After Rangoon, we flew to Bagan for two days/two nights. I should add here that we cobbled together our intra-country travel instead of using a travel agent to decide the agenda. While this works well in most countries, in retrospect, going with a travel agent would have been much easier. Phone communication wasn't possible, and email responses took two or three days. No credit cards accepted, so deposits are tricky (some places seem to have found an off shore account work around). While the hotels we stayed at turned out amazing (lived up to its chain name: http://www.amazing-hotel.com/ ), I still would recommend using a travel agent to anyone considering a trip.
Three methods of transport exist for touring the Bagan temples and pagodas: car, horse cart, and bike. Once upon a time - before small kids - and in a different weather climate - i.e., not as hot - we might have chosen bikes. And from reading the guide books, we had been leaning towards a horse cart for the day. On arrival, though, and realizing just how brutally hot it was in the dry part of the country with few shade trees, we figured the $50/day for car and driver was the wisest choice. Being able to zip between sites, easily get back to the hotel to drop off Patch for a nap (with someone staying with him of course!), and then return quickly in the early evening before either boy suffered a meltdown was key to our enjoyment.
We spent first day seeing just a sampling of the 3,000 temples in the town. My favorite was a climb to the top of one from which we could view the spires. Of course, once we got to the top and realized we had to bring both boys down very steep and uneven steps, a slight fear set in. Patch zoomed down so quickly, Greg could could barely go fast enough. William, thankfully, followed my advice and went slowly and carefully. Needless to say, not a climb or decent that would ever happen in the U.S. with all its liability issues.
The second day we drove to Mt Poppa to climb lots and lots of steps to a hill top monastery. After much cajoling (and some carrying) all six made it to the top, unbitten by the rather aggressive monkeys. Unfortunately, a heat-induced haze clouded our view, so down we went again without too much time at the top.
En route from the hotel to Mt Poppa, we stopped for a demo of making sesame and peanut oil and harvesting and making palm sugar. The small boys got a ride on the oil grinder, while the big boys sampled some palm sugar liquor at 10AM (gack!). Beth and I were in charge of purchases. We also stopped in at a traditional farming community - again, poor, but not miserably destitute. It just looked like that was how the families had been living for generations on end, as if the last 100+ years of "development" had yet to reach this far into the closed country. We shared some dried mango snacks with the kids - a big hit! Though the village kids all gathered round once they realized we'd share a treat, they all waited in turn for one piece, and no one came back for a second. I wish I could have communicated to the parents what great manners the kids had :)
Bagan is also famous for laquerware, so Beth and I toured a laquerware shop which was on its fourth generation. I tried not to think about my human rights portfolio at work of reporting on child labor, since obviously everyone in this extended family - from kids to grandparents - helped the enterprise. The work was quite beautiful, especially a chest special ordered by a visitor from Australia which was almost finished - after 2.5 years of work!
Around sunset of our second evening, we took a one hour horse cart ride to an area unaccessible to cars. An hour was just about right for all of us. Turns out, the carts aren't very comfortable for extended periods of time anyone - age 2 or 32. Plus, by dusk, the temp cooled off enough that being outside was somewhat pleasant.
As always, food was delicious. We ate twice at a cafe run by a French woman settled in Bagan, at an Indian place where the cook's grandparents migrated from India, and at a locally run place. All tasty. Seems like one can't go wrong when it comes to food in this country.
Three methods of transport exist for touring the Bagan temples and pagodas: car, horse cart, and bike. Once upon a time - before small kids - and in a different weather climate - i.e., not as hot - we might have chosen bikes. And from reading the guide books, we had been leaning towards a horse cart for the day. On arrival, though, and realizing just how brutally hot it was in the dry part of the country with few shade trees, we figured the $50/day for car and driver was the wisest choice. Being able to zip between sites, easily get back to the hotel to drop off Patch for a nap (with someone staying with him of course!), and then return quickly in the early evening before either boy suffered a meltdown was key to our enjoyment.
We spent first day seeing just a sampling of the 3,000 temples in the town. My favorite was a climb to the top of one from which we could view the spires. Of course, once we got to the top and realized we had to bring both boys down very steep and uneven steps, a slight fear set in. Patch zoomed down so quickly, Greg could could barely go fast enough. William, thankfully, followed my advice and went slowly and carefully. Needless to say, not a climb or decent that would ever happen in the U.S. with all its liability issues.The second day we drove to Mt Poppa to climb lots and lots of steps to a hill top monastery. After much cajoling (and some carrying) all six made it to the top, unbitten by the rather aggressive monkeys. Unfortunately, a heat-induced haze clouded our view, so down we went again without too much time at the top.
En route from the hotel to Mt Poppa, we stopped for a demo of making sesame and peanut oil and harvesting and making palm sugar. The small boys got a ride on the oil grinder, while the big boys sampled some palm sugar liquor at 10AM (gack!). Beth and I were in charge of purchases. We also stopped in at a traditional farming community - again, poor, but not miserably destitute. It just looked like that was how the families had been living for generations on end, as if the last 100+ years of "development" had yet to reach this far into the closed country. We shared some dried mango snacks with the kids - a big hit! Though the village kids all gathered round once they realized we'd share a treat, they all waited in turn for one piece, and no one came back for a second. I wish I could have communicated to the parents what great manners the kids had :)
Bagan is also famous for laquerware, so Beth and I toured a laquerware shop which was on its fourth generation. I tried not to think about my human rights portfolio at work of reporting on child labor, since obviously everyone in this extended family - from kids to grandparents - helped the enterprise. The work was quite beautiful, especially a chest special ordered by a visitor from Australia which was almost finished - after 2.5 years of work!
As always, food was delicious. We ate twice at a cafe run by a French woman settled in Bagan, at an Indian place where the cook's grandparents migrated from India, and at a locally run place. All tasty. Seems like one can't go wrong when it comes to food in this country.
1 comment:
Your adventures make me want to travel to Southeast Asia! I definitely enjoy reading about everything, both day-to-day and vacation. CONGRATS on baby #3!!
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