Kyaw – Ian Louis Harris

Journey To Burma (Myanmar) & Langkawi Via Kuala Lumpur, Day Twelve: From Yangon To Kuala Lumpur, Part One – Yangon Touring, 13 November 1998

The Rolls Building

Lake Kala. Pharoh Street –> Pansopan Street, High Court, Rolls Company, City Hall, Synagogue. General's House/Embassy Road.

Set off quite early c8:30– bought Daiso one more Japanese lacquer mat before we went!

Final bit of touring along the way. First stop, Kandawgyi (or Royal) Lake, which we viewed initially from the Karaweik restaurant (Pyigyimon barge style) and then photographed the Karaweik from lakeside.

[Then] on downtown to see old colonial buildings – City Hall, Rolls Building, High Court near Sule Pagoda and then Pansodan (Phayre) Street.

Drove on to Chinatown and the bustle to see the beautiful synagogue (Musmeah Yeshua) before heading out of town along Embassy road, where we saw more colonial buildings.

The photographs from this part of this day are pictures 35 to 46 in this Flickr album – click here or below:

01 We get back to Yangon early enough to go to Shwedagon Pagoda at sunset BM_1998_J08 (15)

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:

Journey To Burma (Myanmar) & Langkawi Via Kuala Lumpur, Placeholder & Links, 2 To 24 November 1998

Journey To Burma (Myanmar) & Langkawi Via Kuala Lumpur, Day Ten: Yangon And Bago, 12 November 1998

“Anyone For Cricket?” – Bago Market

Set off quite early for Bago. Stopped briefly at the Taukkyan War Cemetery. Then a short stop at a simply ghastly government run hotel for over-priced farce with a saga behind getting a straw.

First stop, the market, where I bought bought lots of cheap watches and Janie dispensed loads of pens.

Next to Shwemawdaw Pagoda – bigger than the Shwedagon, but not so attractive. Next to the Shwethalyang Buddah – enormous reclining Buddha (55 m x 6 m)…

Then on to Kha Khat Wain Kyaung , lovely monastery where they were so keen to feed us, we had to eat some sweet meats.

Avoided “three coach” restaurant and tried new place, Yadanar Garden – opened only three days ago and we were the first foreign customers. Kyaw supervised the cooking and doled out loads of advice while doing so. We tasted good “nasi, goring” and cashews, fried pork, water convolvulus (vegetable), chicken and cashews and long gooey pork with spring onion. Very good.

Then on to Yangon Green Elephant shop (did not buy), Scott [Bogyoke Aung San] market – bought the rattan bamboo mats there instead, plus some earrings for Daiso

Driver, Maung Maung vanished on us, but we finally found him and got to the Chaukhtatgyi reclining Buddha ([seemed to us] smaller than Bago?– but said bigger! [66m])

Back to hotel for wash and scrub, and then bought Japanese lacquerware at Elephant concession in hotel before going to Strand Hotel for dinner (chicken, salad, shrimp salad, chicken, curry, mutton curry, fried noodles and western chocolate sweet…really sweet.

The photographs from this day are pictures 09 to 34 in this Flickr album – click here or 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:

Journey To Burma (Myanmar) & Langkawi Via Kuala Lumpur, Placeholder & Links, 2 To 24 November 1998

Journey To Burma (Myanmar) & Langkawi Via Kuala Lumpur, Day Nine: From Inle Lake To Yangon Part Two – Back To Yangon, 11 November 1998

Shwedagon Pagoda at dusk

Slight delay, but got to Yangon in time to check back in to Inya Lake and then Shwedagon Pagoda in all its evening glory. Once days are faded in the humidity, humid evening heat, we returned to the hotel,

…bathed properly (hurrah) then off for dinner at Yuzana Garden, joined by Gareth Lloyd [agent] (EPL) for drink. We ate belly pork “almost May style” and roast duck. Tried to slag off Kyaw, but it didn’t work!!!

The photographs from this part of this day are pictures 01 to 08 in this Flickr album – click here or 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:

Journey To Burma (Myanmar) & Langkawi Via Kuala Lumpur, Placeholder & Links, 2 To 24 November 1998

Journey To Burma (Myanmar) & Langkawi Via Kuala Lumpur, Day Nine: From Inle Lake To Yangon Part One – Leaving The Intha Region, 11 November 1998

Our Boatman Tintzan prepares for our departure

Took breakfast and enjoyed our veranda for a while – set off at 10.oo for Tha Lay

*Weird scenes inside the floating hotel*

Driver Maung Maung. Nyaungshwe – had lunch at Hupin Hotel, restaurant – beautiful beef, curry and crispy belly pork and bitter soup – then onto Shan monastery for photo opportunity and on to Heho Airport.

The photographs from this part of this day are pictures 91 to 95 in this Flickr album – click here or below:

01 We make loads of new friends on the road to Pindya BM_1998_J06 (11)

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:

Journey To Burma (Myanmar) & Langkawi Via Kuala Lumpur, Placeholder & Links, 2 To 24 November 1998

Journey To Burma (Myanmar) & Langkawi Via Kuala Lumpur, Day Eight: Cruising On And Around Inle Lake, 10 November 1998

One of many Inle Lake Scenes

Breakfast on the terrace – then onto Nampan market (another five day market, we hit)…

Many Pa’O people as well as Inthas. Bought one more carving (Paduang), then on to Inpaw Kon village with silk weaving…

…I tried to dive into the wash [almost doing the splits when boat-hopping], but Janie stopped me – then onto ironmongery in same village

…then on to a floating garden and visited an adorable family (pens out)…

Lunch at Shwe Inn Tha where Yinyin Htay cooked us pumpkin soup, eeel & pork (plus chicken cashews & pork balls) and splendid local papaya. After siesta (during which Kyaw fixed my case) went to floating market (which is for tourists now really)

…went to silversmiths (with floating market in hot pursuit). Janie bought mask – then on to Paung Paw Do Pagoda with the five images of Buddha (so gold-leaved they are more or less blobs now) – only four of which travel…

…then on to Jumping Cats Monastery (Nga Pe Chaung)…

…then back to hotel. Avoided bugs in room by taking on bugs on veranda. Dinner included fried gourd salad, chicken with mushrooms, pork and potato (traditionally oily cooking style) very good. Yinyin Htay came out to take a bow and a gong. We retired hurt.

The photographs from this day are pictures 50 to 90 in this Flickr album – click here or 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:

Journey To Burma (Myanmar) & Langkawi Via Kuala Lumpur, Placeholder & Links, 2 To 24 November 1998

Journey To Burma (Myanmar) & Langkawi Via Kuala Lumpur, Day Seven – Part Three: From Pindaya To “No Room At The Inn” In The Middle Of Inle Lake, 9 November 1998

Inle Lake at dusk

Three hour drive to Nyaungshwe (via Heho – school kids stop)…

…then along canal (20 minutes), then through [Inle] lake at sunset – beautiful (40 minutes)…

…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.

The photographs from this part of this day are pictures 27 to 49 in this Flickr album – click here or 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:

Journey To Burma (Myanmar) & Langkawi Via Kuala Lumpur, Placeholder & Links, 2 To 24 November 1998

Journey To Burma (Myanmar) & Langkawi Via Kuala Lumpur, Day Seven – Part Two: Twixt Kalaw & Inle Lake – Countryside & Pindaya Caves, 9 November 1998

Bathers near Pindaya

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.

The photographs from this part of this day are pictures 01 to 26 in this Flickr album – click here or 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:

Journey To Burma (Myanmar) & Langkawi Via Kuala Lumpur, Placeholder & Links, 2 To 24 November 1998

Journey To Burma (Myanmar) & Langkawi Via Kuala Lumpur, Day Seven – Part One: Kalaw, 9 November 1998

“That’s Shallot” in Kalaw Market

[In the morning at Pine Hill Resort] photographed Karen [people] dressed as Palaung [people] and some dressed as [other] Kalaw [people, e.g. Danu]

*Everyone in this picture is guilty of sartorial cultural appropriation*

Went to Catholic mission – met exceptional Father Angelo and his protégé Father Paul

Then on to Kalaw day market Palaung and Pa’O people [for real] (hit jackpot). Took many photos – Janie shared many pens.

*Nuns so rare as can compare in Kalaw Market*

The photographs from this part of this day are pictures 60 to 74 in this Flickr album – click here or below:

01 No sooner have we disembarked... BM_1998_J03_ (34)

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:

Journey To Burma (Myanmar) & Langkawi Via Kuala Lumpur, Placeholder & Links, 2 To 24 November 1998

Journey To Burma (Myanmar) & Langkawi Via Kuala Lumpur, Day Six, From Pagan (Bagan) To Kalaw Via Mount Popa, 8 November 1998

Mount Popa & Popa Village

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.

The photographs from this day are pictures 41 to 59 in this Flickr album – click here or 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:

Journey To Burma (Myanmar) & Langkawi Via Kuala Lumpur, Placeholder & Links, 2 To 24 November 1998

Journey To Burma (Myanmar) & Langkawi Via Kuala Lumpur, Day Five, A Day Touring Pagan (Bagan), 7 November 1998

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.

Staggered through lacquerware factory – shop – little of note but bought some dishes – then onto siesta…

…after which we [went to] Ananda OK Kyaung (monastery with everyday frescoes), then Ananda Pahto, a fine temple with four giant Buddhas (20 original) and an amazing photographer who sold us lacquer frames.

*Ananda 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.

The photographs from this day are pictures 13 to 40 in this Flickr album – click here or 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:

Journey To Burma (Myanmar) & Langkawi Via Kuala Lumpur, Placeholder & Links, 2 To 24 November 1998

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