Burma, or Myanmar as it is now called has been on my list for many years. When my husband and I travelled in Asia in the early 1990’s Burma was off limits still. When Myanmar opened up again in 2012 it was too difficult for us to get there with our three children but in 2017 as they were now 17, 19 and 22 it was high up on the agenda.
I’d researched Myanmar extensively but our challenge was to pack in as much as we could in just two and a half weeks. Myanmar is a big country and to save as much time as possible I looked at flights to travel in between the key places. I pulled together an itinerary and booked our international flights and then started to cost up internal flights and hotels. I’d also messaged three local agents in Myanmar with my suggested itinerary and asked them to cost it up too. I was pretty shocked to find there was little difference so in this instance I chose to book everything with one of the local agents, being careful to check reviews first. Tour Mandalay were the agents and I have to admit it was the best decision in the end, they organised everything perfectly and it was the best option for me and my family. We had the ease and convenience of a local guide and driver at each place, on hand to take us wherever we wanted and they helped us to keep on schedule and show us the best places, yet we weren’t restricted like on a tour, having to wait for people or do what the ‘schedule’ demanded. It meant I could relax very quickly, safe in the knowledge that we were in very capable hands.
Flying from Manchester
We flew from Manchester Airport with Emirates on a night flight on one of their huge A380 planes. The whole Emirates experience was pretty impressive to be honest, from a very leisurely and stress free check in, time for an evening meal before boarding on time to find we were on the top deck (normal class of course) but it felt fairly spacious. My middle daughter, who isn’t a good flyer wasn’t travelling with us this time, but I’m not sure how she would have felt on such a big plane. The service was very good and we all settled into the ample films, drinks and food on offer and it was a fairly pleasant 7 hours 10 minutes, as much as long haul flights can be. The down side was having to get off at Dubai and do it all again! The transfer bus from the plane to the airport took longer than we were actually in Dubai airport with hardly time to go to the toilet before we were boarding again for our flight to Yangon. This was a normal airbus which after the A380 felt more compact. The journey wasn’t as smooth, with quite a lot of turbulence as we flew over the Bay of Bengal and for me, it felt much longer than the 5 hours 40 minutes. I think this is often the trouble with stop over flights, you’re already very tired by the time you get on the second plane, you just want to get there.
When we did get there, our visas were fortunately all ok and all of our baggage arrived safely with us, which is always a concern, especially since I broke one of my own travel rules of packing this time (normally I insist on splitting all of our clothes up across the suitcases in case one goes missing then we’d have at least some clothes but this time we all had a suitcase each with our own clothes –eek what if it went wrong! Fortunately it all went well).
It was luxury to have a guide and driver to meet us at the airport, much easier than trying to navigate the local buses or haggle with the taxi drivers in local currency. Our guide advised us to change money at the airport instead of the hotel as we’d get a better rate, which isn’t always the case, depends on country to country. We were travelling with dollars and changed up enough local currency for the next 3-4 days. Our young guide, Sanda seemed delighted to meet us and although it was already dark and we were all very tired, we felt the excitement of being in a South Asian city once more. The streets didn’t seem as busy as other Asian cities we’d been to before even though it was rush hour on a Saturday evening but it was still busy. One of the biggest differences we noticed straight away were no motorcycles! They’d been banned a few years ago and it did seem strange. The last South Asian cities we’d been in were in Vietnam where everyone drove a motorbike and the streets were full of them, so it was decidedly odd to be in a similar place where there were none!
We had glimpses in the dark of some of the sights we would soon get to see, including the shining golden pagodas that rose brightly out of the dark sky. Arriving at our hotel, the Best Western Chinatown, right in the centre of Chinatown, we were delighted with the quality of our rooms and although tired, we were suitably excited to go out and find some local food. We used 21st century tools to research where was good to eat and called for an uber to take us there! We ended up in the Rangoon Tea House which is ranked 4th on trip advisor as the best restaurant in Yangon. The boys in particular loved it as they got to try lots of local delicacies safely as this was a fairly touristy restaurant and certainly not the cheapest but a great introduction to our food journey in Myanmar, which promised so much.
Yangon city
We were up fairly early Sunday morning for breakfast at the hotel which was a buffet affair of just about anything you could desire, from a wide selection of eggs cooked to your taste, toast, croissants, Chinese delicacies, to traditional Myanmar dishes and fruit. We weren’t going to go hungry that was for sure. We grabbed cameras and rain coats just in case we were caught in the end of the rainy season’s showers. Sanda, our guide and driver took us first to Mahabandoola Park to see Myanmar’s Independence Monument and then we walked to see more of what was left of the grand colonial buildings including the City Hall, the Supreme Court, the old Telegraph Office, British Embassy, General Post Office and the Strand Hotel, all built during the days of the British Empire. The streets were fairly quiet for a South Asian city, but it was a Sunday, however there were still the colours, the heat and the vibrancy we remembered of other similar cities. We visited Begyoke Aung San Market, full of handicrafts, jewellery shops and clothing stores for the tourists and frequented by a lot of Asian tourists. We’re not big on shopping but it was good to see what Myanmar was going to offer us in terms of souvenirs.
We got more excited about 999 Shan Noodle House, a small but fantastic little noodle place in the centre of town that served Yangon’s famous shan noodles and they didn’t disappoint any of us! After lunch we went to Yangon’s Central Railway Station to board the city’s circular train. This is a really, really slow train that circles the entire city. The view from the open windows were interesting but what was going on inside the train was by far more interesting, it was like an indoor market with sellers shouting out their wares and offers at every opportunity. Half the time we didn’t know what was being sold and we were fascinated with the betel nut sellers who were prolific, themselves covered in the white slake calcium powder and their teeth and lips stained bright red from chewing the betel vine leaf.
We leave the train to see Chaukhtatkyi Pagoda famous for its 216 foot long reclining Buddha. It was shoes and socks off (that’s why they recommend wearing flip flops because it’s easier to keep taking them off) for the first of many, many Buddhas we were going to see in Myanmar but this was certainly the biggest!
Keen to see more of local life we asked our driver to take us to the local ferry that makes the short crossing to Dalah. We didn’t have a lot of time so we paid the hugely extortionate tourist price for the journey but the experience was well worth it. The boat took a while to fill up and the colour and noise was intense, again like the train it was like a moving market with people selling things and shouting at the top of their voices trying to compete with each other. You can hire transport on the other side but we didn’t have time so it was a short walk around the port area and then back on the ferry again.
The rush was to get to the gilded Shwedagon Pagoda, the most sacred Buddhist pagoda for all Myanmar people with relics of the past four Buddhas enshrined within it, before the sun set. It had been hot and humid all day with clouds looming with the threat of rain and by the time we got to Shwedagon the sky was really threatening so we weren’t going to get a sun set unfortunately. With shoes off and legs and arms covered, the pagoda didn’t fail to impress and the place was packed with as many locals as there were tourists. We were introduced to the seven shrines for our birth days and covered our relevant shrine with water. The rain just started to pour as we left the pagoda.
The Road to Mandalay
We left Yangon very early the next day. Our visit had been short but I think we’d seen just enough of the city and we were eager to get to Mandalay which meant a quick 1 hour 25 minute flight with Yangon Airways. The flight was on time and efficient and we were met once more by a guide and driver (what luxury!) and our travels began right away. The sky was much clearer here, the rains having long gone and the roads were even quieter than Yangon, but we weren’t in the city yet. First we travel to Sagaing, a hill covered with 600 white-painted pagodas and monasteries, recognised as a religious centre of Myanmar and home to 3,000 monks and 100 meditation centres. At the ancient royal capital of Amarapura we arrive at the Mahagandayon monastery, a school for young monks, just in time for the locals preparing their morning meal. We’re allowed to wander freely around the monastery whilst the monks patiently queue up for their main meal of the day in their saffron robes and carrying their alms bowls. It’s a wonderful spectacle but somehow it feels a bit intrusive as the growing number of tourists push and shove to get the best shot. To hear more about how the young monks live and how they are supported by the villagers is quite humbling. A short drive away we visit the silence of a nunnery, the nuns, also with shaved heads wear pink robes and we peep inside as they are eating, their rows of simple sandals waiting outside. As we leave the nunnery we pass a local school that is having break time and we stop to take photos of the young monks and nuns enjoying their break from studies.
Our guide asked if we’d like to go in the school. We didn’t need asking twice! And we spent a wonderful hour with the children, playing with the younger ones on trikes, talking and laughing with the older ones and when they went back into class we watched as they chanted their Buddhist teachings. Our best stop yet. After a fantastic lunch at a local restaurant we continue to Ava, another former royal capital founded in 1364 for about 400 years. It’s a short trip over the river on a boat and then horse cart rides to take us around the many sites, including the leaning tower of Ava, Maha Aungmye Bonzan, a brick and stucco monastery and the elegant teakwood monastery Bagaya Kyaung. It is absolutely beautiful here, so peaceful and my camera is never out of my hands, taking photographs of the sights, of the landscapes and of the local people.
As we leave Ava we head back towards Amarapura to see the famous U Bein Bridge. More than two centuries old and spanning 1.2 km across the Taungthaman Lake, it is the longest teakwood bridge in the world. We arrive just in time for a fantastic sunset and jump in a local’s rowing boat to get a view of the bridge as the sun goes down. It’s an amazing sight and a wonderful end to an absolutely wonderful day. Just wow, what a day. We eventually make our way into Mandalay city and to our hotel Yadanarbon, it’s a little tired looking but clean and comfortable for the short time we are here. We venture out to find something to eat but it’s probably the worst meal of the whole holiday.
Mingun
The next day we’re driven to the banks of the Irrawaddy River and board a boat for a peaceful cruise towards Mingun. The river is wide and even with my zoom it’s difficult to see the villages along the way and the river is muddy and brown after the rainy season that’s just ended. But there’s no rain today, it’s a beautiful day, sunny and hot. But my camera is soon in hand as we get off the boat with the locals washing clothes in the river and their colourful robes drying out on the banks. We walk across the grounds of the whitewashed Set Taw Yar pagoda built in 1790 and see a footprint of a Buddha made of marble. We walk leisurely through the village of Mingun to see local life and come to the grounds of the huge Pathodawgyi pagoda which was amazingly unfinished even though it is so large and looks highly unstable through the earthquake damage. We climb to the top of the whitewashed stupa Sin Phyu Me Stupa that resembles a huge iced cake for views across the village and the river. Back on the boat we travel to Mandalay once more for lunch.
Mandalay
In the afternoon we visit Mahamuni Pagoda, the holiest pilgrimage site in Mandalay. The pagoda is famous for its venerable statue of Buddha which is believed to be cast in front of Buddha himself. We are then taken to visit local artisans’ workshops in the area and look at hand-woven embroidery in silk and cotton, stone and marble carving, bronze casting and the process of making gold leaves. You’d think these were all set up for tourist visits but it’s soon clear that these are real trades and highly fought after because they are highly skilled workers and therefore better paid. We’re amazed by the labour intensity of everything, literally everything is done by hand, and the gold leaf making has us memorised as it is just back breaking work. Mandalay is not a big city but there’s lots more to see and we visit some more of the highlights including Shwenandaw Golden Palace monastery with its incredible wood carvings and Atumashi Monastery, originally built by King Mindon in 1857 as one of the biggest religious projects.
One of my favourite places was Kuthodaw Pagoda that is said to contain the world’s largest book, but it’s not what your mind conjures up. It’s a peaceful place with rows and rows or ornate stupas which contain 729 marble slabs with the text of Buddhist scriptures. Not what I was expecting but actually a beautiful place. Our final stop of the day we climb to the top of Mandalay Hill as the sun is about to set to enjoy fantastic panoramic views across the city, the palace walls and the Ayeyarwaddy River and this time we are rewarded with a beautiful sunset.
Bagan
It’s a really early start the next day, a quick breakfast on the roof top restaurant and we see the local food market in full swing and the lines of colourful nuns and monks on their alms round. We can’t miss this opportunity even though there’s a plane to catch and we’re able to take some wonderful photographs of this fascinating daily practice. Then we’re whisked off to the airport for another short but efficient flight to our next exciting place, Bagan, and one with great expectations.
We’re met by another new guide at Nyaung U airport and as expected, we’re to go straight off to explore Bagan so our suitcases are packed in the back of the minivan. It’s hotter and dustier here in Bagan and the soil bright red. The next two days become a blur of temples and pagodas so forgive me if I don’t try to name them all or even try and distinguish between them. Our guide is really knowledgeable and we learn so much about the area and the Buddhist religion but the temples do start to blur into one another after a while! That said, Bagan is possibly one of my favourite parts of Myanmar so far, it’s just got a lovely peaceful feeling about it and it still retains its regal authority even though it’s not been a centre of power for centuries.
Our guide took us to one of the temples you could climb and after a hairy steep climb up the ancient steps of the temple we were rewarded with fantastic views across this 26square meter expanse of 4000 temples. It’s quite a sight! The pagodas and temples vary in size and wonder but they go on as far as the eye can see and I cannot believe this has not yet become a UNESCO World Heritage Site although I know they are fighting for the status. After our superb aerial view of Bagan we then take a horse and cart trip through the area, passing small villages and getting up closer to some of the many pagodas.
As we’re not far from our hotel we go back to check in and take a short break, to get lunch and out of the mid-day sun. Then we meet up again in the afternoon to start seeing some of these amazing structures close up, including Thatbyinnyu temple, recorded as the tallest temple and Dhammmayangyi the largest of all the temples in Bagan. At every temple you can visit it’s shoes off and arms and legs covered. We’re prepared and wear long cotton trousers. Some of the temples have amazing frescoes painted on the walls and ceilings and I lost count of the many Budha statues we saw! Outside locals are now starting to sell their paintings and souvenirs to the growing numbers of tourists coming to Bagan. At one we see a man painting with sand on cloth. We stand and watch his artistry for a while and decide to buy it when he’s finished, our first souvenir of the area. The Bagan area is actually famous for the process of making traditional lacquerware and I’m keen to see some as I would like to buy a piece as a souvenir. We visit Myinkaba village and visit a local workshop to see the craft taking place. It’s a slow, painstaking process and all of it hand carved and painted. The prices in the shop are way too high for us so unfortunately we leave empty handed, we need to keep looking. Later in the afternoon we head towards the Ayeyarwaddy River jetty to board a local long boat to watch the sun set behind the distant hills. My daughter hasn’t been feeling too well today so we stay in the hotel for dinner and watch a local puppet show.
The next day there’s more temples, two that stand out for me. The Ananda temple, probably one of Bagan’s best known temples and I can see why, it is absolutely beautiful, with its tower like spire on top of the pagoda. The relfection of the gilded spire makes a fantastic photograph in a nearby pool. Our guide tells us it is one of the first great temples to be built in Bagan and it is well preserved. The other temple that stood out for me was The Shwezigon Pagoda. It’s hard for it not to stand out to be fair, it is huge and covered in gold plate so literally shimmers in the mid-day sun.
In the afternoon we enjoy a trip out into the countryside and get to walk around the village of Minnanthuas, to meet some of the locals, see inside their schools and how they live. We visit even more temples in this area including TayokPye, Payathonzu (a complex of three interconnected shrines and Nandaminnya with its fine frescoes. KyetKan Cave Monastery was an interesting visit, although a famous meditation centre in Bagan, there was only three monks there when we visited and they were keen to have photographs with us!
One the favourite things to do in Bagan for tourists is to view the 4000 temples by air in a hot air balloon but at US$300 each, it just wasn’t going to happen!
On route to Kalaw
Another early breakfast and we leave Bagan for our even shorter flight to Heho. Met at the airport our new guide and driver pick us up for a drive through agricultural Shan state. The terrain is entirely different again and we’re immediately transfixed. Not long after leaving the airport we see some huge cows being herded along the road and then we come to a cattle market in full flow so we stop to see what’s happening. This is a weekly event where people from all around the region come to buy and sell their cattle, there’s plenty of negotiations taking place and we’re able to walk around the field of cows blissfully unaware of their fate. A few minutes further up the road and we’re jumping out of the car again to take photographs of the colourful locals hanging out of local open top trucks coming to and from markets. The Shan ladies wear black and colourful turbans and the trucks are piled high with produce. Further down the road still I’m jumping out of the car to take photographs of workers in the field and men ploughing the fields with oxen. There’s endless fields of rice and potatoes and lots of interesting villages along the way.
The road starts to climb slowly upwards and before too long we reach the town of Pindaya. We’re here at Pindaya to visit part of an extensive limestone cave system that has been filled with over 8,000 Buddha statues. But first we stop at a paper umbrella making factory, where again everything is made by hand. The cave system is high up on a hillside and the car can take us most of the way before we have to climb the rest by steps. Once inside the caves you can hardly see any of the cave itself because every nook and cranny has been filled with a Buddha statue and there’s statues from all over the world. Back down the hill into Pindaya we stop for lunch in a beautiful restaurant by the river.
This afternoon is a 50km drive up into the mountains towards Kalaw, the popular hill station in the British era. It’s a beautiful drive as Kalaw sits high on the Western edge of the Shan Plateau and we can start to feel the heat dissipating and the mist from the mountains rolling in. In Kalaw itself we visit the old Christian church, the railway station and some of the large colonial buildings that were built by the British. Today many are owned by the military who, like the British, come here for holidays and to escape the heat. We visit Nee Paya, a monastery that has a gold lacquered bamboo Buddha and we’re invited to sit and have tea with the locals on the floor. We’re taken to our hotel which is perched high up in the hills. It’s probably got lovely views but we couldn’t see much because the mist has come right in now, so there’s little to do other than go and get dinner. The food and the hotel were a bit of a disappointment to be honest so we’re pleased it was just one night here in Kalaw.
Green Valley Elephant Camp
The next morning is much brighter and we can now see the lovely views from the hotel but there’s little to keep us here so we leave early for our long drive to Green Hill Valley (Magway) Elephant Camp. It’s something I’d asked to visit because I thought the girls would like it because it’s a sanctuary where they care for rescued and retired elephants. It’s quite an expensive experience and obviously the funds from visiting tourists help to pay for the upkeep of the elephants but it was something we wanted to do. On arrival we were introduced to one of the local guides and mahouts who care for the elephants. Here you’re not allowed to ride the elephants, the experience is about seeing them in their natural habitat and helping to feed and bathe them. The Camp is situated in a beautiful setting in the middle of a forest where the elephants are allowed to roam freely. Whilst the elephants are meeting tourists to be fed they are tied up for our own safety. Hand feeding elephants is a full time job, and locals sit chopping up vegetables all day that the elephants seem to consume with ease. We’re able to hand feed the elephants which is just a joy to be honest, they’re such full of character, so cheeky and know just how to get what they want! After feeding the elephants one of the mahoots takes us and one of the elephants down to the river. We follow the elephant with his mahout riding bare back whilst we follow behind. We’re able to join the elephant in the river to help scrub their backs and at this point we can climb up and sit on the elephant. The elephants obviously enjoy the pampering session and we certainly enjoyed the experience. Back in the camp we learn more about the welfare and care of the elephants before we’re taken to the forest to plant a tree and enjoy a fantastic spread of local Burmese dishes for lunch. It’s been a really good day.
Inle Lake
It’s dark by the time we reach our hotel, the Amata Garden Resort situated right on the side of Inle Lake. It’s a beautiful hotel and already we can sense another adventurous day awaiting us tomorrow.
It’s a cloudy start but that doesn’t dampen our spirits as our car has been replaced with a long tail boat that picks us up at the hotel jetty to spend the day exploring the lake. Inle Lake is huge and home to many villages and towns. First we go in search of the famous leg-rowing fishermen who steer their little boats with one oar using just their leg keeping their hands free to work their nets. It looks incredibly difficult and has been a tradition for many years.
Next we visit one of the markets where locals have come from lots of the surrounding areas to sell their produce. We just love these types of markets as it’s a chance to meet local people and see everyday life. The market was so interesting, amazing different foods on offer, a massive wide range of fruit and vegetables and strange delicacies we’d never even heard of never mind seen. The people were dressed really colourfully, the women especially with brightly coloured turbans wrapped around their heads. We spent quite a few hours here because it was so interesting and I got some great photographs.
From the market we visit Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda, the weaving village of Inn Paw Khone to see cheroot making factories, gold and silver smiths, lotus weaving and lacquered making. Again we’re shocked to see how labour intensive everything is and many of the weaving factories looked like something from the 19th century. The people were all really happy to see us and intrigued about us as much as we were with them. Then the boat takes us through the fishing village where most of the leg rowing fishermen and their families live. Although the houses are wooden and simple, they’re quite large and sit in beautifully serene backgrounds. We’re back to the hotel late afternoon in time for happy hour and we sit with cocktails watching the sun setting against the lake, just beautiful.
Indein, south of the lake
The next morning the sun is shining brightly and our boat and driver comes to pick us up again from the hotel and it’s a lovely long scenic trip along the channels to visit Indein in the south of the lake. Arriving at Indein we spend a wonderful few hours wandering around the local market. Again lots of photographs to take of all the tribal women coming to market to buy and sell and we get some fantastic shots of them piling into the open top trucks at the end of the market ready for the trip home. The market is interspereed with souvenir stalls now with more and more tourists visiting so we browse a little too. Then we take a walk around the village, passing a local school and take the covered stairway to the beautiful Alaung Sitthu area where ancient stupas are partly covered by the overgrown vegetation. From here there is a great view of the lake and it’s really peaceful wandering around the many stupas.
In the afternoon we visit the endless floating gardens built up from the strips of water hyacinth and mud, anchored to the bottom with bamboo poles and the farming community who manage the gardens working. And we stop off at the Nga Phe Kyaung Monastery with beautiful antique Buddha statues. When we visit it’s full of locals paying their respects.
Back at the hotel we thank our boat driver for a wonderful couple of days out on the lake and we relax by the pool with cocktails in hand to watch the sun setting once more over the lake.
Ngapali
The next morning we leave Inle Lake for the airport, stopping on route at the Shwe Yan Pyay Monastery, a charming teak monastery that was built in the early 19th century. As we enter, young monks are sat cross legged chanting repeatedly, blissfully unaware that we were watching. Our short flight lands at Thandwe airport for our next destination of Ngapali and its beautiful beaches. It’s just a short drive to BT Bay Hotel. We knew it was a brand new hotel but we didn’t know it wasn’t finished so it’s a bit of a shock to find that the entrance to the hotel is still a building site and half the hotel is still being worked on. In fact we are the first guests and we’re shown with mouths open through the building site to the finished part of the hotel, which is a lovely infinity pool and some of the bedrooms. We’re shown to the best suites which are right on the beach with picture windows overlooking the sea. It’s a stunning room and a stunning location, so more than makes up for the fact that the hotel isn’t finished. But oh well, we’ve got much better rooms than we would have got under normal circumstances. Ngapali is just stunning. You can imagine in five years time this stretch of beautiful beach will all be built up, but for now, it is just paradise.
We spend the next four days relaxing on the beach, swimming, eating at the many beach cafes where Martin and Jamie tried out the fresh seafood on offer. We hire a boat to take us over to a nearby island for snorkelling but otherwise after our busy travels around Myanmar we’re ready for a break!
When we leave we’re suitably refreshed and we fly with Yangon Airways one final time back to Yangon.
Myanmar has been a revelation, such a beautiful country, so rich in history and culture, and the people very gentle, hospitable and genuine. It is such a shame the country is still being run by the generals and that there are still such despicable things taking place in parts of this land. We can only hope things change for the better very soon.
We would love to come back!
