. It was quite a sight on arrival but as soon as you walk through the arch into the grounds you are met by a number of stalls along both sides of the walkway and locals advertising (shouting) their wares to you. We politely declined and carried on walking.
The temple itself is beautiful and covered in finely carved plaster carvings, the early morning sun was radiating the building beautifully and made it appear a slight pink colour. Once inside the light was distributed in a beautifully peaceful way, it illuminated little amounts of the temple and created many beautiful photo opportunities such as the Buddhas that sit at the entrances. It made their gold coat shimmer and was very picturesque. We were the only people here at this moment and it was so tranquil and relaxing walking around the coolness of this stunning temple. After about twenty minutes or so lots of local people suddenly appeared being led by monks, they all knelt down at one corner of the temple and began praying. We walked past them after they had stood back up and they were very warm and friendly towards us saying 'Ming gah la ba' which is hello or even saying morning to us. We enjoyed the atmosphere for a little bit longer before leaving the local people to worship in peace.
On exiting we could see several smaller temples across the sandy road and so gestured to our driver that we would check them out. We wandered over and saw three stumpy legged dogs chasing each other in the dust... Soon enough we proved more of an interesting distraction and they began to follow us. I wandered through the bushes first, closely followed by our three new companions before Steven followed with the camera. They were pretty cute and stuck close to us until we reached the small entrance to the tiny temple... Then they went off playing and chasing each other. We stood in the small temple, of about ten foot square staring at another beautiful Buddha statue, while the large arched windows on each side shone warm sunlight into the space illuminating the Buddha further and giving a warm glow to everything in sight. We stood for a minute enjoying the moment before something whizzed past the window on the right... We looked to the right and heard it again on the left... Turned out the dogs were chasing each other around the temple at a very fast pace! I started giggling as it reminded me of an old Simpsons episode where the same thing occurred in a spoof of the alien films. Moment lost we wandered back out to find our little friends who had tired themselves and were waiting to escort us back, this time Steven took the lead and they followed him eagerly while I stood for a movement to take in the sheer beauty of the large temple being shadowed by the glow of the sun.... Stunning.
Once we were back at the cart the dogs had lost interest and resumed their chasing game, so we climbed aboard and continued our journey.... Well i climbed aboard and when Steven tried Edo started walking off, he's somehow really offended this horse. Our next destination was the Dhammayangyi Temple, which dates back to 1167 and was built by King Narathu. He was also know as Kalagya Min or the 'king killed by Indians'. He was a particularly brutal king and built this temple to atone his sins as he had previously smothered both his father and brother before executing his Indian princess wife for practicing Hinduism. On constructing this temple he ordered the mortarless brickwork to fit together so tightly that not even a pin could be put between the bricks. If anyone failed on this task then their arms were chopped off.... The king was assassinated himself in 1170.
This temple now thankfully has a much more peaceful feel and again was radiant within the morning glow. We walked around and were soon joined by more locals and monks which led us to believe they were pilgriming as its their holidays now. The temple is vast with eery dark corridors, that amplify the sound of the bats squeaking high up on the bricked ceiling. One particular corridor on the east side had the early morning sun shining through the massive open windows and thus allowed us to actually see the bats hanging out. I took some pictures and they are quite cool as you can actually see them looking at you.... Also a bit creepy! We quickly moved on and found ourselves within a group of local people all saying hello in both English and Burmese... Some even wanting pictures with us. After chatting briefly we moved around the next corner and were greeted by two monks who wanted to practice their English.... We chatted a little but their English was basic and my Burmese was even more so. They let me take a picture of them though before we bowed our heads in thanks and moved on.
We wandered around for a fair while taking in the huge Buddha statues and the beautiful murals, before heading outside to explore the grounds. The temple its self is stunning with intricate carvings and such... On wandering I saw some pretty pink ceremonial umbrellas and took some pictures, before Steven came over excitedly telling me here was an awesome photo opportunity around the corner. I gave him the camera and followed him round to see the two monks sitting on the window sill of the higher windows dangling their feet and enjoying the view. They happily smiled while we took some pics before we thanked them again and carried on... From this temple the view were very nice and we could even see the Dhammayangyi temple we had just come from standing proud in the distance. It was quite misty from the sand and heat, it so reminded me of the scene from Labyrinth, when the young girl is looking at the palace from across the maze. We carried on exploring a little longer before heading out to find our horse and cart... We found them under the shade of a nearby tree and the driver was sparko. We thought maybe he had enjoyed a heavy night the previous night as he had all the symptoms of a hangover including the grumpy old man attitude. We were enjoying the view so in no rush to wake him but another horse cart driver just laughed and woke him up.... Eventually. We jumped on the cart and continued on our way with our very sleepy driver.
As we headed down the dusty sand road we could just make out the rich burgundy robes of the monks we had been talking to... They looked quite the sight and again provided a beautiful photo opportunity. We soon neared them and subsequently overtook them to which we were greeted with a smile and a wave. They were very nice and Steven couldn't help taking one last photo, at this rate they were going to require a restraining order.
We continued on along the sandy road enjoying the pace in which Edo was walking, the scenery around was beautiful and appreciated a lot more from the slow pace of the cart. The roads were very dusty and muted in tone giving an almost desert like appearance, this was counteracted however by the green shrubbery surrounding the temples... You could see that as the season was becoming increasingly more dry and hot the greenery was losing its lushness, this made us feel even more privileged as we were seeing it all at a perfect time. For now the tourist season was over we weren't surrounded by hordes of coaches full of huge camera welding tourists. Instead we were pretty much alone in most of the temples but had come in time to see the fast diminishing greenness of the bushes and the colourful beauty of the flowers before the dry season fully takes effect. Most temples on these plains were surrounded by a beautiful bushes of bright pink flowers, which look exquisite next to the sandy terracotta colour of the temples... It really does help to produce a beautiful scene, especially as it is further emphasised by the ever present fragrant and floral smells of jasmine and such.
We laid back and enjoyed a relaxing journey back towards Old Bagan where we passed our fave eatery 'Yar Pyi family restaurant' (with the new mum), on passing the whole family said hello and waved ecstatically at us which was very sweet... We rode on and soon found ourselves at a small pagoda which stood gleaming in the sun due to the sheer amount of white and gold used in its decoration. We left our shoes at the entrance and walked up onto the terrace where white tiles greeted us... Normally preferable over the dark greys and such found here as they truly hold the heat. In one corner was the familiar sight of the prayer bell which we chimed with a log placed nearby. We then wandered back down and climbed back on to the horse cart and continued on.
After the chaos of the big 'tourist' temples we were happy to pull over at a cluster of smaller stupas. Here was a older gentleman and a few ladies selling a small selection of wares but we tried to avoid eye contact... Like that ever works. We headed off to explore the smaller temples that were scattered around before coming back to the main one, which was only slightly larger. Here the gate was locked but the gentleman offered to unlock it as he was the key holder... We followed him in and he gave us some information on the place. Near the foot of the Buddha I noted some money that was unfamiliar. I knew Steven was collecting various currencies and has a great interest in Myanmar so asked the man about them. It turned out that they were old notes from the previous currencies... One in particular... a one kyat note caught my eye from the late forties that had the leader of the Burma Independence Army 'Aung San' (Aung San Suu Kyi's father) on it. It was a pretty little note and very well looked after, after some negotiating the guy said he would sell it for 3000 kyat. I laughed and said that's inflation for you but knew Steven would regret not purchasing it. He made the purchase and we chatted further with the chap about Myanmar before he tried to sell us a pound coin for 1000 kyats (about 75p). We apologised and said we wouldn't need one for a while but thanked him for offering.
After a period of chatting with this very nice man we were aware time was getting on so said our goodbyes and left... After a shot period of riding the stunning 'Htilominlo Pahto' came in to view. This temple is a huge 150 foot high temple and was built in 1218. It is said to be the last Myanmar style temple built in Bagan and was built by King Nantaungmya on the spot where he was chosen among his five brothers to be the crowned king. The selection process although bizarre was traditional for the time and involved erecting a white umbrella then once the umbrella tilts its position the king is chosen. on arriving you can see a striking resemblance between this and the Sulamani temple. As you walk in to the grounds you are asked for your pass (good job we bought it) and are then met by hawker city... All along the inner wall are stalls selling anything from paintings to key rings. We kept our focus and walked straight on. Inside the temple is numerous gold Buddhas surrounded by the most beautiful and well preserved murals depicting Buddha and various stories and also the horoscopes... Said to protect the temple, it really is a beautiful place and the murals are exquisite and very well preserved.
We wandered around trying to take in everything we were seeing before we wandered outside to explore. There a local lady told us about a view point and gestured that we should follow her... We did so knowing there was going to be a cost involved along the way. We followed her through the outer wall and towards a small outer brick building, through here were several small staircases and the odd Buddha but soon enough we were on the roof and admiring the view. There was already a Norwegian couple there being guided by the ladies children we assumed... Quite the thing she has going here. She then pointed out all the main temples near by before giving us some history on this temple.
We sat and enjoyed the view for a while taking some pics and such before we thanked her and she took us back down... On entering the grounds again the obligatory 'I have a stall' chat came out, we knew it was coming but happily went as after all she had shown us a beautiful sight. She then proceeded to shove everything in my face in the hope of selling it but in the end I said I would have a look myself. We found a Myanmar style bottle opener and then Steven haggled her on the price, everything on her stall was double the price of everywhere else and the bottle opener started at 3000 kyat. He eventually got her down to 1500 kyat and we had a deal, we then wandered back out to find our horse and cart.
On exiting we found our driver was having a bite to eat at a local stall, we told him to carry on and we would check out a couple more places nearby. In one of the small temples we were greeted by a young boy selling postcards... I told him how much I had paid before (less than half the asking price) and after going off and asking his mum he agreed on a sale. We then chatted a little as he was also collecting money but in the shape of coins, he showed us his collection of which he had no sterling. We felt bad as had none on us and now wished we had bought that pound coin from the money chap. We rummaged through our bags and found some Hong Kong currency and handed that over to him, which he gratefully accepted as he was yet to have any. By now our driver was ready so we waved goodbye and jumped back on the cart.
By now it was about ten twenty am and we were finishing at eleven so assumed we would be heading back but instead were taken to the Shwezigon Pagoda, which sits by the river in the town we were residing. This huge and very active pagoda is the towns main place of worship and is similar to the Shwedagon Paya in Yangon with its large gold stupa illuminated in the bright late morning sun, by now we were getting increasingly warm and so on entering the grounds and finding yet another walkway of shops, we could only laugh. Here two women were instantly on us and giving us 'gifts' which we knew all to well were tags... Then they gave us their names and said they would see us after. We left our shoes at the entrance and headed in to the site. There were numerous people here both local and tourists but it still felt calm and serene. We walked around and took some pics before sitting briefly to enjoy the view. We didn't stay long as we were aware of time and it was very similar to the pagoda in Yangon... Plus it was on our doorstep so we could always return.
We walked back though the walkway and as predicted were dragged to the shop of one of the women, she had kept our shoes for 'safe keeping' and then proceeded to again get me to buy everything on her stall. I noted a small lacquerware box that I had seen numerous times in the last few days and tried to sell it to me for 5000 kyat (everywhere else its 1000 kyat). At that point I lost interest and made an excuse to leave... Firstly I had to save Steven from the clutches of another stall owner who wouldn't take no for an answer, in the end I said we have to go as on a deadline so said goodbye and we legged it. We found our cart and jumped on then proceeded back to the bus station where we paid and said thank you.
We then took a walk back to our room and chilled in the niceness of the air con for a while before we saw Arnauld in passing. Apparently Kirstin had slept since returning home after a bout of D&V so they had delayed their bus till tomorrow night. We passed on our love and then I went to FaceTime my sister Hannah as it was her birthday... I woke her up and we chatted briefly before she phoned me back a short while later looking a lot more alert. After that we sat outside with Arnauld and chatted for a while before Stevens family FaceTimed us. They had all gone out for an Easter meal and so were all at our cousins house, this included gran who we rarely get a chance to speak to. We then spent a good while catching up with everyone and sharing stories.
After a good catch up we chilled out for the afternoon sorting photos, writing postcards and doing the blog, once evening approached we met up with Arnauld and went to get some dinner. Kirstin was still sleeping so Arnauld was going to return with some naan for her. We headed to the Main Street and found a place that did thali's... Steven ordered Indian, Arnauld Nepalese and I just ordered a Thai green curry. We were all given a dhal which was very tasty before the boys thali arrived, which looked delicious. My curry although nice as neither spicy (as requested) or a green curry... Instead it was like veg and rice with gravy and as it was bland I added some mint sauce so then resembled the remnants of a roast dinner, which was nice in its own way. After dinner we headed back and after a brief sit outside chatting we all headed to bed... Shattered.
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Mum Steven and horses never did get on together ..Oh dear xx