Reflections on Myanmar Part 5

So after an interesting, busy 5 days in Bagan our next destination was the relaxation of Ngapali beach. So we caught a local prop plane (an adventure in itself) and landed at the beautiful Ngapali. People go here to relax, for the scenery and to wind down after a busy holiday.

We stayed at the Jade Marina Resort and Spa. A lovely resort but lacking on the service of a 4 or 5 star hotel. As with most of the resorts and hotels here it was right on the beach with a lovely infinity pool. It was lovely to be able to walk straight onto the beach and go for a walk. There are plenty of restaurants and locals selling their wares on the beach.

If you want to escape the resort you can ride around and visit the locals. We rode around to a local village that was situated on the beach but what a stark contrast in how they live and the resorts set up for the tourists.  We also took a boat to go snorkelling for a day trip. The snorkelling was average as the reefs aren't amazing and we didn't see many fish. However it was a lovely day and we did enjoy lunch on a little island which was fun. We felt like castaways.

Lunch on a little island on our day trip.

After 4 days in Ngapali it was back to the hustle and bustle of Yangon where we explored the centre of the city and caught the city train around. Yangon is interesting just to amble around and discover.

There are lots of remnants of the British in the architecture of Yangon.

Overall we had a fantastic trip and there is so much more that I haven't included that added to the experience. The food, the transport, the people, the scenery, the culture and religion which feature so predominantly in the Myanmar way of life. So many things added to the overall experience which was wonderful. If you are thinking of going don't hesitate I'm sure you won't regret it. Give yourself a good amount of time as there is so much to see and it is such a large country and embrace all of the experiences that you can.

Anyway, Til Next time,

Kat

Reflection of Myanmar Part 4

Bagan, What can I possibly say. amazing, mystical, impressive, awesome, there are not enough words to describe this place. We arrived in Bagan not quiet knowing what to expect but we soon found it to be an undiscovered gem. We have been to some amazing places such as Petra in Jordan, Machu Picchu in South America and the Ruins in Cambodia and Bagan is right up there with these.  We allocated 5 days to visit Bagan and I am so glad we did because there is so much to see.  The best way to get around is on electric bikes and they are easy to rent all over Bagan. Bagan is separated into three little towns New and Old Bagan and Nyaung U. We stayed in New Bagan which for us worked really well. And it is interesting to go to each of these towns to explore.

We arrived into Nyaung U as that is where the jetty is and we had cruised down from Mandalay. Nyaung U has a lot of atmosphere as well as a lot of things to see. Lots of restaurants and some handcraft factories, wood carving etc. Old Bagan has a lot of ambience and I particularly liked going to the restaurants there and sitting in amongst the ruins. New Bagan where we stayed had everything you needed and was a good starting off point to explore the temples. Lots of great restaurants and a hive of activity. 

But you go to Bagan to see the temples. There is something like 2000 temples spread across the three towns around Bagan (40 sq miles). Its hard to describe but each temple is so different with different in architecture, brick work, mosaics, marble, gold etc. Many of the temples have different statues and Buddhas inside them. These temples were built to garner religious favour.  Once Bagan was the religious hub of Myanmar and now it is quite a tourist hub. I loved the freedom of jumping on the e-bikes and going where you wanted to and walking in all sorts of different temples exploring and discovering. My kids absolutely loved this place. It was such a great learning experience for them and they turned it into their own personal playground. Of course you will come across the inevitable locals pushing their wares but when they know you are not interested they generally leave you alone.

The e-bikes were a big draw card for the kids, they loved the whole experience.

For my kids it was a playground.

Everyone stays for a sunset.

Bagan is stunning there is no other way to describe it and I think that everyone's experience would be their own special experience because you see different temples and you explore where you want to explore. The landscape itself is beautiful and its just enjoyable experiencing that. If you are going there I would encourage you to give yourself enough time so that you don't sell yourself short and regret not seeing everything you wanted to see. You MUST go to Bagan.

Anyway, Next time I am going to finalise our trip with our visit to Ngapali beach and back to Yangon.

Til next time,

Kat

Reflections on Myanmar Part 3

So from the cool, lush, green Pyin Oo Lwin we moved onto the dusty destination of Mandalay. (Yes I couldn't help thinking of Seinfeld every time I said it). What a change of scenery. Pindaya, Kalaw and Pyin Oo Lwin are rural villages that are slower paced with relaxed attitudes where you can sit back and watch life go by. Mandalay is the complete opposite of that. 

As you wind your way down from the hills to the valley you notice the dust start to get thicker and everything starts to look browner. It actually feels like you are slowing suffocating under the smog.  Mandalay is a large, bustling city that is a gateway to a number of smaller very interesting ancient cities that lie within a short drive. There is also so much to see in Mandalay itself such as the Royal Palace, Mandalay Hill and The worlds largest book.

Manadalay palace is a faithful reconstruction of the 1850's royal palace that was burnt down after being occupied by the Japanese during WW2. It has an impressive number of buildings on the site including a very tall watchtower and is surrounded by a moat and fortress walls. It really gives you a feel of what life would have been like for the Royal family, the last Burmese King at that time. Its fascinating to see the carvings, mosaics and the architecture of the buildings.

The watchtower

Intricate carved lace work on the doors.

The Moat.

Mandalay Hill is another must see place to visit on your trip to Mandalay. Mainly because you get a great overview of the whole city from the top. We got our guide to drop us at the top of the hill and then walked down. Much easier than walking up as it is very steep and there is a heck of a lot of stairs. Its great if you can get there to see either the sunrise of the sunset as it adds to the ambience particularly as you will see many monks who come to talk to the tourists. It really is a spectacular view and the Stupa up the top is amazing too. Its just great to be able to mix and mingle.

The worlds largest book is also very eclectic and different. This 'book' is housed in a large complex at Kuthodaw Pagoda. The actual pages of the book all 730 of them are about 2 metres high and 1 metre wide and made out of marble. They contain the entire Buddhist cannon. Each page has its own stupa to sit in and they are all lined up in a row. Its not what you expect but well worth a visit.

You can't go to Mandalay unless you visit all the little cottage industries dotted around the town such as the gold leaf factories, the wood and marble carvers and the silver smiths. Not to mention the weaving, tapestry and silk merchants. I found all of this really fascinating.

And of course then the adventure really begins visiting the ancient cities of Mingun, Ava, Sagaging, and Amapura (Ubien Bridge).

Innwa (Ava) is an ancient town that we travelled around by horse and cart. 

Just an hours boat ride away from Mandalay, along the Ayeyarwady River is the little town of Mingun.  We set of early on the ferry and were met by people on ox carts eager to give us a tour of Mingun. I absolutely loved Mingun. It is a small village but is so interesting. First you come across the Mingun temple. This temple is massive. It was originally built around 1790 and was supposed to be the tallest temple ever at 152 metres but only ended up being a 1/3 of that size. It also was damaged by a massive earthquake.  You can actually walk to the top on some precarious stairs. When you get to the top it is a workplace health and safety nightmare. But it has the most amazing view.

The next place you come upon is the Mingun bell, supposedly the largest working bell in the world at 3.7 metres. Again this is really interesting and we happened to come upon a group of monks who were touring around and I don' t know if we were more fascinated with them or them with us.

I thought I would have a look under the bell.

Another spectacular sight is the Hsinbyume Pagoda. It was built in 1816 apparently for the kings favourite wife and has the most amazing architecture.  It is so weird to come upon this massive bright white structure in the middle of a run down rural village.

We did go to U Bien Bridge, the longest teak bridge of its kind in the world, I think it is 1.2km. As with all of the attractions in Myanmar the locals manage to make it a money making exercise selling all sorts of wares. Notably for me purses and a variety of things made with watermelon seeds. We also came across a lady with a large basket of owls. She was asking 5 Myanmar dollars to release an owl.

So there is alot to see and do in Mandalay and you definitely need to give yourself at least 3-4 days to get around everything. One of the things I really enjoyed was our cruise along the Irrawaddy River Going from Mandalay and ending up in Bagan.

Part of our cruise down the Irrawaddy was to visit a small agricultural village. Here they are threshing rice by hand.

Anyway, I will leave you here. When I take up my next post we will discover the Mystical, intoxicating Bagan.

Til next time,
Kat