Myanmar- Day 5 (Inle)

January 30, 2014

It's now our second day in Inle. Time to go to the lake. We had breakfast at the rooftop of our hostel. The view really reminds us so much of Loo, Buguias since the place where we stayed is a valley. We went before eight in the morning to the office where we booked our tour for a day. It was  exciting to see tourists walking and one guy who actually owns a boat said hi and asked if we want to hire a boat. We asked the price and it's the same as the 15, 000 kyats per person at the booking office. Unfortunately we already booked our boat and fortunately we saw him at the lake later on the day playing guide to a couple so its a relief.

So we met our boatman/guide at the office then proceeded for a five minute walk to the jetty. The way was full of people and our guide told us, there are more people if it's a market day. I took a picture of the canal before going to where our boat is anchored.

The morning view of the canal coming inland from the lake. It reminds me so much of a painting

Our boat is somewhere in these crowd.

At the jetty, our guide helped us get into the boat and we saw the blanket which was very useful because it was a bit chilly in the morning and in the evening when we came back. There were also umbrellas for us to use, it was useful during the midday to shade us from the sun. The weather is generally nice but we still need the umbrella to protect us from sunburn when you're out in the middle of the lake. And of course the life vest which the boatman said that we don't need to wear but to which we insisted in wearing for fear. Don't blame us though, we were just careful since we are children of the mountains who never consider swimming as a hobby. We are good in climbing and walking mountains but water uh uh...better be careful. It was funny because in the middle of the tour, we completely discarded the life jackets since it was constricting our view of the surroundings. We got brave I guess and distracted by the view.

Once out on  the lake, we we're amazed with the houses near or on the river. It was a bit dirty and crowded from the jetty but it soon became clean and enjoyable once the lake became wider. We saw young people on a boat feeding the birds, merchants with their products bringing them to the market and people bringing goods that they bought from the town. We passed by this protected area where birds stay so there were a lot of birds flying overhead. I guess the youngsters knew so they had bags of chips to feed them. We passed by some houses and towering grasses until we arrived at the widest part of the river. There were fishermen with their trademark rowing with one foot and a row of fishermen beating the water which I learned used to make the fish move to their nets underwater. We also saw people gathering weeds on their boats. The weeds underwater will be used as fertilizer for their crops. Totally eco-friendly. 

The birds flying and following boats. 

The life jacket in the morning which we totally ditched mid journey.

A fisherman with his traditional ware to use for fishing.

This is actually a row of five men beating the water which our guide explained to be some way of driving the fish to the nets that they cast underwater.

A village along the river.

After watching the fishermen, we were brought to a silk village. It wasn't interesting enough since Hanoi has also Lotus and silk for scarves but we learned the process of making so to discover that one scarf needs 2000 stalks  is a bit unsettling for me. I don't feel comfortable with the idea at all. Good thing that I'm not into
 scarves. We then proceeded to the floating market. Since it's the start of the dry season, the market is on land but people arrive by boat. It was amazing to see all the boats arriving and departing and people maneuvering their boats to get out or to go in. It wasn't as orderly as a cars parking lot but amazingly, everyone can go in and out in the middle of a chaotic scene. As for the market, people sell all kinds of stuff. Vegetables to fruits, traditional chips and snacks, silverware, jade, other jewelry, live chickens, fish and the pig is even roaming around the place. We even saw barbers and people selling clothes and textile.

It was an interesting atmosphere, very laid back and nice especially watching the boats coming and going.

The fireplace where they brew the dye's for the silk

All the boats coming and departing from the market

Women selling vegetables and just tossing out the bad stuff....

Interior of the market

Traditional snacks

Pine wood (Saleng)

The back of our boatman with a pig beside him. I guess they will just catch it once it's sold...

Myanmar-Day 4 (Bagan 2nd day)

January 29, 2014

Good Morning!

This is our 2nd day in Bagan and our last day as well. We woke up early to spend more time going to visit the temples. We rented the horse cart again to go back to the last temple we viewed the sunset yesterday to see the morning view of the temples. The weather is warmer but the shade provided by the cart cover is good and as usual the view is amazing. We passed by the same temples and the same road we had seen yesterday afternoon. There we're a few tourists inside the compound and the people selling stuff didn't bother us as much as the other tourists. They thought we are Myanmar nationals so we wouldn't bother buying souvenirs. It was a relief not to be bothered as you go around. We eventually climbed up the stairs and enjoyed the view since there are fewer people this time. As expected the view is still magnificent. I overheard a few tourists talking and one guy in his fifty's told two young Asian tourists that taking pictures is helpful to remember people he has meet on his travels. I do agree with him because with the number of people you meet every trip, it's difficult to remember everyone. After a few minutes of enjoying the view, we went down to visit another temple.

When we arrived at the next temple, it is  bigger and has rooms inside. There we're a lot of Buddha's along the hallways and there was one guy who went to pray. As usual, there are artists selling paintings and shops with souvenirs. The day is getting hotter and we are running out of time so we decided to proceed for lunch before going to the museum. Lunch was pleasant and of course we had to pay another 5 USD to enter the museum. Inside was a depiction of Bagan's history and artifacts from the temples. It's a pity that we didn't had much time to read everything though since we had to go back to the hotel to check out and go to the airport. It was a wonderful place to visit. The hotel where we stayed was nice although the mirror was really too high that I had to stand on the bath tub to even see my face, the horse cart and the nice guy who drives it, the view, the place  and the food was really perfect. I would love to go back again someday and I hope it stays the same.

The horse who worked hard that day to bring us around

A boy selling gas for the motorbikes as I was told

Farmers busy with their work

A girl doing her chores for the day

The tourist labouring her way up the temple

Playing  shadows and light

The museum

An old script

So now it's off to the airport for our 3 pm flight going to Inle. We had to wait for 2 hours and I think the passengers  on our flight are the only people at the airport. The place was literally deserted except for some airport employees.

On the plane, as we approached Inle, I was amazed with the view of the mountains and the plantations down below. The plane was flying just high enough for us to see them and the colors are amazing. Upon arrival in Inle, I noticed that the airport was much busier. I guess there are more tourists visiting the place. The airport though is far from the main town and we had to pay 20 USD for the taxi ride to our hotel and it took us almost an hour to reach the hotel. It was also due to the fact that the driver drove slow enough for us to take in the view. He even stopped along the rail road track for us to take pictures. We we're surprised though since the hotel was really far from the main road and the location reminded us so much of Loo, Buguias. It was really a small town with some hotels sprinkled all around. Upon arrival at the hotel, it was a simple house with some rooms and our room is small with two beds and a bathroom. It was a far cry from the nice hotel we had in Bagan. Well it's just for two days anyway.

Here are some of the first scenes that we have seen in Inle.

The train track in Inle

It looked like Loo Buguias 

Near the river

The first view of our hotel

Myanmar- Day 3 ( Bagan Sunset)

 January 28, 2014

There are really a lot of things to see and enjoy in Bagan that posting just one about it can't cover how truly amazing a day is there when you are in that place. As we continue visiting the temples, the afternoon is already late and we have to get to one of the best places to observe Bagan at sunset. So we set off and the things along the way that we see are really nice. I am not regretting the fact that we get to use the horse cart since the experience is totally different when you use a car. We use the off road and it felt like we were away from civilization. The shadows of the temples, the trees, the bushes, the hue of the sky, the many temples that you see from a distance fills me with the feeling that "ah this world is really beautiful". Words are not important, just feel and enjoy the sight and with that we proceeded to the top of the one of the highest temples. I keep saying wow! and then wow! It's awesome...

The road that our horse cart followed going to the place to watch the sunset

One of the two big Buddhas I've ever seen. One is in a park in Laos. This occupies the entire building where it is housed.
It is located at the base of the temple to observe the sunset.

The view after climbing how many stairs. We climbed the equivalent of a four story building. It was worth it with this view.

And I saw this girl on top. I wanted to ask her about the bag but I didn't want to disturb the excitement of looking at the view.

When the sun was setting.

Some members of a tribe which I think came to show themselves to the tourists

A monk taking pictures of the sunset

A young man in traditional garb

Sunset

When we got to the top. Everyone just brought all their gadgets to take a picture of the sunset and the surroundings. As for me, I took pictures but only some that satisfies me. I think that it is good to take pictures to see from time to time but it is also important to enjoy the beauty of the place. I am not about chasing sunsets because wherever you go, there is always a beautiful sunset to enjoy. So while waiting for the sun to finally disappear, I took the freedom to observe people. There we're actually a variety of tourists. I saw old people mostly Caucasians, a lot of Chinese speaking tourists, Chinese monks, Thai tourists who were all wearing white with their tour guide. Some middle aged couples, some backpackers and people who look like they haven't bathe in how many days. As for us, we are either from Myanmar, Thai or Chinese. The most memorable one though is this old guy who clearly has a fear of heights because he was shuffling on the innermost side of the walking area at the top. He was shaking and sweating while his wife was trying to hold his hand and asking him if he can make it while I was there sitting on the edge of the temple. It must have been pure hell for him but I admire his will to go up and try. I even tried to cheer him on while sitting cross legged on the edge. He must also think of me as very brave considering the fact that he was really struggling. The conclusion, I don't have any fear of heights. Maybe I can do Bungee jumping next time.

Myanmar- Day 3 (Bagan)

February 28, 2014

Since I couldn't cover everything on the previous post. I'm going to continue our first day in Bagan.
After visiting three temples, a souvenir shop with a woman with neck rings and one more temple. We decided to go for lunch. The restaurant looked clean and tourist friendly with good food and the prices
are not too expensive. It is also a relief that Myanmar food has similarities with Indonesian food and they serve good salad. At least I could eat something that I have been craving for a long time.

We finished lunch at 2 pm then we proceeded for another tour of temples which are actually different from each other. We also got to try the "Thanaka" put on our faces by a kind girl who also sold us some of it. The "thanaka" is a white powder that myanmar people put on their faces which they claim is a kind of cosmetic and to keep them cool in summer. And it's not only women who wore it but men as well. Sometimes, just on both cheeks and sometimes on the whole face. I even saw a teen girl whose probably not so keen on putting it on her face applied it on her legs. To be honest, I'm not sure about the health effect on the skin but I did felt it to be cooling under the heat while going around. So we kept it until we got home later in the evening and of course bought from the girl who showed as how to use it.

While going to the temples, the views on the top are magnificent. There was a girl who accompanied us and keep on selling postcards but I just gave her the chips that I was holding. Sometimes, you want to buy but once you buy from one person then everybody starts trailing you while you tour which is a bit annoying at times. We also met one Japanese girl who seems to be scared of trying out climbing some parts of the temple but brave enough to go around by herself by bicycle and two British tourists who actually live and work in Beijing. We asked them about the smog in Beijing and they told us that it was actually exaggerated on the news. They told us that it happens around twice or thrice a year but generally living there is good since they get to tour around Asia and live the way they want. I guess wherever you live, there are pros and cons.

Mitchell preparing her tripod and camera while I just used my Samsung Note II for this nice pic.

Most of the temples are dark inside so the guide usually have a torch to use so the paintings on the wall and ceilings can be seen. No lights policy are also important to lessen the erosion or destruction of the materials inside the temple. Our horse cart driver gave us a torch to use to see the inside of the smaller temples. For the bigger temples, electric lights were installed since the space are bigger to explore. As for me, the amazing part was the fact that the temple architectures are not all the same as shown by the pictures below.

One of the temples with birds resting around the dome

A replica of some  of the 2000 temples. 

The outside of a temple. 

I'm not really sure about these things but they were on display on a hall outside of one of the temples that we've visited.

Lunch 

Another kind of temple which reminds me of the Balinese temples

The outside wall of the temple above. It is different from the other temples that usually have straight  walls.

The Buddhas were outside the temple above. I think it is the only temple where the Buddhas are put outside.

The Thanaka that we put on our cheeks.

Irrawaddy River as viewed from a temple.


Yes, there's another temple near the river and there are cruises that will take you for a few hours or a day along the river. I just read that you won't see much anyway and since we only had 2 days to visit Bagan, I don't think we can do the cruise but maybe someday. Irrawaddy river is also famous for it's Irrawaddy dolphins.

One of the temples without entrance

The only white temple in Bagan. It looks more like a church for me and the architecture is very pretty. I actually took this atop another temple. You can go inside the temple but going up is not allowed to protect it from collapsing. These temples are thousand years old so they are very vulnerable to many things that could hasten their destruction. It is good that the government is doing what they can and tourist should also help preserve them for the coming generations to enjoy.