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We arrived at Yangon Internation Airport. It was a parking lot. I stepped off the plan and noticed two other airplanes, both with propellers and parked very comfortably. The rest of the airport was barren except for the bus to take us 500 meters to the terminal. The terminal looked an airplane hanger from the outside; and it was an airplane hanger. So we proceeded to the makeshift immigration booths and picked up our luggage (needless to say from the sole baggage claim) to head through customs.
A couple of things happening in the airport: 1. money exchange. $1 for 650 kyats. They don't bother to tell you that you get 1300 kyats for a $1 from anywhere in the city once you step out of the airport. 2. Taxi stand. Prepaid taxi for $5 to the city. Step outside and get a taxi for half price. We only got caught with prepaying for the taxi.
We jumped in the taxi which was a decent car (no A/C though). And we were happy to see that driving was on the right side, as it should be. You know what else was on the right side, the driver. It didn't
seem natural and upon further thought, it seemed a little unsafe (I'll expand on this later); but for the time being, the roads were at least two lanes each way and the driver location didn't have much of an impact. Also, during this ride, I caught the worried look in Jill's eyes. After two weeks of living in 5-star hotels, I saw the anxiety in her face as we soaked the third world atmosphere. I knew it would take a few days adjustment.
It did take a few days and we were back in the third world but as we walked around and explored the city, there was a certain aurora that we felt especially when dealing with the local people. It would be hard to describe, except to simply state that they seemed as if they were the most genuine and sincere people we have met.
Our second day in Yangon, we found suitable accommodation at Motherland II Inn; not centrally located but it had clean good sized rooms and several other travellers staying there. We were not encountering the normal amounts of tourists that we normally come across and we were looking for some travel tips
Buddha
One of the many, many Buddas and suggestions; as a result, Motherland II was a great guesthouse for us to locate. Our first few days, we attempted to explore the city but there was constant rain which made this difficult. Yangon was feeling the effects of Cyclone Mala but it wasn't serious in the city as opposed to the coastal towns, some of which were devastated. Because of the rain, we spent more time than expected in Yangon. During these few days, we understood that the country-wide bus system was to be avoided if possible. The roads, in general, were in poor condition and the buses were prone to breakdown. We thought that it would be prudent to spend a little extra cash for a taxi up north. We met another traveller, Patrick (pronounced Pat-reeck) from France, with the same thoughts. Our only issue was indentifying at least two more to join us. Our plan was to spend six days to make it up to Inle Lake in the north; it would normally take a long, long bus ride, but this way we would be free to stop along the route and spend our evening in various small cities (or towns). On the morning of our
Wad of bills
The problem is that the large bill of 1000 kyat is worth about $.80 bus (Jill and I had given up on the taxi), Patrick found an Irish couple - Trina and Tristan - who were interested in sharing the taxi. So we ditched our bus tickets and called the van to pick us up. For seven days to Inle Lake (no farther) we paid $350; $10 per person per day.
We left that morning and headed to our first destination, Taungoo. We arrived in the evening at Myanmar Beauty Hotel II, III and IV. This guesthouse was made up of three large teak houses located back off a dirt road. The houses were surrounded by lush vegetation as the owners grew all of their vegetables and fruits on their land. The owners were husband and wife doctors who provide free medical services to local residents. In the morning, we were able to talk with them and learn alot about their lives and country; it was really interesting as their English was excellent. That same morning we were treated to the complimentary breakfast which was the best we had in Myanmar (all guesthouses offer free breakfasts). It consisted of every fruit imaginable (from the garden) and quite a few plates of homemade local
breakfast foods (which is why I'm giving a shout-out to the hotel). Spent the rest of the morning roaming around the local market and exploring the local stupa.
We were very lucky in that our driver was very courteous and respectful. He never pressured us to adjust our schedule but was very accommodating to our plans (you would think since we're paying that this would be a given, but we have heard too many stories of drivers which create their own schedules). In addition to his driving, he would daily tell us about life in Myanmar. His English was difficult at times but after a few days, we were better able to understand him. Due to comfort issues (legroom), I took the front-seat so I had alot of opportunities to talk to him and learn about his life. And before I forget, back to the driving thing...Throughout our journey, the road is two-lanes, more or less, so as you have the driver on the right side, it's not helpful for passing, as you can imagine. This is where it hit me why this arrangement is unsafe. Nonetheless, for the next few days, I was his eyes when it came
to passing a large truck slowly ambling along in front of us. Very exciting, as you can imagine.
Anyway, it took us a few days to reach Kalaw (it was a former British hill station - meaning that it was used a weekend retreat because of the cool weather, mainly in summers). In Kalaw, we participated in a day long trek into the local hills and were treated to tea by a local minority tribe. The next day we drove to Pindaya Cave; a immense deep cave which is filled with Buddha statues. The statues are donated by people around the world (I assume they are Buddhists) and they almost virtually fill the cave. In some areas, you need to do the sideways slide-by to get by between two Buddhas.
A couple of items that I remember from that first week:
- Several portions of the highway north were being rebuilt. And most of the workers were teenage girls. They were lifting large rocks or gravel to pave the road. The tar was being heated over a huge open flame on the side of the road. It was probably over 90 degrees at the time. And they get
paid 800 kyat a day (men get paid a bit more); that's under $1. They jump at the work though since they wouldn't make any money otherwise.
- Daily stop by our driver for tea. Closest thing to Indian Chai (which I love) that we've had, but not quite as good.
- Driving through Pyinmana - the new capital of Myanmar. The government has moved the capital of the country from Yangon to Pyinmana. The reasons being, as far as I could tell, they wanted to be located in a small(er) town where a risk of protest/revolt would be alot easier to squash rather than in a larger and more educated city such as Yangon. We drove through Pyinmana on our way up north and were not allowed to stop as no foreigners are allowed in the capital city (we hit three checkpoints and our driver was questioned outside of city limits during a tea stop before we entered Pyinmana). However, we did see the city as we drove past; it was like a oasis. Brand new four-lane roads (with light lamps) leading to a town with large new modern buildings.
- The 'highways' seem like they haven't been fixed
since British rule. The British initially built the infrastructure (roads and bridges) but the current regime has hardly maintained the roads. A broken down bus and truck is pretty much the norm on the road, you expect to see one every 20 minutes.
- Officially, there are 6 million stupas (temples) in Myanmar; unofficially there are 10 million. That is approximately 1 stupa for every 6 people.
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gail
non-member comment
nice job
Roy, I particularly liked this entry- It was easy to capture the feeling of the place- great pictures too.