Myanmar as we dreamed it (page 3 of 5)

Thanks in advance larri

5th leg: Road to Bagan, but via Mount Popa!

Here’s Taung Kalat Monastery below, often mistakenly called “Mount Popa” after the nearby volcano. The two are frequently confused online. The volcano, whose last eruption is said to have been 2,500 years ago, rises to 1,500 meters (1,000 meters above the plateau), while the volcanic plug on which the monastery is built juts a few hundred meters above the plateau. The area, a designated nature park, is lush and green thanks to both the fertile volcanic soil and numerous waterways. It’s home to colonies of macaques.

It’s considered the refuge of the 37 great nats—spirits from animist worship that were integrated into Burmese Buddhism in the 11th century (similar to how ancient deities were absorbed into Christian saints, like Saint Nicholas). We just visited the monastery, but apparently there are some great treks in the nature park, which is also a haven for birds.



The photo’s overexposed, but it gives you an idea of the place—a curious "rock plug" topped with a pagoda, reached by a long covered staircase winding around the mount.

But first, a few images from the road....



The lush surroundings, the nat worship, and the monastery’s appeal make Mount Popa a hugely popular destination. Before reaching the village, we stopped at what looked like a Buddhist theme park under construction...



We saw stupa gilders in action (they weren’t painting—it was thin sheets of gold leaf being applied and glued to the stupa).



To reach the monastery, the climb up the 777 steps is punctuated by the scampering and piercing shrieks of macaques, the other residents of the place. You run into them everywhere on the stairs, which staff are constantly cleaning (yes, barefoot as usual... come on, don’t be grossed out—just save a final wipe for later!). We’d been warned about their thievery, but today they were more interested in snatching offerings (along the staircase, there are lots of small shrines with Buddha or the great nats)... I mean, that banana smell is pure torture!



The last set of stairs is almost as steep as ladders (but don’t worry—it’s not as tough as it looks)...



Finally, you reach the top of the rocky pinnacle, crowned with a gleaming monastery. Great views and sweeping panoramas from the terrace.



To be continued: BAGAN

Bagan

We’re so excited, and a little worried we might be disappointed. But we’re quickly reassured as we cross the site to reach our hotel.

At last, the magic of Bagan can work its charm! It’s true, we’re passionate about old stones, and the sight of a ruin gives us chills... So here, with hundreds of stupas and temples scattered across the countryside, all ours to explore at leisure... We must’ve looked like two dogs in a sausage shop, tails wagging, noses in the air...

On the wings of the wind... No comment.





Pure bliss.

Hi there,

Having also created a few travel journals, including my most recent one about Burma, I just wanted to encourage you and confirm that we’re always a bit disappointed by the small number of comments.

Your journal has the advantage of generously illustrating your journey: we really know and see what there is to admire in the regions you visited. Your enjoyment shines through in your words—we’re even happy for you!

Hi Joel, Thanks for your message. To be honest, I do this mostly for my own pleasure—I love writing, taking photos, and sharing them. Plus, it all extends the joy of the trip. I took a look at your travel journal—great stuff! I’ll go back and read it carefully this weekend (especially since they’re forecasting rain...). Smile: I’m lucky—I love walking barefoot (and I don’t mind if the ground is a bit grimy)... My mom spent my whole childhood telling me to put on my shoes... but it’s true that stepping on chestnuts in the full sun can be painful! Anyway, it really makes the Burmese laugh to see us hopping around like lemurs... Fabienne

Hi Fabienne

and all that extends the pleasure of the trip.

Totally agree! 🙂

And reading yours extends the trip too. I recognize everything we felt, saw, and loved... thanks! 🙂

It’s true that Burma is such a colorful destination—beautiful temples, wonderful encounters, warm smiles, and a really pleasant vibe. I think Buddhism plays a part in that too.

I don’t think anyone could be disappointed by Bagan... eagerly waiting for the rest! 😛 🙂

Hey Max, Thanks! Love the Alabama Hills behind you! 😉

Bagan, continued



I won’t list all the temples we visited... and besides, I couldn’t do it as well as Joel (jojoone), who wrote a really comprehensive report.

What we loved about Bagan was being able to wander around and, no matter where we went, making new discoveries. The variety of styles, shapes, and sizes is amazing, even if some restorations were a bit questionable.

And make sure to go inside everywhere you can—there are lovely surprises even in the small structures scattered across the countryside!

In the photos that follow, you’ll get a glimpse of all the architectural evolutions: the stupas that gradually took on a bell shape topped with a slender spire, the pagodas with a pyramidal form crowned by an ogive, while the temples grew in size and height, opening up on all four sides and developing increasingly complex roofs featuring a corn-cob-shaped tower...



If you love two wheels, this place is perfect for you—you can explore it in every direction by scooter or bike. We took another horse-drawn carriage ride, which let us take some backroads!





Of course, sunset calls... But you don’t have to crowd onto the same temple (which reminded us of another pyramid temple swarmed at dusk in Angkor). You can ask for advice and find a more intimate spot...



To be continued!

It's so beautiful! Thanks for sharing. We're thinking about our next trip, and Burma is one of the possibilities. I'll be following along closely. Have a great weekend! Françoise

Bagan, continued

But Bagan isn’t an open-air museum—it’s a living place, with several villages and people who, sure, work in tourism during the high season, but spend the rest of the year doing other things. The horse-cart driver I chatted with told me that for the rest of the year, he and his whole family work with bamboo (harvesting it and making fences, partitions, and bamboo furniture).

Because of the local population, a number of temples and pagodas are still used as places of worship. Some are very famous and attract lots of devotees.



A personal favorite: the Ananda Temple, built in 1105.



A deeply respected sanctuary, its grand entrance portals lead to four halls, each housing a nearly 10-meter-tall gilded teak Buddha.



A double gallery encircles the temple’s center, one of which is pierced with hundreds of niches, each holding a Buddha.



Beautiful frescoes are still visible here and there, even if some have partly faded away.

For fresco lovers, many temples and pagodas contain them—some just traces, but others have entire walls and ceilings.

Another very popular pagoda is Shwezigon, built in 1102. The "bell" of its golden stupa was under renovation, and here it is, all wrapped up in tarps above the bamboo scaffolding.



The complex includes many pavilions where the Nats are "staged." As we’d seen earlier in our trip, their worship is very much alive. Devotees crowd around them, call out their names, and leave offerings.



Can anyone tell me who this figure is in the Buddhist pantheon or mythology? We saw him depicted in several pagodas—clearly in bad shape (greenish complexion, wounds, bulging eyes, tongue hanging out), being devoured in the liver or entrails by a vulture. And don’t tell me it’s Prometheus...



To be continued: more Buddhas—we saw so many different ones right here in Bagan...

This travel journal is amazing! Thanks for the story and the photos. Beyond the sites themselves, which are stunning, the portrait photos are gorgeous and really capture the essence of this country I love. Can't wait to read the rest!

Bagan, an extra helping of Buddhas...



There are so many... every stupa holds at least one, sometimes four (the cardinal points), and temples often have dozens or even hundreds, like Ananda. Go ahead and count them if you want—I gave up! Some look very similar, as always, but there’s still a huge variety of styles.



Amid all these serene Buddhas, I want to explain the title of my travel journal, "Myanmar as We Had Dreamed It." Yes, I know—it’s a bit cheesy, isn’t it? Two years ago, my husband and I spent a lot of time in hospitals, and one of us might not be here today. In those really tough moments, when we had to hold on and keep looking toward an uncertain future, the idea of travel became one of our "tools." Our "revival" trip was to the U.S. in 2016, and I think I’ll write about that in a travel journal soon. But our trip to Myanmar this year was our deep desire to return to Southeast Asia, which we’d neglected for several years. This journey—yes, we’d dreamed of it during those difficult hours, and we truly lived it with a hunger for life and a sense of joy.



The next post will plunge us back into a market, in one of Bagan’s villages.

And to wrap up Bagan, a few snapshots from one of the local markets





There you go, that’s it for Bagan. We’re taking the plane to Yangon... That very slight, bittersweet melancholy is starting to creep in—the one that sneaks up on me at the end of every trip... every time I fall in love with a country and wonder, "Will I ever come back?" Because there are just so many places in the world...

6th leg: Kyaik Hti Yo (Golden Rock) and Bago – one night at the Golden Rock, then back to Yangon

For the final stretch of our trip, I had some doubts during the planning. Once we ruled out the west coast due to time constraints (to keep the previous legs comfortable), we were left with a short two-day finale. After thinking it over, I settled on the Golden Rock, which also let us stop in Bago on the way back—a place that seemed full of potential.

We arrived early at Yangon Airport (8:30 AM) and met up with To Wen, who had welcomed us when we first landed in Myanmar. Off we went on a four-plus-hour drive, including stops (some planned, others spontaneous).

Around 3 PM, we reached the small town that serves as the starting point for the Golden Rock.

Two options: hike up (7 hours) or take a truck-bus... I’ll let you guess which we chose.

These converted dump trucks are more like cattle cars than buses. You climb a ladder to reach the benches in the truck bed. A guy barks orders at everyone (mostly his fellow countrymen—we barely got scolded) to squeeze in as tight as possible. Makes sense: they’re paid per passenger, so they cram in as many as they can—everyone seated, though.

The fare is minimal: 2,000 kyats per person. For more comfort, you can ride in the driver’s cab, but that’ll cost you five times as much. We stuck with the truck bed and waited for it to fill up with pilgrims, villagers, and a few other tourists.

Then, we were off on a wild 45-minute ascent! The ride was bumpy, but being packed in like sardines kept us from getting tossed around too much.

Once at the top, a pedestrian walkway led us to the entrance of the Golden Rock—vehicles are banned here, which explains the flurry of porters. Goods are unloaded from the trucks and carried up to hotels and shops. We saw tiny women hauling enormous baskets, packages, even heavy suitcases on their heads while the travelers strolled beside them, hands in pockets (it’s jarring, even if it’s their livelihood). Just before the entrance, we dropped our bags at the hotel (spending the night here let us stay for sunset, since the last bus leaves at 6 PM), then set off to explore.

A gentle climb with steps and gradual slopes took us to the Golden Rock esplanade.



This is Myanmar’s third-most important Buddhist site, after Yangon’s Shwedagon Pagoda and Mandalay’s Mahamuni Temple. The rock—perched precariously over a cliff—stands 15 meters tall.



According to Buddhist tradition, it’s held in place by a strand of the Buddha’s hair inside the 7-meter pagoda atop the rock. You might say, “Buddha left hair everywhere during his lifetime.” True, but note: we have more hair than teeth... and it’s less painful to pull out.



Families lounged on the esplanade, which buzzed with porters, street vendors, nuns, and monks. Many pilgrims would spend the night here, sprawled on mats under fabric awnings (though foreigners aren’t allowed to sleep under the stars).

We settled in too, quietly watching the comings and goings:

... kids returning from school (villagers live on both sides of the site), young monks tasked with laying out mats, ... elderly monks deep in conversation, others laughing, ... nuns accompanied by a man who’d apply gold leaf to the rock for them, ... and a cheerful crowd snapping photos around the Golden Rock.

We were constantly approached by locals wanting selfies with us. We posed with families, teens, elders, monks, and nuns—many of these pilgrims were from rural areas, and *we* seemed exotic to them. They loved my hat (a cream panama with a wide brim for sun protection) and Yves’ beard. Once we played along, the requests didn’t stop! Later, we realized we hadn’t taken any selfies with them... but those moments will stay in our memories as a joyful bubble for a long time.

The sun dipped low, about to disappear behind the neighboring mountain. Facing west, the rock caught the last rays and turned crimson.

A bell rang, a cool breeze rose, and under the fading light, a group of young monks gathered for a final prayer at the base of the Golden Rock.



Time seemed to stand still.

The next morning, we take the bus around 8 AM to leave the Golden Rock, our hearts full of joy after how much we loved this stop. The road is just as impressive in this direction!

We meet our driver at the terminus and head off to Bago (a 2-hour drive).

Bago An ancient imperial city, Bago reached its golden age in the 15th century. In the mid-18th century, it was looted and completely razed by the Burmese king to crush the province’s independence ambitions, and its inhabitants were massacred or scattered.



The stupa of Shwemawdaw Pagoda, standing 114 meters tall, is visible from 10 km away. Its entrance, guarded by monumental lions, is impressive. The pagoda is said to have been founded during the 1st millennium, and the stupa—also housing strands of Buddha’s hair (as usual) along with two teeth—was enlarged several times. Destroyed by a violent earthquake in 1930, it was rebuilt after the war to reach its current height.

It’s truly a stunning pagoda, with a wealth of halls and beautiful statues—of which I’m only showing you a tiny fraction!!!





We continue exploring the city with a visit to the former imperial site. Completely destroyed, two pavilions have been rebuilt "identically." They’re currently under restoration, which explains their slightly "unkempt" appearance...



Now, a showdown at the top:

- On my right, the Shwetalyaung Reclining Buddha, 55 meters...



- On my left, the Nawdawgyi Myathalyaung Reclining Buddha, 76 meters.



Well, the biggest one doesn’t win! The duel is undoubtedly won by the smaller one (though it’s still 55 meters), which is the most beautiful and also the oldest, dating back to 994 AD (while the larger one is a youngster from 2002).



Its story is one of lost and rediscovered cities: completely forgotten after Bago was devastated in 1757, it was quickly swallowed by vegetation and rediscovered by the British at the end of the 19th century. It was then restored, given a marble base, and a mosaic-adorned cushion. A few decades ago, a roof was added to protect it. It depicts Gautama on his deathbed, moments before reaching parinirvana—the complete cessation of existence and ultimate victory over suffering...



A whole class of little ones napping near the Buddha...



To wrap up Bago: the Kyaik Pun Pagoda, or Pagoda of the Four Images. Again, don’t let their resplendent appearance fool you—these Buddhas are 14 centuries old...



Nail art...



Bago could easily deserve 2 days of exploration, but we have to move on. A 2-hour drive awaits us to reach Yangon for our final evening and morning!

To conclude this travel journal:

The final verdict is overwhelmingly positive. So much joy, beautiful discoveries, and smiles everywhere. Life! Everything we wanted—and so much more!

Myanmar is a trendy destination, and some express concerns: "too late to visit," "too crowded"... but tourism is still concentrated in a few very localized areas. Even in high season, simply waking up a little earlier than others, shifting your visiting hours, staying open to surprises or the unexpected, or just walking a bit farther is often enough to make the most of your trip. As soon as you stray even slightly off the beaten path, you’ll find yourself immersed and truly away from it all.

Fellow wanderers, other travel journals or blogs (like Kristofe’s: coupsdecoeurenasie.over-blog.fr/) show just how many more discoveries Myanmar offers beyond the now-familiar routes we followed—perfect for those who want to go even further.

I had a blast writing these posts—I hope you enjoyed reading them as much or, if I’ve been too chatty, at least enjoyed the photos.

Happy trails to all, whether it’s on the other side of the world or just over the hill, whether you travel "comfortably" (as you’ve gathered, that’s more our style) or in a more "roots" way! May your eyes and heart stay open, and may your path help you avoid trolls (whether in real life or on forums ;-) ).

I had a fantastic time! Thanks for sharing!

Thanks Valérie! I’ll keep you in my "contacts" since the idea of a trip to Senegal next winter sounds tempting after reading your travel journal!

Oh yes, I recommend it!

Oh, it was such a joy to follow you, Fabienne. Stunning photos and beautiful writing—thank you for letting me relive this country, which remains in my top 3 most amazing trips. Have a great evening, and see you next time on VF 😉 Christelle

Thanks Fabienne for this beautiful moment 🙂

Thanks for the summary, it’s so much like ours 😛 😎