Bagan
Asia 2016
As soon as we got off the bus, a swarm of taxi drivers surrounded us. Breaking through their tight ring, we noticed three tourists getting into a minivan. We went over and asked if we could join them. The tourists happily agreed, but the taxi driver did not want to take us. He said that if he took us, his taxi-driver friends would suffer emotional trauma because they would not make any money. He said it with such a serious expression, and right nearby stood the friends who, in fact, might have had emotional trauma. It was obvious from their faces that trauma was not far off. So there was no point arguing. This was the first time this had happened to us :)
In the end, we found a lone girl and went as three, which turned out to be only a little cheaper, but still cheaper. The taxi cost as much as in Yangon, even though the ride here was a hundred times shorter. Halfway there, we stopped by a little booth where a sleepy Myanmar man sold us tickets — entry to the Bagan area is paid, $25 — the ticket is valid for five days.
We arrived at the hotel before six, were warmly welcomed at the reception, and were even almost checked in, but at the last moment it turned out that the room would only be available at 9 a.m. We were very sleepy; luckily, there were comfortable soft sofas in the hotel lobby, so we settled there.
The Wolf Sleeps in the Hotel Lobby
Volchiy even fell asleep, but for some reason I couldn’t sleep. I read and listened to music. At 8 a.m. we went to breakfast, which was included in the price, and ate a tasty meal. And at 9 they really did check us in. We immediately went to sleep.
Our room. A little untidy for now.
We thought that an overnight transfer would save time, but it turned out to be quite the opposite. Practically the whole next day after the transfer is lost because you really want to sleep. We could have rented bicycles for half a day, but it was very hot and we decided it would be better to start exploring Bagan tomorrow, with a fresh mind.
So we just walked around the village of Nyaung U, where we are staying and which is located 5 kilometers from the valley with the temples. There is not much to do in Nyaung U; the only sight here is the pagoda, which after Shwedagon in Yangon seemed, of course, small and rather dull.
There are lots of restaurants here with tourist prices (where, for example, milk tea costs 4 times more than the proper price....), but we found a place for locals (of whom there are quite a few here too), where we had tea and ate a pastry each.
