Day 1 AFTGV Brussels – Paris. Flight Paris – Singapore
Day
2 Flight
Singapore - Yangon 11.35 h. Very sunny weather. Going
through customs without any problem and changing USD into FEC = entry exchange
or 200 USD = 200 FEC per person.
We have rent
a car with driver, starting day 4 until day 18 by email. Normally a driver from
the Three Saesons Hotel would meet us at the airport. But the carcompany:
Pacific Nation Travel & Tours decided to meet us at
the airport and so it happens, that Mr Hla Myaing and his
driver are waiting upon us at the exit. They actually decided, that we may use
the car and the driver from the very beginning without extra cost. This is very
convenient for us.
We
make a short visit to the
Three Seasons Hotel, from where we send an email
to
the
family
at
home.
Shortly after that, Mr Myaing and the driver drive us to the Bogyoke Aung San
Market, because it will be closed on monday - the next day. In the marketplace,
we change USD into Kyats at 1 USD = 750 Kyats ( what was told to as before by a
Burmanese, during our flight to
Yangon
). This is an unexpected benefit, because
we estimated the rate at 1 USD = 350 - 400 Kyats
We accept a drink offered by Mr Myaing
and we visit next : the Chaukthatgyi Paya or reclining Buddha, about 50 m
long.
We end the afternoon with a walk around Kandawyi lake and park. As it is
sundayafternoon, we insist that Mr Myaing and the driver return to their
families. We stroll around and at 6 pm, we are the first guests to enter Karaweik
restaurant for dinner and the show. Neither the dinner, nor the show
interested us very much - we were apparently too tired after our flight and we
had no appetite
Day
3 Yangon. Again
very sunny - warm, not hot weather, from our arrival
in
Myanmar
until our
departure
-
never
any
rain. Only
Mandalay has the clock around electrical supply - Tourist center number one. In
the capital, there is no electricity from 7 pm until next morning. But the hotel
has its own electricity supply.
We meet again Mr Myaing and we pay him more than halve of what was agreed by
email.
We
will
pay
him
the
balance
on
our
return
in
Yangon,
after
finishing
the
trip.So, we are rid of a lot of our FEC.
In the morning, we call a visit to Na-Gar Glassfactory.
On
arrival, we
walk through a huge field of glasproducts between gras and bushes -
obviously waste - but at the end, we realised that it were the finished
products. The owner is proud of his factory and helpful in explaining the
manufactering.
We also visit a place, known by
the driver, where cigars = cheroots are
handmade.
These
burmese
cigars
are
very
mild
and
often
used
by
women.
They
contain
only
a
small
amount
of
tobaco,
but
are
mixed
with
leaves,
herbs
and
roots; on
the
picture
is
also
a
student
with
her
schoulderbag.
We
will
see
hunfreds
of
them
on
the
road,
every
day,
returning
home
from
the
school.
We
see
a
temple
in
the
near,
where
an
elephant
is
shown
to
the
public.
This
elephant
is
white
and
so
sacred
that
it
is
forbidden
to
take
a
picture
of
it.
We
also
visit
the
nearby
temple.
In the afternoon: the driver has free, while we explore the towncenter: from Botatung
Paya to Strand Hotel,
taking
a
refreshment or a vegatable soup in Mandarin
restaurant - we decide to return in the evening -
visiting
Maha Wizaya Paya and
the nearby Shwedagon Paya. The sunset here is spectecular and we spend
several hours to visit every spot of this wonderful world - taking few pictures, much
more videofilming.
As
we did already a lot of walking, we decide to flag down a taxi
to return to the hotel.
We get one soon, but after100 meters, we are hold up by the police. The driver
had no licence to transport foreigners and he has to pay a huge penalty. When
arriving at Sule Paya, he asks us a price for the drive about 25 times the
normal one - apparently including the fine - we refuse and pay him the normal
price. From here
on,
we walk
to the restaurant.
A man approaches us and he tries to change Kyats for USD, rate: 1 USD = 900
Kyats. But we do not need more at this moment. After a deliceous meal in the
Mandarin restaurant, we return to the hotel - we have to get up early next
morning, leaving Yangon at 6 am, on our way
through Myanmar.
Day
4 Yangon
-
Mawlamyine
(Mawlamyaing=300.000
people)
-
300
km. After a very early breakfast, we leave the very
helpful and friendly Three Seasons Hotel. We reach Bago, after a 2 hours
drive on a good " western " road. Firtst, we visit a woodcarving area
with several shops. Then, the local market to buy food: fruit, water, bread
....followed by a visit of Schwemawdaw Paya.
The
stupa
is 114 m high and
over 1000 years old. It is reconstructed in 1954, after it was completely
leveled by 3 different earthquakes.
We leave Bago, goodbye " western " road and from now on, day after
day, on a huble the buble road to Mottaba. Average speed 40 km per hour with a
flat tire every first three days. The roads look like the himallaya, but on a
smaller scale.
We arrive in Mottaba in the late afternoon and we pay for the ferryboat. Afer
one hour waiting, we receive our money back with the message, that the waterlevel
is too low and that there will
be
no
ferry before next morning 6 am at high
tide. The driver pushes us in the car to drive us to another place at the river.
It is getting dark already. He founds a boat and a boatsman and during sunset, we
cross the river for a 20 min, to arrive in Mawlamyaing. With 2 bicycletaxis, we
arrive in the Breeze Resthouse. Very clean room, fan, twinbeds, but shared
facilities. The driver returns to Mottaba with the same speedboat to take care
of the car and the lugage.
Second disappointment of this day: no
ferry
at 7 am tomorrow to Hpa-an, because
the engine is defect. The next boat is at 11 am, but too late for us, because
after the 4-hours trip, we will be unable to reach Kinpun and see the boulder
stupa at Kyaiktiyo
Third problem:
in a few minutes time
Peter gets fever
and his temperature rises
over 39 degrees celcius. He goes to bed for a very bad night -
while
we have a fine
dinner in a
restaurant,
recommended
by
the
hotel..
Day
5 Mawlamyine
-
Kinpun:
145
km.
8
a.m.The
driver has arrived with the car, after crossing the river with the carferry. Peter has still over 39 degrees, but I decide
do go on with the trip as scheduled. This one is so tight, that we can not loose
a day or more.
We ask the driver for a short visit to the Payas in town on top of the hill,
but he refuses. We leave the town, without having seen anything. The ride to Hpa-an is nice, but missing the scenic boattrip is very
disappointing - it had to be a welcome change to our huble the buble returntrip by car, direction Bago.
After
a few stops - a relieve for Peter, a good lunch and a flat tire, we arrive in
the late afternoon in the base camp Kinpun. We choose a guesthouse
:
Hotel
San
Ceasar,
wooden
chalets
and
we
take a short rest.
Peter
has
remarkably
recovered
from
his
illness.
In the meantime our driver
has hired for us a whole open truck with benches on . Then, he sells out all the seats and
when the truck is full, it leaves and drives up the mountain for one hour or 13
km - the road is narrow, with many short curves. From
the truckstop on, we have to climb through woods for another hour or 1000 meters
to reach the Golden Rock
or
boulder
stupa; just following the crowds of pelgrims. As
Liliane has problems with her knee, she stops halve way and she will wait upon
our return.
A few tourists have hired a sedan chair or palanquin with 4 bearers, to have
them carried to the top. However, we noticed that at one fifth from the top, the
bears refused to climb furtheron and they turned the seat over, with excessive
protest from the
tourists involved. Hundreds
of
pelgrims climb to the top, between many
souvenir and foodstalls at
the end. We arrive about 20 min before sunset. A wonderful experience to see all
the pelgrims, fascinated by the glittering Golden Rock with the stupa on top. Some sleep
close to the top, but we return down to
truckstop.
Liliane is there and the driver, again pays for a whole truck and he sells out the
seats. It is completely dark - the driver gives us the money, he won't keep
anything for himself, he jumps of the truck and he returns again to the
Golden Rock, to stay overnight on this sacred place in meditation.
The return trip down,
is
rather
dangerous,
as
we
are
seated
on
the
first
bench
behind
the
driverscab.
The
descent
is
steep,
winding
and
fast,
in
complete
darkness.
It
reminds
us,
that
a
good
friend
of
us
and
his
girlfriend
were
killed
instantly
in
Borneo,
as
they
were
smashed
again
the
cab
during
a
collision.
At
the
end,
we
arrive
without
problems,
except
that
my
new
trousers
did
not
survive
-
killed
by
a
nail
in
the
bench.
Day
6
Kinpun
-
Taungoo
315
km.
We leave
Kinpun, for a long drive to Taungoo. We
make a short stop every noon for lunch in a local restaurant. We do not take an
asian meal at noon, well in the evening. We always buy some bread in a local
bakery and fruit. We have cheese and marmelade ... from home; but we order a
vegetable soup and a drink. The driver always takes a full lunch. But this time, I
ordered duck
with
mushrooms
and it was
really
deliceous.
We expected to find a better road on this main connection between Yangon and
Mandalay, but it is awful bad. The speed is often limited to 30 km an hour with
bridges, which remember
us
to the ones in Belgium,
built by the canadian
army,
just
after
the second world war,
the day after the germans blew
them
up.
It is
completely dark, when we arrive in Taungoo and the driver takes us to a
new built guesthouse, not the one we planned to take. But we agreed