17 March
After seeing sunrise and pleasant views, I felt satisfied. Then I was hungry.

At the time when we left the rising sun and ancient pagodas behind, I noticed that I was hungry. We had breakfast in the restaurant beside Tharaba Gate. It was the best feeling to drink beer from the morning during the journey. Sinking in the beauty of sunrise, I was swigging beer making the sound, 'Glup! Glup!' These were three kinds of beer. Myanmar Beer tasted like Rugger Beer in Japan. Mandalay Beer had the same smell and taste of Black Beer whose smell was like that of wine. The taste of Tiger Beer was like Bud wiser produced by a Singapore company and distributed in South East Asia, which had the taste of rigger. The food for much, which I always ate, was fried noodle (soba noodle with abundant oil), Chinese tasted noodle, and the rice cooked by a steamer.

In the afternoon, while I was searching for the hired bicycle shop because I wanted to take a ride, I heard a sound from the uncle, a driver of pony cart, isn't pony cart suitable? It can go far away. It is comfortable, too. But we were very obstinate. We were eager to ride bicycles. He asked, "Where, are you staying?" We answered, "Ayeyar Hotel" He said that there was a hired bicycle shop near the Hotel. "Oh! Is it there?"

I saw the shops in the type of restaurant beside the Ayeyarwady bank. However all of them belonged to local shopkeepers. They were situated in front of ferry. They were the places where the people waited the ferry. Considering that whatever happened I would have to go back the Hotel, I got on the pony cart and Let him drive his cart. Although he did not receive any tip, he was pleased with a smile on his face. But really, I felt that riding that cart lacked something. I wonder what would happen if I traveled far away by it. Our back might be broken by the vibration of this cart. I was afraid that.

The main road of Bagan was built by asphalt. The other was texture of the soil. The road from Nyaung Oo to Old Bagan (from east to west, two ways drive), the road from Old Bagan to New Bagan (from south to North), and the road from the airport to Nyaung Oo were built by asphalt. On the other hand, only the orbit of Bagan was built by asphalt. The rest were texture of the soil.

Although the roads were built by asphalt, they were narrow in Bagan. On those narrow roads, cars were driven overtaking the pony carts and bicycles. We hired bicycles from the rental bicycle shop. We started our trip from 10 o'clock in the morning riding our bicycles.

We visited Myinkabar pagoda, which was situated in Myinkabar village, and we did not visit the day before, and Seinnyat Eima pagoda. Then we cycled until we reached Sisa Nar Stupa and Tharyarwady pagoda. They were in the south far from Myinkabar. They were not included in the guidebook. They were mentioned on the map, which I got from Yangon. Beyond them, these was no the dry land to the southern edge. I thought that the place would be 6 km or 7 km from the Hotel. It was asphalt because of being main road. But the roads in the southern part of Nyaung Oo had long and smooth slopes. On descending the slope, the cycle made in China ran down with the violent sound, which would pierce the air. Besides it we moved to the right side to avoid the oncoming buses, the bicycle reached the sands and so hard to control. Never the less we kept to the right as far as we could. We even let it sink into the sand.

Pushing the bicycle by the handle, which could not run on the so tine and soft sound. We reached the gate of Sisa Nar Stupa. An old woman welcomed us. From Sein Nyet Pagoda. We had seen this distant pagoda, which was so magnificent with pointed structures. Since it was 12 o'clock the sun was shining brightly from the south of the top of the pagoda. In Myanmar, we had to take off footwear as soon as we enter the compound of a pagoda. From then on we had to walk on bare feet. Sisa Nar Pagoda looked so hot. The bricks seemed to be as hot as the heated oven and challenging us to walk to words it if we dared. In this case, our soles would be scorched! We muttered to ourselves after coming that far we could not go back without clamping up the terrace and so we marched forward. The heat was unbearable just as we thought.

Oh, it's so hot! The heat was so intense we could not shout but had to murmur softly. We scrambled ask warily like desert lizards. The intensity of the heat made us teal that we were in an oven standing on bare feet. We were almost in tears and nearly collapsed. The old woman we saw before gets urged to us to pay homage to the pagoda to be allowed to put on the footwear.

On the southern side of the pagoda we could use the ladders scuttled for construction works and climb up the terrace. On the east there were hills and on the north groups of pagodas could be seen dimly. While we took rest on the shady northern terrace we heard the sweet jungle at small bells as the wind blew relieving much of our fired ness. Myanmar was considered so distant! We spent some time looking at so many pagodas against the dull background.

Descending from the pagoda we felt the kind ness of the old woman who brought us some chairs to sit on and tears welled up will we be able to visit this pagoda for a second time? When we do, the times may have changed and people too may be different. The thought gave us a stronger feeling of no stagier and we left the pagoda with heavy hearts.

After visiting the white Tha Yar Watae pagoda, we went to the golden Lawka Nandar Pagoda. And then to the restaurant according to schedule for the afternoon. We went through a park to reach the LawKa Nandar Pagoda and had to pay some money on the way. We were not sure what it was for May be entrance fee to the park. The loudspeaker transmitting a prayer attracted us and when we rode there on our bicycles we had to suffer from the intense heat once more. In the afternoon we spent the time loitering in the pagoda compound.

From the Shwe San Daw Pagoda. We say a golden pagoda on the bank of Ayeyarwady River and I particularly admire it. We rode along the bank of the river through the knows on houses not shown on the maps. We had lunch at River View restaurant recommended by Mr. Nishigaki. We wet our dry throats and sang together the Japanese song "UEO MUITE". We also got a chance to visit shiningly monastery we missed at my megastar, Paw Daw Mu pagoda, and even pagodas still in repair. And the Old Bagan.

We rode furiously to be in time for the sunset at Bu pagoda. Then my friend's bicycle broke down. While rolling down a slope we heard a sound. Somewhat like an explosion and then the bicycle made other string noises. A nut commenting the wheel and the France became loose and dropped out move on but it was no good. While we two examined the ruined bicycle people come to see what was happening. Some looked for the missing nut, others picked up pants dropped from the bicycle. Some informed us that the bicycle repair shop was just a little away and we could walk to it easily. They tried to help us in every possible way. While we were pushing the bicycle along the man who sold us Lacquer wares said something and examined our bicycle. Without a wand he prepared to life it and put it on his own bicycle.

The front wheel was completely ruined and had fallen to pieces. The sun had almost set in the west. But it was still lot and we sweated. The man just ignored our curiosity as to how our bicycle could be repaired and would not stop till he reached the repair shop.

The shop was just across the archaeological museum. It could not be found casually for it was under a study free and very shabby. But it becomes alive all at once. With people coming out of now here who made a lot of wise. "You must be Japanese. Don't worry. Won't take long to repair. Where would you like to go tomorrow?" They all talked eagerly. Thanks to them, we were really cheered up. What a mess it would be if it broke down near the pagoda so far away. We had goose flesh at the though of that. We thanked the bike for breaking down at a convenient place.

The reap took just about half on hour. The fee was 350 Ks. People just disappeared as soon as the bike was repaired to continue their tasks. They left their job to cheer us up it seemed.

We thanked age and age especially to the brother ultra the lacquered slop. And left the repair shop. We visited Kan Dan Plain Pagoda taking our own time and we were in time for the sunset at the Bu pagoda. Children selling lacquer and other Chile milled amend us a while. This pagoda was built on the take of river Ayeyar daddy and a little down the pagoda there was a port.

We may enjoy the sunset for other temples but from this pagoda we could look at the great sun reflected on the surface of the river. It was a terribly beauty full sight. We can watch if for the tenses of the pagoda at leisure. After that we were thinking of going back when we food the child we met at Manahan pagoda. They were selling lacunae to a Japanese and he paid them with a 100 V coin. That comes a lot of fuss. And we exchanged the coin with kyats motes. They recognized us and greeted first. We learned why they could not go to school.

Their father was a fisherman along the Ayeyarwady River and their mother sold fish at the matte. Then children sold small articles around pagodas. They were preparing to give us so of their lacquered as a token of gratitude for help. We Oh we could not accept that. Such potable children. Looking at the childe rode their bikes carrying three baskets we felt sad.

At their pagoda, we met again the brother who helped us. By showing us the peppiest shop. He was so happy to meet us again and giving us locus as gifts. His brother's shop was just around and invited us to that place promising to teat us with revetments. We were almost tars. Such good-natured people! We aware much obliged and visited his brother house had some cold dinks and we took group photographs and coughed address. Thezin dare were just the name of the area and we doubt it the post office would deliver the mail or not. Along be a good-natured postural would deliver it.

In Myanmar it was not "Give and take" Only "Give, Give and give". A kind of ferocity not to be found in Japan. In Japan we consider the hospitability but not so serious and we just think of our own affairs. It was they to be better to gone theirs pretending not to hear, or see. We ourselves felt that we were smeared with such negative thoughts. In fact, people of Myanmar full of kudus and warmth.

May be there were about 4000 pagodas and each had a Buddha of its own. That must be the reason why I was ready to do obeisance with palms raised together on the forehead not only to Buddha but also to every person in Myanmar. That was the way I felt. So hot! So hot! . And a long, long day. But it was very happy day became I met with such good-natured people. My face was covered with sand like a sandpaper but at heart it was full of satisfaction and it was a happy day.