After the market we headed to the jetty for a boat ride up the Irrawaddy river. The boats that ply the river are colorfully painted but of dubious seaworthiness. Still, we climbed aboard for a one-hour ride. in the distance, the pagodas of Bagan crowned the riverbank, while along the shore daily life took place. There were people bathing and cleaning clothes, fishing and selling bamboo. Eventually we arrived at Kyauk Gu U Min, the sight of a small monetary and temple on top of a hill overlooking the river. The temple is built into the mountain, and one can walk through the cave deep into the hill. Otherwise, I confess, it wasn't much to see, so it wasn't long before we were back on the boat and into Bagan.

At my request, we made one shopping stop, to a store that sells puppets. It took a while to choose one but eventually we did, and then moved on to lunch, at a nice traveler restaurant in the heart of the temple area.

Then we hit the road for Mt. Popa, making two stops on the way. The first was at a roadside stand to sample all things palm - palm fruit, palm juice, palm oil. Interestingly, there was no shortage of cactus along the road (along with fields of peanut and sesame) as Po explained that this area is quite dry, even during the rainy seasons which brings only flash floods. Indeed, many parts of the road were covered in mud from the overflowing rivers, which were now bone dry.

Next it was a typical small village closer to Popa. Each house was its own compound, with a thatched hut for living surrounded by plenty of room for the animals - oxen, chicken, pigs and goats. Needless to say, we picked up quite a following of children, who trailed us throughout the village.

Eventually we arrived at Popa, a much cooler place being higher in the mountains, with dense thick jungle that smells of sandelwood. Coming around a bend, we got our first look at Popa, a monestary purchased atop a dead volcano. Really a spectacular sight, not unlike the monastery in Thimpu. Unfortunately, the rains prevented us from actually climbing to the top for a visit, so instead we made due by stopping in town to see some well-maintained statues of the 37 nats (spirits) and lots of monkeys.

From there it was to the hotel for the night. The hotel sits on a mountain just a bit higher than Popa, with huts tumbling down the side, all with a view of the monastery - when it isn't covered in rain clouds. Which was for about 15 minutes of the afternoon, in between the pouring monsoons. So, we were stuck inside for the rest of the night, content to listen to the rain and the monkeys running across the roof.

written by  shoshtrvls on June 21, 2012 from Mount Popa, Myanmar (Burma)
from the travel blog: Southeast Asia (2012)
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The breakfast the hotel packed, while thoughtful, was less than enticing. Some hard rolls and an old banana. So once at the airport we dined on dim sum, and it was good. I like the Burmese tradition of real food for breakfast. And now we are sitting in the airport, watching it fill up with an odd assortment of Asian businessmen, wealthy Brit tourists following their guides everywhere, and the usual assortment of Western backpackers. Not sure where we fit in; we have advanced arrangements wherever we go, but this isn't an organized tour, except as organized by me. And at this point in my life, this feels about right. I would not go back to the hostels and wandering the streets searching for the bus terminal, but I also am not ready to be spoon-fed all my experiences.

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Ok, all I can say is ... Amazing. I don't even know where to begin, and the day is only half over. Flying into Bagan you get your first taste of what is to come - a wide river with thousands of ancient temples all over the landscape. So many, in fact, that at first you can't even be sure what they are.

Our guide Po met us at the airport, and took us to our hotel. Our hotel, the Aureum Palace and Resort, is more than top notch. It is a compound of houses tucked among the 3000 temples and stupas in Bagan. Our house (yes, we have our own house) in two stories of lavishness, with three balconies looking out over the temples. It is nearly the size of our house in Philly. And decorated much nicer. It was painful to have to leave it only minutes after arriving, but we did. There's so much to see here.

We spent the morning visiting several temples and stupas, starting with the large Shwezigon Pagoda. Like the one in Yangon, it is a large stupa in the center, surrounded by many smaller buildings and plenty of Buddhas. Next was Gubyaukgyi Temple, with it's walls covered in beautiful miniature paintings of the life of Buddha. Several more temples and pagodas followed, including htilominlo and khayminka, ending with Ananda, which has four huge Buddhas and hundreds of smaller ones in the niches of the walls. These temples range in age, built between the 10th and 13th centuries, in varying stages of both decay and restoration. Po took great pains to describe everything to us, and I mean everything. With his heavy accent, it was tiring, but very worthwhile.

A few items of note - almost every temple and stupa is surrounded by market stalls, with hawkers calling your attention to everything from postcards to quite beautiful lacquerware. It's just enough to be interesting without being annoying.

Roads here are traveled by a variety of vehicles. Cars, buses, motorbikes, pedal bikes, ox carts and horse-drawn carriages all compete for space. But there's no traffic and, just as in Yangon, no honking. And when the wind blows, as it does often, the sweet smell of all the blooming flowers envelops you.

Eventually, we settled for a traditional lunch of Burmese food, most of which I couldn't even describe, at an outdoor restaurant in what appeared to be the center area of the temple site, before heading back to the hotel to rest.

Upon arriving at our hotel and before returning to the luxury of our house, we visited the 12 story tower on the hotel grounds. It is the tallest building in Bagan, and it's viewing deck provides incredible 360 degree views of Bagan and it's temples. Truly awe-inspiring.

After a few hours rest at the hotel, it was back to sightseeing, starting with the obligatory "factory tour" - here of lacquerware. This one was impressive however, and the works was beautiful. More temples followed- Seinnyerneijima, Manuha, Thatbyinnyu - then a horse cart ride among the temples and, more interestingly, one of the small villages in the valley. Daily life here was boys playing soccer, women cooking, oxen resting. The homes were very much like the ones I remember from northern Thailand, made of woven bark and raised on stilts.

The final stop was Shwesandon Temple, where we and about 20 other travelers climbed to the top to view what turned out to be a somewhat disappointing sunset. Still, the views were magnificent and it was well worth the climb. But maybe not the decent, as Ellery spilled her entire bag, and money rained down the side of the temple walls. It was really a scene out of a movie; fortunately, people kindly collected it all and returned it to us. And thus, Ellery will not longer be holding any money.

We returned to the hotel for long, glorious foot massages and a dinner of, as Ellery called it, "real food" before collapsing into bed.

written by  shoshtrvls on June 20, 2012 from Bagan, Myanmar (Burma)
from the travel blog: Southeast Asia (2012)
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Arrival in Yangon was very smooth, although everything is still done by hand, so it isn't quick. Despite dire warnings I was able to cash my not-new, $20 bills, although it seemed to take forever and there was a ton of paperwork involved. I suspect most people change money on the black market not to get a better rate, but instead to save time

TinTin (our guide, not the Belgian dog) was there just as promised with the driver. It took roughly 1/2 hour to get to the hotel, where Ellery and I relaxed for a bit and changed out of our less-than-fresh clothing.

Then it was off to a quick few hours sight-seeing, which appears to be all the time you really need in Yangon. The main attraction is the Shwedagon Pagoda, really a large complex of probably 40 buildings and hundreds of Buddhas all surrounding a giant gold pagoda -- one so big that you can see it from the airplane on your way in. Apparently there are incredible jewels at the top, but you cant see them. Surrounding the pagoda, in particular, are seven Buddhas, one for each day of the week. Below each of these seven Buddhas is the animal symbol for that day. And what one does is dowse with water the buddha and the symbol for the day of the week you were born in prayer to Buddha; if you have s lucky number, that's how many times you pour the water. So, we visited Wednesday's shrine, with its elephant, for my birthday, and Ellery's tiger Monday. Anyway, the whole complex is lots of gold and mirrors, and even some neon disco lights around some of the Buddhas (to show enlightenment) giving the whole place a shimmer. Oh, and since it was Aung San Suu Kyi's birthday, there were many people at the shrine praying for her good health.

From there we drove around the city center for a bit. Yangon is pretty much what one would expect - decaying buildings of two main styles - British Colonial and cinder block and cement. Even the few new buildings look old. The cars as well are mostly from the seventies - and most interesting, they have cars with steering wheel on both the left and the right; it seems that whatever could be imported was. (Streets are driving on the right). In front of the buildings are street stalls offering all kinds of food and goods. Most popular are the tea stalls, with plastic chairs arranged along the sides of the walkway. Food ranges from incredible fruits, corn on the cob, fried potatoes, noodle dishes and meat satay.

Like most countries in the developing world, there's lots of traffic, and packed buses and trucks with people hanging out the sides and the back, but there are some differences. No tuk-tuks, no motorbikes, only a few pedal bikes, and no honking. Yes, honking is banned here except for emergencies - in Thailand and India, it's the opposite. So, it's interesting to walk around and not hear the cacophony of car horns.

As for the people, almost all - men and women - wear longhi. Very few people in pants of any kind and what jeans they do have appear to be of the slim, nearly legging style. And everyone wears flip flops; very few covered toes. On their faces, most girls and women wear a tan paste in big circles on their cheeks, made from tree bark. I'm told it is a good sunblock and skin softener, but I think I'll pass.

Back to the sightseeing. Eventually we stopped at a tea house for something to eat and drink. Food here is like a dim sum restaurant - different small plates of soft chewy bao, fried dumplings and pot stickers and the like. Tea is drank heavily laden with cream and sugar, making it pretty unrecognizable as green tea. Afterward, as Ellery was falling asleep in the car and didn't feel well, we dropped her off at the hotel before continuing on to the HUGE reclining Buddha at Kyaukhtatgyi Pagoda. 70 meters long and of recent vintage, this thing was the biggest Buddha I've seen. The feet alone were two or three people tall. Really quite stunning.

From there it was on to one of the two lake parks in the city, Kandawgyi Park, surrounded by a wooden footpath, in the middle sits a replica of the old royal barge which had been destroyed in WWII. Evidently it is a restaurant inside, but the outside glimmers and it's reflection in the lake is beautiful.

Then it was a walk through the city center, passing all of the embassies and government buildings, and the Strand hotel, all left over from British colonial rule. Nothing spectacular; the street scene was much more interesting. We also stopped to make over a dozen copies of our passports and visas on a very old copier; I'm told we will need to give these to government officials along the way.

Finally we returned back to the hotel for some much needed sleep before our 6 am flight (eek!) to Bagan.

written by  shoshtrvls on June 19, 2012 from Yangon, Myanmar (Burma)
from the travel blog: Southeast Asia (2012)
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Final Stats: 19 Days, 19 States, 12 National Parks, 3 World Heritage Sites, 2 Cars, 5,982 Miles!

written by  shoshtrvls on July 30, 2011 from Philadelphia, United States
from the travel blog: Belize, Guatemala and Honduras (2009)
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Final Stats: 19 Days, 19 States, 12 National Parks, 3 World Heritage Sites, 2 Cars, 5,982 Miles!

written by  shoshtrvls on July 30, 2011 from Philadelphia, United States
from the travel blog: All Around The Country (2011)
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