Ancient Bagan

Lacquerware workshop. 

The crafts people.

The showroom.

My motorcycle for the day.

Shots of various temples are the complex.

A village where the souvenir sellers live.

Tuesday, May 29^th.

It rained all during the night and was still raining in the morning. This was to be our free day to explore the temples of ancient Bagan, but first Pu Pu took us for a short walk to a lacquerware business. Lacquer is a sap from a tree that grows in the drier regions of Myanmar and other south Asian countries 1000+ metres above sea level. It is tapped like maple syrup or rubber and the sap turns black when it oxidizes. Lacquer objects are made mainly from bamboo, or teak wood if the object is square or a statue. Pu Pu showed us the steps of turning the thin pieces of bamboo into beautiful objects. She also gave us the time frame. It can take as little as 63 days to get a nine-layer lacquer cup and as much as years to get the huge red finished object in the showroom shot, which sells for about $14000 dollars. This is because the object has to be dried in a climate-controlled basement for three weeks between coats of lacquer. We had a short tour of the workshop where we could see the crafts people preforming what she explained. I have seen a number of shops this year where people are working at a craft that has been handed down for hundreds of years, and every time I see one, I marvel at the skill and technique but am ever thankful that I don’t have that as a job.

Then back to the hotel. Young was going to hang out, and I had organized renting a little e-bike to go exploring. Unfortunately, as I said it was raining. Luckily it was not raining hard and the weather and rain were not cold. So, I set off. I enjoyed riding the bike and getting off the main road onto the little dirt trails that criss cross the complex. I visited the old walled city of Bagan with its incredibly thick walls and many temples before heading out into the country. I stumbled upon a little village where local people who sell souvenirs at the temples live. It was pretty basic and with the rain, the houses did not look inviting. I took a number of shots as I rode around, but with the rain it was difficult to keep the camera dry and the grey skies made for moodier shots. After a couple of hours and no longer being able to dry the lens and being thoroughly soaked I headed back to the hotel where I had a warm bath to relax.

I spent the afternoon in my room reading, watching TV and typing. I had dinner with Young at the hotel restaurant. I don’t know why I bothered she spent the whole time doing something on her phone. When I finished my meal, I told her that is why I don’t have a phone and thanked her for the conversation.

I went to the lobby to pay for my dinner and the bike. The young lady at the counter asked how the riding was, and I said it was wet and made taking pictures difficult. Then she told me that she loved it. She said it was too hot last week and with the rain she loved to walk barefoot and with no umbrella and enjoy the coolness of the air temperature and water on her head. Of course, with her limited English, she didn’t say it as eloquently as me, but that is what she meant. I had booked the bike for the day, but only used it half the day, so that is what they charged me, $5. Then I hung out for the evening as it was still raining. Oh well.