Byron and Amy up in the observatory tower in the Mandalay Royal Palace. Photo taken by Byron. |
The cyclos in Myanmar are different than the ones in Vietnam in that they can seat two people back to back. I think it's quite scary to be facing backwards, I felt like I was going to fall off. |
Mandalay street scene. |
A typical Burmese restaurant. Open and partially in the street. |
A typical bus with monks finding any place they can to hitch a ride. |
When we got to this river, locals were on hand to direct us across, for a small fee of course. Photo taken by Byron. |
Mt. Popa, an extinct volcano 50 km from Bagan. |
Lunchtime. There were hundreds of very aggressive monkeys along the very long stairway up to the top of Mt. Popa. |
These girls took me by the arms and lifted me up the hundreds of stairs up Mt. Popa. They actually saved me from a potentially treacherous fall on the super slick wet marble at the top. Photo taken by Byron. |
Byron had his own helpers warding off monkeys and making the long climb a little easier. |
These girls took me by the arms and lifted me up the hundreds of stairs up Mt. Popa. They actually saved me from a potentially treacherous fall on the super slick wet marble at the top. Photo taken by Byron. |
A bright buddha on Mt. Popa. Photo taken by Byron. |
Byron clanging the a prayer bell on top of Mt. Popa. |
I stopped to take a few photos of the monkeys who got quite aggressive, and the girls had to push them away from me. Photo taken by Byron. |
A herd of oxen outside Bagan. |
Our first stop on our one full day in Bagan, Saturday, October 29, 2005 was Khay-min-gha. We had planned to rent bikes for $1/day to ride around to all of the temples and pagodas, but it was pouring rain, so we opted for a driver. This was a smart choice because our guide did speak a little English and took us to places we wouldn't have otherwise seen. The top of Khay-min-gha offered a great view of the surrounding area, even in the rain. |
Our second stop was Ananda Temple. Built in 1050, this temple is very large scale and houses 4 large standing images of the Buddha on each end of a Greek cross layout. There are also 80 relieves depicting the life of the Buddha from his birth to his enlightenment inside. |
One of the 4 large standing images of the Buddha in Ananda Temple. |
Dhamma-yah-gyi Pahto, Bagan's most massive temple, built by King Narathu in 1167, was our third stop of the day. |
Su-la-ma-ni Pahto temple was one of my favorites to explore. Instead of a lot of shiny gold, this temple had more charm and character. There was a large sitting Buddha inside and several other smaller, but still large Buddhas. There were also many faded paintings on the walls. |
Paintings of Buddhas on the walls of Su-la-ma-ni Pahto. |
Byron and I felt like we were in a scene of one of the Indiana Jones movies while exploring Su-la-ma-ni Pahto. To go any farther than the top of this stairway, we would have needed to walk along a 1 foot wide ledge with no hand holds. |
I believe that this is the view of Ananda Temple from Su-la-ma-ni Pahto. It's too bad it was such a dreary day. I'd love to go back to Bagan on a clear day. |
We had a great view of Su-la-ma-ni Pahto shortly after driving away. Photo taken by Byron. |
A benefit of having a guide was that he took us to some great temples that were not on the map. This unnamed temple, #820, was opened just for us. It has paintings depicting Buddha's life story on the inside walls. Photo taken by Byron. |
Na-ga-yon Temple was our 6th stop. This temple had beautiful natural stone statues that had been recently restored. There was a refreshing absence of the gaudy gold seen in so many religious structures around Myanmar. |
We at lunch at the Green Elephant, a very nice and (for Myanmar standards) expensive restaurant with great river views. I believe this is the Aye Yarwaddy River. |
Our first stop after lunch was Nan-paya. This temple featured dimly lit Buddhas carved into the inside pillars. Photo taken by Byron. |
Ma-nu-ha Temple featuring a Buddha so big you could barely squeeze past it into the two adjoining rooms. Photo taken by Byron. |
A prayer bell at Ma-nu-ha. |