Ayeyarwady Sunset

The temples of Bagan have long been on my “must see” list.

Occupying a 26 square mile area and flanked by the meandering Ayeyarwady River, it’s hard to take in the thousands of time-old stupas (traditional Buddhist religious monuments) that sprinkle the plain.

Perhaps the best way to appreciate the scale of the site is by hot air balloon and while we didn’t have the opportunity to do that, we were amused by the “Balloons over Bagan” official bus – a pre-World War 2 vehicle, apparently still going strong.

We had just arrived in Bagan from Inle Lake en route to the “Road to Mandalay” riverboat and took the opportunity on the way to our hotel to enjoy sunset from Shwesandaw Paya, one of Bagan’s most popular “sunset pagodas”.


The terraces of the pagoda were already crowded, but off with our shoes, we climbed energetically up the stone steps past five terraces which became steeper as we ascended.

We were rewarded with a 360 degree view over the plain from the highest terrace on this pyramid-style pagoda. Stupas dotted the landscape as far as the eye could see in all directions. The scene was bathed in the light from the setting sun and the dust kicked up by ox carts that trundled bumpily along a network of rugged pathways.

Having circled the pagoda to take in the landscape, the view that all had come to see was to the west over the Ayeyarwady River. The airborne dust added to the golden haze that was appearing in the western sky, intensifying in colour as the yellow globe sank into the horizon.

We were sitting with our feet dangling over the highest terrace wall in amongst a group of French tourists. We excitedly shared stories about our Myanmar experiences so far but conversation petered out as the sky turned flame orange. The sun’s eventual disappearance seemed to empty the sky of life.

We enjoyed it so much we returned the following evening and exchanged stories with a group of Myanmar teenagers who chattered excitedly and practiced their impressive English.

All activity halted when the time came to focus on the horizon. Stillness came over the crowded pagoda and once again, the setting sun put on its nightly performance and took our breath away.