We flew into Bangkok from Colombo and spent 3 days there fixing electrical equipment and buying various things that were hard to come by in India and Sri Lanka. We didn’t really have time to be the tourist and visit any sites but we did enjoy some great cheap street food around the lively Khao San Road. I really enjoyed my first taste of Bangkok and look forward to coming back there around June time.
So we flew to Yangon to start a 16 day visit of Myanmar.
It was with some apprehension that we went into Myanmar, certainly from my part. All the negatives that you can read about this country and the supposed hardship of acquiring visas put us a little on edge but this was totally unfounded. No sooner had we landed we were already at ease and it was just like any other country.
We stayed just one night in Yangon in the downtown area which is a concrete jungle built in a grid system. It’s not the most beautiful place but it does have a certain charm although it could do with some upkeep which is probably not forthcoming as it has lost its status as the capital to Naypyidaw.
To the north of the downtown area, we visited the remarkable Shwedagon Pagoda which could be the most astonishing monument to religion we have ever seen, even the purest of atheists would struggle not to marvel at it. I’m not even sure that the pictures will do it justice. It’s a huge complex of temples circled around the main Pagoda, there is so much gold it really is dazzling in the sunlight.
I was even made to buy a lungi as my knees were showing although i haven’t needed it for other temples we have seen since…
That evening, we made our way up north on the night bus, a 12 hour journey in a surprisingly comfortable coach with really reclining seats to Nyaungshwe, the base for Inle Lake.
We arrived just as the sun came up, walked to find a guest house we liked the look of and rested for the morning to catch up on the sleep we didn’t really get on the night bus.
The following day we got some bikes and decided to cycle towards a hot spring on the west side of the lake. The cycling was peaceful and we were treated to some nice views from a temple on top of a hill just opposite the hot springs.
The hot springs turned out to be a bit of a disappointment, we got a sneak peak at them and decided not to bother with them, they were more like little modern jacuzzis and nothing like the ones in Nepal we had enjoyed on the Poonhill Trek.
We cycled off a little further and were asked by a Czech couple if we wanted to share a boat to the east side of the lake, we agreed and once on the other side cycled back up towards Nyaungshwe stopping at a vineyard for some wine tasting, yep you read right folks, wine tasting in Myanamar. The views from the vineyard reminded us of Europe, maybe even Provence. The names of the wines were certainly French but the tastes of most weren’t ;-) There were a couple of good ones and it was nice to have some wine for the first time since Christmas day. After a pleasurable couple of hours we cycled back (hic!) safely (hic!) to our guest house.
The next day we set off early for a day on a long tail motorboat around Inle Lake to see the villages on stilts and immerse ourselves in the local culture. We saw the various fishermen, seaweed collectors and tomato farmers doing their thing, the tomato farms are actually floating gardens on the lake which is totally ingenious as tomatoes love water, which made the most delicious tomato and sesame salads. We stopped off at many handicraft shops including silversmith, embroiderers, silk weavers and black smiths to see how they made their local wares. The silk weavers not only used the traditional silk but also spun the fibres from the lotus flower stems, the end product was very expensive, around £150 for a scarf or lungi but beautiful to touch. Our journey also took us to the floating market (doesn’t float on water so not sure why it is called that..) and a couple of monasteries, one called the jumping cat monastery as the monks had trained the cats to jump through hoops, they must have been on a break when we arrived, no jumping to be seen at all. It was a really fascinating day and we also saw one of the fabled long necked women (Kayan). It’s unbelievable how heavy the rings are that a mature woman wears around her neck. They start off at a young age, i think 7 years old and gradually more rings are added till they reach 18. By that time, the weight of these rings weighs 12kgs! and of course their necks have the appearance of being stretched quite considerably but it’s actually their collar bones and ribcages which are sunk from the weight.
We hung around Nyaungshwe for another day just to relax and take it all in and enjoy some more local Shan food like the very tasty Tea Leaf Salad and Minced Pork Curry. It has a really nice backpacker vibe and it’s evident that Myanmar is going to become very popular soon so get here quick!
It’s the beginning of the 10 week school holidays in Myanmar and we witnessed a few processions through the streets. The girls and boys all dressed in their finery and some riding horses. They then move on to the monasteries or nunneries where there is a celebration and they have their heads shaved and then have a feast. Their parents then leave them at the monasteries or nunneries for the 10 weeks just so they can have fun and as one of the locals told us “for their happiness”. The Myanmar equivalent to summer camp in the US or Europe really - the kids certainly looked like they were having a great time when we saw some in the local monasteries. Some of them end up staying and becoming nuns or monks, but there certainly does’t seem to be any pressure as to what path they chose.
We met a nice young couple from Bristol, Ismail and Holly and chatted to them for a few hours. They were heading off to a place we would go to soon so we promised to hook up again.
The next stop was not initially planned when we looked at what was on offer in Myanmar (although we didn’t do much planning in truth!) but as it was only a couple of hours away on the bus, we decided to stop in Kalaw for a couple of nights so we could go off on a day trek around the mountains there.
We arranged a trek with our guest house and the following morning, “Mr Johnny” our guide took us off on an 8 hour loop around Kalaw to see some of the local villages, tea and orange plantations stopping off for lunch at a great viewpoint (enjoying a delicious avocado and tomato salad with chapatis) and after coming back through forests and a cave (man made) which housed a myriad of Buddha images or statuettes.
It was quite dry and many trees were not in leaf so it was a little barren in places but i guess that’s what happens when it’s over 35c. There wasn’t as much nature as we would have liked to see either, don’t think we spotted any birds of prey.
Early the next morning, we got the bus to Bagan, the must see place in Myanmar and a place we really wanted to visit.
For our 6 month anniversary on the road treat, we checked in to a posh hotel for a week with an amazing infinity swimming pool - a bargain at £40 a night :-0
We met up with our friends from Inle that night, Ismail and Holly, and ate at a bar called Weather Spoons! Had the most amazing beef burger since we left the UK (haven’t had many in fairness if any actually..) but it was so nice to eat something different. I may have said this before but the choice of rice or noodles everyday does get a bit boring some days.
We divided our days into either visiting temples on bikes in the morning and relaxing by the pool in the afternoons as it really is too hot to visit sites this time of year after midday, the temperature being close to 40c, or we just relaxed at the pool all day.
Bagan really is an extraordinary place. There are thousands of temples scattered around a 25sq mile area in all shapes and sizes, some are vast and very popular which must be seen and some are just little (like a chapel in a Cathedral).
We probably visited 15 or so and that’s more than enough. Some temples have amazing frescos from the 12th century still visible, some temples have enormous golden Buddhas, some temples offer not much more than height and viewing platforms, these were some of our favourites as once you get up high enough to see the panorama, it really is an amazing site, temples as far as the eye can see, 360 degrees around, again i’m not sure the photos will do it justice.
We finally got a chance to try the national dish Mohinga which is traditionally eaten at breakfast. This is a clarified fish soup with curried chicken and noodles with other bits added such as chickpea powder, boiled eggs and coriander or spring onions for example. It’s really delicious and although it seems a little weird to have it for breakfast for us westerners it was too good to turn down.
We enjoyed our two week stay in Myanmar and it was good to come here before the tourist boom happens in the next couple of years. There were many French here strangely, more than any other nationalities… must be an offer on!
So off to Mandalay Airport this morning to fly back into Thailand - Chiang Mai, via pick up truck, minibus and motorbike taxis.
The flight was great, a little 70 seat propeller plane with only 8 of us inside, us two, two monks, two nuns and their two aids!
Our lasting memories:
Buddha Buddha Buddha, never seen so many temples, on top of hills, in the middle of nowhere, just everywhere!
Most of the Ladies having a clay like substance on their cheeks and foreheads called Thanakha (a traditional make up).
Tea leaf salad.
Most of the men chew beetle, their teeth and gums are awful.
Very smiley and laid back people.
Pick up trucks with hoards of locals in the back and on top.
Workers trucks without bonnets or exhaust pipes so you can see the engine and black smoke coming out.
Lots of cycling.
£1 bottles of Rum (actually quite good too)
Pork! (we missed it after 6 months of not getting any at all in Nepal, India or Sri Lanka)
Yangon
Kalaw
Bagan
So we flew to Yangon to start a 16 day visit of Myanmar.
It was with some apprehension that we went into Myanmar, certainly from my part. All the negatives that you can read about this country and the supposed hardship of acquiring visas put us a little on edge but this was totally unfounded. No sooner had we landed we were already at ease and it was just like any other country.
We stayed just one night in Yangon in the downtown area which is a concrete jungle built in a grid system. It’s not the most beautiful place but it does have a certain charm although it could do with some upkeep which is probably not forthcoming as it has lost its status as the capital to Naypyidaw.
To the north of the downtown area, we visited the remarkable Shwedagon Pagoda which could be the most astonishing monument to religion we have ever seen, even the purest of atheists would struggle not to marvel at it. I’m not even sure that the pictures will do it justice. It’s a huge complex of temples circled around the main Pagoda, there is so much gold it really is dazzling in the sunlight.
I was even made to buy a lungi as my knees were showing although i haven’t needed it for other temples we have seen since…
That evening, we made our way up north on the night bus, a 12 hour journey in a surprisingly comfortable coach with really reclining seats to Nyaungshwe, the base for Inle Lake.
We arrived just as the sun came up, walked to find a guest house we liked the look of and rested for the morning to catch up on the sleep we didn’t really get on the night bus.
The following day we got some bikes and decided to cycle towards a hot spring on the west side of the lake. The cycling was peaceful and we were treated to some nice views from a temple on top of a hill just opposite the hot springs.
The hot springs turned out to be a bit of a disappointment, we got a sneak peak at them and decided not to bother with them, they were more like little modern jacuzzis and nothing like the ones in Nepal we had enjoyed on the Poonhill Trek.
We cycled off a little further and were asked by a Czech couple if we wanted to share a boat to the east side of the lake, we agreed and once on the other side cycled back up towards Nyaungshwe stopping at a vineyard for some wine tasting, yep you read right folks, wine tasting in Myanamar. The views from the vineyard reminded us of Europe, maybe even Provence. The names of the wines were certainly French but the tastes of most weren’t ;-) There were a couple of good ones and it was nice to have some wine for the first time since Christmas day. After a pleasurable couple of hours we cycled back (hic!) safely (hic!) to our guest house.
The next day we set off early for a day on a long tail motorboat around Inle Lake to see the villages on stilts and immerse ourselves in the local culture. We saw the various fishermen, seaweed collectors and tomato farmers doing their thing, the tomato farms are actually floating gardens on the lake which is totally ingenious as tomatoes love water, which made the most delicious tomato and sesame salads. We stopped off at many handicraft shops including silversmith, embroiderers, silk weavers and black smiths to see how they made their local wares. The silk weavers not only used the traditional silk but also spun the fibres from the lotus flower stems, the end product was very expensive, around £150 for a scarf or lungi but beautiful to touch. Our journey also took us to the floating market (doesn’t float on water so not sure why it is called that..) and a couple of monasteries, one called the jumping cat monastery as the monks had trained the cats to jump through hoops, they must have been on a break when we arrived, no jumping to be seen at all. It was a really fascinating day and we also saw one of the fabled long necked women (Kayan). It’s unbelievable how heavy the rings are that a mature woman wears around her neck. They start off at a young age, i think 7 years old and gradually more rings are added till they reach 18. By that time, the weight of these rings weighs 12kgs! and of course their necks have the appearance of being stretched quite considerably but it’s actually their collar bones and ribcages which are sunk from the weight.
We hung around Nyaungshwe for another day just to relax and take it all in and enjoy some more local Shan food like the very tasty Tea Leaf Salad and Minced Pork Curry. It has a really nice backpacker vibe and it’s evident that Myanmar is going to become very popular soon so get here quick!
It’s the beginning of the 10 week school holidays in Myanmar and we witnessed a few processions through the streets. The girls and boys all dressed in their finery and some riding horses. They then move on to the monasteries or nunneries where there is a celebration and they have their heads shaved and then have a feast. Their parents then leave them at the monasteries or nunneries for the 10 weeks just so they can have fun and as one of the locals told us “for their happiness”. The Myanmar equivalent to summer camp in the US or Europe really - the kids certainly looked like they were having a great time when we saw some in the local monasteries. Some of them end up staying and becoming nuns or monks, but there certainly does’t seem to be any pressure as to what path they chose.
We met a nice young couple from Bristol, Ismail and Holly and chatted to them for a few hours. They were heading off to a place we would go to soon so we promised to hook up again.
The next stop was not initially planned when we looked at what was on offer in Myanmar (although we didn’t do much planning in truth!) but as it was only a couple of hours away on the bus, we decided to stop in Kalaw for a couple of nights so we could go off on a day trek around the mountains there.
We arranged a trek with our guest house and the following morning, “Mr Johnny” our guide took us off on an 8 hour loop around Kalaw to see some of the local villages, tea and orange plantations stopping off for lunch at a great viewpoint (enjoying a delicious avocado and tomato salad with chapatis) and after coming back through forests and a cave (man made) which housed a myriad of Buddha images or statuettes.
It was quite dry and many trees were not in leaf so it was a little barren in places but i guess that’s what happens when it’s over 35c. There wasn’t as much nature as we would have liked to see either, don’t think we spotted any birds of prey.
Early the next morning, we got the bus to Bagan, the must see place in Myanmar and a place we really wanted to visit.
For our 6 month anniversary on the road treat, we checked in to a posh hotel for a week with an amazing infinity swimming pool - a bargain at £40 a night :-0
We met up with our friends from Inle that night, Ismail and Holly, and ate at a bar called Weather Spoons! Had the most amazing beef burger since we left the UK (haven’t had many in fairness if any actually..) but it was so nice to eat something different. I may have said this before but the choice of rice or noodles everyday does get a bit boring some days.
We divided our days into either visiting temples on bikes in the morning and relaxing by the pool in the afternoons as it really is too hot to visit sites this time of year after midday, the temperature being close to 40c, or we just relaxed at the pool all day.
Bagan really is an extraordinary place. There are thousands of temples scattered around a 25sq mile area in all shapes and sizes, some are vast and very popular which must be seen and some are just little (like a chapel in a Cathedral).
We probably visited 15 or so and that’s more than enough. Some temples have amazing frescos from the 12th century still visible, some temples have enormous golden Buddhas, some temples offer not much more than height and viewing platforms, these were some of our favourites as once you get up high enough to see the panorama, it really is an amazing site, temples as far as the eye can see, 360 degrees around, again i’m not sure the photos will do it justice.
We finally got a chance to try the national dish Mohinga which is traditionally eaten at breakfast. This is a clarified fish soup with curried chicken and noodles with other bits added such as chickpea powder, boiled eggs and coriander or spring onions for example. It’s really delicious and although it seems a little weird to have it for breakfast for us westerners it was too good to turn down.
We enjoyed our two week stay in Myanmar and it was good to come here before the tourist boom happens in the next couple of years. There were many French here strangely, more than any other nationalities… must be an offer on!
So off to Mandalay Airport this morning to fly back into Thailand - Chiang Mai, via pick up truck, minibus and motorbike taxis.
The flight was great, a little 70 seat propeller plane with only 8 of us inside, us two, two monks, two nuns and their two aids!
Our lasting memories:
Buddha Buddha Buddha, never seen so many temples, on top of hills, in the middle of nowhere, just everywhere!
Most of the Ladies having a clay like substance on their cheeks and foreheads called Thanakha (a traditional make up).
Tea leaf salad.
Most of the men chew beetle, their teeth and gums are awful.
Very smiley and laid back people.
Pick up trucks with hoards of locals in the back and on top.
Workers trucks without bonnets or exhaust pipes so you can see the engine and black smoke coming out.
Lots of cycling.
£1 bottles of Rum (actually quite good too)
Pork! (we missed it after 6 months of not getting any at all in Nepal, India or Sri Lanka)
Yangon
Inle Lake
 |
| Gecko fell from the roof and landed on my screen (another fell on my chest about 15 mins later!) |
 |
| Locals getting the 'bus' to work |
 |
| Tea Leaf salad |
 |
| Come on jump! |
Kalaw
 |
| Tea flower |
 |
| Lunch stop on the way to Bagan |
Bagan
 |
| Our private jet to Chiang Mai! |
Superbe, je suis envieuse, je vais prendre mon billet......j'ai ri en pensant que le vin, même mauvais, mettrait le rouge aux joues de Wendy !!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Rapha! The last one with a '3' at the front :-)
ReplyDeleteGlad you're both having a fab time despite the odd leg issue! Love ya.
The Ivory's x
Its so fascinating & wonderful to read your blog and hear about the amazing places you're visiting. Keep up the good work & belated Happy Birthday! xxx
ReplyDelete