Day 2: Yangon to Bagan 23 June 2016

We reached Bagan at 5am in the morning and will be checking into our hotel Aung Mingular before venturing out. This will be a one night stay as we will be taking the overnight bus service to back to Yangon tomorrow night. So effectively, we have 2D1N in Bagan. And we shall treasure it!

Upon reaching the bus terminal, there were almost 50 people waiting for us to take their taxi. There was a loudhailer shouting the prices of their taxi to the various places - New Bagan, Old Bagan and Nyuang. Prices range from 5000 Kyats onwards. But the private drivers quoted us 5000 Kyats per pax which was a ripoff!

 

Drivers crowding the bus

Drivers crowding the bus

Reaching Bagan Bus Terminal

We decided to take the one with the loudhailer and paid 5000 Kyats for a ride to our hotel Aung Mingular Hotel. About 5 minutes in the taxi, it came to a halt and the driver asked us if we would like to take a short route or a cheap route. If we take the short route, we would need to pay 25,000 Kyats per person to the Tourism Board for entering the archaeological zone. If we do not want to pay this amount, we could choose a longer and cheaper route by just paying him another 5000 Kyats for the longer distance and skip paying the 25,000 Kyats. Believing more in the government fees, we chose to pay 25,000 Kyats each and entered the archaeological zone. And it took us around 10 mins before we reach our stay for the night. 

Aung Mingular Hotel like a resort stay theme but the rooms are comfortable for us as they are big and can accommodate 1 single and 1 double bed. After checking in, we rented ebikes and started our journey around Bagan. An ebike for 1 person costs around USD8, and USD10 for 2 persons. We can take it around with us from morning till latest 7,30pm in the evening.

Entering Archaeological Zone

Entering Archaeological Zone

Aung Mingular Hotel in Bagan

Aung Mingular Hotel in Bagan

Swing in Aung Mingular Hotel

Swing in Aung Mingular Hotel

Aung Mingular Hotel

The wooden shower screen in the toilets is rotting and the room smells musky due to the wooden structure. The beds are comfy and clean though.

Swing in Aung Mingular Hotel

Swing in Aung Mingular Hotel

Aung Mingular Room

Aung Mingular Room

Aung Mingular Bathroom

Aung Mingular Bathroom

Brunch at Weather Spoons

We decided to have brunch before we set off for more. We settled down at Weather Spoons, a small cafe at the corner of the road. It was a cosy place for meetups and lunches, we felt very at home and the waitress was very welcoming, always asking us whether the food was ok. They serve Thai food, Western food and Myanmar food. But to me, Myanmar food is always salad on their menu so I did not really try Myanmar food here.

Exploring Bagan

So off we went around exploring. Roads after roads, we see beautiful pagodas, tall and grand.