Once again we were to have an early morning flight from Manderley to Bagan……but this time it was a 5.30am wake up call instead of 4.30am!!
We arrived in Bagan (Nyaung- U airport) again very early…. but this allowed us to climb up a pagoda to see the view before the heat of the day…… going up was fine….coming back down was a different matter….rather like descending a pyramid in Mexico! No railing to hang onto!
Then on to the Swezigon Pagoda…..which was quite beautiful with an excessive amount of gold leaf!
Then on to the market in Nyaung-U……. which was huge!
They use dried fish a lot in their cooking….
and the men chew betel leaves…..
curry paste!
Rice sellers…….different grades and prices...
Oil….. made from peanuts...
We were intrigued to see these nuns at the market. We heard that monks are not allowed to handle money or cook…….wonder if the same applies to nuns??
After visiting the fresh fish part of the market……decided to be vegetarian for the day!
These tea leaves are used for a fantastic dish we had several times…..tea leaf salad with chickpeas, cabbage, lime juice,etc.
The village women smoke cheroots…...
And no market would be complete without a pharmacy….. herbal cures!
Another pagoda en route to the hotel, this one close to it, the Payathonzu Pagoda…… we were starting to think a nice rest was in order!
This is one of the oldest pagodas, possibly built in the 10th century. It was a little crumbling on the exterior…..
and interiorly the original teak beams could be seen…..
The walls were totally covered with scenes from Buddha's life…..but not in good condition….. apparently these murals are among the earliest surviving ones in Bagan.
But…we forgot…….we needed to have lunch before we could check in to the hotel at 2pm!!
So off we went, in the opposite direction to the hotel, to a restaurant …..Queen…..which was really only just OK…..despite a fairly high ranking on Trip Advisor! Presumably because this is where guides/drivers choose to take most tourists and so has more reviews than other restaurants in the area!
We arrived in Bagan (Nyaung- U airport) again very early…. but this allowed us to climb up a pagoda to see the view before the heat of the day…… going up was fine….coming back down was a different matter….rather like descending a pyramid in Mexico! No railing to hang onto!
Then on to the Swezigon Pagoda…..which was quite beautiful with an excessive amount of gold leaf!
Then on to the market in Nyaung-U……. which was huge!
Another pagoda en route to the hotel, this one close to it, the Payathonzu Pagoda…… we were starting to think a nice rest was in order!
The walls were totally covered with scenes from Buddha's life…..but not in good condition….. apparently these murals are among the earliest surviving ones in Bagan.
But…we forgot…….we needed to have lunch before we could check in to the hotel at 2pm!!
So off we went, in the opposite direction to the hotel, to a restaurant …..Queen…..which was really only just OK…..despite a fairly high ranking on Trip Advisor! Presumably because this is where guides/drivers choose to take most tourists and so has more reviews than other restaurants in the area!
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