yangon

Myanmar Travel Itinerary
10 December 2012 - Evening flight to Yangon
11 December 2012 - Yangon, night bus to Bagan
12 December 2012 - Bagan
13 December 2012 - Bagan, night bus to Nyaungshwe (Inle lake)
14 December 2012 - Inle lake
15 December 2012 - Nyaungshwe, evening bus to Yangon
16 December 2012 - Yangon, evening flight home

Yangon - Shwedagon Pagoda, Bogyoke Market, Circular Train, India and   Chinatown, around Sule Paya
Bagan - Shwezigon, Ananda Temple, Upalithein, Shensadaw Paya, Thatbyinnyu, Htilominlo, Gawdawpalin, Bupaya, Mahabodi, Shwegugyi, Gubyaukgyi, Manuha, Apeyadana and others.
Inle- Nyaungshwe town and Inle lake.

Bus time and fare
Yangon to Bagan - 1800 - 15000 kyats
Bagan to Nyaungshwe - 1800 - 11000 kyats
Nyaungshwe to Yangon - 1600 - 15000 kyats

Exchange rate USD to kyats - 1: 847 (airport rate)

To Lucyriver, it was an impulse in deciding to go to Myanmar. After air ticket was purchased, Lucyriver and Wee started to scout for travel agency to assist in applying for Myanmar visa. It was followed further by reading several Myanmar travel books and 'googling' for travel information. Only after reading much information did Lucyriver realised that one week is such a rush to cover all the intended places to visit. In the end, we decided to drop Mandalay into Inle lake.

An earthquake that struck about a month before the travel set precaution but not cancellation. We booked the first night of accommodation in Yangon and were picked up from the airport. We met up with Monkey at the airport. The flight was delayed and when we arrived , it was already 1800. The money exchange counter inside the arrival hall was still on business. Passport is needed and the receipt is to be kept for converting back to USD, if still have kyats left by the end of the trip. 

USD are needed for accommodation and entrance fee. When we paid for our first night room, our money was scrutinised carefully, the less perfect being rejected. Paying for entrance fees were more lenient though. 

These child monks were passing by our guesthouse when we were having our breakfast. 

After wolfing down our breakfast, we hailed a taxi to Shwedagon Pagoda for 2500 kyats. We went early in the morning to avoid the heat later on. Shwedagon is supposed to be in its glorious colours in noon and night. When we passed by it last night, it was bathed in golden lights. 

We were dropped off at the east entrance, where the street leading to the entrance are lined with souvenir stalls. Kids were stuffing white plastic bag onto us. We had bought our own plastic bags instead to keep the shoes when entering the pagoda.

Almost everywhere and for everyone, jars of water to quench thirst are found. The origin of the water is questionable though. Only the fit and the daring are encouraged to take a sip.

Nearing to the entrance, more stalls are located, imploring the visitors to buy some flowers.

The countless stairs leading up to the pagoda with more and more souvenir stalls on both sides. Man and beast can enter providing one does not have footwear on.

The entrance fee can be purchased in $5 or 1500 kyats. The lady at the ticket counter let us leave our shoes there. We moved clockwise in exploring the site.

People are seen pouring water over the Buddha statue. Monkey was brought by a man to give a statue likewise a bath according to her birth day animal.

There was some kind of construction going on leading to scaffolding structures surrounding the golden stupa. Really bad for photographing. It seemed like the inevitable thing happened again. Last time Angkor Wat was also going through the same thing. Lucyriver would have thought that all temples' renovation is in December.

Most locals do not bother of being photographed. Some even smiled for the camera.

Noticed the man where his wallet is tucked at the back of his longyi? Not only wallet, Lucyriver even saw one tucking his novel in before getting off the train. Man and women alike wear longyi, akin to 'sarung'. From time to time, they can be seen adjusting the longyi, be it indoors or outdoors.   

A massive bodhi tree at one of the corner of the pagoda.

Men filling the jars with water. The owl jar is so cute. 

Leaving Shwedagon through the south entrance, a lady at the counter pointed us to a bus stop where there is bus to Bogyoke Market. Instead we hopped onto a taxi (2000 kyats) which dropped us at Bogyoke Market. The pinkish building looks like a maze with all kinds of stalls intersecting each other. Our main purpose was to survey the available souvenir and their price, hoping to return at the end of the trip.

It took us quite a while before we managed to locate the train station aka Yangon station. The circular train, as we were told, were at platform 6 and 7. It was already about 1130. The ticket seller in the middle of the platform beckoned us to be hurry as soon as he saw us sauntering towards him. Circular train ticket is $1 for a journey of about 3 hours.

The train started moving as soon as we plumped our butts on the hard, plastic bench. The train circles the city of Yangon and is said to have 39 stations, covering a distance of 45.9 km. 

(source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yangon_Circular_Railway)

She was asking not to be photographed.

The train was moving a little faster than a snail. However, one may sit or sleep in any favourable position on the train. We were pretty excited at the first hour as there were lots of stuff to see outside and also at each stop of the stations. 

Vendors are aplenty in every station, selling things ranging from food to daily use. Often, women balancing trays of watermelon, papaya, sticky candy, corns and others hopped on to the train to sell their merchandise. After business was done, they hopped down in another station.

Scenery in the outskirt of the town which is easy to recognise as there are fewer and fewer high rise buildings.

Some stations are like a market. Umbrellas are pricked up at the edge of the railway and traders and buyers are crowding the place. What a hustle and bustle.

Suddenly, piles and piles of vegetables were thrown into the compartment, through the door and windows. In a second, the whole space was filled with all kinds of goods. We magically had a mobile market in front of us. The women even started to pick, sort and bundle their vegetables and we quickly pushed up our dropping jaws.

Chewing betel nuts is a norm in Myanmar. The vendors can be seen everywhere. So are the 'blood' spat out splattering every corner of the street. We had the fortune to witness the process of preparing the betel nuts by this lady sitting in front of us. She had various sizes of bottles in her tray which is strapped over her shoulder. There were several easy steps of adding a little bit of this and a little bit of that on a betel leaf before wrapping it up. And presto, it was ready to be chewed and she gave it to the guy who ordered.

We returned to Yangon at the end of our trip. We had the whole morning to kill before going to the airport. We left our bags with a random guesthouse near Sule paya - free of charge - and strolled the street of Mahabandoola till as far to Phone Gyee where along the way are the India and Chinatown.

These pigeons wouldn't let us pass imploring us to bribe them with grains. The moment we approached them, they would be flying all over our faces. We waited until they get lesser and lesser.

As we were going home soon, we finally let our stomach digest some street food. The filling of the rice flour delicacy on the blue stool is sweetened desiccated coconut which tasted just like 'onde-onde'.

The yellow rice (150 kyats) sold by the lady in pink is bland on itself but the toppings make up for it: the salted peanuts, grated coconut strips and crispy red onions.

 Pancakes

Fried foods are everywhere. We saw the samosa from time to time but did not try. 

The white flowers emit sweet fragrance and when taxis stopped at the red light, they will be approached by the flower sellers. Lucyriver saw one taxi driver purchased the strands of flower and hung them at the rear view mirror. 

The fairest thing on earth are flowers, don't you think so?