The Democratic Republic of the People of the Union of Myanmar (or something like that) - Bagan

The reason we cut out Bangkok from our trip was to make room for Bagan. Who'd have guessed we'd have to make cuts on a two and half month trip... But it was definitely the right decision! Here's a summary of what we did in Bagan, some advice if you visit, fun facts, and some of our favorite pictures.

Day 1

• Arrive in Bagan at 6:00am
• Check into Ruby True Hotel
• Rent "E-Bike" and tour the pagodas
• Lunch at The Moon Vegeterian Cuisine
• View of Irrawaddy River at Bu Paya Pagoda
• Sunset at Shwe San Daw pagoda
• Dinner at Ma Mae Naing (means unforgettable)

Day 2

• Sunrise at Shwe San Daw pagoda
• Lunch at Yar Pyi Vegeterian Cuisine
• Evening bus to Mandalay
• Sleep at the Yandarbon hotel

Things to know if you visit

Bagan is an incredible town. With between 2,200 and 3,000 pagodas (temples) sprinkled across ~42 sq km, the views at sunrise and sunset are magical. You can rent an "e-bike" and explore these to your heart's content. Yes tourism is catching up quickly, causing prices to inflate that will eventually screw the locals, and yes there are a ton of peddlers who annoy you at the major pagodas but on the whole they are friendly and the experience is well worth it.

Some word of advice:

• Always bargain the price, especially with taxis. It should drop at least 25% from what was originally quoted.
• Leave plenty of time for trips to airport or bus stations if taking a taxi. We spent 1.5 hours in the evening rush around 6pm to get from Yangon downtown to the Aung Mingalar bus station for $10.
• Rent an "E-bike" in Bagan. It's worth extra couple of bucks a day for the ease of not having to peddle in the 100F heat. They feel a bit less stable than a bike at first but you'll get the hang of it quickly. We paid $12 a day for two people.
• Giant cockroaches come out at night at Shwedagon Pagoda at night. So its worth waking up early in the morning to go and avoid the heat instead of late evening. 
• Many restaurants will give you a tamrind flake candy at the end of your meal. Sure it looks sketchly packed but its delicious.

Fun facts

• Local boys play a version of hacky sack on the street side.
• Locals also love to relax with some volleyball in the cool evenings of 95 Fahrenheit.
• We were in Bagan when the first Myanmar U20 football match took place... against USA. USA won 2-1.
• The driver of a motorbike can still comfortably surf the web on his phone with two other people on the back seat.

Summary of Pictures

Our hotel Ruby True, at the edge of New Bagan and very quiet

So after a shaky overnight bus we head to Shwezigon the farthest temple on a e-bike

All the bigger pagodas had four Buddhas, one on each side

Moon Restaurant - one of the best vegetarian restaurants I have been to

We want to live on coconut rice

You just drive by and see pagodas to your left and right

We decided to go and explore this random one

The caretaker let us on the roof for these views

Then we moved onto one of the bigger ones ignoring the sweat struggle

You can take long hot horse carriage rides

Black skinny jeans in summer, always a great idea

We climbed Shwesandaw for these views, no need for a $350 hot air balloon ride

Go sunset mode on point and shoot camera

The haunted temple that makes dogs go crazy

We thought we would eat at a riverside restaurant but instead went in for this pic

All this for $2! A great roadside restaurant

We were positive two Asian girls never came out of this one 

Just farming away at 7 am

Mohit was so pro on this slippery dirt

Goat crossing is a regular thing