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| Picturesque Myanmar viewed from the Irrawaddy. |
I
wanted to visit Myanmar following the opening up of the country. Like many travellers I wanted too see and
experience the country and its culture before too much touristic development. What I found was a country with a traumatic
history and fascinating culture, a country on the cusp of change. Following years of cruel military
dictatorship there is an air of quiet optimism following the recent election
victory of ‘The Lady’ as Aung San Suu Kyi is affectionately called. When still in opposition as the pro democracy
leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, in 2010 gave her blessing to the return of tourism to
Burma effectively ending the tourist boycott. The National League for Democracy
(NLD) leader U Win Tin said: "We want people to come to Burma, not to help
the junta, but to help the people by understanding the situation: political,
economic, moral - everything."
Myanmar
is a large country, 676,578 km2 with a population of 55.2 million. Due to the lack of investment by the military
government the countries roads are very poor and its railways reliant on the
infrastructure left from British colonial days.
This means internal air flights are the best and quickest way to travel the
long distances between key cities and the main sites of cultural and historic
interest.
My
trip included visits to:
 |
| The famous Inle Lake one legged fishermen |
Inle
Lake
Staying
at the town of Nyaung Shwe. Inle Lake is
unique and the way of life of the people living on the lake fascinating. The locals make a living as fisherman, Inle
Lake is home of the famous one legged fishermen, craftsmen, silversmiths and
weavers (for example silk made from lotus flowers growing on the lake), or self
sufficient farmers growing avocado’s, tomatoes, and flowers amongst other
things. The advocado’s I remember as
particularly delicious. Buildings,
houses, schools, shops, are built on stilts above the water and constructed of
teak wood and woven bamboo, very ornate.
The locals are incredibly friendly waving from passing boats and
shouting hello. Obviously they have not
yet tired of tourist visitors.
I
couldn’t help but seeing a blot on the beautiful landscape. The development of a luxury holiday resort currently
being constructed on the banks of the lake.
Mistakenly, I thought it a quarry initially until informed otherwise by
our guide. The locals fear for the
continuing ecology and uniqueness of the lake because for when the resort is
completed and filled with tourists there will be more tourist visitors on the
lake than there are local people living on the lake. Those earning their living from the lake are
very concerned although of course increasing income from tourists will be
welcomed. A sign of things to
come?! Pollution is already a problem
the lake has halved in size in recent years.
I would like to revisit Inle Lake again and spend longer there,
hopefully before it changes too much, to fully assimilate and appreciate the
areas uniqueness.
 |
| Myanmar's Angor Way. |
A
boat ride on the Lake to Indein village let’s you visit Myanmar’s Angor Wat, a
smaller overgrown and unkept ‘ruined’ pagoda complex to that found in Cambodia. Built in the 17 and 18 centuries there are
around 1,000 stupas in various stated of disrepair and only recently discovered. Many of the monuments are now being restored
and can appear a bit garish. I preferred
wandering among the ruined unrestored stupas complete with overgrown shrubbery,
this was by far my favourite area of the complex, authentic and atmospheric.
Kalaw
 | |
| The market at Kalaw. |
Well
worth a visit for its market and walking in the hills. I have never visited Nepal if I had I might
not make the comparison but Kalaw put me in mind of what I imagine a Nepalese Himayalan
hill town to look like. Kalaw is
appreciably cooler than other parts of Myanmar visited as it is situated in the
mountains in the north of the country.
The town was where in colonial times the British encamped to escape the
heat of Mandalay and Rangoon during the peak of the heat. Colonial houses can still be seen in the
hills surrounding the town. The local
market is certainly worth a look, I enjoyed watching the locals going about
their daily shop. Kalaw is home to an excellent Nepalese restaurant, we ate
lunch both days we were there, we had dhall curry, rice and a naan bread for 4,000
Kyat around £2 / $2.90. We visited at
the time of a moon festival a time of much local celebration, colourful
processions and fireworks.
 | |
| A view of the temples of Bagan. |
Bagan
Well what words could I possibly use to describe Bagan? Awesome, spectacular, inspiring, mind blowing. Only by seeing Bagan could you fully appreciate the sight of it and understand the superlatives that are used to describe it. I will never forget the first morning of our visit climbing to the top of one temple and at the top being greeted by the view of temples for as far as the eye could see. What a view! Surely it can only be a matter of time before Bagan is afforded UNESCO world heritage site status. With over 2,000 temples covering an area of 26 square miles (42 km square), an area equal to the size of Manhattan, many visitors choose to hire motorcycles to tour the area and take in some of the more remote temples which are off the main tourist routes. Bagan is a must see on any visit to Myanmar.
Yangon
(formerly known as Rangoon)
 |
| Downtown Yangon. |
Yangon
is a very busy city, still the industrial and commercial centre of Myanmar if
no longer the countries capital city. The downtown area is said to contain the
largest number of colonial buildings in south east Asia, somewhat neglected,
these buildings are a reminder of Burma’s history under British rule when part
of the Empire. It is probably thanks to the years of Burma’s
isolation and the neglect of the military government that these buildings still
exist at all. Traffic is now such a
problem in Yangon that motorbikes have been banned from the city’s roads. Pavements where they exist at all are uneven
and have a tendency to just disappear leaving gaping holes and open sewage
drains. You have been warned! My advice, carry a torch as the city is
poorly lit after dark, all part of the visitor experience.
Yangon
is home to a number of attractions of interest amongst them, a 70 metre long
reclining Buddha, at Chaukhtatgyi Paya, the Buddha’s crown contains hundreds of
diamonds and other precious stones. Bogyoke market, better known as Scott’s
market, is well worth a visit and an excellent place to buy souvenirs and
longyi (the traditional long skirt worn by both men and women). Afternoon tea at The Strand Hotel was a very
civilised and thoroughly enjoyable escape from the heat and hustle and bussle
of the city, an oasis of calm . Opened
in 1901 to provide luxury accommodation for traders The Strand may not quite
rival Raffles in Singapore for colonial era splendour but it comes close and is
well worth seeing. The Hotel was
restored in the 1990’s and it is said Rudyard Kipling, Somerset Maughan and
George Orwell have stayed at the hotel.
 | ||
| The Shwegagon Pagoda viewed as from my hotel bedroom window. |
The
jewel in Yangon’s crown has to be the Shwedagon Pagoda which is simply stunning
and certainly well worth taking at least a few hours to look around. The most important shrine in the country the Shwedagon
Pagoda is the place which all Burmese Buddhists hope to visit at least once in
their lifetime. Even for none Buddists
visiting the Pagoda is quite a moving and spiritual experience. The one hundred metre high central stupa
which is covered in gold leaf (and it is said 4,531 diamonds) is a marvellous
sight and can be seen from all over the city.
It dominates the skyline, I could see the stupa from the bedroom window
of my hotel. Myanmar’s principle Buddhist shrine, the Shwedagon complex is big
and containing many smaller pagodas, shrines and places of worshing. I found observing the Burmese people
worshipping at their holy shrine very moving and affecting. I could feel the tranquillity and ambience of
the place.
 |
| On the road to Mandalay. |
Mandalay
On
arriving in Mandalay I did not encounter the romantic city of my imagination, hardly
surprising as the city is at present one big construction site. Mandalay is the fastest growing city in south
east Asia, its population currently stands at 2 million. Despite the disruption and all of the
building work Mandalay is still worth a visit to see:
The
restored Royal Palace, a must for those of us who have read Amitav Ghosh’s
novel The Glass Palace. The palace was
all but destroyed by Japanese bombers during World War Two, but it has been
restored by the government and shows something of the opulent and privileged
lifestyle of the royal family who ruled Burma in pre-colonial days.
Take
the time to visit the Kuthodaw Pagoda which houses the biggest book in the
world, comprised of 729 marble slabs on which are written the complete Buddist
scriptures.
 |
| Shanty towns on the banks of the Irrawaddy. |
Take
a short boat ride across the Irrawaddy (Ayayarwaddy) river, allows you to
experience something of life on the banks of the river for the people living in
the shanty towns along its banks. Across
the river take the short circular walk through the village of Minyun observing local
village life on route to what is left of what would have been the worlds
biggest pagoda had King Bodawpaya not died before its completion. Severly damaged by an earthquake in 1838, it
is quite a pile of bricks!
 u | |
| Buddhist monks crossing the U.Bien Bridge at sunset. |
The
U. Bien Bridge is only a short drive from Mandalay. The bridge is a 1.3 km long footbridge of
teak wood which stretches across the Irrawaddy river. It is worth seeing, much photographed and very
beautiful when seen at sunrise and sunset. However, be warned it is a tourist ‘hot’
spot. On the day we visited it seemed
like every tourist in Myanmar was there!
A very commercial tourist experience by Myanmar standards which came as
a bit of a surprise and rather spoilt the experience. Perhaps seeing the bridge at sunrise might
have been a better option with fewer tourists and therefore better photo
opportunities. Of course that would
necessitate a very early start to the day but it could be well worth it.
 | |
| The gloriously unspoilt Ngapali Beach |
Ngapali
Beach
Lying
on the west coast of the Bay of Bengal and the warm Adaman Sea, Ngapali Beach
is 4.4 miles of lovely unspoilt beach.
Not amongst the worlds most beautiful beaches, but very pretty, it is wonderfully
tranquil and undeveloped, fringed as it is by palm and coconut trees. I found
the beach clean and uncrowded, the water warm, clear and inviting. Ngapali Beach proved the perfect place to
relax and chill for a few days having spent two weeks touring the country. A row of restaurants situated on the beach
offer great food, freshly caught fish a speciality, at exceptionally keen
prices. A meal for two, we enjoyed 2
main courses, a side salad and two beers, for only 9,500 kyat (£4.50 / $6.53
approximately).
I
have to mention the Amata Hotel and Spa which was superb. Aung San Sui Kyi had stayed at the hotel in
October 2015 while on the election campaign trail. The hotel is situated right on the beach,
cocktails at the poolside bar at sunset was a highlight. And it was wonderful to be able to enjoy a
stroll along the beach before breakfast and a swim at sunset before cocktails
and then head off along the beach again for something to eat.
I
am still getting my head around my visit to Myanmar, it is such an interesting
country and there was such a lot to absorb.
Myanmar, the poorest country in south east Asia, means living conditions
for many are very basic at best. And yet the people a great many of whom have
so little materially are spiritually enriched, warm, welcoming, friendly and
generous. My visit was a very humbling experience.
As
the country is on the cusp of change and developing quickly I would recommend
visiting sooner rather than later before its uniqueness is lost in the
development and commercialism.
If
you would like to know more about Myanmar you can read:
- Parenteau, John. Prisoner for Peace: Aung San Suu Kyi and Burma's Struggle for Democracy.
- Stewart, Whitney. Aung San Suu Kyi: Fearless Voice of Burma.
- Victor, Barbara. The Lady: Aung San Suu Kyi, Nobel Laureate and Burma's Prisoner.
- The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh, a historical novel set in Burma, Bengal, India, and Malaya, spanning a century covering the fall of the Konbaung Dynasty in Mandalay, through the Second World War to modern time.
The Blog's author penned a travelogue of...
...Awe inspiring scenery, memorable experiences and personal challenges. http://ow.ly/PnShi
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Scaling the Dragon's Back was written to raise awareness and continue fundraising for Dementia UK, Admiral Nurses
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