The train finally arrived 4 hours late in Bagan. Ron figures that the train ride was the most dangerous ride of any kind that we have ever taken, but we did arrive safely - if somewhat battered - and saw a fascinating glimpse of simple rural life. When he met us, our guide said, "Not many tourists take the train." Now we know why!

Bagan - a magical place with temples and stupas as far as you can see, dating from the 11th century. There are over 2000 in total. There were over 4000, but many were destroyed in the eathquake in 1975.
We have a great view of over 60 of them from our hotel room. Our guide for the afternoon explained many of the major sites and showed us how to tell an 11th century temple from a 17th century one (it's all in the colours used in the paintings). The temples all have many statues of Buddha in various poses as well as numerous depictions of his life.

At sunset we climbed one of the major stupas along with many other people, both locals and tourists. It was a steep climb four levels up on very narrow stairs to a small walkway that went around the stupa. I am amazed that there were no accidents, but the overview of Bagan and the light at sunset were spectacular!