For those Temple loving Teds.

To be honest, I've put off writing about Bagan for a long time, a really really long time. Not because it wasn't impressive or it wasn't memorable, but the exact opposite. This place was fantastic! To this day we still argue which site was better, Angkor Wat or Bagan? Honestly, I still don't have a clear winner for you. I've put it off simply because I had too many wonderful photos to edit, and too many thoughts I wanted to write. I was simply overwhelmed. So tonight, I'm sitting down to  work through these thoughts and photos even though now they are more like faded memories. 

Bagan was the capital city of the Kingdom of Pagan, what is now known as Myanmar. Built in the 9th to 13th centuries it once contained over 10,000 Buddhist temples, pagodas and monasteries. Yes, you read that right… 10,000! At the height of Bagan's rule, it's believed that 200,000 people we're living in this city of 40 square miles. With only 2,200 temples and pagodas still standing it's still an unimaginably massive undertaking to visit this city. 

Our initial day exploring in Bagan was lead by a young kid who took us by horse and carriage. This was a wonderful decision since he spoke good english and was able to inform us not only about the sites we visited but his culture, language and the western culture he enjoyed. He even broke out into song singing for us on a few occasions. Somehow he even convinced us to sing him a song as well. We performed a little number by the Head and the Heart. We ended our night with a round of drinks on us before he took his horse home for some much needed rest.

On day two we ventured out on bikes and rode in the ever increasing heat. A few stops for ice cream and red bulls fueled us throughout the day. We visited as many Temples, Pagodas and monasteries as humanly possible. With an endless array of Buddhas of all shapes and sizes, impressive stone work, painted ceilings, and carvings galore. Bagan, truly is a special place which reminds you of the shear beauty and creativity humans are capable of creating.

Not all forests are created equal

Just outside the Shaolin Temple we walked out to a very different type of forest. One I have never seen before, this one was a pagoda forest. In an area roughly the size of a football field stands 228 stone or brick pagodas built as far back as 791 AD. One interesting fact is that the levels on the pagodas are always odd numbers (from 1 to 7) They are based on the achievements of the Buddhist masters they were built for over spanning 5 dynasties. It sort of had this mystical vibe that's hard for me to explain with words.

After the forest we took a chair lift to one of the mountains peak for a view of the temple's grounds and the pagoda forest. Unfortunately, the view was hazy and not as impressive as it could have been. I'm not sure we even really wanted to go to the top but we were trying to lose this Chinese guy who wanted to be our personal guide. It worked, but probably cost us way more than just paying him for his effort.

One is giant, the other one is small

Two of the major sites in Xi'an that are a must see for any visitor would be the lovely giant wild goose and small wild goose pagodas just outside the city's ancient wall. The small goose pagoda was surrounded by a lovely garden and one of the most impressive museums we visited in China. (Interesting fact: All history museums are free because the Chinese goverment wants it's citizens to learn about their country).

A few days later, we explored the giant wild goose pagoda which has a nightly water show. The show was surprisingly excellent, and ends with hundreds of wet spectators laughing and splashing around  in the many puddles left by the spraying water. I got soaked getting these photos for you, so I hope you enjoy them.