3 days | Dec 2018 | Bagan’s pagoda landscape view during sunset.
Quick Thoughts
I had a blast exploring the ancient temples, engaging with friendly & extremely gracious locals, and traversing the enchanted foggy landscape whilst floating in a hot air balloon or zipping around in an electric scooter. Myanmar was magical to its core - I only wish I had more than a weekend to enjoy it. Next time I guess.
Key Highlights
Link to my collection of Instagram Stories from the trip!
Zipping aimlessly on electric scooters from pagoda to pagoda along the dirt roads. Trust me - best way to travel!
Hot air balloon ride over Bagan for sunrise. There aren’t words to describe how breathtaking & surreal it is to be floating silently above a misty landscape with only the sounds of birds to keep you company (and the occasional fire blast keeping you afloat).
I lost my phone while riding along the dirt roads. And as anyone would do in the modern age, I panicked. Long story short, some locals came to help without hesitation and we found it! A bit worse for wear, but lesson learned.
Things to Know
Make sure to get your travel visa in advance! I realized the hard way of my own naiveté when I almost missed my flight. Don’t be like me: with 45 minutes before the gates closed, scrambling to get on airport wifi, taking passport-sized photos, completing applications online, refreshing my inbox every second for an approval notification like a madman, rushing to find an airport printer to print the visa, and making it with less than 5 minutes to go. WHEW!
BaobaBed Hostel Bagan - I ended up staying in a private room, and couldn’t have asked for a more comfortable stay. Plus it was across the street from an e-scooter rental spot which made traversing even easier.
Zip around on electric scooters! It’s dirt cheap but also incredibly fun, especially once you go onto the dirt paths and explore the pagodas on your own.
Watching sunset atop pagodas - A popular attraction is climbing up the temples to watch the sunset. Having said that, most of the pagodas are off-limits now due to safety concerns. Luckily I ran into a local who took me to an open one, saved me from missing out on such an incredible view. I pinned the location in my maps (below).
Tipping locals - there was a handful of times when a local helped me out. Instead of paying them directly, they instead asked if I wished to purchase their goods (e.g., artwork). I happily obliged, but keep this in mind!
