Day 201- The bus brought us into Bagan and the area of Nyaung-U for 5am. Luckily this was the area we were staying at and even better still was that the hotel offered a free pick-up service. However we were quite shocked to find the pick-up was a man on a trishaw- a tricycle with two seats, and he had to cycle the two of us plus all of our luggage, 15 mins down the road which wasn't particularly flat. We felt awful and tried to walk but he insisted. Apparently the rooms were full so we couldn't check in, the receptionist went back to sleep on the floor on his mat so I laid my scarf on the floor and Eve took the bench and we tried to get a few hours in. By 8am our room was ready so we got washed and headed out to browse the market where we picked up a beautiful gold embroidered elephant cushion cover. We then rented bicycles from the hotel and set off down the road, breakfast was our priority so we stopped at a tea house and ordered some Burmese grub. We start our discovery of ancient temples with a short cycle round the back of the town to magnificent Shwezigon Paya which is one of the most popular and grandest of temples. We spent some time walking around soaking up the atmosphere. We then cycled back to the main road and straight away seen some small temples just sitting in the middle of a patch of land with no gates, barriers, hawkers or anything. It was just a taste of what was to come. After pedaling for a few hundred meters more we spotted the spire of a temple so wheeled round and cycled down the sand path until we came to its foot. It was remarkable, a brick pagoda that was deserted bar a small bamboo hut where the 'keyholder' resides. The keyholder is the man that is entrusted with the key to the gate. Gate's were only put up in the past ten years as tourism increased as small Buddhist sculptures were disappearing and mural paintings were been destroyed. This is good however the keyholder appreciates some 'tea money' for opening the gate so it is also very frustrating. We simply admired them from the outside and then walked a little further to its neighbouring temple which was just as impressive. We were left to explore all by ourself and it was so quiet with the road out of sight and only the sound of ox and carts to be heard. Back on the road we stopped a little further down as we came to a big group of temples known as Upali Thein which we explored by foot. There was loads of temples and pagodas on the road which we didn't visit but one of the things we enjoyed most was just cycling by and seeing them all from the road stopping at the more interesting ones. All in all there are over 4000 temples making it one of the most incredible places we have ever visited on all our travels. We eventually came to the area called Old Bagan which was the initial settlement and is bordered by a city wall and contains some of the importanat administrative temples and palaces. We completed a cicuit but by now it was getting unbearably hot reaching over 40 degrees so we stopped at a shaded cafe and guzzled down a sugar cane juice. We then slowly cycled round the corner to huge Ananda Phato temple. We spent some time looking in the various halls and rooms seeking shade for as long as possible. It wasnt going to get any cooler any time soon so had to bear the heat and cycle back. We stopped off at a few more including the almost Aztec like Buledi temple. It had stairs right to the top and it was gated from the second level up but after walking round it we found one gate open. We walked up and climbed to the very top, it was really high and gave us breathtaking views across the plains. We sat admired the beauty but we were disturbed by the sound of a cart pulling up and we assumed it was the keyholder and not wanting to fund his tea habit we climbed over the fence at the other side and sneaked down the back before cycling away like naughty little school children. Feeling very content and extremely sweaty we headed back. Back in Nyuang-U which is the recently developed touristy area we stopped at a local cafe for dinner. We chilled out at the hostel and had a nap and a shower before going out for tea.

Day 202- Another day full of temple exploration was at hand but we felt we had enough of the cycling so opted for the traditional method of travel- horse and cart. It was a small wooden cart with barely enough space for two filled with cushions, you simply had to lounge/sit where you could, it was fairly comfortable but certainly not luxurious. He took us much further away from the centre and to the southern plain where we stopped at the Iza-Gaw-Na temple which was the most spectacular for its detailed architecture, so fine and intricate. We spent a good amount of time admiring it before we were taken to the Win-In-Do group. We were met by a young lad who showed us around the different temples and as much as we tried to lose him we couldn't and so let him take us round. He actually spoke good English and took us into a few different ones, one of which we caught a glimpse of a snake before it slid off into the grass. He led us to the the top of one and showed us what some of the paintings meant and the stories they told. We were about to give him some money when he asked us if he could show us his paintings. We thought we would humor him and were actually blown away by them. Some were standard paintings but one type he explained he ground down local stones and then lay the powder over glue on paper to set. He then carved images into the newly formed stone. They were amazing, I picked one up and couldn't believe how heavy it was. The lad did them himself and told us it was a technique he learned from his Uncle, he wasn't pressuring us to buy one at all but it seemed the perfect souvenir from a place that we loved so much. We managed to haggle the price down to a third of what he quoted and were delighted with our purchase. He was such a nice lad and was so grateful for our time never mind the sale. We moved on to three more similar yet still great temples and then we were taken to Min-Nan-Thu village. This was a traditional village settled around the 13th century (the same time as the temples) and a girl came over to greet us to show us around, we knew a cost or catch would come from somewhere but didn't want to pass on the experience. She showed us a typical household and kitchen, here she demonstrated how they grind peanuts down to get the oil from them. Next was a cotton weaving shack and how they make the thread from the cotton bud itself. Her 80 odd year old grandmother was sitting making the thread and for a break she lit up a huge cigar and started puffing away. We were given a cup of tea and some nuts as we watched, then the sales spiel began. She tried flogging us scarfs, table runners amongst god knows what else. After we declined she led us back and then tried asking for a souvenir- money! We explained we weren't rich Americans that she was used to and gave her a small tip. Next our driver took us for a traditional Burmese lunch which was lovely and then we drove down to Myinkaba village. We read everywhere that some of the best laquerware in the world is produced here and thought it would be a great souvenir. We browsed for ages and the owner, who is the fourth in line of generations that has worked in the family business, showed us the process of making and we were blown away. A small piece takes at least 4-6 months as it needs 2 weeks to dry after every layer plus painting and inscription. We came away with a tea holder as since we have traveled Asia we have fallen in love with green tea- bloody travelers ehy! We started our journey back and went through Old Bagan stopping at a pagoda on the river and then our guide took us to an old tower for sunset, we were the first ones there and only around 6 more people turned up so it was so peaceful and a great sight. With it being so hot and over a desert the sky was very hazy so it wasn't the best sunset visually but still a great show of landscape.