4000+ temples at sunrise, the Ayeyarwady river, and slow rising mist created a photo tour that was just as hard to narrow down as photos of Inle Lake.
A ceremonial procession for some young boys. Possibly to become novice monks
This kid really wanted whatever the guy was drinking
Shwezigon Paya
The small Buddha was the original in this stupa. A larger Buddha was later built around the smaller Buddha, making the smaller Buddha appear to be a baby.
Lina and her "tour guide". The kid took us to the top of a nearby temple. Special because most temples you cannot go up in.
Biking was a popular way to get around Bagan. Although it's not recommended for the day.
A giant gold Buddha in a temple
Perspective of big Buddha from a small Buddha
Each portal in this hall contained a Buddha
Gated
A much needed gazpacho and fruit smoothies for biking around the 100 degree desert
Delicious. Coconut curry.
Lina presents. A temple!
The first sand painter we saw was special, but there seems to be one at every temple in Bagan. Since there are 4000+ temples, the supply far exceeds the demand, allowing this sandpainter to catch a mid-day ciesta.
notice the foragers amongst the temples?
we asked for a temple you can climb, and boy did we get one. The stairs were as high as my knees, but barely fit half my foot.
Gold, white and red temples
each little dot in the horizon is a temple. imagine this view for 360 degrees
the locals wanted to take a picture with me, so I also took a picture with them. this happened quite frequently!
Pavement was hard to find here. Sand roads connected most of the temples. The thin tires on the bikes would sometimes get stuck in deeper sand
Inside looking out of a temple side door
It looks like there was another Buddha on this wall before this more apparent one was painted
The sun beings to set
Dhammayangyi Pahto. The temple where we would watch the sun set from the upper wall. We got lost in the desert for a bit trying to find this one.
But it had a great view
Dust rises in Bagan
paper umbrellas
Waiting for the sun to rise on top of Buledi temple.
we got to see hot air balloons get blown up. unfortunately, even if there is some wind, they don't go up
Note: the background is not a watercolor painting. There are just 4,000 stupas in this town and it created a beautiful backdrop to this sunrise
Lina on a temple
zoom zoom
a much recommended day trip to the aureum palace hotel
second that
Sunset at the Aureum Palace Hotel in Bagan
yes, these temples were real
we got a personal tour of several temples by this kind monk
he even had to unlock doors for us
but the view was worth it. and not many tourists come this way either
fortunately, Lina didn't see these. It would have frozen her in her tracks
our boat captain
kids living in a fishing village on a sand bar in the river
complete with fishing boats
crops and a pig
and the kids loved my camera
boat captain and guide
we had to rescue this group
sunset
can you see the sun? it has set behind the smog of Bagan. It's burning season in Burma
more burmese hand crafted motor vehicles
but some still do it the old fashioned way
and others really pile on
and on
These were at every rest stop… "Flavors were selected specifically for a beer drinker's enjoyment" haha
More Bagan
Interested in more details or planning a trip to Bagan? Check out our Bagan tips page and follow along on our Bagan bike trip.
Which photo was your favorite? Let us know in the comments!
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