5 July 2013 (actually) -- pictures aren't working right now, but I'll try again later.
During my “summer” vacation, I was on an amazing adventure in Myanmar (formerly called
Burma). Let’s just say that there was never a dull moment (unless, of course,
you consider napping in a canoe while floating down the Inle Lake channels
boring).
17 June: Yangon, Myanmar (the current capital city)
1. They drive on the right side of the road. Apparently, in
the 1970’s, they were sick of being reminded that they used to be a British
colony, so they switched how they drive. Many (most) of the cars, therefore,
have the steering wheel on the right side (not the left).
2. The currency is the Kyat (pronounced chot). This inspired
us the frequently sing the tune of the song, ‘Shots, Shots, Shots’ when we
spent money.
3. There is a very interesting mix of different cultures and
people, in general. Apparently, the country used to be a mix of a few different
surrounding countries, and when boundaries shifted, the people stayed where
they were (that, of course, is a very simplified explanation that may or may
not be accurate).
4. We napped in a park in the middle of the day for nearly
one and a half hours. It was glorious, and then we were refreshed, at least
enough to walk around the Sule Pagoda and visit the Schwedagon Pagoda at
sunset.
 |
| Schwedagon Pagoda |
5. We were all zombies at dinner due to our previous day’s 4
a.m. flight. But the glimmer of
hope to keep us awake was the ridiculous fashion show/ mini concert happening
at the end of the restaurant, with a runway and everything. It was
simultaneously confusing and entertaining.
6. We stayed at the Motherland Hostel. I would recommend it
to anyone traveling to Myanmar. The rooms are good, and more importantly, the
staff is super friendly and helpful!
18 June : Exploring Yangon (after a good night’s rest)
1. We walked to the market. I bought a longyi (the
traditional sarong-like skirt that most locals wear) as well as a jade
bracelet.
2. We walked to the Zoological Gardens where we saw hippos
and bears, and even fed sugar cane to the elephants.
3. Walked along the boardwalk on the lake, as we attempted
to get to what we thought was a floating temple. It actually turned out to be the replica of a floating barge
that is some sort of a performing arts center.
4. Kristina spotted a field hockey practice going on, so we
crossed the street to check it out. Based on their uniforms, we concluded that
they are training for the SEA (South East Asia) games that are being hosted by
Myanmar.
5. We waited out a rainstorm at a restaurant, drinking a few select beverages.
6. Dinner at a local restaurant with amazing curry!
19 June : To Kinpun and the Golden Rock
1. Early (7
a.m.) bus for the 4.5 hour journey, including some great music videos and
karaoke videos to be enjoyed along the way.
2. The Golden Rock (actual name Kyaiktiyo) is literally a
huge rock balancing on the edge of a cliff, which is supposedly held in place
by a piece of Buddha’s hair.
20 June : Back up the hill to Golden Rock
1. We wanted to
do some hiking, so we only took the truck halfway up the hill this time. We
followed the hiking trail that had been used until they paved the road the
whole way up the hill. There were a bunch of chairs with bamboo poles
connected, which people used to hire in order to get to the top of the hill to
see the Golden Rock without having to walk. Now that there is the road access,
there was nobody being carried.
2. On the
other side of the village valley, we spotted stairs climbing up the hill,
leading to what we assumed was another temple. So, we climbed back down one
side of the hill and back up the 618 stairs (Kristina counted) and go stuck in
a downpour at the top.
3. We each
hopped on the back of a motorbike, with our backpacks and all, for a ride to
the bus stop to catch our bus to Mandalay. For $23 USD, the bus was amazingly
comfortable!
21 June : The Chacos Debacle
1. Our bus arrived in the city at 5:30 a.m…gotta love those
overnight buses. Needless to say, we each took a nap before heading out to explore.
2. The Royal Palace. We wandered off the path around the
palace (just a little) to explore old plane and train ‘wreckage.’ We crossed a
moat filled with dirty, stagnant water using a few questionable bridges. One of
which was simply two boards (2x4’s) meeting to rest upon a small rock in the
middle of the moat; this does not make a reliable bridge. We all made it
across, but then we had to get back across. Kristina was the last coming back,
and when the board tipped, it threw her into the water. She grabbed the camera
out of her pocket and threw it to me onshore, but then the mud sucked her feet
down deep. The only way she made it out, without being stuck in the mud, was to
slip her feet out of her Chacos sandals. She hired a motorbike to take her back
to the hostel (barefoot) to shower and change clothes while she mourned the
loss of her favorite shoes. The camera had gotten a little wet, so she carried
it around in a bag of rice for the next three days. I am happy to report that
it has been working just fine since the moat incident.
 |
| Moments before the fateful fall... |
22 June : The World’s Largest (uncracked) Bell!
1. We rented motorbikes! I only rode on the back with Andrew
in order to help with the navigating and keeping track of Kristina behind us.
2. We were stopped at a police check-point and asked for our
“license. international license.” After a brief moment of panic, Andrew and
Kristina handed over their U.S. driver’s licenses (with which the response was,
“Thank You. Enjoy Myanmar.”) and we were on our way with a big sigh!
3. Mingun (town). We were on a mission to see the world’s
largest uncracked bell. I know, so impressive! After a couple hours of driving,
we made it there. A local asked us if we wanted to see another temple, so we
followed her around for awhile. She took us through a village, and Kristina
mentioned the Tanakah that we had seen on everyone’s faces (the natural
sunblock). She offered to get us some, so we stopped by a woman’s house where
she mixed it for us (she ground the piece of wood on a stone tablet, mixed it
with water to form a paste and then painted our faces with it).
4. We asked our “guide” to teach us how to Beetle Nut. It’s
a type of tobacco mixed with a small amount of coconut milk and wrapped in a
leaf. You just pop the entire chunk of leaf in your mouth and start chewing. It
was quite bitter, and I got a headache, which I assume was from the nicotine.
Before you’re finished with the Beetle Nut, you do NOT swallow your spit, so we
had extremely red spit to show off, which the ground is already covered in from
the locals chewing/spitting the Beetle Nut.
5. Our other mission for the motorbike trip was to find U
Bein Bridge, the world’s longest Teak (a type of tree/wood) bridge. After a
couple of wrong turns, and a lot of asking directions, we walked across and
back the entire length of the bridge.
6. We took the train to Bagan that night for $10 USD. There
were no covered windows, so the train car was filled with bugs, most
interestingly many dragon flys. It was a very bumpy ride, but I still attempted
to sleep sitting in my seat without my mouth falling open and being invaded by
flying insects.
23 June : Biking in Bagan
1. Bagan has Mt Popa, which is a temple on top of a rock (it
reminded me of Devil’s Tower in the states, except there is a Buddhist temple
at the top).
2. Kristina and I rode on the top of the pickup truck,
holding onto the racks of course, on the way back to Bagan, to enjoy the views.
24 June : (Happy Birthday to my sister!) Fun fact: This was my
favorite place in Myanmar!
1. We rented bicycles for 1500 Kyats (about $1.50) for the
entire day.
2. We spent the entire day riding around to different
temples in a valley full of temples outside of the city. Literally, there are
temples as far as you can see. It was absolutely amazing. The best part was
that we could stop anywhere we wanted to, and I had fun climbing up on many of
the temples.
3. Kristina bought me some Mandalay rum (to support to local
economy, of course).
25 June : Relax in Bagan
1. We chartered a boat to take us to a cave and some nearby
temples. We drank tea at a monastery where they showed us the deep, dark parts
of the cave for meditation.
2. Late bus to Kalaw
26-28 June : Kalaw trek to Inle Lake
1. We did a 3-day trek to Inle Lake with a group of 11 of us
(includes 2 guides: Paol and Puri).
 |
| Farming! |
2. First day we walked about 6 hours. We ate and slept in a
local village.
3. Second day we walked about 7 hours and then slept at a
monastery.
4. Third day we walked about 5 hours and arrived at the
southern side of the lake.
 |
| Boat ride to Nyang Shwe (town) after our trek |
 |
I think we're ruining the scenery :)
|
5. In total, our guides told us we walked a total of 65 km
(about 40 miles) over three days! My feet and legs were sore, to say the least.
We walked through all of the farmland. They grow everything from peaches and
corn, to carrots and pineapple.
29 June : Nyang Shwe (the town by the lake)
1. We rented bicycles to go to the Hot Springs, which were
temporarily closed for renovations. Luckily, we stopped nearby for lunch and a
local woman showed us their local set-up to the hot spring. There was no
regulation on the temperature, so it was too hot too even put my feet in. It
was still cool to see the pools and have that woman so nicely show us the other
hot springs for free.
2. We biked to the Red Mountain Estates Winery on the other
side of town. We took a short tour of the facilities, had a wine tasting, and
then shared a bottle of wine. Bought some wine to take back to Jakarta (we made
it all the way to Malaysia, but then they would not let it as a carry-on
because it wasn’t duty-free. I ended up packing it in my backpack wrapped in
clothes and towels. One bottle survived, but one soaked my clothes; luckily it
cost only $10).
 |
| So artsy, la. |
3. We chatted with two American teachers from Boston who
were on summer vacation.
30 June : Boat Trip on the lake
1. We spent the whole day riding in a boat around the lake.
2. We first went early to a local market. We saw traditional
weaving. I bought a headband that is pretty sweet. We witnessed cigar making
and boat/canoe building. We watched jewelry making at a silversmith. We went to
the ‘jumping cat monastery’, but the cats weren’t performing because it was not
high season for tourists.
3. We rode the boat back through the floating gardens (there
are floating villages also, but they’re actually on stilts, not like Water
World) where there were so many floating tomato plants I couldn’t handle it. I
didn’t eat any, but it was tempting with all of the ‘rejects’ floating by in
the water.
4. We also drove by many traditional fishermen who stand at
the front of their small boat and wrap one leg around a paddle to move while
they collect their nets using their hands.
1 July : Canoe trip on lake
1. I sent a few postcards back home, but I haven’t heard if
they’ve made it there, yet.
2. We rented a canoe, and it turned out to be owned and
operated by a 60-year old woman. We felt bad at first for having her paddle us
around, but then we all took turns helping her paddle and Andrew went back to
his days in Crew to help her most.
 |
| Here's Andrew doing some work while Kristina and I nap |
3. Kristina and I laid down and fell asleep peacefully. We
were only awoken when she gave up flower necklaces she had made.
4. We spent 2 ½
hours in the canoe slowly floating around the back canals of the lake, past the
locals doing dishes and showering in the canal (don’t worry, they wear a sarong
when they shower).
5. We each got a massage for about $4 each, including tea
and crackers.
6. After sharing another bottle of wine, we ate dinner at a
Nepalese restaurant where I found the best food (curry) in the town.
2 July : short trek back to Red Mountain Estates
1. We trekked up to get a great view of the lake.
 |
| Tanakah! |
2. We walked into a cave. When I stood up, putting my hands
above me so as to not hit my head, I didn’t realize the ceiling was covered in
bats. Luckily, we did not disturb any.
3. Our highschool-age guide had two friends with him, so they could learn how to become guides. They were nice enough to help show us how to use the jar of Tanakah (sun block). It actually kept me from sweating (so much) and no sunburn!
4. We took another overnight bus back to Yangon to catch our
flight back to Jakarta.
My most favorite trip, so far, while I've been living here. I'm sure it helps that I had such amazing travel companions named Kristina and Andrew!
