After an unforgettable adventure in Hsipaw, I left for Bagan – where the adventure continued, but with a friend in tow. Luckily he has a motorcycle license because if not for the e-bike, getting around in Bagan would have been (1) tough due to the heat and/or  (2) expensive – and honestly, there’s nothing like driving by aged pagodas with the wind in your hair, ready to jump off at any moment to explore the insides of a pagoda.

Side note: from Hsipaw to Bagan via bus it’s a 12 hour journey – unfortunately I somehow managed to get myself onto a local bus so sans air conditioning and plus giant tv screen blaring local songs endlessly; costed just 17,300 Myanmar Kyat though!

Although we were told that climbable temples were basically non-existent, we persisted in our search.. And eventually found a narrow staircase tucked in the corner of the main room of an unnamed pagoda – it’s located nearby Dhamma-yan-gyi, with the exact location being: 21.154746,94.880779. We visited in the afternoon then returned for the sunset but had a bit of a surprise as there were numerous other people and even vendors. Unfortunately my friend, Daniel, was being hassled almost through-out our time there; regardless of the vendors persistence, if the vendor is a child (as was our case), please do not buy from them.

“Don’t be a sling-bag.” Burmese Proverb