Bagan with the Barnwell's

The Barnwell's had a 3 day weekend and we decided to explore the Bagan Archaeological Zone, located about 400 miles north of Yangon. To get there we hopped on the early morning flight arranged by Lay Lay and Cho Cho .

Our Bagan guide Aung picked us up at the airport and took us to a local market, followed by a trip to the pagodas. He is an expert on the 3,800 pagodas that dot the Bagan landscape and provided us a detailed introduction into the different types of Pagoda’s, when each new style was introduced and how well each style has weathered earthquakes. We now know more than we ever thought we’d want to know about pagoda’s and their construction. We also visited a shop with some incredibly ancient antiques. 

In the afternoon we slipped away for swim at the pool, followed by a drive with Aung to a crowded overlook to view sunset on the pagodas. This seemed a bit like a package tour and we let Aung know that we’re more interested in getting off the beaten path. That evening we had dinner at the hotel. We were serenaded by a harp player followed by a marionette puppet show. The puppet show was interesting but the meal was average in every way but price. 

One of the best ways we could think of to get off the beaten path was to rent an e-bike. The e-bikes turned out to be electric motor scooters. We spent a hot afternoon cruising among the pagodas, stopping to climb and explore the less crowded ones.  

The Barnwell's are fun companions. Bob especially has no fear engaging people. We got lots of smiles from folks. Aung was also loosening up when confronted with four Alaskans. This was good because he was Kat and my guide for our trip to Pyin Oo Lynn. Bob and MaryLynn had to head back to Yangon and teaching responsibilities while Kat and I continued on.