Travel Forum / Destinations / Asia / November 2003

Bagan, no doubt.

I found Inle lake a little disappointing, to be honest. Having said
that, some friends of mine raved about it - but if you have limited
time, still no doubt Bagan.

Kris

"diana" <dialau@singnet.com.sg>
...

Depends what you want.
If I only had these two options, I would go for Bagan.
Not just for the temples & pagodas, but also for the silent scenery of the
Ayeyarwady river.

But if you really want to taste the golden land and its people, then you
better go to other places.
Kyengtong, Mrauk-U, Kalaw, Myitkyina.

What do you prefer:
- religion & culture, pagodas and temples
- scenery, nature, forest, waterfalls, the sea
- people, (mountain) tribes, ..
- handicrafts,..

Inle lake:
http://www.molon.de/galleries/Myanmar/LakeInle/Inle.htm

Bagan:
http://www.molon.de/galleries/Myanmar/Bagan/Bagan.htm

Bagan (Pagan) is historical
Inle Lake is scenic.

I would go again to Inle Lake

Frank.

Bagan is better given that you have two days to spend.  Inle Lake is
nice, but you can tour the lake by boat in just one day.  You can see
a lot (though by no means everything) in Bagan in two days.  You could
spend one full day seeing the major temples (Ananda, Shwezigon,
Sulimani, Dhammayangyi, Bupaya, etc.), going to the open market near
Shwezigon, and taking in a sunset cruise on the Irrawadi River.  You
can get up early to watch the sunrise over the temples, then drive
down to Mt. Popa to see the famous temple situated on top of a dormant
volcanic cone, then drive up to the Mt. Popa Resort to see the temple
from above, then spend some time touring lacquer factories and artisan
workshops.

USC

Without a doubt - Bagan.

Boat Mandalay to Bagan - day 1
Bagan temples etc - day 2