千佛之城 千篇美景

關鍵詞

Lungi skirts 籠基筒裙

Pagodas 寶塔

The Bagan Kingdom 蒲甘王國

Thanaka ground bark 特納卡樹皮粉（黃香楝樹磨的粉，據說能夠防曬和美容）

Bagan， Yangon， Mandalay，Inle Lake， 巴干，仰光，曼德勒，茵萊湖

Sulamani Pahto 蘇拉瑪尼佛塔

Bagan Thande Hotel 蒲甘酒店

Bagan Thiripyitsaya Sanctuary Resort 蒲甘帝日皮伊薩亞保護區度假酒店

Nyaung U has an array of cheap， clean and good-quality hostels and guest houses， while Old Bagan boasts some of the best accommodation in Bagan， with river views and easy access to ancient pagodas and temples.

Bagan Thande Hotel：

Inside Old Bagan， Bagan Thande Hotel sits on the east bank of Irrawaddy River， within walking distance of the Archaeological Museum. Its restaurant is housed in a pavilion built for the visit of Britain’s Prince of Wales - later King Edward VIII - in 1922.

Bagan Thiripyitsaya Sanctuary Resort：

This resort offers a range of four-room bungalowstyle duplexes with wooden decking. There’s also a huge pool and a well-tended Japanese-style courtyard. Meals are served on a terrace overlooking the Irrawaddy. Highlights include a soothing Myanmar massage.

Almost all my friends thought I was insane when I told them I was going to Myanmar on vacation. “Is it dangerous？”was the question I kept hearing. In the eyes of many Chinese people， the southeast Asian country is most often associated with drug trafficking， domestic riots and poverty.

But perceptions can be misleading. For Myanmar - formerly Burma - which shares borders with the ancient civilizations India and China and was a British colony， is a cultural gem.

And as the country has sought to encourage tourism in recent years， it is attracting growing numbers of visitors. Last year， Myanmar featured among the top 10 travel destinations chosen by media organizations such as Lonely Planet and CNN.

According to recent figures， the country received 260，000 visits from foreigners from January to October last year - a year-on-year rise of almost 50 percent.

Foreign visitors are flocking to Myanmar to savor its idyllic - and still not over-developed - beauty spots. In many parts of Myanmar tradition still holds sway： men wear lungi skirts knotted around the waist； women carry fruit and vegetables on their heads and apply thanaka ground bark to protect them from the sun.

And I was also attracted by a claim in a travel journal that，“if there are any places in the world where people would chase you all the way just to return your wallet with no charge， Myanmar is one of them.”

As dawn broke on the horizon， the sleeping city of Bagan started to awaken. The forms of numerous pagodas scattered over the vast red earth plain gradually emerged from the morning mist. This breathtaking sunrise in “the city of ten thousand pagodas，” reminded me - and perhaps many other Chinese - of “Spring South of the Yangtze River，” a poem by Tang Dynasty （AD 618–907） poet Du Mu （AD 803-852）.

This describes the 480 temples of the Southern Dynasty（AD 420-589） seemingly suspended in early spring rain mist.

The Southern Dynasty has long disappeared into history and those temples no longer exist. Yet Du Mu’s poetic scene is magically brought back to life here in Bagan.

Stretching along the left bank of the middle reaches of the Irrawaddy River， Bagan， together with Yangon， Mandalay and Inle Lake， are the “big four” beguiling destinations in Myanmar.

Today， more than 2，000 are still standing， some following years of renovation. Along with Angkor Wat in Cambodia and Borobudur in Indonesia， Bagan is one of southeast Asia’s three greatest ancient temple and pagoda complexes.

However， it is the only one of the three still awaiting recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

One reason why the United Nations organization vetoed Bagan’s application is because it said development， including a golf course， a six-star resort and a viewing tower， damaged the integrity of the ancient city.

One of the best ways to get a taste of Bagan’s landscape is by hot-air balloon. Just before dawn and before sunset， balloons take off from Nyang U for an enchanting bird’s-eye view.

The 45-minute “Balloon over Bagan” flight costs around US$300. Travel agencies may get a discount.

Bagan’s historic structures， though mostly made of brick with clay mortar， plastered with stucco， vary in scale and design. They can be divided into five basic types： stupas， temples， monasteries， ordination halls and libraries. However， large numbers of Bagan’s historic structures are closed to visitors.

An ideal Bagan trip ends with watching the sun go down. There’s a saying among tourists there： “If you only stay in Bagan for one day， go watch the sunset in Shwesandaw Paya； If you can stay in Bagan for two days， go watch the sunset again in Shwesandaw Paya.” The five-story pagoda is crowded around sunset and the stairs steep， so leave plenty time.

Bupaya is a quieter option. The gourd-shaped gilded pagoda was rebuilt after the 1975 earthquake sent it tumbling into the river.