I'm banging around Bagan for a few days, check it out.

[terry57]

On the way there we chucked a quick lap down by the river.

[Cujo]

Awesome thread and great pics.
Be quick, t'll be like Thailand before you know it.

[Mr Lick]

Fascinating display of temples Terry. Very grateful for your input, next stop Burma!

[terry57]

We rock into this restaurant and sit down. Not many punters in there but after 5 minutes or so this lot rock in. Soon after an invasion of locals are coming out of the wood work and surrounded the restaurant just standing there gagging for a look at these people. Turned out a few of them where famous movie stars from Burma and where there touring the Temples. The locals got quite the hard on.

[terry57]

Being famous must be a pain in the arse EH. Cant even eat your sarnie without muppets milling around.

[terry57]

This restaurant had a set menu for lunch. There was only two of us and this is what they trotted out. Bloody good it was.

[terry57]

I'm a small eater at the best of times so this was quite over the top. The charge was around $10 all up so a blinding deal really and enough food to feed all of Burma in one sitting.

[terry57]

After a good feed it was back to being a tourist. Next stop was in to a shop that made, dealed and sold lacquer-ware. Bagan is the largest producer of lacqer-ware in Burma. This was a long running family run business with the females sitting at the front of the shop shining the product all day long.

[terry57]

The lads worked in the back room with this generator running when the power went down. Great way to get poisoned but they seem to survive it.

[terry57]

We received the grand tour of the business by the owner and they had the extended family involved in the production. The little room at the back was where it all went down.

[terry57]

All hand produced with bugger all machines.

[terry57]

The lads hard at it.

[terry57]

It was getting around 4.30PM so time to head back to the Temples for the afternoon viewing.

[terry57]

Passed these on the way.

[terry57]

I tuned my driver in early in the peace that I'm not big on being around bulk tourists and drummed him up that he would be nicely compensated if he gives us a nice tour away from the muppets. He picked this nearly deserted Temple for our afternoon viewing. I was well pleased with his effort and he did get a nice wedge at the end of the day.

[terry57]

So it was climb up the to the top for quite an unforgettable spectacle.

[terry57]

This is my money shot and the best I could do with my point and shoot camera. Gives you an Idea of what its all about. If these were not here the place would be unknown to tourists same as Siem Reap. Bloody great to see though, the balloon gig would be just awesome in the early morning.

[terry57]

In a few years one will not be able to get a picture like this as it will be full of tourists arriving for the afternoon viewing.

[terry57]

There's crops planted around some of those temples. A few wells drilled I imagine to provide water but bloody dry out here. The mind boggles how they managed to build 10,000 of these things all those centuries ago.

[Cujo]

Image the scene in its heyday, there would've been many many wooden houses and a city there I imagine, the temples standing above the city, like Churches in an old european town/city. (in my imagination that is. I actually haven't a clue)

[terry57]

Considering the temples where built over centuries its not hard to imagine it was New York City down there catering for all the workers.

Wonder where they all went and what really happened. History tells a story but I wonder how accurate it is. ?

Not very I'd say, no one really knows.

[terry57]

Which ever way one looks from this view point it was Temples left right and center.

[terry57]

Bare with me here. I'm going to post up a few of these shots mainly for my own reference to look back on.

[terry57]

[terry57]