Bus to Bagan

Late afternoon on Thursday Sept 6th we got off work early to head to the bus station.  Amply supplied with snacks we, along with 2 other couples, crowded into a taxi and set off.  Our taxi driver had some uptempo music playing so we clipped along at a good pace.  Then a sappy song came on the radio and the miles per hour decreased.  Another gas station later and we made it to our destination. How the taxi driver could have an idea of where he was going in that maze of buses I will never know. 

Blocks and blocks of buses.

 However, we made it.  Our bus "station".

Boarding our bus:

 People take the opportunity to sell snacks, magazines and water to the waiting passengers.  This friendly man was using his portable deep fryer.  It's really clever actually, they have a metal container full of coals and a wok perched on top.  You see people carrying these contraptions everywhere, the oil still merrily bubbling as they walk along.

The problem is, it smells yummy.  However, unless you want to spend some extremely uncomfortable hours on the bus you shouldn't try these goodies unless your stomach is accustomed to it.  And it takes a long time to become accustomed to it.  We have never eaten street food here and have been advised that it wouldn't be a good idea to try it.  We do enjoy watching them make it though!

As the bus pulled away from the station we saw  group of young men playing Chinlone:

This game is a played in a circle with a rattan ball kicked up in the air between players.  It is a favorite past-time here.  If you walk around in the evenings and keep your eyes open down streets and in people's yards you will almost always see a game in progress.

Our bus left at 6 in the evening and we rode through the night in air conditioned comfort.  Actually, the A/C was overzealous and we froze. However, if you had to chose between freezing or humid and smelly we would rather have the A/C on.  Good thing I brought a scarf and sweater!  I would recommend a blanket next time though.  As it was a nine hour bus ride we arrived at 3 am in Bagan.  Or as Jody put it, Silly O'Clock in the Morning.  Why we left at 6 to arrive in the middle of the night will be a mystery to us forever.  However we did and sleepy eyed we piled out of the bus and finally decided to take an overpriced taxi to our hotel and see if we could crash in the lobby.

Piling into the back of our "Taxi

The ride to our hotel in the middle of the night was an adventure.  The air was different in Bagan, not quite as moist so to us it felt like a desert.  We could really smell the dust in the air, something that hasn't happened since we were in Wyoming in June.  As it happened our hotel was very accommodating and let us check into our rooms extremely early. They didn't even charge us extra except for breakfast.  We slept a couple hours before we were ready to begin exploring.