Day 2 - Bedazzling Bagan

There's a lot of things I'd rather do than climbing out of bed at 4 a.m. after a long day of merriment with my Yangon drinking buddy, but a 7 a.m. flight to Bagan awaited. The alternative to 80 minutes in the air was 12 hours in a bus.

Of course,the advantage of an early-morning arrival is a full day of sightseeing. I decided to rent an electric bicycle to tour Bagan in style.

From the 9^th to 13^th century, Bagan was the capital of a powerful dynasty that later formed the basis for modern-day Myanmar. The rulers built over 10,000 Buddhist temples. Today, more than 2,000 remain in a 26-square mile stretch along a sandy, dry plain, making it the largest concentration of temples in the world. Some say the collection rivals Angkor Wat in Cambodia, although having been there, it's a hard call playing the comparison game.

Still, wherever it ranks on the “best” meter, Bagan is quite impressive.










Despite the thousands of temples, it's surprisingly easy to navigate the archeological sight because a road runs around the perimeter.


When I saw a temple that caught my eye …

     



 I drove onto a dirt trail leading to the structure,

                               armed with a map and descriptions of the pagoda.

                           

Tourism is still in its infancy, so it's possible to explore most of the interiors of the structures, including sometimes climbing on top for stunning views. Pagodas rise above the plains as far as the eye can see.

Rather than plan out an itinerary, I just wandered around but still managed to see most of the popular destinations.

However, there's a dark chapter hidden beneath Bagan's glittery charm. In 1990, the military government forcibly removed hundreds of villagers living inside the walls of Old Bagan, relocating them four miles away to New Bagan, which is outside the archeological zone.  The official reason – so the temples could be better protected. Yet, afterward, four large hotels were allowed to be constructed inside the zone, as well as a golf course and a 196-foot high viewing platform. As in most places, cash rules.

Like in Yangon, I felt most welcome in Bagan, especially as an American.

This is a picture of a Hawaiian couple and I with a group of 11th graders we met. Each one of the 20 or so students insisted on being photographed individually with us. After awhile, I felt like a rock star.

Each time I mentioned my home country the reply was always the same - "Obama."

I don't think it's because of his politics. Instead, the people I spoke to seemed to appreciate that Obama has visited Myanmar twice. As one man put it, "Obama come two times. Other presidents, zero;" however, another person I met said he completely understood why previous presidents didn't want to visit for fear of giving legitimacy to the military junta.

I photographed this picture taped to the wall of a restaurant, depicting the president's meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi, the main opposition leader to the current president. She lived under house arrest for 15 years because of her opposition to the military junta.

Years ago, I suspect few people would have dared to display such a photograph for fear of imprisonment, but times are changing in Myanmar and tourists seem anxious to take advantage of the opportunity to see the country for themselves.