Nyaungshwe,Dodging fireworks at the Taunggyi Balloon Festival, then Yangon and KL

Monday 7th November

In Nyaungshwe (Inle Lake). A bit of a sleep in, since I soon won't be able to sleep in on Monday mornings. After breakfast I walked into town to the market which comes round every five days. It was mostly fruit and veggies and it was quite busy and I kind of felt like I was in the way as the local women were going about their business of buying and selling. So I went to a cafe and got samosas and tea and read my book; I soon won't be able to that on a Monday morning either.

Late afternoon I joined a group of other tourists and took a pick-up (taxi) to Taunggyi and to the annual Balloon Festival, about an hour way. We arrived in the dark but could see that Taunggyi is a modern city with designer shops and the locals are more westernised; they wear jeans and have mobile phones, whereas in Mandalay and Yangon they still wear the longyi. Because the city is westernised not many tourists come here; we prefer to see traditional places. This means that tourists are a rare sight in Taunggyi, so we got more attention than we do in the less developed towns where the locals are used to tourists.

The fire-balloon festival is part of the full moon celebrations, and goes for a week. As we approached the festival we saw the three neon-lit Ferris Wheels and huge crowds in an area about the size of 2 football fields. We went to look at the Ferris Wheels first. Although they are covered in flashing lights, the rotation of the wheel is not powered by electrical energy; instead there is a team of guys who climb up the struts/spokes of the Wheel and dangle from the seats on one side to effect the rotation of the wheel. Crazy. A dangerous job and all part of the show.

I walked deeper into the festival and found that most of the space was taken up by rudimentary gambling stalls. At one stall there was a table with 8 large football team posters placed over it. The punters lay their money on the team they think will 'come up'. Then a punter presses a button in front of him that is attached by wire to a wheel with lights and when he hits stop, the lights stop on the winning team; very basic, but fun. When the owner saw my Ajax beanie he put on his Manchester United Beanie so I shook my head at him and pointed at the Liverpool poster. Although the owner is a guy it was a group of ladies running the gambling stall. Everyone is seated and the ladies use feather dusters to draw the losing money to them across the table. One of the girls seemed to be rapping into the microphone along to the loud music while the punters decided where to lay their money. Some of the guys were putting down lots of money and I was a bit tempted to have a go, but resisted.

I stopped for Shan noodles and the ladies made a bit of a fuss of me and took turns to watch me eat and whispered and giggled with their friends. I walked back out to the main field to see the balloons. There were maybe 10,000 people in the field and I was drawn to a large group of guys dancing and jumping and singing. Most of them had been drinking and it seemed a little edgy but once the balloons came out it was ok. It is actually an air balloon competition so they bring them out one by one. It was extraordinary....

The balloon is brought out on the back of a pickup truck into the crowd and slowly and carefully unfolded. Each balloon is about half the size of a normal air balloon but without a basket, and each one is unique and made by the team that launches it. A metal structure, like scaffolding but wide rather than high, is brought out too and it has hundreds of fireworks attached.

Once the ballon is ready, naked flames, mostly from stakes held up by the balloon team, are used to inflate the balloon. As the balloon slowly starts to rise the crowd whoops and claps and it is a great sight, more so when the balloon rotates too, but at this point the balloon is still being stopped from flying away because the team is holding it in mid-air with ropes. Next, the team carries the scaffolding with the fireworks attached across to the balloon and attaches the scaffolding under the balloon, between the fire and the bottom of the actual balloon. Then they let the balloon go....

The first balloon took off, with the scaffolding swinging below it, and after a minute or so it crashed into a nearby lampost and hung there like a ragdoll slowly burning and as the one fire engine tried to put the fire out it was like something from an Ealing comedy. But of course the fireworks still went off and because the balloon hadn't gone very high, the fireworks spun out horizontally into the crowd; not such an unusual siutation apparently.

The next balloon launch was more successful and it was cool as the balloon rose up and when it got higher the fireworks were quite spectacular but they tended to fly down rather than up and again flames were spinning into the crowd and I ran for cover behind some cars along with the locals.

The third balloon launched ok too but the fireworks went off before it had got very high and so again flames were zipping out horizontally and into the crowd. It was mad and this time we were even closer. With the crowd, I turned around and made a dash for it and I could see the flames spinning into the ground around us but nobody seemed to get hurt and it seems to be all part of the fun. But my heart was beating a little faster by then and I decided that the novelty of running away from fireworks was over for me and I headed out of the field and up the gentle slope where families were sitting on blankets and eating and enjoying the show. From the elevated postion the view was better, and safer.

I chatted to a policeman who was guarding the entrance to the VIP area which was for TV people only. I told him I was a TV Director for the BBC to see if he would let me in, then realised that saying you work for the BBC in Myanmar is not too clever, but I don't think he understood and it was just banter.

At midnight, balloons were still being launched but we piled back into the pick-up and headed back to Nyaungshwe along the dusty bumpy road after a crazy night out.


Tuesday 8th November

Lazy day today, cat nap this afternoon. This evening I could hear some kind of ceremony coming from loudspeakers in the distance so I set out to find out what was happening. A few streets across from the hotel the sound got louder and I arrived at a pagoda with wooden scaffolding around the top. Below was an important looking monk seated in a special chair leading in prayer a gathering of about 100 locals seated on mats. A local guy, called Myat Min Soe came to chat to me and explained what was happening. The pagoda is being repaired and in a couple of days will have its upper part replaced and so I was witnessing a Pagoda Repair Ceremony. The pagoda is called the Ma Har Yan Aung pagoda which means Great Successful pagoda.

Myat Min Soe is a local farmer and has been to several South-East Asian countries and his English is good. He showed me some photos of the pagoda from last year when it was small and crumbling with weeds growing around it; it was originally built 600 years ago. Then last year they built a brand new pagoda in its place (not sure why it needs to be repaired already).

He also told me about the special coloured Buddhist flag which represents the 6 rays that emanate from Buddha, who is clean. The flag is used by Buddhists in 5 countries: Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and Sri Lanka (I think this right?)


Wednesday 9th November

Walked down the main road and got three bread pastries with sweet soy bean; cheap filling food for a long journey. On the way back I got shan noodles in the same place I have been the last two days; not many veggies but very tasty and nice ladies who work there.

After checking out we got a pick-up to the Shwenyuang where I ate deep-fried prawn and onion in a tea shop where the locals were glued to a Van Damme movie. Our bus came by and picked us up at 3pm. The bus was ok and I read my book and enjoyed listening to my tunes. When we stopped for dinner, we were given a food voucher which meant free food; I don't completely understand but the idea is that until the full moon tomorrow, people donate money for the monks to buy robes, and in return the monks donate money for people to have free dinner. Monks often tend to be well-off so it is not such an imposition for them, but still appreciated.

Thursday 10th November

The bus arrived at Yangon's long-distance bus station about 4am and they put us in a pick-up for the rest of the journey into Yangon. We arrived about 5am and I checked in to the Golden Smiles hotel.

Slept in and then went for a walk around Yangon. I wanted to have a look in the church but it was closed so I sat on the steps around the side and read my book, but it was really hot so I just came back and had a lie down!

Today is Buddha day, so it is a public holiday in Myanmar; but only Buddhist-owned businesses are shut. Also the streets in Chinatown had foodstalls and games and stuff for kids; it was too manic so I didn't hang around. I went to a tea shop and watched the end of a movie, I guess it is a bit like going to the cinema for the locals and brings in the punters for the tea shop owner.

On the way back the tea shops on the pavement were showing live scenes from the Balloon Festival that I went to the other night. Tonight is the last night of the festival, full moon.


Friday 11th November

Had a last walk around Yangon, large plate of Thai noodles for $2 then back to hostel and caught a taxi to the airport with a couple of American guys. Flight here to KL was ok. Checked into dorm room at midnight and came out for food since AirAsia didn't feed me. The streets are quite quiet but I found a nice lady serving fried noodles and prawns - for just over $1; I am going to miss Asia.

Trekking from Kalaw to Inle Lake

Friday 4th November

Today I started the 2 day/1 night trek from Kalaw to Inle Lake. The Singh family, who own the hotel and organise the trekking put me on the back of a motorcycle at 8:30am and I was whisked away out of town and out into the countryside. It was a fairly bumpy ride but the scenery was good, rolling green hills and little villages. I was dropped off at a seemingly random isolated store (actually Lamaing Village) but soon Harry Singh (our guide) arrived with a couple of trekkers (English David and French Amelie) who had started yesterday morning, and off we went.

We left the road and walked along tracks between the crop fields; it was a bit muddy at times but considering how bad it must be in the rainy season it was fine. As we came down into a small valley an old 4-carriage train was passing through and it looked like a part of a miniature railway set that kids, or train enthusiasts, might have.

The low rolling hills are divided into different coloured crop fields; greens, yellows and browns, like a multi-coloured patchwork quilt; very picturesque. We passed fields of chilli plants and ginger roots and canola flowers and sunflowers and mint. And we saw hundreds of bright red chilli peppers laid out on bamboo mats drying in the sun, outside houses made from bamboo and grass.

We stopped to watch some women harvesting rice; they cut the stalks using sickles and tie them together. One of the ladies came down to us and Harry said they had asked him for something for a headache. Harry opened his backpack and inside he has a medical kit which he brings along for such purposes; he handed the lady some paracetomal and from that moment I was sure that Harry is one of the good guys. Another time we stopped Harry gave some people rehydration tablets.

Some of the locals are animist, meaning they believe in spirits. Harry said they also believe that the world is flat and that I 'flew here over the great lakes'. They have no idea about America or the internet or such like. They think our cameras are 'magic boxes', which I suppose they are. They seemed happy for us to take photos of them; Harry does not take the same trekking route everyday so the locals don't have to pose every day.

We stopped in a small village for lunch. Harry always has lunch in the same village but at a different house so that he can share the wealth among the four houses in the village. We had veggie noodles and egg with avacado, onion and tomato on the side. After eating I went outside and played 'Heads, shoulders, knees and toes' with the 3 young kids; presumably it is the first time they have played it but they were soon following my lead. I think they enjoyed it as much as I did, one of them fell over from laughing.

We passed along some small rice terraces and some wheat fields that looked like green velvet carpet. And I liked the big crab apple trees among the green wheat fields. We ate tiny amounts of Sichaun pepper berries (they smell like citronella); they made our mouths go numb. And we saw one dead snake and one alive snake, a green tree viper(?) which Harry said was "not super dangerous"!

Late afternoon we came to the top of a hill and there were two water buffalo bathing in a watering hole, looking very content. A bit further up we came to a point where we had a 360 degree view of the lovely green countryside. We stopped to watch the sunset and then walked on to the Hti Tain monastery, our lodgings for the night.

Harry led us inside the monastery and introduced us to the Head monk, who has been here for 35 years. There are about 15 novice monks, each about 11 years old. About 15 other trekkers also stayed at the monastery and makeshift bedrooms are set up using bamboo dividers. It is cold up there but they gave us 3 blankets each so it was fine. They gave us a Burmese-type dinner with rice, potato curry, soup, and veggies (including ochre, also called Ladies Fingers).


Saturday 5th November

I slept ok. At 5:15am we were woken by the tinkle of a small bell, and then, as expected, we heard the novice monks shuffle out of the sleeping quarters and begin their morning chants. It went for about an hour and you could tell they were trying even though it was so early and they must have been sleepy and cold; I managed to doze off a bit!

After pancakes and coffee for breakfast we went to say thanks and goodbye to the head monk. It is bad form to point your feet towards Buddha and likewise to a monk I suppose so we were all knelt down in front of him. He gave us the visitors book to sign and made and we placed a donatios inside. He insisted that we each be touching the visitors book as we handed it back to him and he held it too and and spoke to us in Burmese. Harry translated for us that he said 'I have met you in a previous life and will meet you in the next and the next until we reach Nirvarna'.

We started walking at 7:45am. Most of the time we were walking along a road but we could still enjoy the green hills on either side with the early morning mist still hovering the valley. There were very few vehicles on the road. We met a couple of young girls riding their water buffaloes to find water. They were weaing colourful headscarves and lashings of thanakha on their cheeks as sun-protection. There was a young boy with his Dad. The boy had an old coin on a string around his neck; it was a one rupee coin from 1904 with King Edward on one side.

We left the road and headed down a track. Harry asked us to guess which famous western rock star he had once taken on the trek. we had fun guessing, and imagining Boy George, Robert Smith or Bono on the same track; eventually we came up with the right answer: Robert Plant. 

Further along we stopped to rest at a watering hole. There were four young kids there minding their water-buffalos while the beasts enjoyed cooling off in the water. It was quite a beautiful everyday scene, out in the peaceful Myanmar countryside. One of the kids was using her hands to throw water onto a water-buffalo's back to help it cool down; Harry said they do care about their water buffalos and give them names like we do our pets. Mind you, they also pull on the rope attached to the beast's nose if it needs directing.

We walked further downhill and stopped to look down on Inle Lake. At midday we arrived at Inthein, the end-point of the trek. It was a nice setting at a bend in the river, with the colourful longtail boats moored up, waiting for tourists. At a restaurant we had lunch of noodle soup (it was like laksa). Harry asked if we were still hungry, which I was, so he went and got us some more.  

After paying the $5 government fee to enter the Inle Lake region (grrrr) we hopped into a motorised long-tail boat and headed along the river; there were marshes and villages on either side and a few bridges across. After about 20 minutes we came to Inle Lake which is about 13 miles long and, in places, 7 miles wide and is banked by low hills. We saw the traditional fishermen who paddle standing up in their small wooden boats, using an upright oar which they have wrapped inside one leg, thus leaving both hands free to handle the fishing net.

We arrived at the town Nyaungshwe at the north end of the lake at about 2pm after a very enjoyable couple of days. Harry showed us to our hotels where we collected our big bags which the Singh family had transported there for us from Kalaw. Having seen that Harry doubles as a mobile pharmacy for the locals along the trek I offered him whatever he thought might be useful from my first aid bag; he took most of the stuff (such as rehydration salts, bandages, plasters and paracetamol) which thankfully I have not needed to use. The trek itself was perfect and Harry was a great guide; I was kind of sorry to say goodbye to Harry as he made his way back to Kalaw.

In the evening I had dinner with Amelie and David and then back at the hotel reception the staff put the football on for me and left me to it.


Sunday 6th November

For breakfast I had two fried eggs, toast, butter and jam, papaya, a banana, avacado juice and coffee, included with the $7 room. After seeing the lake from the boat yesterday, today's mission was to take a bicycle around. Amelie and I cycled along the western side for a couple of kms past some villages and stopping to take pictures of the red flowers (hyacinths?) on the water. We came to a steep broken road so turned around as Amelie didn't have much time. Amelie went to catch her bus out of town and I went to a cafe and ate some pastries containing soy bean paste and drank milk tea; then I headed to the east side of the lake.

I headed down a narrow lane and then came to an isolated monastery in a clearing. There were some ancient crumbling stupas outside and a seated statue with no head, the head was balancing on the statue's knee. I had a brief chat with the friendly monk (the only person there). He said the stupas were 300 years old but they looked older to me. I asked him what he was up to and he said he was reading books about meditation so I apologised for disturbing him!

I carried on until I came to the main road and then headed south. It was fun bombing along the main road, looking for a side road down to the lake, which I found in the village of Maing Thauk. So after some noodles I headed down to the lake, and was joined by the Dutch couple from breakfast so we hired a boat to take us and our bikes across the lake. We stopped at a cafe on the water after a short while and, for an additional fee, the boat driver's wife took us on a smaller wooden canoe, around her water village. I accepted the offer of use of a chinese fisherman's hat against the strong sun.

The lady paddled the canoe with her leg, like the fishermen do.  Most of the houses in the water village are of course raised up on stilts. As we drifted along the water channels among the reeds we could see tomato plants growing on the surface of the water and below the water we could see the soil the tomatoes were growing in. The water was cool to the touch and quite clear and the kids enjoyed swimming around. As we went by the locals seemed welcoming and waved and smiled and the kids called out 'ta ta'.

We went back to the cafe and got back on to the motorised boat and headed across the centre of the lake, passing a dunked balloon from the balloon festival. From Kaung Daing we cycled north and ended up going down the hill where Amelie and I had turned around in the morning. We arrived back in town around 4pm.

I had a bit of a cycle around the town and met Japanese Kage and he showed me a place where I might be able to get cheap transport to the balloon festival. The lady there was cool and she said that they need more people for the pick-up (taxi) to the festival and then the price would be lower. I said 'you need a sign outside so people know you have a pick-up', and she gave me a big whiteboard and marker pen and said 'can you write for me', so I did and we hung it up and outside the shop. I then headed back to the hotel, David came back and said 'Hey there is a sign outside a shop saying they have a cheap pick-up to the balloon festival', so the sign works!

I got dinner at a foodstall in the main street; Shan noodle with thick cream of tofu with veggies, it was great. Walked around to a tea shop and watched the football, then came back to the hotel and watched the second game in reception with the hotel manager and a couple of his friends.

Mandalay, U Bein Bridge, Sagaing and Kalaw

Sunday 30th October...still in Mandalay....

A lazy afteroon in Mandalay; I walked to the market to get some oranges because I have a bit of a cold and a cough. Out for dinner with Lee and Mette.

Monday 31st October

After breakfast I hired a sturdy bicycle (no gears, but a basket to put my LP and water in) and headed out to Amarapura and U Bein bridge. It was fun cycling through Mandalay in the rush hour traffic, weaving between and avoiding other bikes, motorbikes, trishaws, old buses, trucks etc.

I headed down 84th street and continued along the main road out of town. After about 8 miles I saw the sign to U Bein bridge,although it was a bit hidden behind a billboard. It was easy to get directions from there since the U Bein bridge is on the front cover of the LP so I just showed that to the lcoals and they pointed me in the right direction.

The U Bein bridge is one of the most popular tourist spots in the country; it is a 1km long, 200 year-old teak footbridge brige across Taungthaman Lake. As I came along the road towards the edge of the lake I could see most of the bridge; I had expected it to be a bit grander, but I grew to appreciate during the day.

I pushed the bike onto the bridge and started to walk across; it was not too busy, but there were as many tourists as there were locals. The view of the lake from the bridge is lovely; the lake is not very deep and the lcoals were stood up to their chests fishing and there were a few fishing boats going around.

The bridge itself is abnout 3 metres wide at the start and gets a wider towards the middle; it is curved to protect it from wind. The bike was a bit of a hinderance for stopping so I went all the way across and at the other side got tea and samosa at a cafe. The cafe staff were happy for me to leave the bike there and I walked back along the bridge.

I am sure I saw a guy herding ducks under the bridge. He was stood up on his boat, paddling and seemed to be ushering this group of about 30 ducks around the lake and under the bridge. Either that or he was just following them!

I walked to the far end of the bridge and sat in the rest area and enjoyed people watching for a while. Then I slowly walked back across the bridge again and retrieved the bike. I cycled for a while into the next village and then turned back and pushed the bike back across the bridge to where I had started.

I cycled through Amarapura again and past a few temples. Then I headed back out onto the main road and continued south towards Sagaing. After about 4 miles I came to the Ava bridge (built in 1934) across the Ayeyarwady river; there was a checkpoint where they told me not to take photos so I rode for about 5 minutes until I was half way across before taking a photo of the many golden stupas on the other side of the river.

Sagaing is known as a Buddhists retreat and there were many in the town. I stopped often to get directions to Sagaing hill and it was about 3 miles to the base of the hill. Not surprisingly I had to go uphill to get up the hill! Unfortunately the road was too steep for cycling so I had to push the bike up the hill for about 1km, in the heat, having had no lunch yet.

But then there was a resataurant and I got a huge plate of noodles. Then I walked up the steps to the top of the hill from where there are excellent views of countryside around Sagaing and the many monasteries and stupa below. Also there are a couple of halls housing Buddha statues and round the back was a cool tiled gazebo(?) where I sat to cool off.

Even with the brakes on full I was going so fast back down the hill that I got a bit scared, but I made it back down to Sagaing ok. I stopped at the attractive, modern International Buddhist Academy which was built in 1994; the buildings are made of pink and yellow sandstone and the stone icons are similar to Hindu icons. It has a (locked) circular temple(?), with a courtyard around it and then large alcoves displaying photos of Buiddhist sites around Asia, some of which I have visited this year; a friendly local guy escorted me around (or maybe I should say 'followed me'). On the way back across the river I used the Sagaing bridge, and just kept cycling fast when the checkpoint people shouted 'Hey' at me; I think you are supposed to pay something.....

I cycled back to U Bein bridge where there were many more tourists, arrived mostly for the sunset. It was good to see the bridge in a different light and it was nice there. The sun set right between two spans of the Ava bridge in the far distance.

Back on the bike I headed up to the main road and into traffic chaos, a major bottleneck with locals heading home in all manner of old and older vehicles. It was great fun being in the melee and joining the push and shove of Asian traffic. Once I was going in the right direction I made good progress, passing on the inside of trucks that couldn't go anywhere and alongside the many food stalls. As I went along quite a few people on motorbikes and bicycles turned their heads and waved, smiled and said 'hello' to the tourist. One guy on a bicycle said 'Hello Sir, Good Evening!' I cycled back at full speed, for the fun of it. By the time I got back to the hotel I was a dusty, sweaty mess on a bit of an adrenaline rush!

Some of my best day trips this year have been on bicycles, I like that I can stop when I want and go at my own pace. Today was fairly typical of such days where I end up going to places spontaneously and making up the route as I go along.

I had dinner with Lee and Mette and back at the hotel said goodbye to them as we are going in different directions tomorrow.

Tuesday 1st November

Hung out in the hotel until checkout time at midday. A bit of a last walk around Mandalay; it is a bit of a hot and dusty town but I liked it. Sat in reception until the pick-up came to take me to the long-distance bus station. We stopped often to pick up other tourists. As we were going along I realised that it is 2 years today since I left Sydney.

The bus left Mandalay at 6pm and was pretty comfortable. The Myanmar sit-com/movie was a bit loud but it did look quite funny. I was happy listening to my music. They had to wake me up when we arrived in Kalaw at 2am. It was just a short walk to Golden Lily hotel, where we had to wake up the lady owner.

Kalaw is different from Mandalay; we are at 1500 meteres above sea level and it is chilly at night - beanie and fleece temperature.

Wednesday 2nd November

I plan to go on an organised trek with a couple of the guys in the family who own the hotel, but when they knocked on my door at 7am to ask if I wanted to leave today at 9:30am I said 'no thanks'. I have a cold and felt pretty rough this morning.

Later went downstairs and organised to go on a 2 day/1 night trek on Friday. It seems a bit expensive but the hotel has a very good reputation for its treks so I will just trust them. I went for a walk into Kalaw which is a small town; the sun was very strong. After lunch I just came back to the hotel and read my book and slept, I am a bit lethargic with my cold, and there is not much to see here.

Dinner in town in the evening, a bit of chat with a friendly local who said his name is Taxi, and he drives a taxi, with his knees. Die Hard was on so I stayed until it finished. It is a bit grim having a cold, especially in a colder climate but I can not really complain while I am still on 'holiday'.

Thursday 3rd November

My plan was to be lazy again today but then I thought I might as well get up for free breakfast downstairs before it finished at 9am. And after that I felt a bit more motivated. Although I no longer set out specifically to see Buddhist temples or shrines or whatever, since I have seen so many in the last year, I did set the Nee Paya as a bit of a target, just to give some aim to my wandering in the countryside outside Kalaw this morning.

I headed out of town along a country lane and turned off to Nee Paya. As I walked I could hear local music echoing around the hills and groups of ladies walking together and a farmer herding his water buffalo. A small boy started crying when I waved and said hello. At Nee Paya, there were a few small temples housing Buddhist statues and monks and nuns and I sat inside for a little while enjoying the atmosphere.

I headed back to the main road and walked further along then left and came to Shwe OO Min Paya. With some direction I came to the natural cave wherein live hundreds of Buddha statues. My expectation was quite low so I was pleased when I saw that it really was inside a cave and there are Buddha statues of all shapes and sizes and I walked along the narrow path with Buddha on all sides and above me; it was cool. Some of the small statues were wearing purple fleece tops to keep out the cold. Some of the statues had electric flashing coloured bulbs in a 'halo' around the Buddha's head and although Buddha is sometimes seen with a kind of halo in paintings, I think this modern addition looks pretty tacky and I think I have only seen this in Myanmar; still, it's up to them I guess.

I walked back into town and got a kind of dosa at a stall by the side of the road. I walked up some steps towards Thein Taung Paya and looked at the view over the town. Well, I was a bit sniffly after my morning walk so came back to the hotel and read and slept and listened the afternoon downpour.

Today a local told me about how a rich and famous Myanmar actor headed south after Cyclone Nargis in 1998 to help the people left homeless; the Government promptly arrested him and locked him up for five years. This was at the same time that the Government was refusing to let in foreign aid workers.




 

Mandalay and Ayeyarwady river trip

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!

Bagan and Mandalay

Tuesday 18th October

At lunchtime I got a taxi with an older British couple to the long-distance bus station, about 45 minutes north of Yangon. I got fried rice for late lunch and the waiter brought me another side serving of chilly sauce and onion when he saw I had already finished one - I like the customer service here.

The bus was comfortable and air-conditioned. The only other tourists on the bus were a French guy with his wife and son. For entertainment a Myanmar comedy was showing on the TV; it was a bit loud but with my earplugs in it was ok and I watched some of it and although I didn't understand the language it was easy enough to get the gist.

We stopped for late dinner at a roadside food court. I felt  a bit like a pop star as the young male and female staff did a lap around the table to have a look at me; it was fine.

After a stop to repair a flat tyre, we arrived in the rain in Nyang U, near Bagan at 3am. Our taxi was a horse and cart. The driver was helpful and we checked into the second place we found and the owner didn't charge us for this night. Sharing a room with Japanese Kage. Bed at 3:30am.


Wednesday 19th October

We had breakfast across the road; Kage had fried rice, but, not being Asian, I try not to have rice 3 times a day, so I had pancake with honey. We hired sturdy bikes and headed out in the rain to see the famous temples of Bagan. There are about 4400 Buddhist temples in this area dating from about 850AD until about 1100AD. There are temples everywhere, mostly small red-brick temples but plenty of bigger ones too.

As we got to Old Bagan we saw the first few small temples and continued on to Tharabar Gate. Ananda Pahto temple houses four large Buddha statues. We went to Nathlaung Kyaung temple which is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva. We cycled down to the Ayeyarwady river which is maybe a km wide at that point.

After late lunch Kage headed back to the hotel and I continued on. I went south to the Manuha Paya around the back of which, inside, is a reclining Buddha with a big smile. I headed north again and was thinking that it was ok going from temple to temple, but each one is not that spectacular in its own right, and I have done this kind of thing quite a few times in other countries.

Anyway, I carried on along some flooded tracks, which was kind of fun and I followed the horse and carts taxiing the older tourists around. This led me to the most popular temple, Shwesandaw Paya. I parked my bike, took off my sandals and began the steep ascent up the west side of the temple. When I reached the top terrace and looked around and saw the view across the countryside with so many rust-coloured temples dotting the landscape I realised why people come here; it was beautiful and serene, inspite of, or perhaps because of, the skies being overcast.

I took a couple of small detours on the way back and then headed along the main road and back to the hotel. Tasty veggie noodles for dinner but a bit oily.

Thursday 20th October

It was after 10am by the time I had slept in, had breakfast with the French family and then hired a bicycle. I headed out in the same direction as yesterday making more stops along the way to visit temples off the main road along muddy tracks. I visited Shwezigon Paya (temple). where the ladies tried to steer me towards their souvenir stalls, even gently grabbing my arm. This is a big temple with a gold stupa and a seperate building housing statues of the nat spirits.

The sun was shining today which was a blessing. I stopped at small and big temples, including some from yesterday so I could see them in the sunshine. After the heavy rain from yesterday, some of the tracks were flooded so I had to cycle hard to get through the water, or wade in up to my knees, which was all part of the fun.

I headed off the main road onto the Central Plain, 1km along a partially-flooded track to Dhammayangyi Pahto (temple) and Sulamani Pahto. Like most of the temples of Bagan, these two are rust-red brick buildings, housing Buddha statues. But most impressive about them were the frescos on the walls inside - 800 year old coloured paintings of Buddha, and more murals on the ceiling. Amazing.

Further along I passed some local guys carrying shovels, passed through some more floods and after 1.5kms arrived at Minnahtu village. From there I visited the small Payathonzu temple and the tiny Nandamannya Paya which also had frescoes, before turning around and visiting the large whitewashed Leimyethna Pahto. Back on the road I rode along with a young goat herder and about 50 goats.

I continued along a better road for about 3kms and then turned off and to Dhammayazika Pahto, another imposing temple with a golden stupa. This is one of the few temples that visitors are allowed to climb up and get a 360 degree view of the plains. I clambered up the narrow steps and, like yesterday, when I turned around, the view of the plains was fantastic - the red-brick temples, of all different sizes are dotted around the landscape of green grass and green trees, a wonderful sight. I stayed there chatting to a Dutch couple for about an hour. There was not really a sunset but it was ok at dusk just enjoying the view.

Afterward, all that was left was the 8 mile cycle ride back to the hostel along the broken, unlit roads. I did have my head torch on and my bright yellow backpack raincover on my back, and it was fun; at times it was pitch black and at times the shops and restaurants and other vehicles lit the road. Some of the temples were lit up too. It took me less than an hour and I was back by 7:30pm. I had dinner at a local's restaurant; I had Shan noodles which were nice, though there were no veggies and the chicken wasn't great. As usual the table has a complimentary flask of hot weak tea and I ordered Indian milk tea and then topped it up with the weak tea, like the locals do.


Friday 21st October

I checked out at 8:30am and sat on the low wall outside, people-watching and waiting for the bus to Mandalay. The hotel staff in Myanmar are very attentive and they brought a chair outside for me to sit on (or maybe they just didn't want the scruffy backpacker on their wall). Eventually a very crowded bus pulled up opposite; there were people hanging out of the door and windows and crammed on the roof. So I hesitated until someone called me over, then I took a deep breath and climbed into the bus. Even the aisle was packed with passengers sitting on plastic seats, but my reserved seat had been kept vacant for me, which I felt a bit colonial about but with 8 hours ahead of us, I gladly took it. I was the only tourist. The bus was not air-con but a good breeze came through the windows

The journey was not too bad. We stopped for lunch of rice and some not-very-appetising veggies. Back on the bus I swapped seats with an older lady who had been sitting on a plastic seat but soon had second thoughts about that as it was pretty uncomfortable even sitting on my fleece. I had a bit of banter with some kids but they kept talking to me in Burmese even after I made it obvious that I didn't understand.

On arrival in Mandalay at 6pm, it was raining and I still had to get into the main town. A friendly, polite motorbike taxi guy waited patiently while I put my raincovers over my bag and then he gave me a helmet and we headed in the rain and traffic to the Royal Hotel. Whereas in other countries the taxi would have just dumped me there, the guy waited to see if there was a room available, which there wasn't; so he took me round the corner to another place (I think he knows the staff there but that's ok).

I had a quick run around and found a cheaper hotel which also has the sports channels, and made a reservation there for the next couple of nights.

Yangon, Myanmar

Friday 14th October

I left very humid KL at lunchtime, taking the bus to the LCC Terminal. The flight was uneventful, and after putting my clock back 1.5 hours, we arrived in Yangon, Myanmar at about 7pm local time. The airport is modern and as we came down into the arrivals area there were locals looking through the glass smiling and waving at the people they were there to meet.

The immigration people take everyone's mugshot, and probably shaving my head just days after handing in a passport-sized photo of myself with hair, to go on the visa that they put in my passport, wasn't the best idea; but they stamped me in.

Outside there was a rep from one of the hostels listed in the LP; he was there to pick up three French people so I jumped in the taxi with them, with my bag on my lap and sticking out of the window. The roads were not too bad and somehow the taxi kept going despite its age; the pollution made me cough a bit. We passed a very bright shopping centre, but then closer to town the main roads were not lit.

The Burmese staff at the Mother Land Inn 2 hostel made us feel very welcome; their English is very good (they study English at school)  and they are polite and smiley and helpful, much more so than in most of the places I have stayed in the last few months. The hostel is clean and comfortable.

On the other hand....the hostel does feel a bit like a boarding school, although that might be just because I have opted for the dorm room, which at the moment only has one other occupant. I get a bit put off when a hostel/hotel is full of western guests and no locals, like here. There are a few reasons for this:
1. it is probably more expensive than where the locals stay (albeit cleaner?),
2. the owners here are probably relatively well-off compared to the owners of a place where the locals stay and so don't need my tourist dollars as much,
3. I don't like the idea that it is assumed I need some things laid on for me, e.g. breakfast, western food, bus tickets; I can do these things myself around town and when I do I will interact with more local people. But, hey, the veggie noodles I got in the hostel's restaurant next door were good!
Later............it seems tourists are only allowed to stay in such hostels, foreigners are not allowed to stay in 'local' guesthouses?

There are no ATMs in Myanmar so you have to bring with you however much cash you think you will need and exchange it for Burmese Kyat on the street, or at a Guest House, although accommodation and some tourist sights are normally paid for in dollars anyway. You can only change dollars (and maybe Euros) and the locals will only accept dollars in pristine condition. Well, I have heard enough stories of people getting ripped off on the street (even though they offer a better rate than the Guest Houses) so I just changed US$100 here at the Guest House.


Saturday 15th OCtober

The included breakfast of toast, two frieds eggs, jam, a banana and coffee was appreciated. At 8am I headed out to explore Yangon. The area around the hostel is pretty run-down but there are a few tea shops and then trishaws as you get towards the main road. Most of the men wear longyi instead of trousers, and many of the women wear a sunscreen on their cheeks that looks like paint.

On the way in to town I saw a couple of groups of monks in single files collecting their morning alms. I have seen this in other countries but in more serene surroundings than in the suburbs of Yangon.

I found an efficient internet cafe then dropped into a tea shop for samosa and tea. These places are popular with the men where they catch up on the gossip and maybe do business. The friendly manager replaced my third samosa as soon as he saw it was a bit burnt. In the city there are shops selling plasma screen TVs while ancient buses stop outside to pick up passengers.

The centre of the city is considered to be Sule Paya, a 151ft golden temple with its origins dating back 2000 years. As I got close there was a cloudburst so I took shelter for a while in a large telephone kiosk with 5 locals. Then I ran across the main roundabout to the temple. I left my shoes at the bottom of the steps and paid the $2 foreigners charge. As I walked around, the main stupa was shining against the blue skies behind. On the inside were various different rooms; some rooms had Buddhism classes running, some had Buddhist statues and another a series of simple paintings describing Buddha's life, in the same way as at the statue in Singapore.

Some people were praying, but many were just hanging out, relaxing and chatting, perhaps in the same way that we might go to a bar or a cafe on a Saturday afternoon. Two University students came up to talk to me and we chatted for quite a while. They told me that monks are not allowed to go to University, not since the Monk protests of 2007.

There was another cloudburst just as I was on a covered pedestrians-bridge across a busy road. There are people selling stuff on the bridge and While waiting for the rain to stop a guy kept trying to sell me a large pair of pliers! What did he think I would want them for?

I followed the LPs guided walk, past some colonial buildings. I liked walking down the side streets off the main roads; there are shops below and above them are apartments painted in various pastel colours; I think they were built in the 1950's. There were locals stood out on their balconies and washing hanging out.

I went to look at the Yangon River and a couple of nice kids bothered me to buy postcards from them and to buy them biscuits. During our chat, the girl said she didn't go to school because her Mama can't afford it, and that she was hungry. Well, her English seemed far too good for an 11-year old who has not been to school, and she looked well-nourished. Anyway, I tried to persuade them that fruit would be better for them than biscuits but they were having none of that! So they got their biscuits to share and I then agreed to buy some postcards if they could show me where to buy stamps - the post office was across the road.

I had Indian for lunch, sitting opposite two Banglesdeshi Merchant Navy guys. They speak Bengali at home, the same as the people in West Bengal. After, I went to the Trader's hotel to watch the RWC Semi-final between France and Wales. It was posh in there compared with outside and there were about 60 expats. I chatted to an English guy who works for Medicine Sans Frontiers; he runs 4 HIV/AIDS clinics in Yangon.  Meanwhile, the game was pretty tense and I was disappointed to find that the one coke I had cost $3 whereas beer was only $1.50, but I am tee-totalled at the moment so that's it.

I went to look for the offices of the local Times newspaper, which is the least-censored English-language paper in Myanmar, and owned by an Aussie who has just been released from prison; such is the Government in Myanmar. Opposite the offices I found lovely St Mary's cathedral. It is a large modern red and white brick building and is similar inside using many other colours. There was a service on so I just loitered at the back for a while but I might go and have a better look another time; instead I wandered around the outside and then sat on a step and read Dracula as it seemed a safe place to do so with all the crucifixes around!

Most of the streets that run at 90 degrees to the main streets are numbered like in America. So in 35th street I found a 'Beer Station' where they were showing Liverpool v Man United. I had Japanese Tofu with veggies and rice and it was really good, lots of garlic and ginger. The atmosphere in there was ok and the locals got more interested towards the end.

It rained 3 times today, each time for about 10 minutes, then it stops and the sun comes back out. No problem. I got back to the hostel around 8:30pm so it has been a very long but enjoyable first day in Myanmar. I feel like I have seen so much already just from wandering around.


Sunday 16th October

We were all a bit pushed for time this morning so 3 British girls, Irish Bob and me got a taxi into town. We got dropped off at the train station and Irish Bob and I walked up to Kandawgyi Lake, where we had to pay $2 to go in. On the other side of this natural lake is a big concrete gold-coloured fake royal barge. Bob and I walked around the lake on the raised wooden walkway, swapping travel stories as we went; Bob is a fair bit older than me and had some entertaining stories to tell. We took shelter from the quick downpour then headed out to the road and while waiting for a taxi a car zipped through a puddle and splashed the pair of us. We got the cheap old bus back into town; it was like being in a tin can.

After lunch we headed to the Trader's hotel and got there in time for the start of the NZ v Australia game; the Haka was amazing, the way that the guy's voice echoed around the stadium and even the Aussies in the room were applauding it. Not really a surprise that the Kiwis won. I had 2 beers, my first in months. We sat there after the game watching football highlights and chatting to other visitors.

Bob and I walked to Chinatown for dinner and sat at a table with 3 local guys and chatted to them for a bit. On the way back to the hostel we stuck our heads into a few tea shops to check on the football scores. Good chat back at the hostel.


Monday 17th October

Blue skies today. I went for a walk into town, and checked out some of the hostels in the centre for when I come back to Yangon in a couple of weeks. This hostel is ok but a bit expensive and bit far from the centre.

Mid-afternoon I walked to the north of the city and to Yangon's main attraction, Shwedagon Paya. This is a Buddhist temple/shrine complex which is probably the most spectacular and the most important to the people of Myanmar. Approaching from the south I could see the top of the main golden stupa.

I took off my shoes on the bottom step and headed up the wide, covered staircase towards the entrance. Even though there are souvenir stalls on both sides the decoration and the paintings still make it a pleasant walk and there is some anticpation building as you approach the actual entrance. I tried to ignore the cashier because the entrance fee of $5 goes to the Government, but they saw me and I had to pay up.

A few more steps and then I was in front of the first colourful shrine, Konagamana; there were Buddha statues and pilgrims inside. I looked to my left and to my right and saw smaller golden shrines on either side and stupas behind - it all made me think of a forest of golden shrines. I took a few steps to the left and looked up and there was the main stupa; the stepped bottom half of the stupa is gold-leafed and the upturned-bell-shaped top half is gold-plated. Also there are huge precious stones decorating the very top. The stupa was relecting the sun and was so bright against the blue sky. Definitely a wow moment and I was stood shaking my head while I stood and stared up at it.

I carried on walking round and it felt like being in a Buddha theme-park, in a good way. Many different shapes and sizes of shrines and stupas and Buddha statues. It was fairly busy but the atmosphere was good; the locals are so friendly and clam that it is nice to walk around with them.

Sometimes at sunset the sun shines through the diamond on top of the main stupa and casts colours around the complex, but not today. But the complex is nicely lit up after dark and I started to walk around again, seeing it in a different light. Monks and locals lit candles and continued to walk around or pray. I almost felt left out while the locals were praying so I headed for the exit and left them to it.

Internet access at the cafes was slow today. It seems sometimes the government likes to slow it down. At the last cafe the guy said 'it is slow today', I asked 'Why?' and he just smiled. I said 'Secret?', and he smiled again, nodded and said 'Yes'.

There is no hassle on the streets in Yangon, nobody trying to get me to buy stuff; this is probably because there are fewer tourists about. But I did try for the first time to change $100 on the street, obviously being wary of getting ripped off. Well, the money changer offered a good rate and so I counted out the 85 individual 1000 kyat notes and that was ok. But when I showed him my $100 note which looked pristime to me, he said 'no good' and offered me a lower rate so I walked off. Maybe he was being cheeky but he didn't call after me when I walked off so maybe even my 'pristine' note really wasn't good enough for; everyone has told me they are very picky......

Melaka and Kuala Lumpar

Sunday 9th October

Well, another lazy day in Melaka. One day and evening is all that is needed to see and appreciate the town. But I am here for longer because I don't leave Malaysia until Friday and I am not interested in going anywhere else, until I go back to KL.

This afternoon I went to The Discovery Cafe again and watched both RWC matches and in the evening wandered along to the night markets with English Ryan and Carla, and Canadian Anna. Other travellers seem to feel the same as me about Melaka; it is ok but nothing special and not very exciting.

Monday 10th October

Masala dosa and big cup of tea for very late breakfast. Went to the Maritime and Naval museum which is housed in a replica of a Portuguese ship (Flora de la Mar); there is a diorama of early traders and their wares such as spices, veggies and crockery. There are some paintings showing the ships in the harbour and in the Melaka straits and Melaka when it was a small village. The displays were quite informative and not too wordy.

I wandered around Chinatown again looking at the different historical buildings, and went into the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple. Then back to the Indian restaurant for veggies and rice and tea and egg roti, and reading Dracula. I walked down to the Quay and sat on the rocks looking out to the Melaka Straits, but no shade so I didn't stay for long.

Laksa for dinner; the town was pretty quiet this evening, the weekend's tourists have gone. Played cards with Ryan and Carla and Anna.

Tuesday 11th October

Checked out and got local bus to Melaka Central and straight on the bus 2 hours back to KL and to cheap, friendly hostel. After Chinese beef noodles, I crossed the river to look for the Sultan Abdul Samad Building and found it, along with some other nice-looking buildings; it is a mix of Victorian, Moorish and Mogul architecture with a clock tower. There is an old cricket pitch opposite and a large flag pole in Merdaka Square.

I then went to the old seldom-used KL train station which is Mogul-Moorish. Opposite is the Malayan Railway Admin building which has many gothic arches and external stone stairways; I like that kind of thing anyway, and more so since I am reading Dracula at the moment!

Next I was in the area of the National Mosque but I didn't bother getting to close since I had my holey shorts on which would not be deemed appropriate attire. Maybe another day.

After more Indian food I wandered to the shopping malls since there are some good clothes here in the sales but I didn't buy anything. Street noodles for dinner, and late night Macca's choco top ice cream for supper - yum.

Wednesday 12th October

Lazy lie-in. Followed the LP guided walk of Little India, passed some places I had already been and through a market and past a couple of mosques. It is the Deepvali festival this month so the streets in Little India are even more colourful. Samosas and tea for lunch and then I walked up to Lake Titiwangsa, north of the city centre. The lake is man-made, it was peaceful and pretty up there. I sat and read my book and walked around the edge of the lake. Then I walked back into the city.

I got my new shorts taken up as they were too long. The Chinese lady there was very nice. Her English is good because she lived in a convent in Georgetown (I had passed it when I was there) so she learned English from Irish and English nuns when she was a girl. She also talked about how she and her friends wanted to send their children to study in Australia but it is too expensive, because the dollar is so high......tell me about it!

Egg roti canai and tea for afternoon snack. Good chat with friendly shop assistant where I bought a couple of shirts. She is from Surabaya in Java.

Thursday 13th October

Late breakfast of veggie fried rice. Short walk to the post office to send 3kg home by surface mail. Stayed in the hostel during the middle of the day out of the heat. Mid-afternoon I walked to the National mosque. I wasn't really planning on going in since I have been to many mosques this year, but when I got there I saw that it was during the one hour in the afternoon when tourists are allowed in, so I donned the mandatory blancmange-purple gown and headed inside.

The mosque was built by the British and has a umbrella-style roof to represent protection for the faithful. The main prayer hall is quite spectacular with Italian stain-glassed window. I chatted to some volunteers there; we had a good talk about the customs of Islam and different mosques and the 5 Pillars of Islam, by which all Muslims must abide. Men must visit the mosque at least once a day. The lady said that the men sit nearer the front because they are head of the household. The women sit behind, or upstairs. Nearby there is a mausoleum housing some ex-Prime Ministers.

I walked up to Little India and to a veggie restaurant I had passed yesterday. I had a delicious crispy masala dosa followed by kesari, and tea. For dinner I got 4 types of veggies, rice and some sauce and tea.

Friday 14th October

So this week I have enjoyed hanging out in Melaka and KL. It was never my intention to visit many places in Peninsular Malaysia and rush around like I did in Indonesia; I have enjoyed taking it easy and being a man of leisure instead. Most of all I have enjoyed sitting in the restaurants people-watching while eating good food, drinking tea, and reading Dracula, which might be my favourite book.

But tonight I am back to being a proper traveller again. I fly to Myanmar this evening; I will be there for 4 weeks before heading home to Sydney.....