Mysterious, mystical Myanmar, an emerging destination.

I think the best way to begin this posting is to tell you about the sensory impressions we had on our first landing: dusty; hot; humid; sticky. The temperature in Yangon was about 95 degrees when we arrived .  The humidity was also quite high.

The next thing you realize is that the infrastructure is still pretty primitive. The roads are bumpy and potholed. The vehicles are well-worn, except for the occasional newer private vehicles and taxis. The modes are varied: cars; bus of all sizes; trucks made into buses; horse carts; hand carts; bicycles; motorcycles; mopeds; pedestrians. All of these sharing the same spaces and making it work. The drivers are aggressive and the horns are loud and plentiful.

This is typical of the jitney trucks that roam the streets. Most of these people are probably unrelated, but they all pile in and go several blocks or several miles and jump off. We know there is some way for the driver to collect the fare, but we did not have an opportunity to look further. We have seen these small trucks crammed with as many as 20-25 people - adults and children - with some literally hanging off the back or climbing on the roof. You will also notice the yellow cheeks and chin of the girl in the middle. This is "tannaka." Tannaka is made from the ground bark of a local plant. It is used as a sunblock, a decoration, and several home remedies. Almost all Myanmars use it to some extent. The use of the term "Myanmar" to refer to the country, the people, and the language is correct as far as I can tell. They do not want to be called Burmese as it is a reminder of the British colonial period.

We had three days in Myanmar and we made the most of it. We began with an overnight jaunt north to Bagan, one of southeast Asia’s premier archeological sites – and a reminder that not all travel is luxe. On our return from Bagan, we had a day in Yangon with a quick tour of several major tourist sites – for both foreign and domestic tourists.

Myanmar is an ancient country. It lies on the west side of the southeast Asia peninsula and is little changed today from what it was thirty or forty years ago. It is important to bear in mind that until the early 1990s, Myanmar was a military dictatorship where any free thought or action was severely condemned. We are now on the cutting edge of what may prove to be another jewel in the crown of southeast Asian travel destinations.  

The military regime that has ruled Myanmar for the past forty or so years made a number of changes after coming to power. The first thing they did was rename the country from Burma back to its original name of Myanmar. They also determined that the British practice of driving on the left was “too British” for the new country and changed to driving on the right. That seemingly simple changeover – left to right – makes for rather interesting traffic since most of the transportation infrastructure was designed and built for left-side driving and today most of the vehicles are still right-hand drive as in Britain.  

An example of how this works was demonstrated to us graphically on our very first bus rides from the ship’s pier to the airport. We had two buses – one left-hand drive and one right-hand drive. We were on the right-hand drive bus. The other bus had no issue with dropping passengers at the airline terminal, but we had to exit on the “street side” of the bus rather than the sidewalk side. Talk about getting your feet wet early in the trip…  

I had been reluctant to call Myanmar “Myanmar” because I was brought up to think it was “Burma” and that the military dictatorship was responsible for the change. This trip has put me solidly on the side of Myanmar. The Myanmar people are the friendliest people we have ever met. The country is about 85% Buddhist and that strong belief is reflected in how they go about their daily life and in how they accept foreign visitors.  

Our two days in Bagan were almost surreal in their beauty of the people, their kindness, and their acceptance of foreign visitors. Let me tell you about our experience in Bagan.  

I apologize for the quality of this map, but I could not find a better one on the Internet with this level of detail.

For starters, we arose at 4:30 AM the first day so we could catch a plane from Yangon to Bagan. Our carrier was KBZ Airlines (www.airkbz.com), that mighty force in the air travel industry. They were so very proud that this month they are celebrating their fourth anniversary of crash-free service. Since they have a single flight into Thailand, they are also an international airline. We flew in one of their fleet of four twin turbo-prop ATF 72-300 aircraft. It seats about 80 in a two-by-two configuration and that is snug. The flight was about an hour and twenty minutes and they actually served a snack both ways! 

The flight was uneventful and we landed at Bagan Airport on time and on one piece – each. It was about 10:00 AM and the temperature was approaching 100 degrees. By mid-day it was up to 104.

We immediately boarded our bus for the first stop of the day, a local market. This had to be the best market tour we have ever taken. The market is unlike other central markets in that each stall sold only one item, or several items with one common ingredient. There is no refrigeration or air conditioning. The black spots on all the raw fish, meat and poultry was not discoloration…it was…well, flies.  

The picture montage above will give you some idea of the market. Top left, the fishmonger waves away the black flies as she shouts her wares. Top center is the egg lady counting out the eggs. Top right is the chicken lady also waving away the black flies. Bottom left a vegetable seller uses a couple of dead D-cell batteries as a counterweight to weigh out his leafy greens. Bottom center is the rice merchant displaying about six different kinds of rice. Bottom right is a closer shot of the chicken lady cutting up her wares.

The next stop was our first pagoda stop: Ananda Temple.  

I must digress. There are over 3000 pagodas in the Bagan archeological area. If the pagoda has doors or other entrances, it is called a “Temple.” If there is no entrance, but worshippers or visitors may only be outside the main structure, it is called a “Stupa.” We also were told that all pagoda visits would require us to shed both shoes and socks – barefoot or no entry. 

SO…Ananda Temple is a little different from many of the other temples in Bagan. It is large. It is very old. It is more square than round. It was built around the end of the 11^th Century and is one of the best-preserved temples in Bagan. It is about 175’ on a side and about 170’ tall. We climbed all the way to the top and had some gorgeous views of the countryside. However, even better vistas were to come later in the day.  

 Bonnie and me at the Ananda Temple.

An interior view of one of the Buddha images in the Ananda temple.

After leaving the Ananda Temple we bussed to the Archeological Museum. This magnificent edifice was built about twenty years ago and looks like it was opened yesterday. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to photograph the inside of the building or any of the exhibits.  

We left the museum and proceeded to our lodging for check-in and lunch: The Aureum Palace Hotel. A few yards down the road, on the hotel property, is the Bagan Viewing Tower. This is a 13-story tower built expressly to allow visitors to have a 360-degree panorama of the pagoda-strewn Bagan plains. From the very top, you can see about 5-7 miles in all directions.  

A panorama of the view from the Bagan Viewing Tower.

Our lunch was in the 9^th floor restaurant and was a multi-course set meal featuring Myanmar dishes. The cuisine is similar to that of Thailand, China, and India. No surprise there since many of these people passed through Myanmar and there are still many locals of these ethnic origins. The various dishes are mostly rice and noodle based with many local condiments. As in other southeast Asian countries, the mains are curries, stir-fries, and deep-fries. The curries are not, however, as spicy as many found in Thailand, India, or China. The food is very tasty and was prepared quite well. Unfortunately, we did not have an opportunity to eat street food this time…memories of the market lingered…  

After lunch and a few hours to relax and enjoy the hotel and its magnificent infinity pool, we loaded up the bus again and made another pagoda visit. This was a temple, but we just viewed it from the outside and marveled at the puppets hanging from a tree. Apparently the puppets are used as offerings for respect of the Buddha. 

We really wanted to get one of these, but the logistics of getting it back home in one piece and in good condition mitigated against the purchase. Oh well, perhaps next time.

 The viewing tower adjacent to our hotel.

A view of the hotel's infinity pool and the Bagan plain beyond from the entry terrace.

Then it was off to the final stop of the day. We entered a temple – barefoot, of course – and gingerly picked our way to an interior stairway to climb to the higher levels. The climb was tough due to missing bricks in the stair treads, narrow sloping stairwells, and unsteady people. But it was worth it: we would witness the sunset from atop the temple wall and see the vast plains light up at some of the major structures were lit at dusk and into the evening. 

Retracing our way back down was yet another adventure since there was no sunlight. The interior stairwell was lit by candles and some people had small flashlights and iPhones to assist in lighting the way. We made it back down and retired to the hotel to clean up and get ready for the evening’s festivities.  

 The viewing site for the sunset early in the evening.

As the sun began to dip on the horizon, we got a good view of the Shwezigon pagoda, our first stop tomorrow morning. It is painted with thousands of gallons of gold paint to sparkle in the sun and to glow when lit at night.

 Here we are again and there is the Shwezigon in the background.

 A final shot just before the final sunset.

This was our only way up and down - barefoot. Notice that many of the steps have missing bricks or chipped treads. We thought the candles were a neat idea until one of the women had to gather her sari to avoid having it burned.

Before dinner we were given a demonstration of how the men and women used the Longyi (lon-gee). The Longyi is the skirt-like garment (about 6.5’ long and about 2.5’ wide) used by both sexes as normal attire. It really makes sense given the heat and humidity. The men’s is called a paso (pass-oh) and the women’s is called a htamain (tah-mane). We were given our own Longyis as gifts for a remembrance of the tour.  

The Longyi twins...

After the Longyi demonstration, we proceeded to the pool deck for a wonderful buffet dinner and a local cultural show of costumed dances, each of which had a meaning and was tied to one or more of many of Myanmar life events.

Finally, to bed early because some of us were going to take an early morning balloon ride over the plains and some of us were going to just get up early to watch the sunrise over the plains. Early for us was 5:00 AM.

The next morning, we went to the viewing tower again after our early wakeup thinking we would be among the few who made it up that early. Unfortunately, due to wind gusts, the balloon rides were cancelled and the tower was almost crowded.  

The crack of dawn was more of a pop than a crack. The dust rising from the plains due to the wind made the morning hazy and the sunrise was very muted. Oh well, back to the hotel for a catnap for Bonnie and breakfast for me.  

 The Bagan plain just before sunrise.

When I climbed to the top of the Bagan Viewing Tower, I found a lone woman meditating as she awaited the sunrise.

A panoramic view of the Bagan plain just after sunrise. Because of the haze created by the dust, the sunrise was a bit of a flop, but we were there!

This is the entrance to the Bagan Viewing Tower. It looks like a formidable climb, but there is an elevator hidden behind the front column that whisks you up to the 11th floor. It is a steep two-story climb up a narrow spiral stair to get to the top viewing platform. There are floor to ceiling windows on the 9th, 10th, and 11th floors for those who do not wish to make the final climb.

The breakfast buffet was as enormous as the prior evening’s dinner. There were the usual western dishes: eggs; meat; potatoes. There were seven different juices. There were typical Asian dishes ranging from rice, noodles and condiments to soups and stir-fries. Naturally, I sampled a good bit of all of the above…

The second day’s outings began with a visit to the Shwezigon Pagoda. This stupa is one of the most magnificent of all in the Bagan plains. It was built in the 12^th Century and is about 160’ high and about 160’ around at the base. We walked clockwise, in the Buddhist fashion, around the stupa – barefoot again – as our guide explained the significance of some of the details.  

We left Shwezigon Pagoda and drove to another smaller pagoda where there were several tents pitched with what looked like either a small market or vendor set-up. We found that this was a site for several family gatherings to celebrate the entering of the priesthood for the young men of the family. All Buddhist Myanmar boys are required to spend at least several days or weeks each year as Buddhist priests as part of their education. We stood on the fringes of the largest tent and watched as the families celebrated with their children. The adults saw us watching and snapping pictures and invited us all in! So, off came the shoes and socks again (the tent was set up as a temple) and in we went.  

We were rock stars! Many of the rural people had had little interaction with non-Asian foreigners, so we stood out – especially Bonnie. A blue-eyed blonde was not an everyday occurrence in these people’s lives. They wanted to stand with us for pictures and they encouraged us to take their pictures. The genuine love we felt was infectious and we really didn’t want to tear ourselves away, but at the same time we felt funny intruding on their ceremony and family time.  

 

 

We left the tented areas and walked a short way to the waiting horse carts for our trip into a local village. I must say that this was not a set of “show” horse carts for the tourists. As I mentioned above, horse carts are a very common means of transportation for people and goods throughout Myanmar. Given the relative paucity of good roads in the rural areas – and in some of the urbanizing areas – horse carts still make a lot of sense.   

After hefting ourselves into the back (Bonnie) and the front (me) seats of our chosen cart, off we went over the plains and up close to many of the smaller pagodas. Bonnie was in the back because the step into the front seat was too high for her to climb – and almost too high for me. I was in front so I could take pictures. She had to hang on real tight, as did I. 

Our rig was driven by Uh Oh and his horse was Puta – or so I thought. Spanish-speakers, I know what you are thinking, but just cut that out!   

It turns out that U is a Myanmar term of respect for elders and equates to something like “Uncle” or “Mister” in English. Myanmar has no surnames, so his name was simply O. The horse was named “Shorty” or “Little One” due to his smaller stature than some of the other horses and in Myanmar this is Puda. One’s hearing gets worse as one ages…so what I originally thought was my mistake…   

The left picture is a view of the waiting area for the horse carts. The center picture will give you an idea of what the view is from next to the driver. On the right is U O and Puda.
 The ride was dusty, bumpy, long (it seemed), and a really neat thing to do! We would up at the village where the drivers all live. It has around 500 homes and about 2000 residents, most of whom are in the horse cart business in one way or another. This is typical of most Myanmar villages in that each seems to have a specialty of a sort.   

Our village visit was highlighted by walking through and seeing how the locals live. Bonnie and I had also brought a bunch of ballpoint pens from the ship to give to the local children as presents. We do not believe in giving candy or money, but in providing either for the village or the individuals in a way that will either further their education or their ability to make a living without begging or hawking. We give the pens to children and ask them to use them for their school work. They are thrilled with such a small token gift. We are pleased to be able to help their education.   

This is a montage of village life: bamboo houses that are sturdier than they look; a cow in every yard; and a cheery Mother and child.

After the village visit, we returned to the hotel to check out and have lunch. Lunch was a set menu with a variety of Myanmar specialties. Yum, yum!! We also had about an hour to rest up before beginning the final leg of our trip.   

On the way to the airport, we stopped at a lacquerware factory and showroom to see how genuine handmade lacquerware is made. It is an intricate multi-step process, all beginning with either bamboo or a combination of bamboo and horsehair. Bamboo only for hard items and bamboo and horsehair for soft items. The factory was fascinating as were many of the fine artisanal pieces in the showroom. Again, we were not permitted to take any photos in the showroom or shop.

This is an overhead shot of a demonstration piece made of bamboo that the factory uses to show the steps in going from raw bamboo (the lightest whitish area at about 8:00 in the picture) to the finished product (just above that whitish area going in a counterclockwise direction.

This montage is just a few shots of the various operations in the creation of these bamboo artworks. on the bottom right, that is real gold leaf - not paint - used in much of the final decoration.

Back to the bus and off to the airport for the return trip to Yangon on that fine international airline, KBZ Air. The adventure this time was just getting on the plane.   

When they gave us our boarding passes, they told us that they could not provide a seat assignment because they did not know which seats would be available. It seems that the plane was coming from Mandalay to Bagan and then on to Yangon. The system is not computerized (very little in Myanmar is computerized) and they would have no way of knowing who was staying on the plane and who was leaving in Bagan – so no seat assignment. Ah, the joys of traveling like a local…   

The flight back was uneventful and we were on time leaving and landing. The buses were waiting and whisked us off to the ship so we could make the barbeque dinner prepared on deck – NOT! We were so worn out that we just wanted a good hot shower followed by pizza and a bottle of red in our suite before finally crashing “at home.”  

I am fascinated by the people we meet on our travels- especially the children. In the US that could be an issue, but in many other countries, especially the far East, most people take it as a compliment that you admire them and/or their children. I have included these two montages just to highlight some of the many wonderful faces and personalities we encountered.

 Even monks need pictures...

Finally, a blog by a Transportation Engineer would not be complete without a unique transportation picture. We saw a number of these rather unusual vehicles in Myanmar. We have seen them nowhere else in Asia. They appear to be constructed of either an old truck chassis or motorcycle frame with an attached cart. The engine looks like it is an old gasoline-powered generator on wheels to which a flywheel, chain, and drive sprocket have been added followed by a gear box. It is rudimentary at best, but there appear to be hundreds of these everywhere we looked. The picture on the right will give you an idea of the load capacity - cargo and human - of these contraptions.

Stay tuned for our last day in Myanmar – a quick tour of three most-visited places in Yangon.