During all of our travels, we can never remember seeing such unforgettable sunsets as we did in Myanmar. During our three weeks, we were both completely overwhelmed by the staggering beauty of the country which was only enhanced once the sun began to set. In fact, our entire trip was almost defined by sunsets and sunrises. In every place, we visited we made sure we were both either awake to see sunrises or in prime positions to see the sunset.
I have seen some pretty amazing sunsets in my lifetime. We saw some incredible sunsets in Scotland’s highlands but Myanmar’s dusty terrains made the reds, yellows, and oranges more vivid than I had ever seen before. The stunning locations in which we saw these heavenly sunsets are precious moments which will forever be printed in our minds.
Watching the sunset over the ancient temples of Bagan was by far our highlight of the trip. Cliche as it may be, we saw the sunset twice here in two different locations. The first evening we headed to the famous “tourist” temple and the second evening we ventured out much further to Pya-tha-da Pagoda.
Of course everyone knows of the famous sunset at U Bein Bridge in Mandalay. In fact during the initial stages of planning our trip this was the only destination I knew about in Burma due to its iconic sunset photos of this ancient teak wood bridge. So since we were in Mandalay we made it an essential stop on our tour of the city. However spectacular the sunset was with its deep colors the atmosphere is somewhat ruined by the mass coaches and buses that arrive one hour before hand. The serenity and uniqueness is almost completely lost which is a deep deep shame….
As for the sunsets in Inle Lake this was something completely unexpected. Our only regret is that we didn’t spend enough time there. We took our bicycles and rode off down a long country road for over an hour to reach our prime sunset spot. Set high up on the hills is Red Mountains Estate…a wine haven in the most unexpected location and infact the sunset here was one of the most enjoyable. Only a handful of tourists sipping on glasses of wine. And the most amazing thing…..no one spoke which made this surreal experience even more enjoyable. I think everyone was just in awe.
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