From Yangon to Bagan

Day 3-5 Yangon to Bagan

Our flight from Yangon to Bagan was easy. Domestic flights in Myanmar are very relaxed—just show up, put your bags through a very old x-ray machine, give them your name (no passports needed), get a colored sticker to put on your shirt and hop on board.  The plane was new, though, and the one hour flight had four flight attendants and served a cold breakfast.

Checking into the Thiripatiyasa Sanctuary Resort was a real hoot—they put us in a river view suite overlooking the Irrawaddy River, and in the living area there is big carved plaque that says “His Excellency Sandech Hun Sen, the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia stayed in the room November 11, 2003. As representatives of the Kingdom of Binder, we are most pleased!

The resort is truly lovely—it reminds us of the Furama at China Beach in Vietnam.  We would love to stay longer, but things are booked on down the line.

Bagan (pronounced buh-GAHN—we have given up trying to pronounce the name of the hotel), is an ancient area once filled with 4000+ pagodas, temples and shrines of all sizes. Earthquakes (1975, 1993) and age have cut it down to 2000+, but still. It’s amazing! Nyi Nyi has taken us through many, all the while instructing us on the basic tenets of Buddhism—we are finally getting it, sort of. One thing we especially like is that young boys traditionally all become novices at a monastery at least one point. They learn the teachings of kindness, how to meditate and appreciate all life---like that.  Everywhere you see young boys in monks robes of various colors (often carrying soccer balls, though). The girls seem to go right into household apprenticeship.

It’s been a long, long time since there was a strong higher educational system and sense of intellectual freedom here. Censorship is just beginning to relax—and there is now a huge sidewalk/street market, especially in Yangon, of books of all types—all used and most very battered. Nyi Nyi was very proud of this ability to buy any book he wanted and ended up buying a novel and a history of the world as we passed a vendor.

Nyi Nyi often talks about the military (the generals, he says) and loves telling jokes. Here is one for the dentists. It is very sad that dentists are among the very poorest of professionals in Myanmar. Why? We are not allowed to open our mouths to speak. How can a dentist get any work done?  Another one mentions how the tsunami in 2006 didn’t hit the Myanmar coast because the generals stood on the beach and told it to go away—just ask them they will tell you.

The two “must-do” activities in Bagan are to climb one of the very, very steep pagodas and watch the sun set over the pagodas, and then also get up long before dawn to take a hot air balloon ride over the pagodas and watch the rise. We did both and can say that they were each worth every moment of effort.

Sunset over Bagan

Sunrise ballooning the very next morning.

As pooped as were this morning after ballooning, Nyi Nyi convinced us to take a 1 ½ hour ride up to Mount Popa, where there is a shrine built on the very top of a sheer rock precipice. The idea is to climb the 778 steps to the top, admire the view and (of course) bring an offering to Buddha and/or one the subsidiary spirits. 

Then walk down. I announced that I absolutely would NOT make it to the top, but would start out. Soon it became apparent that there were young mothers carrying babies, old men (really old men), old women crippled with arthritis, young couples, little kids—all carrying some sort of offering like flowers or fruits. All, of course, barefoot. All making the climb while chatting and laughing.

Long story short Bud and I both made it to the top and down. We came home to a late lunch on the terrace, collapsed by the pool, then went to the room for ibuprofen and hot soaking tubs filled with special bamboo oil for restoring muscles.

At the time, it seemed totally worth it. Seeing the devotion of virtually an entire population is amazing. Now it is two days later and I am a lame old crone, grumbling and limping.

We have met two sisters, Diana and Julia, from London who are traveling independently, like us and seem to have the same itinerary, at least for a bit.

In the morning we’ll head for the 3-day cruise on the Irrawaddy River,  Bagan up to Mandalay and we’ll all be on the RV Paukan, a Burmese river boat that is much more local than the big A & K one.

I am posting this from Mandalay...having just had my first ever Thai massage to ease my legs cramps and limping. Wait til you hear (and see the pix of) what happened to us on the cruise--try running aground, being stranded in the middle of the river overnight, then having the rescue boat fail to show up--a dead battery.  Fun!!

Another Day in Yangon

Day 2--Yangon
So I am several, several days/nights behind in getting posts written and published--we have actually moved on to Bagan, finished the cruise on the Irrawaddy, and now are in Mandalay. The culprit is the internet. Connections here are miserable, but it seems that Mandalay might be a bit better.

So....back to Yangon!

Had a great night’s sleep and a terrific breakfast of cold meats, eggs, fresh juices and the most incredible marmalade—all the while listening to people chat in various languages and accents.  There seem to be a lot of Australians, French and British staying at the Savoy.  We’re staying here two more times—one night on the way from the eastern mountains to the beaches on the Bay of Bengal, and then our last two nights before heading home. We love our room and they’ve said we can have it for both stays.

Nyi Nyi took us at our word at wanting to see “real’ life in Yangon and drove us straight through the city to experience the local daily market (we were supposed to go to the tourist market).  It was fascinating--block after block of streets and alleys crowded with families buying and selling everything from beef, chicken, fish and goat (LOTS of goat). Most of it was cut into large sections, then butchered right on the spot.

It’s all out in the open with no refrigeration—and honestly didn’t smell bad, just required a strong stomach.  I am still trying to figure the lack of smell out out—especially with so much fish. Yes, there were lots of flies, lots of yelling and some shoving and pushing.  But what a scene! Veggies, fruits, spices, clothes. Nyi Nyi says every city and village has a market like this, but Yangon has the biggest one.

Clearly there were multi-generational stalls—some little children happier than others to be stuck there. Many people had the unique sun-screen/moisturizer plastered on their cheeks.  It’s made on the spot from the bark of a tree—powdered, then mixed with water and applied. Nyi Nyi says it is supposed to make you look 10 years younger. We haven’t tried it yet, but plan to!

We switched gears and started our tour deep into Buddhism. Nyi Nyi took us to see the reclining Buddha…I won’t quote numbers to say exactly how big it the statue is.  Just look at the two pictures! The soles of Buddha’s feet have 108 symbols relating to various aspects of the animate and inanimate worlds—the details are above my head.

After a rest we went back out to do the required sunset visit to Shwedagon Pagoda—the one that President Obama visited when he was here in November. No shoes or socks allowed, and Bud had to wear the traditional men’s longyi, or long skirt.  It took Nyi Nyi forever to get it rigged, and you can see how happy Bud is about it!

Shwedagon is perhaps Myanmar’s most iconic landmark—a 300+ foot tall pagoda, wrapped in 60+ tons of gold plate and topped with diamonds and rubies and more. Not only that, it’s the center of a 14 acre park with 64+ other shrines and pagodas—some illuminated with neon lights. There are people praying, monks and novices chanting, families stopping by for a snack and quick prayer—even young couples out for an evening stroll. The “thing” to do is arrive as the sun is setting and watch the golden pagoda light up and change color.  Some storm clouds gave us a very dramatic backdrop—it was amazing! Also interesting to see groups of volunteers taking up brooms and sweeping in long lines to keep the terraces clean.  And Nyi Nyi convinced Bud to participate and pour water over the head of a smaller shrine—right next to a monk.

I'll post more pix as soon as I get a better internet connection--it has taken hours to get this one post done!

Tomorrow—up at 4AM to catch an early morning flight to Bagan on the Irrawaddy River. The area is known for its pagodas.