riverrun

We pulled away from the shores of Mandalay as the sun rose, bound for Bagan.

It was another lazy day, with lots of time for reading, gazing, and postcard writing. I drank a lot of tea.

We got a glimpse of the gorgeous stupas and pagodas at Sagaing, which San had shown us on her phone.

Here you can see the pronounced bell shape.

Also here:


Pam noticed this picture of The Lady on the wall in the bar.

The other tourists on the boat were European, from Germany, Switzerland, and France. The only other Americans we've met this trip were at the Golden Gate resort.

The boat wasn't crowded. Lots of bamboo chairs and room to stretch our legs.

We passed grander vessels, with cabins for longer trips on the mighty Ayerwaddy.

And much simpler ones.

Around 4, we realized we were close to Bagan. Bagan! The reason most of us had come. The excitement was palpable. Tomorrow we would explore.