I am sorry, life came in the way of writing more here on my blog. Especially very poor internet connection in Myanmar, too much to see there and too many nice people to talk to! So yes, it was fun. I loved it. The atmosphere in this country is peaceful. And I loved it - again. Greed didn't come in the way between visitors and locals yet. The people are lovely honest creatures with amazing smiles on their faces, ready to greet you and even help.
Travel in Myanmar is slow so even 18 days is very little time. To do this country proper justice, I would like to take the full 28 days of visa allowance, hopefully next time. Buses and trains are slow and not in very convenient times. Night buses usually take a little less time then they say (1-4 hours difference) and they leave early so you will mostly arrive too early - 3 or 4 am. And that is not very nice as bus terminals are mostly out of town and you need to get out and ready in the middle of the sleep cycle. And the whole day will and up tiring. OK, that is how it is, if you have more money, you can always fly. I did't and I kept a low budget, which is a challenge there, but it is doable. If you need more details about budgeting, let me know.
I started in Dawei, then took a very advantageous bus to Mawlamyine, explored the world largest reclining Buddha and the river side and moved on to Kyaikto to see the Golden rock - boulder balancing on a rock which became very golden and a pilgrims sacred place. I have enjoyed this experience very much. After that I took an afternoon bus to Bago and cycled around the most important pagodas and temples for a day and took a night bus to Inle lake. There I stayed in lovely new place called Graceful Inn. I can recommend it. Inle is a beautiful place, nature is everywhere and is very pure. The boat trip is a must and there is surely much more to do.
Mandalay was charming! I met two fellow-countrymen and a monk. Both encounters were very refreshing and interesting. Thank you! Again, the touristy places are not very touristy and are worth a visit. Bicycles are a good choice to go around here. Cruise ship trip to Bagan was worth the money, I mean it was very expensive, but the cheep boat goes only twice a week and who can make the timing right? This was very refreshing, as it meant clean and hassle free traveling. Unfortunately, most of the passengers were upper class tourists and that caused me a bit of a shock as I did't meet those people for a while. Anyway... Bagan is unmissable, I made just too many pictures there, I couldn't help it.
My last night bus took me to the former capital - Yangon, where I found a nice place to stay after some searching - Beautyland hotel ll. Very nice staff and good spot in the down town area. Yangon on Sunday feels like a village. Sacred places are nice and busy. Bicycles and motorbikes are band here, so unless you bring your own bicycle, you cannot cycle around. Walking is OK as distances are not great and taxis are everywhere.
Let me just say that this is for sure my favorite country and I will come back soon (hopefully).
Here are my pictures, they might say a bit more then my post this time...
At the moment, I am in Mumbai, enjoying Indian air. It is different, you know. So far so good. I will come back here at the end of the month or maybe even year, we will see. Write a comment, leave a note :). take care!
Travel in Myanmar is slow so even 18 days is very little time. To do this country proper justice, I would like to take the full 28 days of visa allowance, hopefully next time. Buses and trains are slow and not in very convenient times. Night buses usually take a little less time then they say (1-4 hours difference) and they leave early so you will mostly arrive too early - 3 or 4 am. And that is not very nice as bus terminals are mostly out of town and you need to get out and ready in the middle of the sleep cycle. And the whole day will and up tiring. OK, that is how it is, if you have more money, you can always fly. I did't and I kept a low budget, which is a challenge there, but it is doable. If you need more details about budgeting, let me know.
 |
| Bagan - on the top of a pagoda |
I started in Dawei, then took a very advantageous bus to Mawlamyine, explored the world largest reclining Buddha and the river side and moved on to Kyaikto to see the Golden rock - boulder balancing on a rock which became very golden and a pilgrims sacred place. I have enjoyed this experience very much. After that I took an afternoon bus to Bago and cycled around the most important pagodas and temples for a day and took a night bus to Inle lake. There I stayed in lovely new place called Graceful Inn. I can recommend it. Inle is a beautiful place, nature is everywhere and is very pure. The boat trip is a must and there is surely much more to do.
Mandalay was charming! I met two fellow-countrymen and a monk. Both encounters were very refreshing and interesting. Thank you! Again, the touristy places are not very touristy and are worth a visit. Bicycles are a good choice to go around here. Cruise ship trip to Bagan was worth the money, I mean it was very expensive, but the cheep boat goes only twice a week and who can make the timing right? This was very refreshing, as it meant clean and hassle free traveling. Unfortunately, most of the passengers were upper class tourists and that caused me a bit of a shock as I did't meet those people for a while. Anyway... Bagan is unmissable, I made just too many pictures there, I couldn't help it.
My last night bus took me to the former capital - Yangon, where I found a nice place to stay after some searching - Beautyland hotel ll. Very nice staff and good spot in the down town area. Yangon on Sunday feels like a village. Sacred places are nice and busy. Bicycles and motorbikes are band here, so unless you bring your own bicycle, you cannot cycle around. Walking is OK as distances are not great and taxis are everywhere.
Let me just say that this is for sure my favorite country and I will come back soon (hopefully).
Here are my pictures, they might say a bit more then my post this time...
At the moment, I am in Mumbai, enjoying Indian air. It is different, you know. So far so good. I will come back here at the end of the month or maybe even year, we will see. Write a comment, leave a note :). take care!
