Bagan Day 1

The plane was delayed in Yangon for 2 hours while we waited out the fog. It was the first time we had been on a propeller plane in quite some time. Other than that, it was an uneventful flight.
Into the bus in Bagan, somewhat north of Yangon. This part of the country is mostly flat with scrubby little plants. The claim to fame is the over 2000 temples and pagodas in the Irrawaddy river valley. These were constructed in the 11th to13th centuries by a succession of kings and noblemen. There were once over 20000, but neglect and earthquakes have taken their toll. There use to be a town in the middle of and among all the ruins, but the government forcibly move the town a few miles away in 1975 to try to preserve the site.

The different shapes of the structures reflect the Indian or Burmese or Sri Lankan influences. Some of these are stupas which are solid, and others are temples which one can go into. We went to the top of a new 11story tower to overlook the valley.
After the overview, we went to a few of the select temples. We came to the Ananda Temple, a huge structure with 4 entrances, each leading to a huge statue of Buddha. This was built in 1105, and was damaged by an earthquake in 1975, and has been rebuilt.
Each is covered in gold. We walked around to see all four in our feet, as one has to remove shoes and socks before entering.
Lunch at a Chinese restaurant, and to our hotel for a nap.
After rest hour, we went to a Lacquer factory, where they showed us how the bamboo is made into plates and urns, etc. and covered with lacquer and etched and coated with colors and lacquered again. Interesting, but of course we were then led into the showroom. We have enough tchotchkes, thank you.
Then to the Shwesandaw "Sunset" temple where literally hundreds of tourists climb (shoelessly) the steep steps (of course Ann was having nothing of this-the climbing, not the shoelessness) to watch the sun set over the temples and the valley.
Odysseys Tours is distinctive in its home visits. We went to the home of a local businesswoman for dinner. She told of how she and her family had been forcibly moved in 1975 when the government cleaned out Old Bagan to create New Bagan. They dismantled the old house and used much of it to build a new one 3 miles away. I gently asked her about the recent political changes and how life had changed. She allowed that there is somewhat more freedom, but she wasn't sure whether the upcoming elections would accomplish much without the military's blessing. I will let Ann describe the food, but there were things that we had never eaten or even heard of. Gastrodiplomacy, indeed.