MYANMAR PART 2

BAGAN

The following morning, very early and quite cold, we transferred to the main Mandalay jetty to catch our boat to Bagan. This is a 9-hour cruise along the Yangon River which is quite a soulless experience. Arriving early, we were still too late to get seats under the canvas shelter but at least we did get seats. We were unprepared for the cold contrast of an early morning on the river, as were the young couple sitting opposite us, but soon some brightly patterned fluffy blankets started to appear and eventually our cruise began warm and cosy.

The Yangon River was initially very vibrant with all the different highly coloured boats either on the river or tied up on the beach. Shanty huts built by fishermen for their families spewed along the river banks for miles, colourful tarps and household belongings creating a cacophony of vibrancy along with the smoke, rubbish and dogs. The Yangon was slowly coming awake with the rising sun as we sailed past the Kings gold plated boat, the many gold topped stupors adorning the green hillsides and out into the open river. Huge trading boats plied the river taking their wares of wood and barrels from here to there, wherever “there” was. As we moved further away from Mandalay the scenery changed, as did the weather, and once the sun rose we were blessed with the heat on our backs but rather bare scenery.

Unexpectedly we were served both breakfast and lunch which was delicious and plentiful and we indulged, with our new found friends, Femke and Mark from London, in a very refreshing Myanmar Beer or two……..we were now baking in the sunshine and were swathed in the blankets to keep the sun off rather than to keep warm.

The people of Myanmar are very productive with their time and space, producing excellent quality foods from the most unusual sources so, along the banks of the river, various crops thrive in seemingly unproductive looking land. The farmer and his family live on their small etched out piece of land in small bamboo huts, wash their clothes in the river, hydrate and fertilise their crops from the river, appear to have so very little but are abundantly happy………they toil very hard for minimal income. The main food in Myanmar is curry and rice……as long as you have chillies, onion, garlic, fresh lime, fresh turmeric, fresh ginger, soy sauce and rice you have the basics. If you can add chicken all well and good. Fresh leaf, green tea is the preferred drink. We revelled in this food.

The trip along the Yangon was uneventful and relaxing and on reaching Bagan we once again had to “walk the plank” but this time we had our big bags as well to contend with………. thank goodness for the “porters”, who you have to pay of course, they just pick them up, sling them onto their shoulders and are OFF. Everyone in Myanmar carves out a living one way or another.

Waiting to meet us was our new guide Kyaw Min and our driver who thankfully took us directly to our new Hotel in Old Bagan – another great one on our list (apart from the squeaky floorboards) – we were getting up, once again, very early to go on our very first Hot Balloon ride over Bagan. This hotel had a restaurant attached that was a training school for underprivileged youth, giving them basic preparation to make something of themselves in the hospitality arena. The food was awesome and the young people very helpful, polite and interested in what they were learning. The chefs were also part of this programme and we were offered an opportunity to look around the kitchens. The restaurant also sold WINE – the first place in Myanmar we had been offered wine of any sort let alone Sauvignon Blanc! It wasn’t too bad either.

Next morning Oriental Ballooning did us proud – we both will never ever forget this wonderful experience. We were collected very early and taken to the take-off field where we were served, on pristine, tableclothed tables in the middle of a dusty field, breakfast pastries and coffee in the dark, dramatically lit by the occasional flare of gas. Afterwards we were allotted our various pilots and felt happy that we were only in a small basket of 8 people (thanks 1stop) – our pilots name was Johnny and he was great. All the pilots and the company were English and travelled to different parts of the world to fly balloons. Johnny also flew in Africa during the Myanmar off season. The actual crew who did all the hard work of setting the stage, filling the balloon, tracking the balloon, selling the merchandise etc. were all Myanmarese. The flight was indescribably awesome, the views over the multi stupors of Bagan breath-taking. Damage from the August earthquake was evident as was the time-taking repairs. We watched, from our balloon basket, the sun come up over the Yangon and Bagan and we both realised just how lucky we were and how privileged we are to be on this incredible journey together.

We flew for about one and a half hours not only over stupors and temples: irrigation canals glistened like worms in the sunshine, people were cutting wheat in their fields, children in their mother’s arms were waving to us from below and even Daisy and Gertie looked up from their grass munching below. We made an excellent soft landing in another dusty field where out of nowhere the crew arrived, set up tables and chairs, and offered us a refreshing cold orange juice. After the balloon was deflated and stowed by the crew Johnny then related the story connecting Champagne and ballooning and ………. POP! Bottoms up…….it was Champagne time, a glass for everyone. After, we were all awarded certificates beautifully scribed by Johnny, we were then driven back to our hotels for breakfast and a much-needed shower.

Kyaw Min arrived later to take us on a short tour of Bagan – our first visit was the Ananda Phaya Pagoda where 4 Buddhas are housed. There are 4 main entrances – North South East and West – and at each entrance stands a Buddha of significance with its own story. Each Buddhas face is lit by natural light from an opposing dorma window. One Buddha appears to smile and the eyes follow your every movement. This very well preserved Temple was built in 1105 AD during the Pagan Dynasty and is currently undergoing massive renovation by the Indian government. It is one of only 4 surviving temples in Old Bagan.

Finishing there we drove out into the countryside to watch the sunset at a small pagoda – you have to envisage here that in Old Bagan pagoda are everywhere and almost stand on top of each other in places. There is one pagoda which is the main one for watching the sun set but, not wanting to be just another ant swarming on a sacred pile of bricks, we opted for a relatively small pagoda which not many people knew about. The down side to this was the very narrow and steep stair access which were somewhat crumbly. We had spotted this one from our morning balloon ride and it had the perfect posse to view Old Bagan’s stunning sunset. Sitting with our feet dangling over the second tier of the Pagoda – the upper stories were unfortunately earthquake damaged – we quietly waited for 5pm. Totally absorbed in the beauty of a Bagan sun going down behind the surrounding mountains thrusting dozens of pagoda into a striking, silhouette relief, we were truly surprised to turn round and see so many people behind us. We wish, a lot, that we were still there in Myanmar, on that pagoda watching the sun set……….however we are not. We are in the tropical Phillipines where it is currently pouring with rain and a typhoon is expected at midnight tonight. Just another adventure!!!!!!!

The following day with more Pagoda and temples in the offing we asked Kyaw Min if we could do other sightseeing – no more temples or pagoda………please? Our transport for the day was by horse and cart – initially quite a different experience to get into for a westerner but we soon became agile at it – with our guide following on his bicycle. Kyaw initially seemed deflated and confused by our request but giving it some thought he came up with a plan: firstly, we would visit the Full Moon festival and market at one of Bagan’s smaller temples where we wandered around with the locals. The whole place was festooned with flowers, there was live music, food and stalls. We watched sticky, crunchy, loopy, long, pretty shapes (a very complex pattern but all 100% identical) being spooned into and fried in a huge wok. When they were crispy they were hoisted out on a stick and dunked in a liquid palm sugar mix. Gosh they were delicious. Trays of food surrounded us, things on skewers, fresh fruit and corn. Puffy, batter, deep fried, flaky rounds; fresh vegetables, fish balls and lots more. Large families who had come to Bagan from other villages for the celebrations sat around eating, laughing, looking and giggling at us. Some families were packing up to go home and the women carried suitcases, large trays of food and fruit and firewood in huge bundles on their heads…… no hands! Miniature monkettes ran around free and happy whilst other children carried huge armfuls of flowers to take home with them. We picked up a small posy to put in Jed’s bridle – it is hard being a horse attached to a cart pulling three people and we wanted him to have a happy day too.

As we were leaving Gary saw a public transport vehicle (a Song taw thing) loaded to the gunnels with squealing women (they seem to do this when they see a white man) and he pretended to climb in. The ensuing hysteria was remarkable………. can only happen in Gary’s world!!!!!!!!! Aagh…..Memories.

From here we went, passing many, many more pagoda, to a local village where we were just able to wander around enjoying the company of the locals. It was lunchtime and all the elderly, toothless ladies were sitting together on the verandah floor sharing and eating lunch. The older ladies are provided cooked food each lunchtime by the younger ladies, some walking each day, one with the aid of a walking frame, to this village for this event. They are all very proud of their longevity and with the help of Kyaw we managed to establish that the eldest was 82 years old.

Just around the corner we came across the school set under a shady tree – dozens of children were learning algebra of all things…… mainly by rote.  Some sat at desks but some skittered around the makeshift base of the tree. All their work looked extremely neat.

It was here Gary fell in love with the village white cows. With their snotty noses and dreamy eyes, he was captured!!!!!!! He rubbed their foreheads till they nearly sank to the ground. Visions of Zoe our goat sprang to mind.

Just around the next corner was the Monastery, the backbone of the village. It looked like something from a movie it was so splendid and well looked after. It was made and carved from solid teak (grown in Myanmar) and the ornate carving was incredible, lending it a very Chinese, layered look.

The recent history of this village is unique and steeped in Buddhist values. After the August 2016 earthquake, a village not too far away was totally destroyed. All the villagers were brought to this village to be housed, fed and schooled; workspace and tools were provided to enable the villagers to repair their damaged properties and household belongings in the destroyed village. When the village is once again functional they will return.

On leaving the village we encountered a foal dancing down the road – he was so beautiful, friendly and light of step. A family came out from their house to wave to us as well, so we stopped to wave back. The little boy was initially scared of Gary but after a while, a few high fives and a lesson in thumbs-up dancing, I am sure he would have come home with us.

This is what our travelling is all about – interacting with the locals and seeing the grass roots of a country. This is what makes us happy. If you are lucky to be part of our facebook  family you will have seen the posted photos – I only wish I could do the same and post some on our blog.

The final delight of Bagan and our horse and cart day was a ride to the Irrawaddy River to pick up a boat for another sunset cruise. First stop the little village leading down to the water where we picked up a couple of Myanmar beers and a lot of young girls trying to sell Gary T shirts and me, flowy pants. Lily was the most determined to give her credit. “Catherine - think about it and let me know when you get back! Gary, you think about it too!!!”.

Walking the springy plank on to the boat this time was a breeze – no fear left now – and we joined the dozens of other boats doing the same thing. The beer was to celebrate our last sunset in Bagan but there was hot green tea (beautiful), shredded ginger, soaked green tea leaves with dried shrimps and a roasted mixture of sliced garlic and nuts to indulge us. You put a mixture together on a spoon and it is delicious. I really want some now.

We motored up the river, passing huge sandbanks which occasionally calved into the water and as the sun set we slowly drifted back to Bagan supping our beer. So very romantic……………but, waiting at the water’s edge for our arrival………….none other than Lily and her co-horts. By now it was getting very dark and Jed and his driver had to get home so, with no time to linger, we upset Lily and fled for the transport.

Arriving back at our hotel safe and sound and truly exhausted we opted for wine and French fries at the teacher restaurant. Tomorrow we leave for He Ho and our final few days in Myanmar at Inle Lake and its surrounding environs.

Neither of us wish this incredible journey to come to an end.