5:30 am start. Sunrise at Amarapura, home of the longest teak bridge in the world.
The roads in Burma were awful- one lane highways (which are their major roads) filled with bumps and potholes. Our bus was even worse. After a few hours, the breakdowns started. Every few hours, the bus just stopped running and we all piled out while the driver and assistant pulled out their tool kit to fix the current problem. 
(The breakdowns always brought the locals out to watch...)
We did make it to lunch. While I headed to the bathroom, through the kitchen- I noticed the mice running through the salad greens (and we told ourselves, “as long as it’s cooked, it should be OK….)
When the bus would stop in towns, we'd be surrounded by locals selling food....
Our bus trip was 16+ hours (largely due to the breakdowns). About 5:00 p.m., we made it to Mt Popa, considered to be the home of the 37 Nats and a free sunset.
The Maghagiri shrine at the base of the mountain contained a display of mannequin-like figures representing the 37 nats and is a major pilgrimage site.
Burmese superstition says that you shouldn’t wear red or black on the monument, nor should you curse, say bad things about other people or bring any meat. Any of these actions could offend the residing nats who might then retaliate with a spate of bad fortune. Well, my black top and skirt must have gotten someone ticked off. After our visit to Mt Popa, the bus couldn’t make it up the hill to Mt Popa- so we got to walk it (well, the tourists got to walk, our guide – who we called the Burmese doughboy- hitched a ride). We made it to our guesthouse (barely). The drive through Pagan (Bagan) at night was spectacular….over 2000 stupas, lit up.
We got to the guesthouse…and discovered very spartan rooms (a bed- I grabbed the only double bed), shared bathrooms (3 bathrooms for the 8 rooms). Hopefully, the morning will bring a “new attitude”.
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