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“Nansa, Thuza left.”
“She left, Thuza’s …”
“Don’t worry…”
“Don’t worry, don’t worry…”
“You shouldn’t wander anywhere.”
“I won’t wander, Thuza.”
Thuza left Nansa behind with a backward glance and departed for her village.
“Heh.”
As soon as Thuza turned her back, Nansa smirked and swiftly re-entered the hotel room.
“Hat… Shoes… Wallet… Glasses… Map.”
Nansa began rummaging through her large travel bag, calling out the items she needed.
Then, she dressed in white knee-length shorts and a pink blouse. Her shirt was a tight-fitting red sport shirt. She packed her small red backpack and wore a red baseball cap, adding large brown sunglasses to complete the look.
“Okay, yes!”
Standing in front of the mirror, Nansa admired herself, clenched her fist, and yelled in excitement.
Now she felt like a truly free spirit, vibrant and energized. She had grown tired of always traveling with her father, moving around in a grand, royal manner. Nansa skipped down the stairs of the hotel bungalow, feeling exhilarated.
She then collected the electric bicycle she had rented from a hotel employee and rode off, leaving the Thiri Pitsaya Sakura hotel behind.
Though the electric bicycle wasn’t as fast as a motorbike, it effortlessly glided along the road without the need to pedal.
Since the dust wasn’t heavy, she decided not to wear the face mask and stuffed it into her pocket instead.
Up ahead, she noticed a group of tourists like her, riding in a bicycle convoy. She followed them, trailing behind at a comfortable distance, mirroring their route.
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Around sunset, the road leading to the Pya That Gyi Pagoda often gets crowded with vehicles.
From 4 p.m., carts, bullock carts, bicycles, motorbikes, and cars set out to watch the sunset.
Locals come in closed, roofed cars, while visitors from nearby towns arrive in convertible diner cars and private saloon cars. Foreign tourists travel in organized tour buses, slowly navigating the dusty road. Young foreigners, mostly in groups, ride bicycles. Some elderly couples and families follow behind in beautifully decorated carriages, smiling contentedly. Some go on horseback. Bagan‘s evening scene is always beautiful.
Today, Lun Yakyaw’s friend, Zaw Ko, had come to visit from Mandalay, and they were heading to Pya That Gyi Pagoda together.
Zaw Ko had driven alone and invited Lun Yakyaw to accompany him around Bagan after arriving.
As Zaw Ko leisurely drove behind a line of carriages, he commented, “Bagan seems to be getting more tourists each year, right, Yakyaw?”
“Yes, Zaw Ko, Bagan’s beauty is becoming more well-known internationally.”
“It must be good for your business too…”
“My guesthouse mostly relies on domestic tourists, but sometimes we get some FIT (foreign individual travelers). My Aunt Thike does better than me, though. Her lacquerware business gets orders from abroad too.”
“Your aunt, the unmarried one, huh?”
“What’s funny about that?”
“She’s quite the catch, being so sophisticated and beautiful. Staying single, though, is a loss for the men.”
“Care to say that in front of Aunt Thike?”
“Ha, no way! She’s got quite the temper… Haha… Wait, what’s up with that bicycle over there?”
While talking, Zaw Ko noticed a bicycle wobbling and swerving dangerously ahead. At that moment, a car also passed them, sending up a cloud of dust that enveloped the cyclist. The bicycle crashed into a bump, sending the rider flying and collapsing.
“She’s fallen!”
“Pull over, Zaw Ko.”
Zaw Ko pulled to the side, and Lun Yakyaw hurried to the fallen cyclist. From a distance, he couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman. As he got closer, he realized it was a young woman.
“Are you okay? Can you stand?”
The woman held her knee and looked up at him.
“Oh… it’s you…”
“Lun Yakyaw…”
She immediately recognized him.
“Are you alone?”
“Yes… yes, I am.”
“Did your knee get hit? Can you stand?”
“I can stand, but my knee is sore, and my palm hurts because I braced the fall.”
She stretched out one hand to show him her scraped palm. Lun Yakyaw lifted the bicycle, securing it with the kickstand.
“Try standing… Let’s see.”
“My leg hurts a little, but I can stand,” she said, standing slowly but coughing heavily, her face flushed.
“What’s wrong?”
“Cough… I get like this whenever there’s too much dust. I’ll be fine soon… Cough…”
Seeing her continue coughing, Lun Yakyaw felt awkward and unsure of what to do. He reached out to pat her back but quickly withdrew his hand.
After a while, her coughing subsided. Smiling at him, she said, “Sorry for coughing so much in front of you.”
“It’s okay. What now? You’re hurt, aren’t you? Can you still ride the bicycle?”
“I don’t think so. My hand hurts, so I can’t grip the handlebar.”
“In that case, would you like to come with us in the car? We’re heading to Pya That Gyi Pagoda to watch the sunset.”
“Oh, really? I was also planning to go there. I’ve read that the view of the sunset from the pagoda is beautiful, and I followed the tourists here for that.”
“Then coming with us would be perfect.”
“That would work, but I came out here to avoid driving. I really wanted to ride my bicycle.”
“Then how about this? You can sit on the back while I pedal. This bicycle can carry two people.”
“Okay, that works. What about your car?”
“It’s my friend’s car. He’s driving. I’ll go tell him.”
Lun Yakyaw went back to Zaw Ko’s car and explained the situation. Then, the two of them rode the bicycle together toward Pya That Gyi Pagoda.
“Sunset is almost here… Let’s hurry!”
“Okay, okay…”
Under the orange glow of the fading sun, she smiled as she gazed at the Pya That Gyi Pagoda, recalling Than Zaw’s words.
Seeing him three times already… is this a sign?
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Nansa climbed the narrow, dim staircase until she reached the expansive courtyard of the Pya That Gyi Pagoda.
“Oh, how beautiful and spacious this place is!”
Nansa turned to look at Lun Yakyaw, who was standing nearby, admiring the vast space. She began walking slowly across the courtyard, gazing at the sunset’s glow. The sight of the perfectly aligned farmland, distant trees, dusty roads, and clusters of temples captivated her.
She snapped photos of the view as Lun Yakyaw watched her from a distance. Just then, Zaw Ko approached and asked, “Hey Yakyaw, is that girl Burmese?”
“She speaks Burmese, Zaw Ko, and she looks Burmese, but she has a strange accent.”
“Maybe she’s Japanese?”
“She could also be a Burmese who’s lived abroad.”
“She’s really pretty though, huh?”
Zaw Ko chuckled and sat down on the edge of the courtyard, peacefully watching the sunset.
Lun Yakyaw continued watching her as she turned toward him and said, “Lun, come over here for a moment.”
“Me?”
Confused, Lun Yakyaw pointed to himself before walking over to her.
“I wanted to ask you something I don’t know.”
“Sure, ask away. But by the way, why do you keep calling me ‘Lun’?”
“You can shorten names, right? My friend, Thuza, calls herself ‘Thuza Nye,’ so I call her Thuza. I also don’t say ‘Ko’ when I call you. But do you prefer ‘Ko Lun’? Or just Lun?”
She laughed as she asked.
“Please don’t call me ‘Ko Lun.’ Just ‘Lun’ is fine, like you’ve been saying. I just found it funny because no one calls me that.”
