Oh my Buddha! … Yangon, Myanmar
I am so pleased I rebooked my trip to Myanmar (or Burma as many of you know it). It has turned out to be by far the most untouched country in Asia in terms of tourism. At times the lack of westernisation was frustrating (like 5 hour power outages during the day) but mostly it was refreshing to experience the country in a much more organic, natural way. The only negative was my decision to go out of season which meant that it rained a lot and I wasn’t able to take a hot air balloon over the pagodas of Bagan which was something I had dreamt of doing. Oh well, I’ll just have to go back again!
Day 118-119 Chiang Mai My tour started with a bang in Thailand when we went to the Lady Boy show on the first night. Some of the performers were gorgeous and it was very difficult to comprehend that they weren’t born female! I particularly enjoyed Beyoncé and her Single Ladies routine.
Day 120-122 Kengtung Once over the border into Myanmar we went to Kengtung in the Shan State. We hiked up into the hills and visited a couple of tribal villages which was an unforgettable experience. The people there don’t use banks so they buy silver and wear it on their heads and bodies as jewellery. All the ladies came out to meet us and sell their goods and we gave the children biscuits and toys. It was a real moment.
Day 123-124 Inle Lake Our second stop was Inle Lake, a freshwater lake on the Shan State border and the second largest lake in Myanmar at 45 square miles. We spent 2 days on the water touring some of the 60+ villages in and around it. They weren’t just fishermen, in fact one of the biggest businesses is the growing of tomatoes on top of the Water hyacinths that naturally grow there! There were also lots of fascinating artisan workshops such as silversmiths, parasol makers, cheroot cigarette rollers and lotus fibre weavers. One of the other highlights was meeting Kayan Ladies who wear neck rings that stretch their necks. I’ve always wanted a longer, thinner neck but I’m sure there must be an easier way LOL.
Day 125-126 Bagan The rain followed us to Bagan and our opportunity to see the iconic sunrise over the 2000+ pagodas was a complete wash out. Luckily the sun did make an appearance and 4 of us opted to do a private tour with our guide Akayi to visit the four wonders of Bagan: the most beautiful pagoda, the one with the most sculptures, the most massive and the tallest pagoda. Bagan is like nowhere else I’ve been, it’s like a fantasy land. I couldn’t believe the sheer volume and variety of the different structures as well as their beauty. Unfortunately they haven’t been looked after so the threat of losing some of these amazing places is quite real but UNESCO is now starting to restore some of them after the earthquake so hopefully they’ll be preserved for future generations.
Day 127-128 Mandalay Sunset on Mandalay Hill was quite something. I tried to be literate and cool and read Rudyard Kiplings ‘Road to Mandalay’ whilst the sun was going down but I got bored so I sat in the prayer hall and pretended to meditate instead. The view was fab though and the best way to see the city.
The following day we had a site seeing tour of city which included A visit to the worlds largest book (which is actually lots of pagodas with inscribed stone slates inside), an ancient teak wood monastery, a gold leaf making workshop and the sacred Mahamuni Buddha. Finally we watched the sun set over Amarapura from the Upein Teak Bridge where I met a monk who invited me to stay in his meditation centre at his monastery if I come back. Sadly this is the nearest I’ve been to getting picked up on the trip so far.
Day 129-130 Yangon One of the highlights of the whole trip for me was seeing the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon. It was totally AWESOME! I just stood looking at it in amazement. I’ve seen lots of gold pagodas now but it’s just something else and there’s a really powerful aura about the place. As the sun went down and the lights reflected off the shimmering dome I felt quite overcome so I found my birthday corner and made three wishes. If it’s going to work anywhere it’s there!
On our final day Carly and I took the circular train from Yangon station on a three hour circuit which passes through all of the local village stations. At each stop vendors get on to sell their goods along the train and then get off at the next stop to do the same at the station market. It’s nuts! One minute you have someone selling limes, the next you have someone chucking bags of vegetables through the woindow, then you have people coming the other way selling SIM cards and beetle nut leaves! Definitely an experience.
Day 131-133 Bangkok Its sad to be finishing another tour and leaving another group of new friends but Bangkok’s a pretty good place to be to take my mind off it! On the final night the group was headed to the infamous Khaosan Road but a bad stomache (again) meant I couldn’t drink and I definitely didn’t want to be there sober so I went to the night markets instead and tried mango sticky rice. A few people were still around the following day (basically those who didn’t go out, the others were dying of a hangover or embarassment) so we visited Wat Pho. The ornate stupas were fabulous and the mural paintings were so impressive but the main event was definitely the worlds largest reclining Buddha!
Day 134 Meet Group for Cambodia on a Shoestring! After a day of serious blogging to catch up FINALLY!
