Day 82 – Pointy vista

Bagan, Myanmar (02.07.2013)

You’ve probably heard something about Myanmar (or Burma as it was formerly called). Maybe you’ve heard about Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy’s 20 year struggle to pry democracy from the clutching hands of military leaders. Maybe you heard that the first “free” though still flawed elections were held in 2010. Maybe you saw recent protests on the news or heard about clashes between Buddhists and Muslims. Chances are, if you know anything about Myanmar at all it’s linked to the history of violent oppression.

If, however, you know something more positive about this nation, you’ve probably seen images of the temples here in Bagan – a town decorated with literally thousands of pagodas of various sizes, shapes, and colours which rise majestically from the vegetation as far as the eye can see. When you look out across the city from any high point it’s a very pointy vista indeed.

I’ve seen plenty of images of Bagan just like the one above. This is, after all, arguably the number one tourist destination in Myanmar (not saying a lot really as there are relatively few tourists in the country). Yet even after seeing the images, the sensation of being here still floored me.

So many temples it’s hard to describe and photos can’t do it justice. A vista of pointy, golden fingers reaching for the heavens – some ancient, some new; some crumbling, some restored; some red with exposed brick, some painted white and gold; all filled with smiling Buddhas and an eery sense of history. One temple had so many bats in residence that the walls and floor were dalmatian spotted with their poo.