The bus started right on time, at 8PM. And the bus, oh man! I must admit I do not have much long-haul bus travel experience internationally. But this blew my mind.

1. Impeccably clean interiors
2. On seat entertainment, movies, songs, games Etc.
3. Food service
4. Hostesses
5. Almost full recline seat
6. Blankets and water
7. Multi-axle smooth ride (Roads are not the greatest)

Earlier, I had asked a gentleman what he was wearing and he confirmed it was Longyi 🙂 Mallus, good ol’ Lungi.

Like in USA, people drive on right side of the road, but sit on right as well. Hmmm … Guess it depends on the car manufacturers.

Hey Indian Government, I got a solution for the severe drought several parts of India are reeling from. Invite me there! Man, what a rainy day in Bagan. Must be some kind of rainfall record 🙁 Well, life goes on …

After haggling, settled on a taxi guy for the Mount Popa trip and local Bagan sights.

The drive to Mount Popa takes around 1.25 hours. It was pretty scenic. Saw a lot of Buddhist Monks and even gave a ride to 3 of them. Tuang Kalat is actually what is called a “volcanic plug” and is sheer-sided. It is 730 odd meters above sea level.

I took a siesta after a heavy Myanmar Buffet. There were some 20+ dishes. Fish, Pork, Beef, Chicken, Vegetables, Pickles Etc. Some of the preparations, I liked, especially the vegetarian ones. I could not eat much of the meat as I did not like the taste that much. For dessert, they gave some jaggery-based sweet.

At 4PM, we restarted and visited Ananda Pahto, Shwezigon Paya, Thatbyinnyu Temple Etc.

For dinner, I went to a nearby watering hole. Chatted with Vietnamese tourists and an American dude from Arizona. We exchanged stories of our travels and he gave me tips for Mongolia.

Dinner was spectacular (Maybe the 7% alcohol Beer helped :-). The mix of the dishes were spot on.

Thus ends another day …

Adios!