We tried to shortlist the top temples to visit as all 3,000 seemed quite ambitious in two days! Bagan is stunning. It is everything I had hoped it would be and more. It is amazing to see people still farming with oxen, men wearing the traditional ‘lungi’ - a long sarong type of garment - and women with smears of yellow paste made from thanaka tree bark on their cheeks to prevent sunburn.
Late this afternoon we climbed the very steep steps (each one nearly 2-foot high) to the upper levels of Shwesandaw Paya Pagoda, famous for its view of the vista of temples, particularly at sunset. We were not alone as most people in Bagan also seemed to be there! The light changed every minute over the 2-hours we were there. I took this photograph during the first hour, the sun was low in the sky and the dust raised by the horse and carts gives a lovely soft haze - this is the view that sums up Bagan for me.
@steampowered@nicolaeastwood@brav Thank you all, trying to catch up with everyones comments which are much appreciated. I have quite a few from this day but my Macbook Air is showing a lot of solar flare in circles (I'm pretty sure it's a screen thing?) so I didn't risk posting any of these!