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We were in such great moods when leaving Kinpun to continue our journey more south to
Mawlamyine or
Moulmeine as known to George Orwell during his work time over there. Back in Siem Reap, Cambodia we were told by a couple of German travelers that if we wanted to do one boat ride in Burma this should be the place. Well, this epic boat ride supposedly only starts in this place and then continues on to a small town of
Hpa-An through a jungle and limestone karsts. This was exactly the reason why we went there.
Surprisingly this 3
rd largest city in Burma has a very small town feel. I would never say it was a big city. It has some stunning colonial architecture (by the river front) and big market to stroll along but life seems to be going very slow there. As usual there are only few licensed hotels/guesthouses to take foreigners so we decided to go to the best budget option –
Breeze Rest House set up in an old villa facing a river. Very cute establishment with nice management that is surprisingly Catholic, not Buddhist, and they were delighted by the fact we are Polish like
a previous Pope Jean Paul II. It was such a weird conversation in a middle of nowhere in a country that we considered to be extremely Buddhist, hence very interesting to us. Nevertheless we got cell-like room without bathroom but with breakfast included for 10$ which was ok. First thing we asked was about the ferry to Hpa that was supposed to leave on Mondays and Fridays only (we arrived on Thursday) and sadly we found out that the government cancelled this service last year or so. Bugger, all the way down here for nothing…. We got offered a private boat for mere 100$ but politely declined. Our time spent on a crumbling bus to get there was not lost in the end as there was a group of French tourist and they wanted to take a boat so we ended up gathering 9 people for the boat what made the price affordable – luck was on our side!!!
As the boat was leaving on Saturday we had to stay another night so we had full day to kill and to explore the neighborhood. Of course they offer private tours to some grottoes (have seen itway too many times)
and huge reclined Buddha (have seen it even more times than grottoes) but we only decided to have a walk around and visit a central Paya (temple) on the hill which was just stunning and typical Burmese with gold everywhere to be seen. On the way up to the Paya we were invited by a group of monks to have a chat with them and drink some
chai. They showed us all the photos from their trips and services and asked us about Europe and BBC (which they listen to every day on a radio). It was a great distraction for a day and we totally enjoyed the fact they were so hungry of knowledge about western life and ways of being. What was the most interesting was the way they perceive other religions, with hindu and ‘Jesu’ (I presume Christians and Jewes) being the good ones at the same level as Buddhism and Islam being the bad one…. Sadly their English was not good enough to elaborate on that so we had to leave this subject open (we then continued to question monks in other towns to get the answer). We found really some nice food stalls and really
yummy Indian food so this was a good thing about Mawlamayine.
The boat ride was pleasant and painless but not as ‘epic’ as we all expected. Yes it gave us great views of village life and some jungle places but I would not call it amazing. We had a fun bunch of people that made it great. Tomek spent the whole time on a roof getting some tan and I simply enjoyed the breeze in a shade. One French couple from the group came to Burma to stay for 5 years and open up a new business venture. It is supposed to be the best time now before other western brands arrive from Europe or US. I really admire them and also very smart of them to be first with their take away sandwich venture.
The French booked their hotel so they were picked up by a minivan and we just got a ride to town for free. We would have chosen the same place to stay any way (Soo Brothers Guesthouse 12$ without breakfast). We got instructed about what to do in Hpa and were even taken by the owner to the best restaurant in town (forgot
the name but supposed to be the 3
rd best native Burmese restaurant in the country). Remember how I said the food in Burma was not great – well this place served some really delicious curries and the choice of dishes they have is amazing. We had a feast for like 4$ and went back to the guesthouse more than happy. We decided to walk around, see some sunset by the river and…. have a hair cut hahha At least Tomek got to the point when he just wanted one instead of a shaver. It was good and cheap (1$) as peanuts hahhah. Actually peanuts are very expensive in Burma so that maybe not the best analogy.
Again we took advantage of our big group and signed up for a day tour organized by Soo Brothers. It cost us maybe 4$ each (with 9 people) to do this that way instead of renting a motorbike or rickshaw for a whole day. There is no other way to see the mountain, caves and monasteries around. Even though the distances are not much to do on your own, you would need a really good map or a guide to do it all
yourself. Burma is not yet developed for backpacking I guess and it seemed to us that DIY trips are quite complicated to do in here.
Our guide for a day began his welcome by:
“My name is RAZI, just please, please, please don’t call me NAZI” – we already knew he has a good sense of humor. It was a nice day, cool temples and caves but kind of the thing you have seen before somewhere in Asia. Tomek and other guys really like our lunch break by the natural pool as they can just dip in and cool down. The problem for woman is that you need to be covered and you are not allowed into the ‘men pool’, which is the closest to the natural spring so you are left with another dirty pool with way to many kids and cows drinking water from it. It was a second time within just a few days when I could not enjoy my time together with Tomek…no complaints – their country, their rules.
We absolutely loved the countryside and the minority village they took us to at the end of a day. We saw simple life,
simple farming tools being used, simple houses that did not have doors. Because their houses are on stills (water level increases by 3m during raining season so villages are flooded) if they go out they just simply take the ladder up signaling to their neighbors that they are not home - simple and very trusty. We went to see a monastery in a village and were explained the system of monk novices. All the boys have to spent some time in a monastery at least twice in their lives and they decided for how long they stay. They have to obey 5 simple rules (10 if you want to be an advance monk) and according to Razzi, eating only twice a day with last meal being before 3 pm was the hardest for him when he was a boy. He tried to go there 3 times and every time quit because he was hungry ;-) I was very surprised how little their rules differ from our commandments. They are basically the same with the exception of killing animals as our Christian law is not as precise. I liked the fact that people are trying to eat meat as little as
possible and stick to a vegetarian way of life.
Overall this trip south was worth it…not for the reason we thought it would have been (boat ride) but for again great interaction with local people, local life and Burmese culture… We were headed to Bagan from there and just could not wait to get there…
Great tips for savvy travelers: •
call the hotel of your choice and they will always pick you up for free from a station (always many kilometers away from town) or boat pier which can save you few $ • every hotel/guesthouse has purified water dispenser that you can use for free to fill up your bottles
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GRACIELA
non-member comment
Interesting
I am planning a trip to Myanmar so your article gives me good information and tips. I haven´t read about this place. Excellent pictures. Hugs from Argentina. Graciela