A mother and her children relax in a temple. Their faces are marked with thanaka, a paste that protects against the sun's harsh rays.

As the sun gets higher, the Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy) River becomes visible. The stirrings of life invade one’s thoughts. The day spreads quickly, pagodas glowing in the light. Bullock-drawn carts and bicycles cross the farmlands and occasional roads. I clamber down the steps of the Shwezigon Pagoda and rejoin the folk I am traveling with.  Each of us is delighted that we left he comfort of our beds aboard the luxury cruise ship Road to Mandalay before dawn to take this opportunity. Feeling both excited and contemplative, we climb into the horse-drawn buggy that will take us back to the river and breakfast aboard the boat.

The source of Pagan’s wealth

Legend has it that Pagan was once poor. Its inhabitants groaned under the burden of the king’s taxation.

Now, the king patronized a monk who possessed an ancient book of secret wisdom. Following the instructions that he deciphered from the book, the monk would experiment with alchemy, trying to create an instrument of great magical power known as the Philosopher’s Stone.

The monk used all sorts of elements and materials in his experiments, even gold. He eventually drained the royal coffers. The temptation of acquiring the Philosopher’s Stone was so great that the king supported him in all things. The people, however, grew evermore discontented. The alchemist’s experiments were costly, and they had to shoulder the burdensome expense. Only his promise of inevitable success persuaded them to continue to pay their heavy taxes.

After many years, the monk announced that he had discovered the final secret. Following the manuscript’s directions, he had created a strange fusion of metals. This hunk of material could be transformed into the magical stone, the ancient book suggested, if it were bathed in acid. For a week, the monk did this, but the metal did not transform. Disappointed, he went to the palace to report his failure.