Bagan

More temples! And lots of them, over 4000, scattered randomly over vast plains of land. I explored some of the temples by bicycle on the first day (many have huge gold buddhas and painted reliefs that are nearly 1000 years old) which was very hot, but the best way to see them is by.... Hot air balloon. What a beautiful experience. Floating weightlessly over the world (no bumps at all) was rather surreal but I think the part I enjoyed the most was watching the entire process of getting the balloons going. And getting them back on the ground too which involves a whole crew jumping onto the basket to pull it down. The champagne breakfast after was pretty good too....
I found Bagan quite touristic, which detracts from the local life there. The restaurant strip will one day resemble Pub Street in Siem Reap I fear... But for now it still has retained its old world charm, especially early in the morning when the locals are busy starting their day.Read more