We treated ourselves to a second day on the boat exploring a few more villages and the floating market which travels around each day to one of five villages.
The Mehmsahib thought about buying a necklace at one place but they didn't have her size ...
We nearly took this fellah home from the market
Yesterday evening we made an important discovery- an Italian restaurant a short walk from our hotel that does great mojitos for about £1 - just the job to get our New Years Eve celebrations rolling. However our plans were almost scuppered when our boat ran out of petrol in the middle of the lake on the way home. Fortunately one of the driver's mates came along and gave us a tow. So we were back in time to buy a bottle of the local wine (not bad), meet up with Ljubo, a friend we first met at Bikeworld in Yangon, and get a few cocktails in before enjoying a really nice duck dinner put on gratis by our hotel (4 Sisters). After dinner Ljubo insisted on showing us another cocktail bar, and judging by the crowd it was probably the only one in town open to see in the new year. There was a little moment of panic at one stage when the mojitos were taking a long time to arrive - apparently they ran out of mint leaves and had to send out for more (probably could have grown it faster), but always willing to be flexible, we made a strategic switch to that other cocktail I can't spell (ciprihina?). Details after that remain a bit sketchy-however we woke up at 4 Sisters this morning so I guess we made it back ok. Think I might stick to drinks I can spell in the future!
From Mount Popa we took a 7 hr taxi ride to Lake Inlay ($200 but worth it!). After a spectacular drive through the mountains we arrived at the Four Sisters Hotel at Nyaung Shwe on the shores of the magical Lake Inlay. At 8.00 am the next morning we set off for one of the best days on our trip to date, the Mehmsahib and I on a long boat driven by Mamon, around the Inlay Lake, stopping off at a number of villages and businesses on the lake (you could call it a shopping expedition but not as we know it, Jim). First we encountered some of the fishermen on the lake...
They had a nifty trick of paddling with their leg...
And liked to play up for the camera.. We spent some time at Inthein, which houses no less than 1054 pergodas
Had lunch at a place next to another of those golden ducks pretending to be a boat
And took a tour through some of the 'floating' villages with the houses built on stilts
...before catching the sunset close to the floating gardens (growing mainly tomatoes).
Then headed back for a pizza and chocolate banana pancake accompanied by a great mojito at the local Italian- a man cannot live in fried rice alone !
It was so good, we're going out on the same boat tomorrow. Happy new year to everyone!
Having been reunited with the ring, we set off for a morning stroll around New Bagan. Apparently in 1995 the government decided they didn't want locals living in the archeological region of Old Bagan, and moved them a few miles down the road to New Bagan. Visiting Bagan House laquerware workshop we marvelled at the skills employed to make the highly decorative products and bought some coasters (lightweight) to take home.
Lacquerware guitar at the San Carlo Italian /Chinese restaurant .
After lunch at San Carlo's we took a taxi ride to our next location, Mount Popa village. We arrived to discover that the village was hosting a big Nat festival - Nats are pre-Bhuddists spirits which are still worshiped, and this festival is apparently the biggest one in Myanmar. The knees-up goes on for a couple of days coinciding with the full moon today. We went up to the Popa Resort hotel (by motorbike taxi!) for dinner with the group from Bikeworld- great views at sunset down on to the famous Popa temple.
After dinner we popped in at the Nat festival but had trouble finding the beer tent do didn't stay too long. Next morning we took a 4hr hike up the mountain and were back at the Resort for lunch.
And had a great view down onto the temple.
Planning to have another gander around the festival later- that beer tent must be hiding somewhere !
Feeling somewhat dejected after the loss of the Mehmsahib's wedding ring, we went off to to watch the sun setting over the Bagan temples
After getting lost and finally getting back to the hotel there was a message to call the Bagan Beach restaurant-they had drained the septic tank and found the ring!!! By 7.00 am the next morning it was reunited with the Mehmsahib's finger. To celebrate we went out to a nearby restaurant and where we were entertained by the local ladies
We had quite a jolly Xmas day, although we were on a 40 seater coach for 10 hrs, we were with Jeff (Soe Soe's Australian husband) and 4 others from Bikeworld (and 15 bikes) and enjoyed the company. We stopped a few times to eat, of course, and even managed to slip a bottle of bubbly and Bombay Sapphire on board.
Jeff opening the bubbly
G&T's on the road
Xmas lunch with the Bikeworld crew
On the way we stopped to visit the British Commonwealth war cemetery- remembering 40,000 who fell in the WW2. Bagan is really temple city, a unique place on the Irrawaddy river, it's home to over 1,000 temples built from the 11th century onwards.
The area is spread out over about 5 miles so we got a couple of bikes to go and explore. Here's one of the many Bhuddas
We stopped at Bagan Beach restaurant for lunch with a great view over the Irrawaddy
Earlier in the morning the Mehmsahib's hands were a bit swollen so she moved her wedding ring on to a smaller finger- you might already be guessing what happened next. Yes, she went to wash her hands and it fell down the plug hole- disaster! There was no u- bend, only a 90 deg bend. The restaurant chaps very kindly cut the pipe in case it had rested there but to no avail. After 31 years of intimate contact, the Mehmsahib was understandably distraught. We left our hotel details just in case, but the pipe went straight into the septic tank. All we could do was go off to a few more temples for some quiet meditation. And on the way back to the hotel on the bikes in the dark we compounded our misery by getting lost!
You're probably thinking about your traditional Christmas fayre about now, so spare a thought for the Mehmsahib and me. We took a stroll around the neighbourhood today and dropped in for a light lunch at a local restaurant. They tend to be buffet style- you can just go and point and it will be cooked and brought to the table -quite useful as usually nobody speaks English. Today we ordered some fried chicken, mutton curry and a few veg which get fried up. However, by the time we got back to the table it was already starting to fill up with extras, and finished up looking like this-
We weren't sure what everything was, particularly this oddity
-answers on a postcard please! However, we reckon the best policy is not to question the provenance of dishes, but just try them- and it all tasted pretty good. Including a sort of 'amuse bouche' which, after a bit of research, I later discovered consisted of pickled tea leaves mixed with small dried prawns, fried peas, roasted sesame, fried garlic and sliced tomato- it certainly refreshes the palette. On the way out of the restaurant we bumped into this fellah again
We will be on a coach for 10 hrs on Xmas day (tomorrow) heading up to Bagan, and will be thinking of you all tucking in to the turkey & trimmings - enjoy!
We've had a few days exploring Yangon, and noticed quite a few differences with India. Probably most striking when out walking is women seem much more equal, and the place is full of young cavorting couples- something you hardly ever see in India with the arranged marriage tradition. Also in Yangon there are no Tuctucs, just plenty of cheap taxis and bicycle rickshaws- and most surprisingly no motorbikes or scooters (not allowed in Yangon)- and no horns blowing all the time. People here are equally friendly, and the usual tourist services are offered, but not such a hard sell as in India. And much less poverty is visible so far, with a general feeling of openness and well being evident. It is a Bhuddist country so you see lots of monks and gold temples around, and like others we've visited, it is kept very clean and free of rubbish, although the pavements leave a lot to be desired with whole slabs often missing disappearing down to sewers- probably the most hazardous thing to a visitor. Other notable differences- no tipping culture- when I tried to tip a waitress she wouldn't take it! Regarding money, there are now ATM's around Yangon for withdrawing Kyats by uk debit card, and food, beer coffee and taxis are all quite cheap and readily available, but accommodation and transport hasn't caught up with the number of tourists and can be expensive. In India men wear lunghis tucked up into "shorts", but here they just wear long skirts. And when you get your laundry done you don't separate colours/ whites but you must separate men's clothes from women's clothes. Clearly, with the introduction of democracy just last year, much has changed very recently in Yangon and there is certainly a very positive feel about the place at the moment. We are staying at a Homestay a few miles out of the centre called Bikeworld. Our wonderful host, Soe Soe has looked after fantastically well and arranged the rest of our Myanmar trip up to Bagan, Lake Inle and Mandalay, starting out on Xmas day. Yesterday was a busy day. In the morning we got up at 5.30 to see the sunrise over the nearby Inya lake- there were hundreds of people there doing exercises and tai chi to western hits such as Obladi Oblada.
When we got back to Bikeworld, Soe Soe took us on a short bike ride for a typical Myanmar breakfast- noodles, rice, bhucksi (meat filled dumpling), and most things you might find in a Chinese kitchen.
My stomach is not yet adapted to noodles for breakfast and I have to admit I struggled a bit, but after we had visited the local market and got back to Bikeworld we had a round of American Pancakes! We then got on a rickshaw to head into town for further explorations, taking lunch at Kandawgyi Lake.
Mehmsahib stroking the ducks at Kandawgyi Lake. The temperature in around 35 deg by day, so we went to the a/c cinema in the afternoon to watch Life of Pi in 3D- cost about £1. We had to stand for national anthem before the film started, but enjoyed seeing Richard Parker (the Bengal tiger). On the way back we stopped off for dinner at a Chinese BBQ restaurant and then walked past Aung San Suu Kyi's house and the American embassy.
Nice Xmas lights at the American embassy - I had a whistle blown at me for taking the photo but managed to escape being arrested! Just time for a beer and chat with Soe Soe when we got back to Bikeworld, and a quick Skype with Nancy (Oxford), Sam (Berlin) and Ben (VietNam) before, unsurprisingly, having the best nights sleep of our trip!
We've arrived safely in Yangon, and are staying three nights at a nice little Homestay called Bikeworld (they also organise bike tours), just a few miles out of the centre. Had our first day in Yangon sightseeing today including a ferry over to Dala where we took a bicycle rickshaw tour
I've got a feeling we might be seeing a few of these in the next few weeks ...
At dusk, we went to the Shwedagon temple-the 'Mecca' for Buddhists.
They appear to have embraced new technology and most of the Bhuddas there are adorned with flashing coloured leds.
Some of it was more Showaddywaddy than Shwedagon
Had a nice surprise at dinner tonight in a nearby fish restaurant - according to our waitress, inside the metal cap of our bottle of beer there was a message saying we'd won 500 kyat - I felt a little bit like Charlie and the chocolate factory -however, that's only about 50 pence- we had another beer anyway!
Sitting in the lounge at Kuala Lumpur on our way to Rangoon, time to reflect on our 5 weeks in India. I guess we've only scratched the surface of a huge country and culture, but we have enjoyed it immensely. Above all, the friendliness of the ordinary Indian people we've met along the way stands out. On our way to Kochi airport yesterday we stopped at a restaurant in the middle of nowhere, went for a little walk down a lane into the countryside, and two sets of people came up to us to invite us into their homes. So in my last blog on India I want to show you just some of the people we've met along the way that has made our trip so memorable.
