Scrambling up steep jagged steps on the side of a temple carefully placing each foot and hand to prevent a treacherous fall to the ground; we began to take sideward glances at the landscape around us as we ascended higher and higher. Although the glances were short lived and the breathing started to get heavier, we constantly had to remind ourselves that you cannot afford to be distracted due to the sharp incline of the temple. Emerging on a narrow path towards the top of the temple you are greeted to an unbelievable yet magical sight of thousands of forgotten temples that peek and poke up from the golden painted landscape as the dying rays of light illuminate the forgotten empire of Pagan.

Words are utterly useless to convey the sights that we witnessed and the feeling that radiates deep within your soul. The raw beauty of this kingdom is overwhelming as you let your eyes dance around the maze of dusty dirt paths watching the occasional sheep herders hurry home with their flock and finally letting your gaze behold the full panoramic of hundreds of temples towering out of the trees in the far distance. You cannot help but feel humbled and grateful to have been exposed to such a sight hidden in the far corner of the world. Also, a feeling of time creeps into your mind and leaves you questioning how old civilization is, questioning the accomplishments of mankind from the Roman empire to the Chinese dynasties, and how you..little ol’ you…can either contribute to the achievements of our species or just shelter away in your little speck of the world never really challenging yourself for ‘more’.

Welcome to Bagan!!!

The eternal mysteries of a forgotten civilization can be discovered throughout the vast plains of Bagan. This impressive archaeological site of Asia displays the religious devotion of the people and emperors of Myanmar, which started halfway around the 9^th century and ended around the 13^th century. Bagan was known as the capital of the Kingdom of Pagan, which this kingdom was the first to unify the area that is now known as Myanmar and established the Burmese culture and ethnicity; as well as, Theravada Buddhism. Over the centuries of rule, as the city and kingdom grew in influence and stature, over 10,000 temples were supposedly built on the plains surrounding the capital. One can only question what and how a powerful civilization can just disappear and lose the influential power it once commanded. During the 12^th and 13^th century, both the Khmer (found in Cambodia) and the Pagan (found in Myanmar) were the largest and most powerful kingdoms in Southeast Asia and were based largely off agriculture. Two key factors are believed to deliver fatal blows to the Pagan Empire. First, due to the expansion of their kingdom and the development of countless temples, this required the use of much of the fertile lands on which it was based on. Without the notion of sustainability and coordinated planning, the empire found itself faced with the threat of over using their resources. The other and more critical factor is the notorious MONGOLS. After several Mongol invasions led by Kublai Khan; the Great Khan, the Pagan Emperor and kingdom met an end to their prosperous reign.

These relics of the past seem to have remained hidden and with over 2,000 remaining temples in the area, one can only cut loose and chase those relics to discover whatever glories exist. Over the course of 4 days, we rode endlessly throughout Bagan trying to search each and every temple we came across. It was an honorable attempt but after countless of temples and experiencing temple-fatigue we didn’t come close to exploring the 2,000 temples. Even at times with the raging heat from the sun beating against the body and stinging grains of sand blowing as we rode among the dirt paths Vanessa nearly lost control of our trusty motor-bike. Amateur hour!!!

In pursuit of the travel glories of Bagan, we weren’t rewarded with timeless valuable antiques that are museum quality nor worth thousands of dollars in the black market. But we were granted with more valuable and memorable experiences that will be worth sharing with our grandkids on a Sunday afternoon over ice-cold lemonade in the far future. At least I hope that is the case. As we silently crept around dark corners barefooted within the confines of the temples we were confronted by beams of morning sunlight casting rays and illuminating a giant Buddha statue that is bound to sit quietly for eternity.

The only noise is my heart pounding from the excitement and the flapping of wings as the pigeons were startled from their sleep and panicking to race out from the darkness to escape our presence. It is such a rewarding experience to find some solitude and let yourself be consumed by such wonders and treasures in the world. As we continued to bounce temple to temple, we continued to find unique elements in each, some are tiny, only worth a slow drive-by while others are so large that you have to step back and take in the grand scale of the architecture while shading your eyes from the harsh sun.

CELEBRATIONS & LUCK OF THE TRAVEL GODS

Happy accidents are the best accidents!!! While pushing our motivation for temple hunting beyond normal limits and burning in the sun, we were rewarded with a few unexpected local celebrations that only those locals who were invited or those who happen to just unexpectedly stumble upon them. YAY…the travel gods were on our side once again and lead us to 3 different celebrations at three different temples that we had no ideas were happening.

Celebration 1: All Smiles

Stumbling upon a temple in the middle of the Bagan plain, apparently a celebration was in progress where a local Myanmar wealthy donor was celebrating something we were not aware of. Food was being provided to the locals outside the temple while monks were allowed to eat inside and pray for the temple. The man in charge of the celebration even invited us to partake in the food and lets be honest being a budget backpacker and being offered free food is a recipe for happiness and making a friend for a life-time. Before we could jump on the offer for ‘free’ food the cries of joy and a rush of people caught our attention. A quick scan of the event unfolding trying to understand all the commotion happening in front of us was revealed as we caught sight of the wealthy donor tossing money into the air for all the locals to seize. Smiles upon smiles radiated from the faces and it was contagious and the feeling of joy could be felt. It’s amazing how much we have back home and how easily we take all it for granted never fully appreciating the smallest of items we truly have…including the pennies and quarters laying silently between your sofa cushions. Yes…grateful…because for one you have a sofa and two that you have spare money that you never bat an eye at as it’s eaten by your sofa until months later when you think your remote control has been swallowed by the sofa monster. These folks have little to nothing but are happy for a few dollars thrown into the air knowing that it could be use for food or even to purchase a backpack for their children.

Celebration 2: Dance Parade

Honestly, not completely sure what this was or what it represented but it was fun to witness the madness of dancing men and boys parade up the dusty road blaring deafening music from ‘mega’ speakers strapped to anything that had wheels.

 Celebration 3: Money Grab

Final celebration we witness was commemorating the umbrella of a temple. No…not the normal umbrella that we westerns think but in Myanmar the umbrella is often referred to as the golden portion that is placed on the temple. It was intriguing and captivating to watch the procedures of the ceremony while monks climbed to the tower of the temple and honored guests and family dressed in decorative traditional costumes while making three full circles around the temple.

An interesting component of the festivals is yet once again money being tossed from the top of the temple to the locals at the bottom. MADNESS started and the women quickly grabbed the children to seek safety a short distance behind the raging men running from place to place like a crazy cat chasing the red laser dot dancing back and forth on the wall. The reward…money. The more experienced and prepared fellas crafted long poles with a net tied to the end of it, definitely not their first rodeo. Working in teams the men with poles dominated the field while the others scrambled for the cash that slipped pass the towering nets. The men with poles worked in what appeared to be a team of two or three. One man managing the pole to position it just right underneath the floating bills while the other two served as bodyguards. Pure madness…but pure fun to watch and I had to get in the middle of this.

Truly a remarkable experience to witness this first hand…the shouts, the laughs, the joy, the emotions, and the culture. Among all the fun chaos of money grabbing…there hidden among the crowd was a calm boy. The boy no different from any other boy stood his ground and just observed all the facets taking places in front of him and taking joy in life around him. Sometimes the simple elements in life are the most memorable and I was spellbound by watching this boy; a young monk, calmly observing his world around him. It reminded me that in all the chaos that could be happening, you are ultimately in charge of how you react to it.