Blogs from Mawlamyine, Southern Burma, Burma, Asia - page 2

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 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

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 We had borrowed a map from the now out of date lonely planet and used a suggested route to explore the centre of town.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

This is the first time I couldn't find a location pre-loaded in the website's database! I must really be travelling now...:) For the obsessive-compulsive types, I'm afraid the best I can do is indicate Mawlamyine since it's the next closest I could find. Anyway as mentioned in my previous post, I couldn't take a boat so had to be satisfied with a (faster) 2.5h bus ride instead to the small town of Hpa An just north of Mawlamyine, still along the Ayerwaddy River. Definitely smaller than Mawlamyine, Hpa An is set in the midst of plains of rice paddies, and hemmed in by several hill ranges, all making for some truly picturesque landscape. The beautiful scenery aside, this little relatively unknown town is actually of some significance to me. Let me explain. Several months ago when ... read more