Bagan

A most unlikely trip: Myanmar, a country with untouched pristine nature is in the midst of a political turmoil. The ancient city of Bagan, with more than 2,000 pagodas built between 9th and 13th centuries is its most famous tourist destination. However, the prevailing situation has left it deserted, with absolutely no tourists. But my desire to take a break from Yangon and a lot of persuasion and motivation from a dear friend finally convinced me to undertake this journey to "experience" Bagan in its seclusion.

The flight from Yangon to Bagan was only half full. I slept through most of the one and a half hour flight, but got up just in time to get a glimpse of the mighty Irrawaddy as we were about to land at the Nyang-U airport near the ancient city of Bagan.

The weather was pleasant with a hint of drizzle now and then. At the airport, I met my Taxi guy, Ko Soe. (Ko Soe later turned out to be my guide and photographer as well). And so began my 3 day incursion in Bagan. Little did I know that it will turn out to a most unique experience.

The haunting loneliness: Bagan, the capital of the Kingdom of Pagan Empire from the 9th to the 13th centuries, looked as if it had stood back in time - with empty roads and silent landscape. I had thought that I had struck a steal deal on one of the best resorts in Bagan - the Aureum Palace. The reason behind the dirt cheap prices hit me in the face as soon as I arrived at expansive resort set in 27 acres of tropical landscaped gardens. It looked astonishingly empty and borderline apocalyptic! Upon enquiry I came to know that I was the only foreigner staying there along with just 2-3 more local tourists. Well, of course! I was the only foreigner in the flight too.

The sole foreigner: I hired an e-bike from the resort to roam around in the land of Pagodas (had read numerous blogs saying it is a must do in Bagan). But as I was heading out from the hotel receptionist warned me, "It's not safe here, sir. You are the only foreigner here today. Please make sure to come back before sunset". And all my dreams of watching the sun set in the background of a thousand year old pagoda went crumbling down at once. Nonetheless, I started my exploration on a ebike. I was greeted with hauntingly empty streets and pagodas everywhere.

With absolutely no idea of where to go, I followed the road and took turns on my hunch. After about 10 minutes, I arrived at the Sulamani Pagoda.

Apart from a security guard, there was no one else at the Pagoda. He asked me where I was from and told me that I was the first visitor of the day (it was 3 PM!). I was surprised by his fluency in English. Upon asking he told me that he used to work as a tourist guide earlier and also knew a little bit of Mandarin. He told me about two of the most famous Pagodas in Bagan which were nearby - the Dhammayangyi and the Ananda.

At Ananda Phaya, my e-bike's battery gave in, leaving me stranded with the sun about to go down. I looked around and found a small tea shop with 2-3 local people. They saw me and immediately understood the situation. One of the locals, Ko Saw, told me that I have to call the resort and they will send someone with a new battery. Apparently, e-bikes running out of battery are quite common in Bagan. While I was waiting for the replacement we had a nice cup of tea with conversations in broken English and Burmese about the situation in the country.

After about 30 mins the resort car came to pick me up. I reached back at the resort just before the sunset, which anyways was not visible due to the cloudy weather. After a rest, I enjoyed my dinner at the resort's lavish restaurant left all to myself.

Popa Taung Kalat - The monkey fortress: After much deliberation I decided to head out to Popa Taung Kalat with Ko Soe on Day 2 of my trip. Popa Taung Kalat is about an hour's journey from Bagan. The Taung Kalat which means "Pedestal Hill" is actually a monastery and temple complex built on a volcanic plug near Myanmar's extinct volcano Mount Popa.

At the foothills of Popa Taung Kalat there are many shops some of which will ask you to buy peanuts and feed the monkeys. I bought few packets from one of these and was immediately surrounded by a horde of malnourished monkeys. Sadly, a lack of tourists have had an effect on our distant cousins too.

To reach the top of Popa Taung Kalat you have to climb 777 stairs with monkeys guarding each one of them. But none of them seemed aggressive or even mildly threatening to me. I guess my good deed at the start of ascent had already established me as a harmless trespasser. After about 20 minutes with 3 short breaks, I reached the top of Taung Kalat. The view from summit was absolutely breathtaking.

After spending about 30 minutes at the summit, I descended and set off on my journey back to Bagan. The remaining part of my day was spent in visiting magnificent Pagodas and getting my pictures clicked by Ko Soe, who at every spot innocently asked me "Take Photo?".

Off the Beaten Track: Traditional Bagan village - Minnanthu

On the final day of my trip to Bagan, I got a sneak peak into the village life of Myanmar at the Minnathu village. I observed the process of making Toddy (palm tree alcohol), visited traditional households and met the locals. They were delighted to see me and told me that I have brought "good luck" to them in these difficult times.

Irrawaddy Sunset Cruise:  I had heard that boat ride or cruise is a must while visiting Bagan. But alas! all the boating agencies had shut shop as there were no visitors at all. Ko Soe, the superhero, came to my rescue again. He dialed up a number and viola, I got an entire 40 seater boat - all to myself! The boat operator told us that he was a tour operator during the good days. But now he was forced to turn into a fisherman to make ends meet. 

           I had high hopes of witnessing the sun set at the horizon of Irrawaddy waters. But the clouds had firmly parked themselves in the skies over the Irrawaddy. Just as the disappointment was about to swallow me, Ko Soe poked me and pointed towards the sky. Ah! there it was, something even better than the sunset. A complete rainbow - with the entire VIBGYOR spectrum running from one bank of the river to the other. 

And this brought me to a beautiful conclusion of an epic trip - one filled with solitude and peace. With the hope that this ancient archaeological treasure-house soon receives more footfalls from tourists, I headed back to the Nyang-U airport to catch my flight back to Yangon. 

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