sorry it is so long, couldn't log in until today.............:')
Saturday 22nd October
In Mandalay, I moved to a cheaper hotel where they have the sports channels, and there are more tourists with whom to, possibly, organise day trips. I found the train station and bought my ticket for monday. A guy there told me of a travel agency where I would get a good rate for my dollars, so I walked along the south of the old Palace wall and moat, for about a mile, and then got a trishaw because the driver knew exactly where to go.
I exchanged perhaps more than I will need but I had decided that I don't want to get involved with the money changers on the street because it is a hassle trying not to get ripped off; I had already had one run in with a guy this morning, although afterwards I felt bad for my role in our little discussion.
After bringing the 156 bank notes back to the hotel to save carrying them around, I walked north along the west side of the old Palace Wall, another mile. It is not cool to go into the Palace since it is only a reproduction of the original that was destroyed during the war and was rebuilt in the 1990's with, apparently, forced labour.
So I walked alongside the north wall and to the entrance to Mandalay Hill. It is about a 40 minute walk up the hill, but thankfully there are concrete steps and it is covered to escape the heat. There are plenty of concrete benches to rest on, and a couple of large Buddha statues to check out along the way.
At the summit there are green and glass pillars, and excellent views of the surrounding, mostly flat, countryside and of Mandalay. I sat against a pillar to read my LP and a small crowd gathered to look at me or my book. I met a chatted to a monk and his sister and his aunt.
I walked back down and to Sandamuni paya and Kutodaw Paya which are both known for their numerous marble slabs that have the Tripitaka (Buddhist scripture) engraved on them, and then to Shwenandaw Kyaung, a wooden monastery but I didn't go in because I didn't want to pay.
I walked back onto the main road and south along the east side of the Palace Wall and then west along the south wall. It was late afternoon by then and there were lots of locals enjoying a stroll, and even some people exercising. Also there were many locals cycling past; I tried to take the classic Southeast-asian-lady-gracefully-rides-bicycle shot.
I had a large plate of noodles for dinner and watched 3 live footy games while flitting between the hotel lobby and the tea shop, and having chapatis and curry and dhal between games. It was fun watching the footy in the tea shop with a dozen local guys, who seemed to support Wolves. There was a nice cool breeze coming through as we sat on tiny stools with low tables; a good friendly atmosphere.
Sunday 23rd October
I walked down to the south of the city, mostly people-watching. I wanted to take more photos of the people but always feel a bit uncomfortable if I don't ask them first. But I got lots of photos of the various old vehicles in town; I don't know how some of them are still going.
I stopped for early lunch at a small foodstall next to a side road. A smart local guy Morris joined me and he started to talk openly about politics. He said he just wants peace and that things are getting better. I read the newspaper later and it seems to be reporting the same as I read on the BBC website about the prisoner releases and Aung Suu Kyi and her party saying more should be released; I was surprised too see that in a newspaper here, so maybe there is more media freedom than we think?
I went to the Entertainment District and found the venue for the Moustache Brothers performance; I chatted to one of them (Lu Zaw - a cousin) about the show and showtimes. I carried on to the Mahamuni pagoda which houses a Buddhist image from maybe the 1st century, or 554BC. Also there are 6 bronze statues from Angkor Wat.
Well, I liked the pagoda but have seen plenty of those recently and really just prefer roaming the streets and watching the locals. I passed through some villages on the edge of town and stopped for papaya and sat with the fruit ladies who liked to leaf through my LP. I walked up to the fruit market and stood at a crossroads and watched the people and carts go by. I know all travellers say it about Myanmar and maybe it is a cliche but I have to say that the Myanmar people are lovely, especially the women; they are so calm, pleasant, well-dressed, welcoming and always have a smile.
After strawberry ice cream, I went back to the tea shop and when I asked, they put the rugby on for me and I watched the Final. Watched the football at the hotel in the evening.
Monday 24th October
Around lunchtime, the hottest time of the day, I went for a walk, westward out of Mandalay. After half an hour I came to the Ayeyarwady river, which was a hive of acticvity. There were many wooden boats lined up against the bank where people were washing themselves or cleaning their clothes or bicycles. There were passenger and cargo boats. A really old truck was parked up and a group of guys was unloading a stack of empty oil drums and carrying them across a gangplank onto a wooden boat; it looked like hot sweaty work and they, jokingly, intimated that I might like to help rather than stand there taking photos.
Some people seemed to be living by the river in huts covered with tarpaulin and it was a bit smelly there and perhaps these people are quite poor and I felt a bit voyueristic so mostly put my camera away. But there were people selling food and drink down there too.
Back on the road I headed south a bit and came across a flower market. I just stood there watching the sellers for a while. One lady who was selling cold drinks was approached from behind by another lady who put her hands over her friends eye's; it was sweet and I wish I had got a photo. I walked back to town and got noodles again then went back to the hostel.
Mid-afternoon, Dutch Lee, Danish Meeta and I got a taxi to the train station for our trip to Myitkyina in Kachin state. The train was scheduled to leave at 4:20pm but it was late arriving and it was more like 7pm when we left. We were in Upper Class, I don't think foreigners have a choice. It was reasonably comfortable with the seat permanently semi-reclined. For the first hour we passed quite a few lit-up pagodas and the stars were shining so I just gazed out of the open window while listening to a football podcast!
There were many bugs on the train, mainly flapping around the lights, and there were a few mice scurrying around. It got a bit chilly in the evening.
Tuesday 25th October
Well, it wasn't a very comfortable night's sleep and I was a bit grumpy in the morning, but nevermind. The sun was shining on the fields and the landscape got better as we went along and we saw people working in the fields and at each train station. I enjoyed reading Burmese Days as we went, and George Orwell mentions the same train journey we were on and writes about the scenery and the white pagodas that I was looking at out of the window. At each station there were quite a few army guys and I saw that one had a hand-grenade on his belt, not sure I have seen that before. And the guys checking our tickets on the train have big knives.
Once it got dark again I was bit over the train journey and was quite relieved when we arrived in MMyitkyina at 7pm. We walked into the town and to the YMCA, where it was fun to stay. We got dinner next door and had an early night.
Wednesday 26th October
This morning we started our 4 day journey back to Mandalay along the Ayeyarwady river. At 7:30am, Lee, Meeta, German Manfred and I got a taxi half an hour out of Myitkyina and to the jetty to catch the slow boat to Sinbo. Along the road we passed a military checkpoint where they had a quick look at us. This is because in Kachin state there is an armed rebellion taking place, such that the main roads into Myitkyina are closed.
The local boat is a long wooden boat with room for about 20 passengers and a stack of cargo and our bags. We got on the boat at about 8:30am but then some of the locals got off, and a local said it was because they couldn't go home because of the fighting there so they were staying in Myitkyina. The guy started the engine at 9am and something on the rudder seemed to hit the pebbles in the shallow water and it took until 10:30am to repair and for us to set off.
The scenery along the river was pleasant if not spectacular; it was good to have travel buddies to chat to and the locals shared some food with us, watched us watching them and shyly obliged our requests to take pictures of them. As George Orwell describes, they have oval faces.
We stopped a few times and at Sundoo some ladies were selling lunch, but I just got peanuts and an orange as the meat and veg did not look too apetizing. There we talked to a local guy who spoke good English, and had studied Russian in Russia, though we are not sure why. Again, there was a soldier there, sharing his binoculars with an old monk.
Also, some of the rice sacks were unloaded. We had wondered what was inside since we could only see a few rice husks spilling out, yet the sacks were really heavy - we got a surprise when one of the ladies cut open the bag, pulled out a load of the husks and revealed a large slab of ice! The ice had survived being left in the sun on the boat journey. They said they use the ice to cool drinks, but maybe they use it to keep meat cold too. There is no electricity there but they have batteries and watch TV.
Again it was just nice being on the river. We arrived at Sinbo at 3:30pm. It was quite a challenge carrying our backpacks up the slippery riverbank. In Sinbo, there is only one guest house registered with the Government to accept foreigners, so we checked in there.
We went for a stroll, it was quite overcast but the rain held off. Sinbo is a very rural Myanmar village; there a few motorbikes but most of the houses are wooden and the people lead basic lives and there is a school and a pagoda. According to the guest house registration book there have not been many tourists here this year; so the locals were a litle surprised to see us but were very welcoming and encouraged their little kids to wave and smile and say hello to us; some of the kids blew us kisses. We always asked before taking photos and they seemed to actually like being in the picture and they sometimes round up other people nearby to be in the photo.
We asked around for what time the boat leaves tomorrow morning but couldn't get a consensus since not much English is spoken here, so will check it out early tomorrow morning. We had a good dinner of veggies and rice at the restaurant next to the hotel. At 8pm the electricity in the town went off and all was quiet and dark, so it was bedtime.
Thursday 27th October
In Sinbo. At 7:30am, Lee and I walked down to the river to find out about the boat departure time and a few guys said 10 o'clock. To be on the safe side, we checked out and were at the river by 8:30am. I had some noodles and it was nice sitting overlooking the river while the boat guys, seemingly, repaired the boat. I was quite pleased with myself that I got my backpack down the steep slippery riverbank and on to the boat without slipping. We left at 11am, after, as usual, and probably as required by the Government, paying twice as much as the locals.
Again the scenery was not spectacular but it was pleasant being on the boat watching the world go by and reading 'Burmese Days' and chatting. We had been told the journey today would take 8 hours so we were surprised when we arrived here at Bhamo at 3:30pm, but were pleased because it meant we would be able to see the town in daylight (and get our sore backsides of the wooden bench seats).
We walked up from the river and straight in to the middle of a bright, lively market, selling mostly fruit and veggies. We walked to the hotel following directions from the locals, some of whom didn't even need to ask where we were going since there are only 2 hotels in town that can accept foreigners, and they are near each other. The hotel is great, especially for just $7 each and the Manager speaks good English with an English accent.
We went into town to find ferry tickets for tomorrow; we had a bit of a runaround, and a couple of lifts on motorbikes from locals trying to find us tickets but the locals couldn't understand that we were looking for ferry tickets, not fastboat tickets. Eventually we found the ferry and walked across the gangplank onto it and found out that we can just turn up in the morning without a ticket.
So then we had time to wander through the market; it was only the length of one busy road but it was very colourful and vibrant and as usual the locals had friendly smiles for us as we walked past. The atmosphere is really nice here and it would be nice to stay another, but if we don't leave tomorrow, the next ferry is on Monday.
We bought snacks for tomorrow and had strawberry ice cream. Lee and I got tasty noodles and veg for dinner.
Friday 28th October
The staff at the Friendship hotel exceeded our expectations. We got up at 5:30am and they invited us up to the buffet breakfast where there was juice and coffee and cake and bread and chapatis and fruit, included in the $7 each we had paid for the room. Then when we checked out they gave us each a lunch package of bread, banana, noodles, coffee and water, and took us to the ferry in the back of a pick-up with plastic chairs in the back for us to sit on.
We had to walk along gangplanks with our heavy bags to get on the ferry to Katha. After getting a ticket we went up to the covered deck and the staff showed us to our specific rectangle of space as shown on our tickets and soon a kind lady passenger came over with a tarpaulin for us to sit on. Naturally the locals looked at us for a bit but we were watching them too and it was fine. The ferry left more or less on time around 7am.
There was a calm atmosphere on the deck; nobody talking loudly, the kids behaving nicely and no babies screaming. We sat there and chatted and ate our endless supply of sugary bread snacks. The river was narrower in places and we went through a gorge or two, and had to navigate around big sandbars. We also saw some gold stupas with stairways leading up. A few times I went up to the top deck and took in a better view and enjoyed the scenery.
Most of the women, and some men, in Myanmar wear the yellow 'paint' on their faces and today we found out more about it. A few ladies on the boat were applying the 'thanakha' paint so we went over to have a look. They had a small log (of sandalwood?) and they were rubbing it against a stone while mixing it with water, and the result is the yellow paste. They wear the paint for sun protection, as make-up and because it is good for their skin. It is defintiely something distinctive and memorable about Myanmar.
Like yesterday, we arrived at our destination sooner than expected, arriving at Katha at 3:30pm. The ferry actually docks against an old boat and you step through the second boat on to the bank and walk up the concrete path. There was a bit of a scrum trying to get off the ferry as others tried to get on. We checked into the hotel and went for a walk. I am particularly keen to see Katha since this is the town that Burmese Days is based on, though in the book it is called Kyauktada.
Katha is a small town with a village-like atmosphere, and was good for a stroll in the late afternoon. There were bicycles and motorbikes but few cars, and kids going home from school. We stopped for tea at a tea shop. After dark we continued walking and were clearly the only tourists in town (and the first tourists for 2 weeks). For dinner we shared plates of veggies and chickpeas; we have eaten some tasty food in the last couple of days.
On the way back to the hostel there was a choir going from house to house singing, we think, Christian songs, in Burmese; one of the tunes was Auld Lang Syne. We think they might be from the Baptist church. So we sat on a bench watching and listening to them for a while.
Saturday 29th October
We went for an early morning stroll in Katha, having English pancakes for breakfast. Then we went on a self-guided tour of the places mentioned in George Orwell's Burmese Days which is based in this town. We found the big old jail which is still used; there was a sign at the gate saying 'no photography'. We walked back through town and to the place where the British Club would have been but it has been knocked down, but the tennis club is still there. And when we asked a local, he showed us the house where Orwell lived when he lived here between 1922 and 1928; the house is a big red building, with verandas, set back in a field along a narrow path. The lady living there says she works for the District Administration; we were stood on her doorstep and thought she was going to let us look around, but then she didn't.
We had a a walk around the market and while Lee and Meeta were chatting to a guy about Longyis, I sat on a low stool next to his wife and watched her cutting the legs off dead cicadas, presumably in preparation of selling them for people to eat; she didn't chop the heads off so I guess that gets eaten? As usual, as we walked around, locals smiled at us and the kids said hello and we felt very welcome.
We decided to get the train back to Mandalay as the next ferry doesn't leave until Monday evening. So, at 2pm we got the bus to Naba train station, hoping to catch a train back to Mandalay but since trains are so often delayed we had no idea when we might be able to leave or how long it would take. But a Chinese-looking member of staff came up to us and said 'Can I help you with a ticket?', 'Yes please'. He was really helpful, he got us $6 tickets in ordinary class (no Upper Class tickets left, would have been much more expensive anyway) and the train came soon after and he ushered us to the correct coach and seats in the melee. The wooden benches were not too bad and the scenery in the late afternoon was nice. There were people in the aisles and people sleeping under the seats but it was all very pleasant and calm. We chatted and I listened to my tunes most of the way and got a bit of sleep sitting upright.
Sunday 30th October
We arrived back in Mandalay about 6:30am, in the daylight, and checked back into the ET hotel. Sleep!
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