8 Photographs that illustrate why I love Bagan | Myanmar
As a traveler, I strive to take trips to locations I've never been before. This rule, nevertheless, comes with a few exceptions. Bagan, Myanmar, was one of the places I returned to sooner than I expected. After my first trip there in March 2013, I always felt like I had unfinished business when I returned home. This is why, exactly three years later, I set out on another journey to this ancient city. This time around, I arrived as a lone tourist armed with more days exploring this historic city teeming with centuries-old temples and pagodas.
Riding an electric bike in the hot sun of March, I travelled far and wide, capturing the magnificent images of millennia-old ruins of the Pagan Kingdom. Much of my time here was spent marveling at the magnificent and timeless vibe that persists in this city, populated by some of the warmest and nicest individuals I've encountered. All of it added up to yet another unforgettable collective incursion to this city.
By taking off-the-beaten-path routes, I was able to see some of the most obscure temples and pagodas while covering more land than on my last trip. Bagan is an iconic historic city in Myanmar's Mandalay Region. The ruins that today rest scattered across its golden powdery plains are from kingdoms that existed from the 9th century until the 13th century. At the time, it served as the capital of the Country of Pagan - the first kingdom to unite all of Myanmar under one control. More than 10,000 Buddhist pagodas, monasteries, and temples were erected on the immense Bagan plains during the sovereignty of this dynasty. Over 2,200 pagodas and temples still survive today as majestic ruins and a striking reminder of that illustrious history.
Slowly opening up to tourists, Myanmar has managed to position the Bagan Archeological Zone as its principal visitor draw and is now regarded by many as equivalent to Cambodia's Angkor Wat complex. As an old-city junkie, I can state that Bagan can hold a candle on its own by possessing a powerful magnetism that appeals to people like myself seeking historic ruins with breathtaking landscapes to photograph.
To let the images, speak for itself, here are some more photographs that best exemplify Bagan as a place of timeless beauty.
These are just a few of the photos I wanted people to see whenever they ask why I went back to Myanmar. I traveled from Bagan to Mandalay and then returned to Yangon. Two weeks is a short time to truly absorb Bagan and the rest of this lovely nation; perhaps after reading this essay, you will be motivated to travel to Myanmar and see the timeless old city of Bagan.
