Vacation in Myanmar

Where are all the mopeds? That was my first thought while sitting in a hot taxi from the airport. Later I found out, you won't find any in the capital of Myanmar because all motorbikes are banned. It's a very peculiar feeling, being in a big city in South East Asia, without a single two wheeler in your sight. But what's not banned in Myanmar is betel. You can buy it everywhere and everyone seems to be using it. And betel means spitting, spitting that looks like blood, and it's everywhere you look and everywhere you go. And if you're unlucky, you can end up with some of that red spit on your foot. So maybe think twice about wearing flip-flops on crowded streets.

Yangon is a busy city and most travellers don't stay there for too long. I like busy cities, especially busy Asian cities. There's just so much life everywhere. There aren't many famous tourist spots to visit, two or three pagodas you can see in one day. But if you decide to stay a little longer, you'll get to drink a lazy afternoon tea in a cafe in some gorgeous, yet crumbling post colonial building. You'll also get a chance to observe the locals, get a little sneak peak into the lives. And you'll have enough time to hop on a train and go for a ride. I recommend to take a ride on a Circle Line one morning, it takes just under three hours and costs just under one euro. But it's one of the best things I have done in Myanmar. It's going to be hot and not very comfortable, but it's going to give you a chance to observe an everyday life. Circle Line has 39 stops and it's a loop system that connects satellite towns and suburban areas to the city. And I thoroughly recommend experiencing it just as it is, before it becomes a tourist attraction and looses its authenticity. 

From Yangon we took a night bus to Bagan. It was a very luxurious night bus with very comfortable seats, snacks, blankets and whatnot. It arrived in Bagan in the early morning and hotels and hostels are doing an excellent job at accommodating all guests, who want to check in at 6AM. We were given a shower to freshen up and a place to store out luggage and then complimentary breakfast. After such welcome, we were ready to start the day. 

There are over 2200 pagodas in Bagan and it's a bit confusing at where to start. We started off my renting little electric mopeds. They are the most popular way to move around in the area. You could try being a hero and renting a bicycle but good luck with that. Weather in Bagan has no mercy, it's incredibly hot and the sun is looking for every opportunity to turn you into a lobster. Also, distances between pagodas can be quite substantial and cycling in such conditions seems to be a bit of an odd choice (my Parents, who rented bicycles to see Angkor Wat in Cambodia, will vouch for it ;-)). Mopeds are electric, very quiet and you can't go faster than 25km/h, which means you can hop on one even if you're never done it before. Just make sure you ask for a helmet. 

Like I mentioned, there are over 2200 pagodas and people are often confused where to start and what to see. The area is big and you can find all pagodas on the map. Now it's up to you which ones you decide to see. My advice would be to avoid all the "famous" big pagodas, like Ananda, Shwezigon, Shwesandaw, etc. They are the biggest and tallest pagodas but also the busiest ones. The amount of people you'll find once you manage to climb it will be overwhelming. You'll be crammed like a sardine. And trust me, the view will be just as spectacular if you climb a smaller pagoda somewhere out of the beaten track. Difference is, that with a bit of luck, you'll have that view and that pagoda all to yourself. It will be quiet and perfect. And how to find one? Just stop and see if there's any way to go inside, climb it. Most times there will be. Be careful though, if there's a sign not to climb a pagoda, don't be it. Many pagodas got hit in the earthquake in 2016 and now it's dangerous to climb them so don't risk it. Just one more thing, once you find a pagoda you can and want to climb. remember to be respectful. Take your shoes off and cover yourself up. You might not be religious but you're entering a place that is special to some people.

Enjoy! And I hope you find your very own pagoda to admire the stunning temples of Bagan from above :)

So here we are, finally in Shan State. Shan State borders Laos, China and Thailand. The famous Golden Triangle. If you're interested in smoking some opium or buying meth (or Yaba as they call it in SEA), that's the place to be ;) But don't worry, no one will let you visit those areas in Shan State as they are controlled by several armed ethnic armies or Shan State Army. But you're more than welcome to enjoy the touristy part of the state, away from drug trafficking. 

You can choose a few different towns to stay in, if you want to see the famous Inle Lake. We chose Nyaungshwe and it turned out to be a very good decision. It's conveniently located and it's generally a good base to see several interesting places in Shan State. Kakku Pagoga or Kalaw Cave to name a few. It's dead easy to organize a trip to see the lake, just leave the hotel and walk anywhere. Within seconds, you'll be stopped by someone who has a boat or knows someone who has a boat and they'll offer to take you there. Yeah, it's that simple. We didn't have any specific requirements apart from one thing, I do not want to go to any factories, etc, I just want to see the lake. It seemed quite basic but turned out to be very difficult to achieve. The reason why I didn't want to be taken to any specific places is that Inle Lake is kind of like visiting Disneyland on water. And among slides and marry go rounds, there are people living their lives, as if nothing is happening. So you don't mind, you'll be taken to a cigar factory and you'll see a theatre of how cigars were made in a traditional way. And by the end of the show, you'll have to exit through the gift shop, where you'll be expected to buy lots of cigars. And then you'll be taken to a silk factory, and then to a jewellery factory, and then...you get the drift. I don't mind going to one to two factories but I didn't want to spend an entire day visiting those places. And that's what will happen unless you are firm and oppose to it. Instead I just wanted to stop by and chill on one of the platforms on a lake, where local fishermen come to get some rest and hide from the sun. Of course I couldn't communicate with them in any language but that didn't stop us from enjoying each other's company. 

One of the views everyone wants to see on the lake are Intha fishermen. If you google Inle Lake that will be the first image popping up, the leg-rowing fishermen. But the truth is, they practically don't do that anymore. And if they do, you have to be on the Lake for the sunrise, as they only go out to fish early in the morning. I was very lucky to see two fishermen actually finishing. I snapped the picture and we moved on. Later in the day, when the Lake was filling with boats, the leg-rowing fishermen came out again. I was very surprised to see them again around lunchtime. But they were not fishing, they were posing for photos. And charging 10 000 kyat (around 7 euros) per photo, per fisherman. My boat driver informed me that Intha fishermen no longer want to fish in the traditional way, because they can make a lot more money just posing for photos and pretending to be finishing in front of tourists, who are delighted to have that Instagram worthy pic.  

Our last stop for our vacation in Myanmar is Mandalay. So initially we were supposed to stay here for a few days but turned out I was a bit too relaxed with timing, didn't check all dates and forgot I had to be back in Thailand on a specific day. So instead of staying here for a few days, we ended up staying for one night :/ Rookie mistake and another reason why I have to return to Myanmar.