Three hour drive to Nyaungshwe (via Heho – school kids stop)…
Heho bullocksKiddies in HehoNyaungshweCheroot leaves
…then along canal (20 minutes), then through [Inle] lake at sunset – beautiful (40 minutes)…
Boatman Tintzaw
…to Golden Island cottages, who had dumped our booking so we cunningly found Shwe Inn Tha hotel instead (smaller quieter, “better”) – found bugs and lost in one room – seemed to be winning fight in another. Dinner very good, especially the gefilte fish (curries also good).
After dinner we seemed to have beaten the bugs but the night singers and early morning boats make sure we didn’t sleep too much.
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Drove through beautiful countryside – more photos and pens and saw Pa’O people on the way. [Also a] Danu village –where they grow rice, etc.
…then Pindaya – photograph bathers in the lake [see headline picture] – Danu? people. Then then Pindaya caves to see 8000 images of Buddha – explore caves.
The singing nuns of Pindaya– on our way down Daisy made a small offering to these young nuns and they spontaneously (and unexpectedly) started singing to her
…then to umbrella factory –> Pindaya for lunch at Kyainlite Restaurant for steamed duck and wind chicken and ABC Stout at last!!!!
In those days, Daisy might look at a kitchen like this, yet still eat there
The ABC Stout saga had been run for much of our visit. I had read that this brew, which I had never tried before, had been a major thing in Burma before the Second World War and was still produced locally. I was keen to try it. Kyaw struggled to find it for us, until this place. In the end, I had to admit that it beat the stouts that I knew well – Guinness and Mackeson, only by dint of tasting more like rusty nails than its better-known counterparts. Kyaw looks a little disappointed in the above picture.
A placeholder piece which shows the full itinerary and has links to the albums of all our photographs for this trip can be found by clicking here or the link below:
A placeholder piece which shows the full itinerary and has links to the albums of all our photographs for this trip can be found by clicking here or the link below:
Set off for Mount Popa and Kalaw – first stop a small palm sugar, hut (cottage industry) [and plantation]…
…then on to Mount Popa (Popa Village initially) where we faffed around with cases and stuff, I took coconut water…
… and then we visited the Nat’s Palace – climbed up Mount Popa (700 steps), passing traders, monkeys, floor sweepers, etc. Stunning view at the top (not least the village below).
…Daisy scored a bull’s-eye in the money Buddha, winning merits rather than money. Long climb down I tried but failed to twist my ankle. Then off to stunning Mount Popa Resort for splendid view and good lunch with Thai beef salad.
After lunch – headed off for long drive through Kyaukpadaung (palm sugar capital). Then stopped at Meiktila for soft drink, stretch legs (Kyaw went off to buy wood to repair my case). Then through Tazie – then Bo village Yinmabin. (Dusk, lots of people walking around, truckers take lunch)…
…then, as it got dark through villages [we] got a flat just before Nan Pan Tat – (even more frustrating because we got overtaken again by the traffic jam of trucks, which had held us up before the flat) – eventually reached Ye Ya (4 miles from Kalaw), and then Kalaw at 8:30 !!
Dinner late included sesame chicken I liked and fish with black beans, which Daiso liked. Relatively cold night in clean but slightly spartan Pine Hill Resort.
A placeholder piece which shows the full itinerary and has links to the albums of all our photographs for this trip can be found by clicking here or the link below:
Driver Din Tun. Nyaumig U Market -> Shweizigon Pagoda _>Gupyauk Kyi Temple -> Hticomingo Temple -> Archeological Museum -> Maha Bagan (lunch) -> Ananda Temple -> Shwesandaw Pagoda
I wrote a little summary block (see above) at the head of the page(s) of notes for this day of frenzied activity touring Pagan. I possibly wrote that note in our Thiripyitsaya Hotel cottage, depicted below.
Set off after breakfast for Nyaung U market – saw food market, and then on to goods market where we bought eingyis [female longyis], shirts and flip-flops (after a long session of trial and error).
Kyaw, Janie & I compare notes between shopping and touring. Janie easily wrapped up her negotiations for eingyis, whereas Kyaw and I flip-flopped and wilted in our negotiations for sandals.
Then on to Shwezigon Pagoda and monastery with lottery wheel gizmo and monks reciting and praying…
..then on to Gubyaukgyi Temple with fine frescoes, then on to Htilominlo – with four Buddahs and fragments of plaster. Bought Kyaw a Tom Clancy!
Not sure if we were prohibited from photographing the above temples or just “templed out” by that stage, but the above links have some good public domain pictures for you to see if you want to know what each temple looked like.
Turn on to archaeological museum which was a grand building but lacked electricity and air-conditioning. Had lunch at Maha Bagan where we tasted fried giant river shrimps and fried pork chop which I liked and sweet-and-sour fish which Daisy liked.
Museum
Staggered through lacquerware factory – shop – little of note but bought some dishes – then onto siesta…
Ananda OK KyaungAnanda PahtoAnanda who’s kissing her (or ringing her bell) now?
Finally, onto Shwesenddaw Pagoda to see sunset (got great photos [see headline picture and below], but got clipped by a novice monk for the privilege.)
Dinner at sunset restaurant – we found duck last plus more of those shrimps – Kyaw dined with his family instead.
A placeholder piece which shows the full itinerary and has links to the albums of all our photographs for this trip can be found by clicking here or the link below:
Quick stop at our Thiripyitsaya Hotel (stunning cottages) before setting off for one monastery – (Mingalazedi Pagoda) where we climb to the top and see view
– then on to Bupaya for stunning river view and prayers for our folks – Janie dispensed hundreds of pens to charming children.
Dinner at Si Thu with puppet show and dancing. Pork balls, quite good and for once an edible beef curry. Not much else of note – deservedly early night.
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Rose ridiculously early (4 am) – I tried to persuade Ko Khaw to collect us with a trishaw while we were still sleeping, but he refused our request.
Instead we collected packed breakfast and set off at 4:45 for the river port. In almost pitch darkness, we crossed two local ferry boats already team with people, food and trade [see headline picture and those that follow] on to the “tourist vote” – more luxurious.
Much to photograph at sunrise on the first stretch, then little to see, apart from the occasional stops where vendors tried to sell us bananas and monounauk (palm sugar and rice cake). So we read, took some sun, caught up on sleep. Had a long, lingering, packed lunch – slept some more – read some more – take a little more sun and photographed our arrival at Pagan (Bagan).
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Relatively late start. Set off for Amarapura – looked at bronze costings and wood carving places along the way – examined one humble home in some detail, including a densely populated, young woman showing off her spread.
Then onto Mahagandhayon Monastery where we were able to witness the monks dining (circus style) while Daiso [Janie] decided that she wasn’t feeling very well. After sending out the search parties throughout the monastery, we were joyfully reunited and then looked around the masters quarters, senior students quarters and a dormitory (where Daiso’s pencils and glacier mints, went as fast as a rabbit down a hole).
A blind man in the Mahagandhayon grounds
Next – on to U Bein Bridge where we took pictures and bought a picture for Daiso – also bought a weird root vegetable (ice potato) which we ate for/with lunch. Then on to lunch at Emerald Green, good chicken soup, not much else.
Taungthaman Lake
I cannot find a modern reference to that restaurant nor to the root vegetable that Kyaw called “ice potato”. The restaurant long gone I expect, the vegetable no doubt known as something else. It reminded me of daikon, if I remember correctly.
Then on to Bagaya Monastery with 400 Buddha images – then to see silk weaving and did business on six longyis!
We didn’t take this bus to the silk weaving and longhyi factoryThis lady selling betel nut along the way
Then on to Aya Bridge across Irrawaddy (no photos directly, but scenes around the bridge). Then back to ferr yboat crossed river (can take photos of bridge now )– then into pony and trap for back-breaking ride around Ava [aka Innwa or Inwa] – 18th century, monasteries/temple/Paya. – Eventually (numb) get to the other Bagaya Monastery (stunning) where few monks live.
The Old Ava Bridge – subsequently replacedIt’s amazing that, in that contraption, we only took a pony and trap in one sense of the phraseWorth the bone-breaking ride
We took the bone breaking ride back to the ferry and wended our way home via the longyi shop (where they have sewn up how longyis for us). Dinner at Honey Garden restaurant where we continue to fail to get any duck, but we are compensated with excellent double cooked pork and shrimp rolls. Early night.
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Rose early, flew to Mandalay and checked in at Sedona. First day of touring – The Mahamuni Pagoda with its bazaars on all sides and gold leaf covering of the image. A generous local invited Ged Ladd [Me] to apply some of his gold leaf to the Buddha. (See headline image also shown below). We see monks and nuns in the grounds and touch, healing Khmer statues.
This couple wedding-feasting at Eternal Restaurant
Eat at Eternal Restaurant with pork bun and Tom Yum soup and fine Chinese broccoli and not much else of note. Then on to see a factory where the gold leaf hammering is done. Daisy [Janie] dispensed pens with reckless abandon. Then onto the grounds of the Old Palace, now containing a somewhat gaudy replica. (The British “did a Wurtzburg” on the original at the end of World War II).
Daisy surveying the “Old” Palace
Then onto Shwenandaw Monastery (part of the old palace, which had been built and moved “MFI/IKEA style”) with fine, old wood, carvings…
Atumashi – stunning on the outside…...while the naffness of this game show Buddha has to be seen live for the full effect
…and then on to Kuthodaw Pagoda, with amazing tombstone-like slabs of Buddhist Scriptures. There the local girls told Janie how pretty I am (as usual). Across the way to the Sandamuni Pagoda, where the unfortunately named U-Khanti translated, Pali scriptures into Burmese.
Ian politely tells Khaw that we are “pagodad out” now
Home for a quick siesta before going up to the Mandalay Hill to watch the sunset
Sedona for siesta
Another short break before going across the road for a Burmese meal at Pyigyimon Restaurant – mostly notable for a superb lentil soup and “sandal leather” beef – the curry sauces were good.
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Monday 2 November 1998 – Left London in morning. Flew day/night to Kuala Lumpur, then transit on to Rangoon arriving mid morning 3 November.
Tuesday 3 November 1998 – Tired and travel weary. Met by Ko Kyaw, our guide. Slept afternoon – rose early evening. Looked around Hotel [Inya Lake] – dined in “Grill” restaurant. Tried varied Burmese menu, including chicken salad, tomato salad, mango pickle, shrimp condiment, chicken curry, snapper & shrimp, vegetable vermicelli, mixed vegetables, mung bean soup, and Burmese tea.
We must have been seriously travel weary when we arrived in Yangon, as we didn’t take a single, solitary photograph that day. In our defence, we knew that we would be returning to Yangon later in our trip.
A placeholder piece which shows the full itinerary and has links to the albums of all our photographs for this trip can be found by clicking here or the link below:
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