The horizon forms. Morning yawns awake to the hollow echoes of a gong struck somewhere in the darkness below.
Shapes emerge from the mists.
Among the trees, stupa after stupa, pyramid after pyramid gradually come into view. The sun's beams begin to creep through the countryside, illuminating the city of five thousand temples. The ancient stones beneath your feet, the steep climb up the pagoda's steps, the simple expectation of what is to come do not prepare you. Sunrise in Bagan is a moment of wonder, nature's glory matched by the majesty of the hundreds of pagodas that surround you. It is an astonishing sight.