A few hours drive from Bagan lies Mount Popa, a significant site of pilgrimage in Myanmar.

An extinct volcano, Mount Popa rises 1500 metres above sea level and there is a large pagoda complex built on top.

Additionally, this is a site for worshippers of the 37 great Nats. These spirits are human in form and many met violent deaths. They predate Buddhism and this is the main centre for such devotion with a separate building housing these iconic figures.

As Jane took the 777 steps to the summit of Mount Popa, I wandered around at street level and had thanaka applied to my face by a charming woman in the market place.

The journey back to Bagan is thought provoking. Along a stretch of road, desperately poor people from the very young to the very old stand on the road side at intervals of 100 metres in the searing heat begging for money. This is 2017 but seems like a scene from thousands of years ago. Occasionally money will be thrown from vehicles and the people rush forward to gather it up. I find it an emotional experience and a reminder of the huge inequalities in life for rich and poor.