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Borobudur or Bagan Myanmar...help me choose!

Borobudur or Bagan Myanmar...help me choose!

Old Dec 5, 2005, 3:01 am
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Borobudur or Bagan Myanmar...help me choose!

I have to decide my next travel destination. I have my choices narrowed down to either Borobudur in Indonesia or Bagan in Myanmar. I've been to Myanmar before, but only to Yangon (Rangoon)....I've never been to Indonesia. Previous highlights on past S.E. Asia trips have been Angkor Wat & Luang Prabang in Laos.

I'd love to hear from travelers who have been to my destination choices before and could help me decide. Thanks in advance!
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Old Dec 5, 2005, 3:43 am
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Bagan !

I've been to Angkor, Borobudur and Bagan; and I would rank Bagan right at the top alongside Angkor as the most amazing sites in SE Asia.

Borobudur is interesting but theres only one temple and it will keep you occupied for half a day at most (inclusive of travelling from Jogjakarta). Ofcourse theres also Prambanan which is sort of a mini "Angkor" but that will also keep you busy for the other half of the day.

Bagan, on the other hand is magical especially during sunset with the hundreds/thousands of temples glowing under the setting sun . There are so many temples to explore and it can easily keep you occupied for days. You wont see any modern building around (except for the museum and probably your hotel) and you really do feel a sense of isolation from the rest of the world. I cant really describe how special the place is and you have to be there to feel it !
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Old Dec 5, 2005, 7:53 am
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Borobudur

I can't help you decide on which but if you do choose Borobudur, keep in mind the following:

1. You can take an early AM flight from Jkt and be back by evening.
2. Get a tour guide with car for your visit, with airport pick up. It's not that expensive and will make a world of difference.
3. Djojakarta and Solo are the two cities/towns nearby and at least when I lived in Indonesia in early '90's, not much to see. You might want to wander up and down Jl. Marliboro, lots of hawkers and touristy things to buy!
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Old Dec 5, 2005, 3:03 pm
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Originally Posted by mario33
I've been to Angkor, Borobudur and Bagan; and I would rank Bagan right at the top alongside Angkor as the most amazing sites in SE Asia.

Borobudur is interesting but theres only one temple and it will keep you occupied for half a day at most (inclusive of travelling from Jogjakarta). Ofcourse theres also Prambanan which is sort of a mini "Angkor" but that will also keep you busy for the other half of the day.

Bagan, on the other hand is magical especially during sunset with the hundreds/thousands of temples glowing under the setting sun . There are so many temples to explore and it can easily keep you occupied for days. You wont see any modern building around (except for the museum and probably your hotel) and you really do feel a sense of isolation from the rest of the world. I cant really describe how special the place is and you have to be there to feel it !
Thanks for your response. What hotel did you stay at in Bagan? Are there any direct flights from BKK or do you have to route through Yangon? Did you get up to Mandalay as well....is it worth the additional airfare?
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Old Dec 5, 2005, 4:05 pm
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Bagan.........stayed at Thanzin Garden Hotel, very nice ^ .
Came via Yangon via BKK. Fly Bagan Air, Air Mandalay, Yangon Airways......do not use Myanmar Airlines.

Contact www.myanmartravel.net/index.html these people will set up a very nice tour for you......I suggest you have a car , driver and guide in Bagan as the area and scale is enormous!
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Old Dec 6, 2005, 3:21 am
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Originally Posted by sunabe1
Thanks for your response. What hotel did you stay at in Bagan? Are there any direct flights from BKK or do you have to route through Yangon? Did you get up to Mandalay as well....is it worth the additional airfare?
We stayed at The Hotel @ Tharabar Gate www.tharabargate.com which has very nice grounds, pool and public area; but the rooms which have high ceilings felt quite bare. Considering that this is Bagan and not Bangkok, I would say the hotel is quite good but its not up to the standard of a Westin or Hilton.

I am not sure whether there is any direct flight to Bagan from BKK but I very much doubt it.

Mandalay (and Mingun) are interesting, but lacks the "wow" factor of Bagan or Schwedagon Pagoda (Rangoon). If you have the time, its not a bad idea to spend a night or two in Mandalay. However, dont bother to visit the Mandalay Palace which is a complex of bare wooden structures. Mandalay Hill and Kuthodaw Pagoda (amazing complex of 729 mini-pagodas) are both interesting, and so is the Mingun Pagoda which requires a boat ride to get there. The best hotel in Mandalay is the Sedona Hotel http://www.sedonahotels.com.sg/oh_mya_ma_loc.asp

Last edited by mario33; Dec 6, 2005 at 7:40 am
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Old Dec 7, 2005, 2:04 am
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Tip: if going to Borobudur, stay at the Manohara Hotel right at the base of the temple (or at Amanjiwo if you can swing it...), and take the Sunrise Tour package. You'll get to the temple a full hour before the gates open to the public and will get to experience dawn from up top -- quite a beautiful sight. (I'm still kicking myself from not bringing along a tripod for my camera.)
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Old Dec 8, 2005, 4:16 pm
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I have not been to Bagan yet, but have seen pictures and heard stories that definately put it on my list.

Angkor region is amazing for the size and scale of temples over a wide area, it is a really special place.

I was fortunate enough to stay at Amanjiwo for 3 nights during my visit to Borobodur. Did the sunrise thing, and my wife and I were the only people there -- a bit different than anything around Angkor which was hard to find a place that did not have many people around. There is not much else in the way of significant historical items around, but a pretty amazing 3-4 hour elephant ride through villages and river beds back to Amanjiwo could be a possibility. Some nice hiking in the hills around this area is also a nice way to spend some time. Prayer time in the valley can be pretty haunting hearing the speakers from mosques in the region merging into a kind of disonent hum.

All are good choices.
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Old Dec 12, 2005, 1:32 am
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Burobudur is great and fantastic! But it's only for a day at most. Also Prambanan is only for a day at most. But there are loads of other beautiful things to go see traveling around there like Volcanos and beautiful mountains. I loved traveling Java.
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