Horse cart ride through the Bagan temples & Sunset

Horse cart ride through the Bagan temples & Sunset
Bagan, Myanmar

Bagan, Myanmar


This is the second post (Part 2) detailing our amazing adventure in Bagan.

As if what we’ve seen already wasn’t enough and we weren’t exhausted already, we now pile off the bus and climb aboard (2 people each plus the driver) rough horse carts for a meandering trip down rutted and very dusty dirt tracks in, around and through the pagodas. I’ll set the stage by mentioning that I (Carol) was in the back, sitting sideways, holding on for dear life and trying to take photos at the same time. JB was up on the seat with the driver – a concession because he had the movie camera! This was a very bumpy and bouncy thrill ride – we were trotting the whole time! For those of you who ride, let me just mention here that riding the horse with the worst trot you’ve EVER experienced would be preferable to staying in the back of that cart one more minute! But I digress.

Though uncomfortable, this was an unforgettable experience because it gave us the chance to get up very close to a whole bunch of these pagodas – small ones, middle-sized ones, ones that were falling down. Just winding in and about and through them in the dust and the afternoon heat – it was an amazing jaunt. I dislike the continual use of the word ‘amazing’, but it truly was.

We slowed before a medium-sized temple with lots of people perched on its many levels, awaiting the sunset. Their shoes were waiting for them below. Our horse carts stopped instead at a smaller temple beside this one that our guide told us was less crowded – where those who wished could climb up to witness the sun’s descent. So, up we went, climbing a narrow staircase to watch the sunset from on high, pagodas everywhere you look. It turned out not to be a spectacular sunset – too dusty, but it was wonderful anyway. Children lit tiny candles on the stairs to help us see the way down and of course they got a tip!

Now a return to the hotel where we freshen up and head out for a pre-dinner cocktail at the small bar up on the lawn overlooking the river. Then to long tables set under huge magnificent trees for a wonderful meal (many courses as usual) and, in this case, accompanied by a lively marionette performance. I’m including some pictures from the hotel just because it was so beautiful and so clean after our hot and dusty day – a welcome respite indeed.

What an incredible day! If you EVER get a chance to visit Bagan, we strongly recommend that you GO! Tomorrow, we get up early and head back to the airport to fly back to Yangon. We have another morning adventure tomorrow!