Bagan: Temples and More Temples

At some point I will write a thorough post about travelling to Myanmar, known to some as Burma, and the various implications of such a choice. For now, though, I will say that we went there in the summer of 2003 and the highlight was certainly the area known as Bagan.

Angkor Wat gets all the hype in the realm of temples in Southeast Asia, but Bagan is a sight unto itself. The area, consisting of over 2000 temples spread over an area that I'd guess to be around 20 square miles, dates to around 1000 AD, give or take a few hundred years on both ends. The true majesty of the place is that there are temples as far as the eye can see. It is difficult for an amateur photographer to capture, but it is literally an entire land of temples.

Bagan was the ancient capital of Burma and is pretty undiscovered by the modern traveller. That is both its challenge and its charm. This is no destination with public restrooms and snack shops; many of the temples are literally crumbling to the ground in the middle of an abandoned field. And many of them require tramping through high grass just to get at them. But it is truly extraordinary to be able to wander among them, with no other people around except the peasant families that serve as "caretakers."

We were only there three days - and talked of going back almost immediately. We spent a day and a half with a guide getting the rundown on the bigger temples, but spent our last morning literally wandering through fields and into, and on top of, smaller temples. I'd definitely like to go back and do more of the wandering.

Word is, though, that despite UNESCO's efforts to preserve the temples, the government of Myanmar has taken to "restoring" them - mostly building them back up with modern bricks - and has even built a modern observation tower in the middle of the plain. So sad. Nonetheless, I'd still return. As with all destinations in Burma, the key is to stay in locally-owned (or, worst case, Japanese-owned hotels) and use non-government guides (we used this Bangkok-based agent who, with encouragement, made the arrangements we were looking for), and open your eyes to the people living their lives around you.

It's an extraordinary place, with a lot of humanity, and lives that are so different from mine - I think it is the most different place I've ever been. One of my lingering memories of the country is that the people are so poor and clearly oppressed, yet there is a thriving industry for gold leaf, that even the poorest people buy to place on statues of Buddha. For some reason, that encapsulates the place: an oppressive and impoverished country that somehow still projects beauty, gentleness and devotion.