When you race
after the sunrise on a motorbike, and it's very dark, and a pothole gets you
sideways….you get yourself up, you keep going and you climb your way up the
pagoda anyway.
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| Shwesandaw Pagoda, Bagan |
There was a
moment upon impact with the curb when I closed my eyes and held my breath
bracing for what was going to happen next.
Soon I was skidding sideways on my e-Bike into the pavement at the side
of the road. It must have been about 5:17 in the morning, well before
sunrise. The sky and the street
surrounded me in a quiet darkness while my mind raced in thought.
“Thank God
I’m wearing a helmet….”
“This is
gonna be bad….”
“Frickn’ why
didn’t I just take a tour arranged by my guesthouse?"
“Now I’ll have
to be airlifted to Bangkok, if I'm still alive..."
Everything
stopped. I exhaled and opened my eyes. I was lying on my side, my right hip
wedged into the sidewalk, the seat of the e-Bike held underneath both of my
shins. There was a throbbing pain pulsing through my body that originated in my
right knee. I just wanted to curl up and lie there and for a moment I did
exactly that, until an internal voice began to marinate within me, repeating like a mantra “You. Have. To. Get. Up!”
Finally I pushed myself up and staggered a few steps with the e-Bike, somewhat in shock, my vision blurred in
tears. Shivering, I sat on the seat and I slowly
twisted my right wrist to power the motor forward.
"Where
am I? I don't even know how to find
Shwesandaw pagoda and it's so dark," I thought as I rode slowly. My e-Bike was the only vehicle on the road. In
the near distance was a pagoda area that was lit, so I drove into the graveled
entrance to try to get my bearings. "Ananda" the sign read. There were
2 guys on bicycles who had also pulled into the light of the same entrance.
"Hey,
hello! Do you know the place to go for the sunrise?" One of the guys yelled,
waving his arms towards me upon seeing me.
"Shwesandaw?
I'm trying to find it too," I said.
"Where
are you from?" he asked.
"U.S.,
from San Francisco, and you?"
"We are
from China" he responded. "I think it's this way."
So I followed
behind them in the dark, the headlights from my e-Bike providing light for the three
of us as we took a turn down a dirt road.
We soon
encountered large buses and a parking area teeming with people. This must be
the spot, I thought looking up at the dark silhouette of a large pagoda.
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| Shwesandaw Pagoda just before sunrise |
All of the
levels were crowded with people sitting vigil for the sunrise. When I reached
the top level, I leaned against the side of the pagoda and tried to catch my
breath, while ignoring the enormous pain shooting up my right side.
I really didn't even
get to see the actual sunrise.
There were too many people to make my way
to the side that had the best view. I
did meet an interesting group of tourists from Japan though. An older gentleman
encouraged me to climb up the curved section of the pagoda to stand on a thin
strip of ledge, as he had. What surprised me was that he was not surprised at
all that we were communicating entirely in Japanese.
"I
dunno, that looks dangerous," I replied.
As the sky
began to fill with light, I turned to him and said "I don't think I should
climb up there. I've had a bit of a rough morning."
I looked down
at my knee. Actually it was the first time that I looked at it. I was mortified
to notice that the patterns in my skirt were soaked in deep crimson colors and that my right knee was a bloody mound of flesh that was partially missing a
layer of skin.
 |
| A First look at my knee and 2nd toe from Shwesandaw Pagoda....OUCH! |
"Oh wow,
are you okay? You really need to take
care of that...” he said, followed with "May I take your picture?", a
question that in my current condition made me laugh.
"Sure, please....take my picture," I snickered, holding my helmet and managing to produce a genuine smile. From the waist down, I probably looked like something out of a horror movie, but nonetheless I had made it to the top level of the pagoda.
In the words of Myanmar’s own Aung Sang Suu
Kyi,
“Humor is one of the best ingredients of survival.”
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| Fortunately, this picture was taken from the chest up. :-) |
If you do go
to Bagan and you rent an e-Bike, be sure to drive slowly and be very
cautious. It’s probably best as well to
go out with at least one other person if you can, especially if you’re
venturing out before sunrise. The times when I went to get medical dressings
for my knee, every single person, including the doctor asked me “Did you fall
off your e-Bike?”
(Note: THIS HAPPENS OFTEN.)
“Why yes, I did. I fell off my e-Bike...like a boss!”
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