The early start at 4.30am was difficult, and after Jayna was sick for a final time, we headed out of the guest house and to our waiting taxi. Jayna was still unwell, but we had little choice but to carry on with the plan.  

Luckily we had visited the pier before to make sure we knew where it was, so after the driver took us to the general area, we instructed him to the exact location . This involved a touch of reversing, at which point the taxi man ran over a dog. We don't think he killed the dog as there was no body, but there was a lot of crying and whimpering which was just awful. His car sustained an audible puncture and it was basically bad times all round.

We quickly made it to the pier, climbed over two other boats and made it into our wooden boat with a slight list to one side. Checking in was much easier than we could have hoped, with our names all printed correctly on the ship’s manifest. Our boat was a lovely wooden ferry with cushioned benches downstairs and wicker chairs under a partial covering on the roof. Jack and El headed straight upstairs to choose a prime location, while Jayna stretched out on one of the cushioned benches downstairs to try and sleep off her illness. She stayed there for the whole 11 hour journey and felt a lot better for it. In the meantime, Ken, Jack and El were on the top deck, enjoying the journey and the sights of the Ayeyarwady .

When the voyage was underway the crew rustled up some free coffee, tea, toast and sandwiches for the passengers, which was a pleasant surprise. As the boat chugged slowly down the river the sun appeared over the river bank, and illuminated the masses of stupas surrounding the river. There was some rearranging of furniture on the way – to get into the sun, to retreat from the sun – but eventually we settled and watched the beautiful scenery pass us by. The stupas began to thin out and eventually almost disappeared as we continued, but the scenery remained constantly stunning, including glimpses of Burmese life as water buffalo tilled fields and remote villagers carried their wares from place to place on their heads.

The trip passed blissfully. At noon the boat crew gave a vegetable rice dish to everyone on board, and shortly after this Jack, El and Ken decided it was rum o’clock. The journey was comfortable, scenic and thoroughly enjoyable.

Just after a stunning sunset on the river, and seeing huge colonies of bats swarming (save the bats!), we arrived at the Nyaung U Jetty, where we would disembark to get to Bagan. However the name 'jetty’ was wildly enthusiastic. Basically after a lot of faff from the boat crew and about 30 Nyaung U locals, two long, narrow planks were extended out to the boat. The planks were less than a foot wide, and very treacherous considering we had to navigate our way across them carrying our large bags while the jetty creaked and wobbled . Luckily for us, four of the locals were standing chest deep in the water holding oars as handrails to assist us across the planks. With us and our belongings dry we were finally off the boat after a delightful journey that began at 7am and ended after 5pm.

Now on dry land, there was a scrum of people vying for our business to take us New Bagan, where we were staying. One of the drivers had even clambered out onto the boat while the jetty was being set up to try and get our custom. After some discussion with a crowd of taxi drivers we eventually opted to go with the guy who had climbed on to the boat, as his was the cheapest price. That was when things got interesting, as it turned out that the locals that were dealing with the tourists weren’t even the taxi drivers. With the price agreed we were led to a car with another driver. After we had all piled in, the villagers started actually fighting over who had got the sale and therefore got the commission. Fisticuffs were had, and we were on our way .

We did not get far before we were stopped to buy an entry ticket into the Bagan Archaeological Zone. We had been expecting this, but were a bit surprised that it happened so soon, and were a little wary to begin with in case some enterprising tout had set up a counterfeit ticket booth. Fortunately, we remembered that we were not in India, and everything was in fact legit. We were more than happy to pay for the entry ticket and finally the taxi took us on our way to the Mya Thida guesthouse where we would be staying for the next four nights.

The hotel looked incredibly nice from the outside, with green plants and a water feature running down the middle of the accommodations. The rooms were basic, with single beds and sparse furniture, but with toilets and sinks which drained and hot running water, it was definitely a winner. The breakfast turned out to be a strange and interesting combination of doughnuts and chickpeas on one day, and noodles and egg on another .

On Monday 4th, Jayna was feeling better but did not want to push her luck by leaving the hotel. While she had a day in to recover, Ken, Jack and El rented electric motorbikes to go and see some of the outlying areas, temples and stupas of Bagan.

Our first impression was one of awe, as we saw stupa after temple after pagoda after paya pass us by on the road. We knew there were a lot of temples in Bagan, but this really was something else.

The day’s adventure began with Abeyadana Pahto, which is an 11th century paya supposed to have been commissioned by the King’s Bengali wife. This was not one of the grandest or most popular temples of Bagan, so Jack, El and Ken only had to share it with a couple of mild mannered touts selling trinkets outside. Inside the paya was poorly lit, with the limited light from the small windows all purposefully aimed at the multiple Buddha statues inside . Using the torch from Ken’s phone we were able to illuminate some beautiful frescoes decorating the walls between the Buddha statues and windows. Exploring the deserted paya in the darkness and illuminating the frescoes with a small torch gave us a very Indiana Jones/ Tomb Raider experience, which was thoroughly enjoyed.

Blinking back into the daylight we left Abeyadana Pahto, but did not immediately continue onto the next planned paya. The thing with Bagan is that there are payas, temples, pagodas and stupas literally everywhere. So after leaving Abeyadana Pahto we headed off across the fields on an aimless jaunt from one stunning, abandoned temple to the next. Eventually we stumbled across a pagoda with a keeper; a Buddhist man who watches over the pagoda during the day, and unlocks the gates for visitors to enter. Sitting on top of his pagoda he had seen us approaching over the fields, and was happy for us to enter the temple and have a look around.

The bottom floor was an open space with a large Buddha, which we circumnavigated as the keeper explained what was happening in some of the frescoes on the walls . He then led us up some low, narrow steps to the top of the pagoda where there were four smaller Buddhas looking out in all four directions over the stunning views of Bagan. This was the first time we had been elevated above the tree line and the first time our breath was taken away by the sheer quantity of stupas, temples, payas and pagodas stretching out towards the horizon. As mentioned before, they are everywhere. Everywhere we looked we could see more and more stupas poking out of the landscape.

After taking in the views the keeper informed us that his pagoda had a ‘secret’. He led us part of the way back down the stairs to a concealed entrance that led into a mezzanine floor within the pagoda. Here we had another Tomb Raider experience in dark, narrow tunnels illuminated by torchlight, and were shown more beautiful frescoes and tiny windows that overlooked neighbouring pagodas.

We had heard that the keepers of the pagodas expected a small sum of money for allowing entrance to their pagodas, so when we left we tried offering the man some cash, which to our surprise he refused . He did half-heartedly try to sell us some woven hats that he had made himself, but did not push it when we showed no interest. Amazed that the lovely keeper had shown us around his pagoda for no personal gain we left in high spirits, and decided to return to our electric bikes to continue with the planned sights of the day.

Before visiting any more pagodas, we were required to stop by Thatbyinnyu Paya (which we would explore in greater detail with Jayna on a subsequent day) to make sure that we would be able to pick up our train tickets for the overnight journey from Bagan to Yangon. This out of the way we continued on our way, stopping at random whenever another pagoda or paya tickled our fancy.

After lunch, where we witnessed some of the local youths wheelying their scooters down the main road, we headed almost all the way back to Nyaung U to explore Shwezigon Pagoda. This is still a working pagoda so was filled with locals and tourists alike going about their business around the giant golden stupa .

It was getting late in the day by this point and time to find somewhere to watch the sunset. We arrived early at one of the payas famous for its sunset views. However, a combination of itchy feet and arriving tour buses persuaded us to return to our ‘private’ pagoda, where we had met the keeper in the morning.

A short bike ride later and the keeper opened his pagoda’s gates to us with a familiar smile. After he had not accepted our offer of money earlier we tried this time to offer him some food and drink, which he still refused.

We settled down on the top of the pagoda, just ourselves, the keeper and one other couple, for a very intimate and stunning sunset over the many payas of Bagan. We looked forward to sharing the experience with Jayna the next day and hitting the larger and more famous temples that we had still in store.

On Tuesday 5th, Jayna was back with us! We went to breakfast with the intention of meeting Jack and El, only to find out that due to a troubled night’s sleep they had risen early and decided to see in sunrise from the top of Shwesandaw Paya, one of the larger temples famed for its sunrise and sunset views over the plain of Bagan . We formed a plan to meet them after we had breakfasted and they napped, and began our adventures for the day. After breakfast, Jayna was feeling unwell again, so in an effort not to ruin the day, we headed to a pharmacy for some anti-emetics. The one Jayna was given, according to the leaflet, was used for patients undergoing chemotherapy. It was strong stuff.

The first stop for the day was Htilominio Temple. Although this temple was not on the original itinerary, Jack, El and Ken had driven passed it the day before and resolved to check it out in more detail with Jayna. It was a stunning walled temple, larger and more brightly lit than the temples we had seen on the previous day, with beautiful patterned frescoes on the walls and ceilings and large Buddha statues facing in each direction in their own private chambers.

As we walked around the temple we were greeted by a supposed keeper of a nearby pagoda, who informed us that there was a great view of Htilominio Temple from the top of her pagoda. We eagerly accepted her offer, and left the walls of Htilominio to head up the dark narrow stairways of an adjacent pagoda. This pagoda was more of a box shape than any we had been to, and not as tall as our ‘private’ pagoda, but still had excellent views of the temple, as well as stunning views over the rest of Bagan. This was Jayna’s first time elevated above the tree level, and it was her turn to have her breath taken away by the sheer quantity of stupas spreading out over the plain .

After Htilominio we whizzed through the remaining walls of Old Bagan on our way to Thatbyinnyu Paya, the tallest temple in Bagan. We were now well on the beaten tourist track for the most popular temples in Bagan, but even so, the crowds were far smaller than any we had encountered in Angkor Wat or Chichen Itza. Whilst impressive on the outside, the inside of Thatbyinnyu was not as beautiful as many of the other temples we had visited, with white washed walls between giant Buddhas instead of the intricate frescoes we had seen elsewhere. Still, it was great to see up close the familiar tiered box shape and high sikhara that make it a looming landmark visible from almost anywhere in Bagan.

Next stop was another of the most popular temples in Bagan; Ananda Pahto. Like the Shwezigon Pagoda from the previous day, this was still a functioning temple. This meant that most of the temple had been restored to its true glory, unlike the majority of temples in Bagan . Here we saw four giant teak standing Buddha statues facing each of the four directions. Two were original, two were restored, and one of them is considered a rare Buddha image as it portrays the hand gesture that Buddha used during his very first teaching. As well as the four giant Buddhas there were hundreds of smaller statues placed in alcoves around all of the walls of the temple.

After seeing so many Buddhas the next temple on the list was quite controversial; Nat Hlaung Kyaung, the only Hindu temple in Bagan. It is also supposed to be the oldest temple. This temple was much smaller than the last two temples we had visited, and contained four Vishnu statues facing each direction along with some pretty murals on the walls. We had heard rumours that this temple had been left standing while all of the other temples were constructed to be Buddhist temples to act as a metaphorical ‘prison’ for the Nat, the animist spirits worshipped by the Burmese before Hinduism and Buddhism came along .

In the area of Nat Hlaung Kyaung was Nga Kywe Na Daung, a stepped stupa that we were allowed to climb for more beautiful views over the plain, and Pahto Thamya. Pahto Thamya proved to be another dark, Tomb Raider experience, with some truly stunning and well preserved murals inside that we studied by torchlight. We examined these murals for some time, trying to piece the story together and creating our own version of events that included the introduction of Buddhism to Myanmar and the conversion of the King’s religion from that of the Nat to the worship of the Buddha, and the sacking of a nearby Buddhist city for its relics. Whether any of this is true or not is highly debateable, but we had fun pretending to decipher the frescoes none-the-less.

The next stop took us back to the banks of the Ayeyarwady River. Here we stopped to see Bupaya Pagoda, containing a bulbous stupa that looked out over the river. Here we took in the pretty views and saw an odd monk coming to admire the pagoda.

Not long afterwards we were back on our bikes and zooming on our way towards Shwesandaw Paya. This is the same paya that Jack and El had been to for sun rise in the morning. It is one of the most popular payas in Bagan, due to its height and the availability to climb it. Here Jack and El went on an off road adventure to try and find some bird life while Jayna and Ken clambered to the top for the amazing views it offered .

The shadows were starting to lengthen now and it was time to embark on a more ‘adventurous’ ride down narrow, sandy goat tracks to a temple on the outskirts of Bagan; Pyathada Pagoda. This pagoda was recommended for sunset because of its remote location as well as its position to the east of the main Bagan temples, offering stunning views of the sun setting behind the now familiar temples.  

When we finally arrived after our exciting off road jaunt we were met with a view of the ‘great wall of tripods’. The top of the pagoda was lined with sunset snappers, eager to get the once in a lifetime shot. Luckily, as well as being remote, the top of Pyathada was also very wide, so despite the tripods we were still able to find a comfortable spot for all four of us to watch the stunning sunset over the temples of Bagan.

As the sun dipped towards the horizon we had some time to walk the boundaries of the pagoda’s top level, and were amazed to see that even here, on this remote eastern pagoda, there were still seas of stupas in all directions, even further east from where we already were. There really are so, so many temples in Bagan, it would take months to see them all.

We left almost as soon as the sun sank below the horizon, to avoid being stuck behind the tripod wielding masses on the dusty roads back to civilisation, and also to avoid as much night driving as possible . It took us quite a while to get back, and by the time we did night had fully dropped. Luckily for us our bike batteries lasted and our lights were sufficient, which is more than can be said for some less fortunate bikers who were pushing their depleted bikes along the road. In fact, we were very impressed with the quality of the electric bikes we rented. At one point we stopped due to an owl spotting, but otherwise we made it back to the guesthouse safe and sound.

On Wednesday 6th, Jayna and Ken rose early for their own sunrise viewing from Shwesandaw Paya. Luckily the bike rental shop opened at 5am, so we picked up our bike and headed out into the darkness. It was a very cold ride. Even with all of our warm layers on (we had been warned about the cold) the cold wind still managed to cut through and we were more than happy when we finally made it to the temple.

The temple was crowded, but not overly so. Still we decided to set up camp on the second highest level, to avoid too much crowding and jostling . Then we waited. At first it was still dark enough to see the stars, so we admired these for a while until the sky started to brighten. Soon the hot air balloons that seem synonymous with Bagan sunrises began to drift off the horizon. Then we watched in awe as the sun climbed into the sky and the mist began rising off the jungle, to envelope the dimly lit temples of Bagan in a thin shroud.

Thankfully it began to warm as soon as the sun was up, but it was still a chilly ride back to the guesthouse. We decided to take a quick nap before catching up with Jack and El for lunch on our last day in Bagan.

We began with Dhammayangyi Temple, the largest temple in Bagan. As we entered the outer walls of the temple we saw that some enterprising tout had hung a myriad of marionette puppets from a tree in the temple grounds. Here they creepily swung in the breeze, like a scene from the Blair Witch Project.

Tearing our gaze away from the marionette tree we entered the giant temple . We spent some time admiring the beautiful frescoes and many Buddha statues, including room with a very rare image of two Buddha statues next to each other – one depicting the Buddha from the past, the other the future Buddha. We also discovered a very dodgy stairway leading to a high window ledge that we explored for a while before braving the descent back to ground level.

The next temple to visit was Sulamani Pahto, which translates roughly as Crowning Jewel. However, this temple has a darker side than most temples in Bagan. The legend states that if one of the brick layers did not lay his bricks with enough precision the King would cut his arm off. There were holes in the walls of the temple to show where these acts had been committed.

The temple was very creepy, with several passageways being walled up for reasons we did not know. That and the dark history made it quite a chilling temple to visit. It had its beauty as well, of course . Needless to say the brickwork was fantastic, and there were still several large murals intact on the inside, including large images of reclining Buddhas along the walls. On the outside walls the temple was covered in detailed mosaic tiles. While we were there we witnessed a team of workers expertly restoring some of the more worn tiles with syringes of chemicals, scraping tools and brushes.

When we had taken our fill of the haunting corridors we moved onto a small temple hidden just behind called Thabeik Hmauk. This was a much smaller temple, in the same style as Sulamani Pahto. We thought we would be able to climb to the top of Thabeik Hmauk but unfortunately the keeper was not present, so although we could explore the lower chamber of the pagoda, we could not take in the views. However, to make up for it, as we were peeking out of one of the downstairs windows we witnessed a goat giving birth to a kid.

Our time at Bagan was nearing its end, and we wanted to make sure that Jayna had the opportunity to view the ‘private’ pagoda that Jack, El and Ken had visited on their first day . So as sunset approached we zipped off on our electric bikes back to familiar territory. Jack and El accompanied us most of the way, but peeled off at the last minute for some bird spotting. Jayna and Ken found themselves at the private pagoda, but instead of being met by the keeper, we were met by his younger brother. Still, the young boy was happy to show us around, including through the secret room, and we had a lovely romantic sunset with just ourselves, the keeper’s brother and his friend, and two other women who had also discovered the pagoda.

As darkness crept in our time in Bagan was over, so we took our bikes for one last ride back to the rental shop before heading out for delicious food and drinks in town and retiring for the night.

Next stop – Yangon!

* We hope you like pictures of temples!

** Pictures by Jack, El, Ken and Jayna.