Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Travel day today. Up early for maybe our last western style breakfast for a while. Brendan was awefully nice to give us a ride to Bangkok’s new airport, where we got a free shuttle to Bangkok’s older airport and our flight to Yangon. Turned out to be a very easy process indeed.
We decided to travel super light. I am so impressed with Caroline. Our combined luggage weighed in at a massive 12kgs (or 26lbs for Americans).
Why did we fly to Burma as opposed to drive in our beloved Sterlin? At this point in time it is impossible to take a privately owned car into the country, unless as part of a government approved transit convoy. So hence the ‘traveling light’ and by air. We didn’t even bring our laptop, so all blog posts in Burma are done on IPhone/iPad. That goes for the photos as well.
Immigration in Myanmar was a breeze and a delight. We got the warmest smile from the immigration officer on arrival. The baggage claim hall proudly contained an ATM machine, and we loaded up with Myanmar Kyat. No black market for us. Customs was virtually non-existent. Our man in Yangon was waiting for us holding a sign with “Stephen +1”, so no chance for any confusion there. Turns out our chosen hotel was popular on this flight, with 15 guests ultimately being rounded up and bussed into town. About an hour later we were happily checked in and ready for food and beer, which was easy to find. We hit the night streets to get a feel for the place. This is definitively a developing nation and the many years of isolation have left a mark. But the streets were vibrant and full of people including women and children.
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Had a very nice Myanmar breakfast of noodle and salad. We had to change hotels as our initial one was fully booked for the next few days, so first task of the day was locating our new hotel and checking in. Taxis are everywhere here and quite cheap, so it was not long before we were resettled. Our first hotel was more of a backpackers with a younger crowd, now we are definitively more midrange. And this new hotel is a pleasant upgrade. But double glazing would have been nice against the constant street noise.
The morning was foggy and cool. And the best time to explore, so off we went in the direction of the train station. Along the way we continued to take in the life of Yangon. People chew betelnut and consequently spit everywhere and generally when you least expect it. The other new experience was these cords with clips hanging down over the street, and it took me a while to work out that these are for hauling food up to the apartments above. Money and order sent down, food sent up. There aren’t really footpaths here and avoiding holes above the sewer system is a must. And although taxis stop for red lights, they don’t stop for pedestrians, and are by far the most dangerous thing around. There are street food vendors and fresh produce markets everywhere, but we have yet to be brave enough to try their offerings. Hygiene standards are not nearly as good as Thailand. There are many shops selling the latest electronic goods, including cell phones and tablets, which seem to be commonplace with the locals. As are fancy Land Cruisers. A telephone or two on a small table is also a common sight, and presumably can be used to make calls for those without a cell phone. Only seen the occasional Internet cafe, but I am sure they are around. And of course there are people selling old tools, books, plumbing stuff and trashy junk.
Traffic is a noisy and chaotic affair with a mix of very new and very old cars, basically any type of car they can get their hands on. As a consequence most cars are ‘right hand drive’ in a country where they drive on the right side of the road. Very noticeably absent however (in Yangon) are motorcycles or any kind of 2-wheeled motorized vehicle. The rumor goes that ‘some’ years ago a motorcycle hit a high ranking military car and they got banned ever since.
But our second task for the day was to inquire about a night train to Bagan. As much by luck as by good planning we found the booking office and the friendly agent who sorted us out. We now have a shared 1st class sleeper compartment leaving in a few days. The bus is twice as fast, three times as cheap and probably more comfortable, but we are looking forward to the romance of train travel. And with some luck we may get some sleep.
The Central Station is not much to write home about. In former days it was probably pretty grand. In fact I am sure 100 years ago this whole town was quite the place. Unfortunately now it is very run down. We wandered into more a slum area, which really shows how bad it is for some here. We were a bit of a curiosity for the locals.
Coffee shops are hard to find. Well coffee shops selling the type of coffee we are used to. But after wandering around we did find one, and it was good just to sit down and relax for a while. Once back at the hotel I crashed and enjoyed my little afternoon nap. We had plans of going to the big Pagoda at sunset, but we decided to delay that a day.
Thursday, February 13, 2014
We woke at 6am to the sounds of horns tooting. Charming really.
Before lunch was the National Museum which actually was not too bad. Gave a great overview of the country and a taste of Myanmar including royal history, ethnic groups, natural history, paintings, Buddha etc. Funny thing, pretty much all of other visitors were western tourists. We walked back to the city and had lunch and coffee at the coffee shop we found yesterday.
Then went on an early afternoon walk of the city, taking in Sule Paya, Mahabandoola Garden Park, City Hall, the former Imigration Office, Bapist Church, High Court Building, and then in the direction of more the Yangon River to poke our heads into the Strand Hotel. Taking a taxi back.
The taxi was a good move, as Caroline decided at this very moment to become suddenly ill with some type of stomach bug. So the evening was spent holed up in our hotel room. No Pagoda today after all.
Friday, February 14th (Valentine’s Day)
Caroline still not feeling great, so we took it easy. Caroline is however on the mend and will be good to travel tomorrow.
Continued by Caroline.
In the late afternoon we ventured out to Shwedagon Pagoda. We took a taxi there and back as I was still feeling a bit off-ish. We were dropped off at the ‘Foreigners’ Entrance’, paid our money, took our shoes off and went onto the Pagoda grounds. Truly amazing place. As sunset hour was getting closer more and more people filed in, locals (mainly to pray) and tourists (mainly to snap pictures) alike. We walked around a few times and sat down to watch the colors change and enjoy the place. Around sunset thousands of little candles were lot all around the main pagoda which looked really beautiful. We would have loved to have stayed longer, but I didn’t want to push my luck.
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Turned out Stephen developed a stomach bug during the night. As the main event for today was taking the overnight train from Yangon to Bagan, we stayed in the hotel till check-out and then onto the upstairs restaurant to chill. Stephen wasn’t feeling too well so that was the best course of action. I seemed to have just about recovered, just felt a bit exhausted still.
