I had yet another occasion to visit Myanmar from 20 to 25 December. The trip was mostly business, but as I had some warning, I made plans to visit Bagan for the first time on the way to Mandalay

Bagan was a complete surprise. I’d read a lot about it, but simply wasn’t prepared for the scale of the place. We arrived at around sunset, and on the short drive to our hotel, my friend and I were constantly tugging each others’ sleeves to bring their attention to the spectacular monuments whizzing by outside the windows on either side of the car

It’s one thing to read about the 3,000 or so pagodas and monasteries that dot this bluff in central Myanmar, it’s quite another to actually see them for real, and see how packed in they are. Mind you, Bagan is no Angkor complex, but what it lacks in scale it makes up for in numbers. I set aside just one whole day to see the sights, and this was sufficient to see the main ones, but I definitely have to plan on returning for more someday soon!

Travel information about Bagan can be found at my updated on-line travel guide, Asia for Visitors.