22nd January, 2017

Our last full day in Bagan and it looked like we were not going to leave before we were experts on all things temples, stupas and a smattering of Buddhism. Maung did a wonderful job of varying our day, but first up was the Dhammayazika Pagoda, notable for its pentagonal layout almost unique in Bagan and certainly unique in the Buddhist world.

Next we went to a local village, Minnanthu and managed to get a bit of an insight into what it was like to live and work there. It was well organised with a school and health station and a good collective approach to getting things done. There was also a small lacquerware workshop and some very  sweet goats.

Next up we visited another temple  called Payathonzu Paya, which is unusual in that it has three identical shrines in a row each containing a Buddha image connected by a corridor.

And then it was off to a monastery, though one which apparently was a mix of existing monks (though we only saw one) and some underground cave-like rooms that were where the monks would go for meditation in the old days.

Lunch next at a very nice riverside restaurant. We even got visited by a lizard!

There was still time to fit a few last temples in. The first one had 4 huge Buddhas wedged into a tiny space. The lying down Buddha was very fine and it was interesting to see earlier Hindu wall carvings. Apologies for the lack of detail, but one, I may be a bit confused as to which is which, two, we were a little bit overwhelmed by the number of temples and three, I need to catch up with this blog!

Val was told that there was a Hindu temple not far away, but sadly it was closed for repairs, which was a pity. There were some other temples in the vicinity that were very pleasing on the eye.

Last stop was the lacquerware factory where the whole process was explained and a tour of the workshop provided – with a visit to the lovely shop thrown in, of course. We could not resist this time, though the prices were surprisingly challenging.

Our days in Bagan were over, but not before we returned to our room to,find this on our bed…

Really sweet and very much a reflection of the kind of helpful, happy staff you get in this country. We liked Bagan. It had more of a countryside feel to it and it was like being in an archaeological park. The time we had there was probably enough, though if you wanted to you could really get into the detail and spend a lifetime of study there.

Off to Inle (pronounced Inlay) Lake next.