We were looking out of the airplane window until Shanghai disappeared in the clouds, our hearts filled with sorrow. To leave is to die a bit. The last memories faded away of our Chinese friends lined up at the airport to bid farewell. We looked at each other and smiled in agreement. It was time to turn the page. After 5 years we were leaving China and heading for our one-year adventure, before moving back to France.
Next stop... One night in Bangkok and then one of Asia’s most secret and mystical countries: Myanmar (ex Burma) where we were going to explore the vanishing culture of the ethnical groups. It was a place we had long wanted to see, our interest being born out of the Kipling associations attached to the name “Mandalay” and from Burma having been closed to the outside world since General Ne Win seized power in 1962.
We wanted to visit Myanmar despite the present military regime, as we believe that travel is one of the most powerful forces for tolerance and understanding, if you respect the host community and spend your money with awareness, trying to make a contribution to the lives of the people of the country. It's also important to deliver messages of friendship and hope by exchanging ideas. This two-way communication can in the long-term
change lives.
Thanks to our friends Jutta and Pascal we got the contact with Gulliver’s Travel with whom we created our own travel route in Myanmar. The first impression was not only the amazement over the golden pagodas but also the feeling of being transferred to another time. In Rangoon we met Thuzar, a young charming Burmese woman married with Herve, a Frenchman and manager of Gulliver. As we already had planned the itinerary by email, we just had to adjust the details upon our arrival.
The next morning we flew with the local Air Mandalay, from Rangoon to the former royal capital (before the British colonization) and cultural center: Mandalay. Below us lay the heavily forested eastern hills, home to 75% of the world’s reserves of teak. We were landing in the heartland of the dry central plain.
Here we discovered the fabrication of Buddha images in wood and marble.
Around 87% of the Burmese people are Theravada Buddhist and Buddhism is a reflection of their society. Socially every Burmese is expected to take up temporary monastic residence twice in his life. Once as a novice monk between the ages of 10 and 20 and one more time after age 20. It is a way of getting education and moral training and learn about humility and gratitude. The Buddhism is also mixed up with ancient animist culture. The aninimists understands the world in symbolic terms and sees a spirit in hills, trees, lakes and other natural features. The practice of Nat (spirit) worship is widely practiced. The Nat cult also steps into the realm of spirit invocation by spirit mediums.
A pleasant boat trip took us to Mingun, a wonderful ancient city close to Mandalay. Relaxing on deck chairs we watched the banks slip away on either side of the river. Shoes were yet left behind as we climbed barefoot up the top of the unfinished pagoda. Too hot to walk, we had a lift with the local oxcart to see the world’s largest bell weighing 90 tones.
We quickly realized that this was the land of pagodas, one more beautiful than the other. Either white with golden roofs as in Mandalay or in earth colored bricks as in Bagan.
The evening dinner at Koo's kitchen was a delight and even a bigger delight was when we discovered we had no money to pay the dinner as the credit card and money was locked in the safe at the hotel. The Burmese owner just smiled and asked us where we lived. He told us not to worry, he knew the hotel and would go and collect the money next morning. What a confidence!!!!!! Christian was stunned. This would never happen in Europe.
Of course we could not leave Mandalay before visiting the famous U-Bein’s bridge, even if the time was short. Arriving just before sunset the bridge was a stunning sight. A rickety teak bridge, curved to withstand the wind and waves. Monks in robes of burnt ruby commuted back and forth across over the bridge and made a beautiful background. We just fell in love.
Early morning departure with public ferry on the mighty Irrawaddy River, to reach Bagan, the most wondrous sight in Myanmar. We spent the 8-hour ride learning the functions of our new digital camera and video, to better be able to record our adventures.
The temperature was rising the closer we came to Bagan. The warm breeze did not give any relief and it was almost +45C.
Bagan is a plain dotted with thousand of 800-year-old temple ruins and stupas. In 1975 a powerful earthquake shook Bagan, registering 6,5 on the Richter scale. The site was not totally ruined and reconstruction started almost immediately. For a panoramic view of as many ruins and stupas as possible we climbed up to Mingalazedi to view the sunset. It was magic. We chatted with local children climbing up to sell souvenirs to us.
On the program: visit to the local market, monastery visits and discovery of the ways of lives of the local peoples. Evening sightseeing with small horse cart among the pagodas, which turned out to be the coolest way to get around.
Next, heading by car to the most mountainous area in the country, the Shan state, inhabited by several ethnic groups, we reached Inle lake and the Intha people with the famous leg rowers. Dotted with patches of floating islands the lake was bearing small villages on stilts.
The usual calm waters turned into a windy rainstorm when we arrived and we had to look for shelter in one of the houses on stilts in the middle of the lake. Luckily it was not for long and after 30 minutes we reached our floating hotel. A romantic delight. (the perfect honeymoon place for you newly married, Trine and Matthew!!!!!!)
The fun part in Inle Lake was the Jumping Cats Monastery where the monks had trained their resident cats to leap trough small hoops. Even we succeeded to make the cats jump with a little help of some dried fish.
Staying for 3 days, gliding on the lake, visiting local villages and enjoying the scenery made it difficult to leave. And that, we discovered, was the difficult part of our journey, to leave and move on.
Back to Rangoon for transfer to Ngapali Beach, the prettiest beach in Myanmar in the Bay of Bengal. 3 day relax and brake from rigorous travel. (The transportation is quite complicated and unpredictable; flights can easily be changed or cancelled with short notice.)
Backed by swaying palms the beach stretches over 3 km. Almost alone on the beach except local children and fishermen we enjoyed the most delicious fish and lobster at the family owned small restaurants. We explored the small nearby villages by bicycle and enjoyed the local concert of frogs and crickets in the evening.
The last day back to Rangoon, admiring the great Shwedagon Pagoda, the essence of Myanmar. In the heat of the day the stupas 98 meter golden dome was glittering bright in the sun.
Next day the 1-hour flight took us to Chiang Mai in northern Thailand where we were to discover more about Burmese people.
This journal was written after we left Myanmar, as it was almost impossible to connect to Internet when we were in the country.
Our TOP 7 in Myanmar:
-Amazing beauty and spiritual surrounding of Shwedagon Pagoda.
(A place that enchanted us.)
-The impressive collection of ancient weather beaten ruins of Indein
-Sunset over the famous teak bridge U-Bein
-Beauty and color of the young novice monks
-The delicious lobster and grilled fish in Ngapali beach
-Mesmerizing twilight scenery over Inle lake
-The romantic and floating pleasure of Shwe Inn Tha Hotel, Inle lake
What we didn’t like:
-The lousy service at Central Hotel in Rangoon
-The repetitive administration and immigration formalities
-Bicycle ride in +40 C and in humidity
-Climbing barefoot to the top of the pagodas on sunburned bricks
-Lack of outside information and news
What we learned in Myanmar:
-The religion is your daily life. It’s a part of your daily action.
-Even in dark and dificult times there is hope and happiness.Burmese people have no word for depression.
-That there exists a country where aging is not degrading. Where getting old means wisdom and is looked upon with respect.
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