More than 2.000 Buddhist temples are still in the valley of Bagan, out of the original 10.000 built between 11th and 13th centuries when the Kingdom of Pagan was at its peak.
We spent two days exploring the area with bicycles, including an half-day trip to Mount Popa.
Mount Popa
Mount Popa is a mountain with yet another temple on it. The whole mountain is considered holy and it’s a a place where nat spirits are worshiped. Beautiful on paper, the whole experience was disappointing. Climbing up the stairs barefoot, required by the holiness of the place. was disgusting. The stairs were dirty, wet because of the rain and monkeys were throwing leftovers around. In such a day the view from the top was just a white cloud all around us.
Bagan area
The valley of Bagan was a real marvel. A place to get lost hopping from one temple to another. Climbing up on them, taking pictures like there’s no tomorrow.
Words are too limiting, here are the pictures and I hope you’ll also feel a bit Baganized.
How sweet! 😀 Do you have to pay to enter the valley – or how are they preserved? Not by buying a blue azulejo, I hope 🙂
Yes, there’s a 15$ entrance fee paid when you get in the valley area. Some temples had some renovation work done, most didn’t. My impression is that what we saw won’t last too long. If hordes of tourists will pour in in coming years, they will have to limit access to the temples… or sell blue azulejos 😛
One of the highlights of Southeast Asia for me – truly an amazing place!
Yeah! I kind of regret having done Angkor Wat just two weeks after Bagan, I got Stendhal syndrome! #firstworldproblems
Bagan… My favourite…
Bagan… My favourite…
Beautiful pictures!