Princelings

On our way out for a day of temples in Bagan, we came upon a procession, very noisy and colourful, loudspeakers blaring raucous music and dancers cavorting. It was supposed to be a celebration - the boys on horses and oxen were on their way to be initiated as monks. They wear make up and fancy clothes, to be like Buddha who was a prince before he became religious. Their mothers carried an urn to catch their hair which will be shaved off, as will their eyebrows. Sisters and young women guests also wore beautiful clothes. The dad's look pretty fed up as this will be costing them a fortune they probably can't afford.

After that we climbed to the roof of a temple for the magnificent views over the 25 sq miles of Bagan, with thousands of pagodas and temples. We visited several, all very different, plus a lacquer factory, lunch, then a short rest before a ride in a cart drawn by horses around the area, then up another for a sunset which did not happen.

We have booked to go on a balloon over Bagan at 5am but the forecast is not promising.