Blogs from Mawlamyine, Southern Burma, Burma, Asia

Friend Jenny and I set out for Khai Yon Cave, a short distance from Mawlamyine. I thought we'd see the usual Buddha filled alcove, maybe smell some bat guano, and make a hasty retreat. We ended up staying far longer than we anticipated. Part of the complex is being developed, which means a lot of cement is being poured. But what delighted us was the opportunity to see a real artist at work. He was creating an elaborate set of life size figures in cement. They were coming to life before our very eyes. Even though the figures were all grey from their cement surface, they already had eyelashes, as though this was one of the most important things to do first. Most were handless, and one female figure was emerging from the ground. Another figure ... read more

Our last full day in Mawlamyine. Today was market day. There are three large markets in Mawlamyine. One that is prmarily a wholesale market where anything and everything is sold in bulk. A second market supplies everything from buckets to hats and kids toys. The OH had lost all of his hats now including the favourite half a hat. With much optimism he set off to see if he could buy one at the markets in Mawlamyine. They may sell just about everything but there were no half hats. There were hats though that had a full flap hanging down the back. In fact they would even come in handy if on a motor bike as everything except your eyes can be covered. The last market is a fruit, vegie, flower, and jewellery market of all ... read more

We took a different approach to our discovery of Mawlamyine and went to have a look around the various pagodas. The majority of them are located on a ridge that overlooks the town. Although not as impressive as the pagodas we have seen elsewhere, these were none the less worthy of exploration. There is a large monastic population here in Mawlamyine and one of the suggested routes cut straight through the monastery region. The monks were out and about with their daily lives. It was easy to spend a couple of hours wandering around here and the pagodas. The main road we took was very narrow and I think only motor bikes or very small cars could fit down the quite steep hill. The road was largely made of fired bricks. Interesting paving. As we rounded ... read more

We were eager to explore the town and set off down the strand road which ran along the river. It was a beautiful walk and so much to see. There are a few local jetties along the way. People were busy unloading and loading boats, trucks and vehicles of all types, including hand carts and rickshaws. The local markets are close by and they were a bustle too. The riverside area past the jetties is much quieter and is a relatively peaceful place to sit and watch life on the river. The river is full of local fishing boats and a lot of traffic comes in and leaves for the neighbouring islands. After having lunch at a restaurant called something like Grandfather and Grandmother. Apparently the profits go towards supporting the local elderly population. It has ... read more

First priority was sleep. Second was something to eat. We wandered off to find something to eat and lucked across a local biriyani restaurant. It was spoken of in the lonely planet and lived up to its reputation. After a generous meal it was simply back to sleep. The hotel is very comfortable but over the space of the day the power probably went out at least half a dozen times. That of course meant no air-conditioning. Mawlymyine gets quite hot in the afternoon so it made sleeping uncomfortable. Because we were still feeling so stuffed we decided to eat at the hotel’s outdoor restaurant. The food was pretty ordinary and pretty expensive so we won’t be eating dinner here again.... read more

On this visit to Yangon we had only allowed a day before we headed off to Mawlymyine in the south east. We have more time in Yangon on our return before we fly back to Bangkok. After breakfast at the hotel we packed and got ready to check out. After catching up on emails, we checked out and headed off to further explore Yangon. We had borrowed a map from the now out of date lonely planet and used a suggested route to explore the centre of town. The first stop was the Sule Pagoda. We had already had a bit of a look but this time we had a wander around the entire building. It is certainly spectacular. We didn’t bother to pay the $2 entrance so didn’t look inside. Next we wandered off to ... read more

Llegué como a la 1pm y aproveché la tarde visitando casi todos los lugares de interés turístico en Mawlamyine; lo hice en una moto con chofer, porque en Myanmar los turistas no pueden manejar motos; fui a 2 pagodas, un monasterio y un mirador desde donde se veía la ciudad inmersa en una selva tropical a los márgenes del río; desde arriba la ciudad se ve hermosa, me recordó un poco a Luang Prabang. Al final del recorrido me quedé en el mercado y caminé un rato por el centro antes del volver al hotel. Al día siguiente fui por la mañana a Nwa-La-Bo Paya, o la Pagoda de las Tres Rocas; me llevó el mismo señor que me dió el tour ayer, solo que por ser época de lluvias las motos solo suben hasta el ... read more