Bagan
 
This is it. The big one. You wouldn't go to Myanmar without seeing Bagan any more than you would go to Paris without seeing the Eiffel Tower. Terrible comparison, but I think you get my drift. Bagan is one of the truly great wonders of the world, all the more so for remaining obscure. Because Myanmar has been a closed country for so long, the temple complex of Bagan has not become a household name. A pity, on the one hand, as there really are few places in the world that can compare in terms of overwhelming beauty. And a blessing, on the other, as you will not find the crowds that bombard more well-known sights like the pyramids or Angkor Wat.
 
Imagine it: a wide, arid plain that was home to a royal city sometime around 1000 AD. A religious fervour swept the region, and eventually some 3000 or so exquisitly built temples and complexes turned the city into a glorious and important cultural center. Then a mysterious decline and the region was abandonned until the British came upon it and misnamed it Pagan. Some of the temples are still active places of worship, while others are crumbling ruins that carry only a pale reminder of more prosperous times.
 
 
Although it has been illegal since the 1990s to live in the Old Bagan Archeological Zone, you will still find shepherds roaming the area with their livestock.
 

It is a magical and stirring experience to look out over the plains and find ancient ruins spread as far as the eye can see, and well beyond that, too!

Some temples, like the one pictured on the right, have been partially restored. Religious devotees donate gold to have the tops of the temples gilded and restore some of their former glory. Some dissaprove of this sort of upkeep, as they would prefer Bagan to be preserved in its current state, not unlike the Acropolis. Others feel that Bagan is an important religious pilgrimmage for the Burmese people, and that the temples ought to be living, working places of worship. Regardless of which way you are inclined to feel, it is certain that Bagan is changing at a steady pace.
 
 
 
Outside of Old Bagan is the Shwezigon Paya, one of the oldest temples in Bagan. You wouldn't know it to look at it though, as it positively glitters under a thick layer of gold.
 
 
 
 
It is now forbidden to scramble up to the top of some of the temples in Bagan, but there are still quite a few tall monuments which, when barefoot, you are permitted to climb. The reward is spectacular views, especially at sunrise or sunset.
 

If at all possible, a visit to Bagan should be timed for the Pyatho Festival of Ananda Patho temple, the most revered temple in the region. People pour in from all over Myanmar to be at this religious event. There are hundreds (thousands??) of Buddhist monks who come to chant sutras and the temple complex is electrified with excitement.

People arrive from areas of Myanmar that are officially forbidden for tourists to visit. This means you have a unique opportunity to meet people and learn about these unvisited areas. Also, many of the people who attend the festival have never met a non-Burmese citizen, so they are excited and eager to talk with foreigners.
 
 
People bring offerings of fruit, money, sugar, or other goods.
 
Young apprentice nuns seem especially curious about foreigners!
 
Many people are eager to learn anything they can about foreign countries and the outside world. Government control makes it difficult for people to find out about the world-news sources are strictly censored and innovations such as the internet remain illegal. With a guidebook, a point-and-speak picture dictionary and a digital camera we found we were able to communicate even with people who could not speak a word of English. Most people we met at the festival had never heard of digital cameras, and they were much delighted to have their photos taken and be able to see their image captured on the tiny screen.
 
Then, of course, there are the old salts who make their living on the tourist trade. Postcard! Postcard! One Dollar!
 
   
 
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