Mandy: 18th – 21st October
The photos in this blog have not been enhanced and are in no particular order but you will be able to tell those that were taken whilst watching the amazing Sunsets.
We ordered a taxi for our four hour journey by road to Bagan. We would change cars twice before we got there, no problem. (Smile) Oh well variety is the spice of life as they say and all three drivers were very nice.
The journey took us through to the outskirts of Mandalay which confirmed just how poor they are. So many people live badly on the muddy streets and down muddy lanes in very basic shacks. Food Markets were set up amongst the large puddles of water and mud.
We were soon travelling through the countryside passing through ‘Townships’ as they call them and paying to go through, and get out of, each one. As we drove on It was like going back in time. The villagers are living a life that doesn’t look like it has changed in hundreds of years. At first seeing people herd their goats or Ox was a novelty. We wound down the window to take photos of the Ox pulling carts and ploughing fields but now they were everywhere. People were living in fragile woven huts on stilts where the water could flow underneath in the rainy season. In Mandalay along the river the other day we had seen very small and shabby shacks on stilts and every now and again a small phone-box size ‘shed’ right on the edge of the water on high stilts which I guess were their toilets. A bit like the one in the ‘Slum dog millionaire’ where he fell through…. Hopefully these were a little more secure although they didn’t look it. The horses along side these dwellings were painfully thin and the carts in poor shape too. We felt so sorry for the people living there.
Continuing our journey to Bagan we drove through rivers flowing across the roads. People seemed to be happy about it and stopped to use it to clean their motorbikes. I just prayed we would get through.
We saw people doing their washing in the muddy looking rivers and children and mothers bathing in the water too. They were laughing and seemed not to have a care in the world. They didn’t seem bothered about how many bars of soap they had!
As we drove through more Townships we saw ‘rivers’ of sewerage running across the road with people living right by on either side. For some reason our driver choose to leave his window open through those streets which didn’t make sense but gave us a clear idea of how life would be if we stayed there! It really is an unbelievable way to live.
The people are so friendly though. I had to stop for the toilet twice at non tourist local ‘cafes’ and although it was quite and eye opener I was very grateful that the people were more than happy to let us use it without eating there or paying. Not that I used anything of theirs other than the hole in the ground!
We finally arrived at our Guest House in New Bagan after changing to our third car and driver just outside of Bagan! We had driven down a dirt track road with huge puddles of water but it was amongst the trees and the people were lovely, it was clean and new and friendly. We had to leave our shoes outside which meant you could always see how many people were inside. (Smile)
Bagan is located on a sprawling plain in the countryside with over 2000 Temples, Pegodas, Stupas and Monasteries of all shapes and sizes dotted between trees and rice padi fields as far as the eye can see. Every day we hired Electric bikes to get around to see them.
As soon as we arrived in Bagan we dropped our backpacks into the room and before I could ask questions or look around outside Glen had ordered two electric bikes. He didn’t want to waste a minute and said we should go straight out and explore the countryside. No problem I thought, we have been sat in a car for four hours and I can ride a bike and one with a little bit of electric to help in between peddling might be nice. Well when we stepped outside I saw the bikes and realised they were basically a motorbike but with a battery! Before I knew it we’d been given a five second lesson in broken English on how to start it, park it, lock it and we were off!! We started off together, bumping along the undulating dirt track on to the tarmac lane.
We had to keep in to the side because of the odd ‘people carrying’ truck and many motorbikes going by which meant we were driving over the sandy dusty dried mud which made the back wheel slip out. Then there were the pot holes to avoid, then there would be a road to cross with no idea who had right of way so I stopped and waited for whatever was crossing to pass. I had to make sure my hat didn’t fly off if I picked up speed and to look left and right at the wonderful views. It was a full time job! Herds of goats had to be negotiated and wandering Ox and stray dogs every few minutes. I looked up to see Glen in the distance, luckily that first day he was wearing his orange shorts so I could spot him easily in the distance amongst the locals in their dark longyis (sarongs) on their motorbikes. The relaxing ride amongst the Temples was not exactly relaxing that first afternoon. There were Butterflies that took me by surprise as they fluttered by at eye level, and as for the Dragonflies, well they have definitely lost their charm. Once a rare sight in England and a special treat for me because I have always found them fascinating, they are like pests here! They swoop above our heads in the hundreds in all of the sacred Temples and the like! Seriously! When we zoom in on many of our photos we can still see them.
So……. whilst avoiding the Goats, Ox, Motorbikes, Butterflies, Dragonflies and trucks (with uncovered antiquated engines!) I also had to endure endless conversations with every Motorbike and push bike (shameful look) that overtook me. Everyone said hello to me so being friendly and polite I said hello back. If a local bus went by (they have open sides, no glass in the windows) they all put their arms out to try to touch me as they passed! It was a full time job to stay on my bike, keep my eye on the road for pot holes, puddles and sandy soil and make small talk with the locals and admire the view and avoid the wildlife! I was exhausted! But happy (smile) I looked ahead and saw Glen, no one gave him so much as a glance as they went by and the buses didn’t have any arms poking out either! He was enjoying a carefree, faster, ride wondering why I was taking so long I am sure. When none of the aforementioned were around me and the road was flat I poodled along and felt very happy, proud In fact to be travelling through Bagan alone, a middle aged free spirited female ‘finding myself’ in a foreign land. Well that is what they probably thought as they drove by, after all there wasn’t another person in sight! I could see Glen of course, that little orange dot in the distance (smile) I wasn’t worried I knew I would meet up with him later, he doesn’t like to eat alone, he would wait for me once he was hungry and wanted lunch. We could spend some quality time together over some noodles later. (wink) I enjoyed it really……I did miss Glen now and again though (chuckle)
On the last day as we rode back to the Guest House after seeing an amazing sunset over the Temples, I was more confident and almost kept up with Glen the whole way. I decided to ignore my hat flying off, let the cord go around my neck with the hat on my back like a cow girl. I took off my sun glasses, so I could see better in the fading light and instead I squinted and hoped my eyelashes would keep the dust and Dragonflies out of my eyes. I decided not to keep stoping as little insects stuck to my lip solve, I didn’t care, I didn’t let it bother me…. although I did think that if they saw me now with speckled black lips they would definitely put me in that quarantine box!!!
And now more photos and less chat………
Lovely lovely photos. X
So enjoying your blog – interesting to see the ladies with rings around their necks, similar to parts of Africa.