When the sun rises, it is as if time freezes around me. The chirping outside the window indicates nature is waking up, the fresh air starts toning up my body and the pastel-coloured light relaxes my eyes.
At sunset, the atmosphere is even more intense. The clock’s hands seem to slow down for endless minutes of passion. The last murmurs are like a recall to go back home. The lukewarm wind caresses the faces, while the reddish light relaxes the eyes.

During my last journey in Myanmar, I witnessed the sun’s cycle everyday, as if sunrises and sunsets were regular dates I had to memorize vividly. 
Indeed, sunrises and sunsets in Myanmar are astonishingly beautiful, surrounded by an unparalleled atmosphere. 

And now, I will tell you where to discover the most unforgivable sunsets and sunrises, right in Myanmar.

Dawns and dusks in Myanmar: where to see them?

Here’s the 5 places where to see breath-taking sunrises and sunsets in Myanmar:

1) Mandalay: sunset from a hill

The first sunset was on the hill of Mandalay, at the Sutaungpyai Temple.  
To reach the temple illuminated by the reddish sunset, Lele and I took a tuk-tuk. Then, we left our shoes by the entrance and we went up some cold escaltors to reach a huge terrace. From there, just an infinite horizon on which a setting sun lies. 

We looked around. Many tourists like us were there, in order to admire this natural show. Some friendly cats observed the coming and going of people. And also some monks were there watching the sunset, praying on their knees or chatting with some tourist.

We walked along the hallways. Our feet felt the contrast between the fresh ceramic tiles and the warm air. The walls, covered by a mosaic made of mirrors, refelected every sunray, creating an enchanting atmosphere, as if we all were an extention of the sunset itself. 

Exciting.

happy monks

contemplative monks

Tourists on the hill

Barefoot

Monks and selfies

mirrors everywhere

Greetings from the Mandalay hill

2) U-Bein Bridge: sunset from the bridge

After a day spent exploring the ancient capitals, we reached the U-Bein Bridge. It was a breathless race against time, thanks to the frenetic and dynamic driving style of our driver S.. He made us go through adventurous mountain shortcuts, only he could know.  

This bridge, made of teak wood, was built more then two centuries ago. It links the banks of the Taungthaman Lake. A boundless bridge as far as the eye can see. And yet, its magnificence is lost among the hundreds of people trampling it at sunset. 

In fact, Lele and I decided not to get on the bridge, but to keep it behind us. Therefore, we chose to reach a depression from where to observe the crowd walking on the bridge. Like on a paint, the black silhouettes stood out against the orange-pink colour of the sky, an incessant coming and going on this long, very long, and imposing bridge. 

Austere.

Crowd on the bridge

Silhouettes wandering

Scattered Silhouettes

3) Bagan: sunrises and sunsets between temples

Dawn in Bagan

The plain covered with temples is the most sophisticated frame from which you can observe every nuance of the sky, from dawn to dusk. 
The stars still over our heads, Lele and I decided to go to a hill near the Irrawaddy river, not so far away from the place where the hot-air ballons rise. Everything around us was dark. In fact, only thanks to the mobile phone flashlights, we were able to see where to put our feet. The air was fresh when our tuk tuk driver said to us: “We’re almost there“. 
When the darkness of the night started slowly vanishing, we heard the birds chirping and we saw the burners of the hot-air ballons turn on. Then, we caught a glimpse of the temples. Behind them, the hot-air balloons started raising up slowly, as if following the sun. 

We stood there, the camera on, the eyes wide open, applauding the dance in the sky. 

Poetry.

Shadows in the night

Hot-balloons waking up

Light

Pure poetry

The backstage

Dusk in Bagan

After an intense walk around the Bagan’s temples, Lele and I went to an upland, not so far away from the Sulamani Paya, to see the sunset. The wind was lukewarm, the light soft and the view so satisfying, we forgot about our dirty feet and our shoes covered in reddish soil. The sun went down slowly, laying on the peak of the pagoda. Then, it slit down, brick after brick, as if caressing the temple’s profile. At the end, it hid behind the horizon, offering us a quick but intense and fullfing moment. 

Breath-taking.

Sunset in Bagan

Greetings from Bagan

4) Inle lake: sunset on the water

The day started at the Inle Lake. The narrow and noisy boat drove us among stilt-houses, floating vegetable gardens and temples on the bank. There, among those water, a life rises, frozen in time and space, slowed down, simple, modest and rural. After having visited the skilled craftsmen, the boats rowed by legs and the long-necked women, we headed back to the Nyaung Shwe village.

And exactly on our way back to the hotel, the view literally changed. We found ourselves amazed. The boatman quickly noticed our feelings and turned off the engine while in the middle of the lake, with a sweet smile on his face. 

We stood there, frozen, rocked by the water. It was sunset time. The surface of the lake was now coloured in pink, as well as the hills and the sky. The peace we experienced was priceless. 

From time to time, the water rippled because of the boats passing by. Flock of seagulls were all around them, attracted by the seed of the monks. Other times, a “picture hello” from the “well-known” fishermen with big and rounded nets, would break the silence. A picturesque touch added to a reassuring view.  

At the end, Lele and I thanked the boatman from the bottom of our heart. We thanked him for the placid wonder he allowed us to experience, in this quiet corner of Myanmar. We stood there till the last second, until the sun hid behind the hills. And then, the engine turned on, the rumble broke the silence, and we got back home.  

Harmony.

fisherman among seagulls

That smile

Fishermen posing

5) Golden Rock: sunset and sunrise while touching the sky

The Golden Rock is a pilgrimage site to Buddhists from every corner of Myanmar. To admire the sunset and sunrise of this place, you have to sleep up on top of Kyaiktiyo mountain. To sum up, it is around 3 hours by car from Yangon, half an hour of a steep mountain road on a ramshackle truck, plus twenty minutes of barefoot walk.

However, the tangible spirituality pays off every efforts to reach the Golden Rock. Once there, every eye, every step, every direction is focused on the rock. To me, it was my own new year resolution, to experience from sunrise to sunset and viceversa. This is also why, I tell you about this particular and precious experience in a specific post. There were too many feelings to describe. 

Contemplative.

Sunset in fron of the Golden Rock

Quiet sunrise at the Golden Rock

Chiara Travel Psych

Una psicologa con la valigia sempre in mano.
Benvenuti nel blog di Psicologia del viaggio.

www.travelpsych.world