I had whiskey's with Chris and Becks from London, smokes with our French friend and followed our Swedish friends into a transport taxi to their hotel in Bagon once we all landed. $25/night at the hotel we were brought to but only problem? No internet (even though it was advertised). Pete put his foot down and declined our original commitment to stay based on this false premise.
I pulled my passport (nicely) from the young girl copying my info and followed Pete outside. Pete had already had a nice conversation with the Taxi who had brought us to the hotel. The driver wanted 1000 kyat/ea ($1) recourse for our ride to town.
We both understood our moral obligation but drew the line on the hotel limited by the hotel's wifi commitment.
Not wanting a confrontation with a brand new town of Buddhists, I handed over a 1000 and moved away.
We found ourselves walking down the dark (unknown) streets of Bangan looking for a new hotel and maybe a friend or two;). We looked into two more hotels on our short walk before noticing 'No' hotel had good Wifi. What do ya know, middle of a river town in a country who is seeing tourists for the first time in history and no Wifi?!!!
I was on the lookout for a Starbucks with Internet to ease Cool's pain but none in site, must've been to late, don't they close at night?
It was apparently a town thing not a hotel issue (which is why these blogs are delayed). We finally decided on a place a stones throw from our missed street fight & original choice. The price was $30/night, had no internet and we got to share a bed, Pete was happy so I...!
Sleep came fast after a rapid walk through town with an even quicker meal.
We woke this morning to an included (awesome) breakfast of fish soup and fruit. After we rented bikes, met a new friend (Vinnie from Germany) and all set off on our bikes for adventures of Stupa hunting in Bagan.
We were a small pack of bikers looking for good times in a Buddhist nation &
"The Town of 4 thousand Pagodas", Bagan!
Our first stop was a market in the shadows of a large Pagoda on the way to Old Bagan. I was enticed inward to this open air structure by a face painted young lady who met me on the dirt road with a gift. She pinned a handmade butterfly onto my shirt, threw a few Buddhas into my hands and grabbed my hand. I left my bike in the dirt and walked through the walled entrance with my new escort.
Inside I found an amazing world of makeshift kios strewn with interesting goods and even more interesting people. I began to be dragged around but 3 different women in three different directions. I quickly lost my first courtier and found myself at the other end of the bazarre. I actually ended up with a family who's father (25yo) is a wood carver and was present and carving away.
I motioned toward a pot of something the baby was eating as a gesture to suggest " hey nice lookin food, what is it?". The response I was unprepared for. Coming from, who appeared to be the elderly gramma, she handed me the pot directly off of the fire while motioning for me to dip my foreign fingers into their (baby) food and try a bite.
Asia, especially Myanmar is a proud people. An offer of anything is normal. It is customary to accept and if declined an unfavorable if not rude gesture. Without hesitation I dipped into the pot with my fingers and pinched a generous amount into my mouth as 9 family members smiled with delight. Immediately it was delicious. Sesame seeds, oil, a green leafy type material with rice, I thought. What I missed was the spice.
The heat that partook my mouth over the next few moments mimicks a 5 alarm blaze in a west African church. In my twirl towards the nearby river, the woodworkers wife noticed my immediate plea for a quick quench and rescued me instantly with a glass of water which she shoved into my hand. Without a thought I swigged a gulp and instantly thought "shit, I'm in a river village in a distant part of a distant land, where did this 'Water' come from? Immediately I thought of dysentery. I thought of my Christmas present from Jesse, a ultraviolet wand for killing bad shit in water! Then? Fuck it! I bought a sandalwood necklace, got my face painted by a woman on the floor, hugged the baby; who by the way was 2 and eating this same 5 alarm baby food that almost killed me without issue), took some pics of the girls, joined Pete & Vinnie on our bikes and back to the road to Old Bagan.
After stopping for a tea at a roadside cafe we reconnected with our French buddy (third time since meeting in Bangkok nearly a week ago) and now we were four.
Wild/domestic Dogs are everywhere in Myanmar. As we were leaving the outdoor cafe a couple entwined in a twist of romantic embrace and got stuck. Yes stuck! Right in front of my bike! After an agonizing (I do mean screams of anguish agonizing) 10 minute round of dog screaming pain and my cringing goosebumped horror I rose to see if I could find a way to un-hogtie the two street side lovers. I walked cautiously toward them as they scurried like a Siamese twin crab across the dirt street.
My intention was clear, to separate them without injury to them or myself.
How? was the question. As I half-chased the crawling couple down the road in view of a dozen people and two dozen of their useless dog friends magic happened and the one became two, quickly limping for separate safe houses provided by the undercarriages of the many buses parked nearby. My work was done. In the drama of the dog fest I forgot to mention we reconnected without old French friend from Bangkok, who has been bumping into us randomly ever since we got here. He sat with the others and was having a tea while I ran with the daugs.
Before I returned to my biker possie I met Richard, a 29 yo software gamer from Britsh Columbia & replanted in Penang, Malayasia. He is on a visa update run, took it to Myanmar before heading back to Penang and was now lucky enough to be invited into our wolf pack.
Now we are 5. We ride on!
We found ourselfs entranced by the sheer number of Pagodas on our ride through Old Bagan. After being in Myanmar now for almost a week and seeing hundreds of Pagodas I quite frankly wasn't looking forward to a few more days of walking through them. Don't get me wrong, they are some of the most spectacular works of religious architecture I have had the opportunity to witness but after seeing Shwedagon I kinda felt "ya ya more pagodas".
Well, biking down that barely paved road being passed along the way by locals just gettin on
while I witnessed thousands (yes 1000s!) of religious structures was humbling. We all decided to make a last minute turn up a sandy road into the bush after seeing a monstrosity of wonder in the distance.
We parked our bikes at the front steps and were greeted by a few local guys (seemingly just hanging out). We removed our shoes (as one must do prior to entering a Buddhist Temple) and miticulously made our way upward through tight monolithic stone stairways to the top terrace.
From this vantage point I understood the allure if not the absolute need to visit this place.
Strewn over the next number of miles and as far as the eye could see I witnessed 240 years of Mongolian development. Stretching far above the treetops, beyond inconceivable measures were the most dazzling intricate and no doubt mystical examples of human ingenuity.
They were everywhere! Solid stone, brick and gold structures piercing the forest canopy like blades of Jade grass. Beautiful in their eloquence yet solid as a representation of love in a symbol of personal enlightenment. A full on expression of a people who live as they believe in the importance of Karma, you get what you give, Buddha. A remarkable sight!
On my way out I purchased a sand painting of the 8 headed elephant from a local on the front steps and we were once again bike bound & on the road to the next Temple.
The next stop gained us our 6th and final member of our biker club. We entered a new temple through a gate. I met a little boy and his mom selling pictures on the stone walkway to the temple. After a number of totally cute pics I bought the little boys crayon drawn pictures and caught up to my club on the terrace.
Not long after I reached them did a girl from Germany appear talking to is as she climbed the stairs behind me. After hanging, talking and taking in our new birds eye view of the temple frenzy, taking place below us we all headed down to our bikes and ride on. 
(Local Myanmar transportation)
By this time we were six. One Candian, one from France, two Germans. me and my world traveling cuz.
Many markets, shrines and great street later had us at a roadside restuarant. Vinnie and I had been dying since the dog jamboree to have a beer. No beer out in the jungle full of Temples. We ate had a few Myanmars (local big beer), bid the "Wild Hogs of Bangan" farewell and scurried back to our hotel to catch the night bus to Inle Lake (arrival 4am).
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