One of the great things being based in China is the opportunity to explore the countries around. This summer it was time to explore Myanmar. It was possible to get a direct Air China flight to Yangon from Beijing and a flight from Yangon back to Beijing via Kunming to return. Two weeks to explore Myanmar offered a fantastic opportunity to visit many amazing places.
We started with half a night in Yangon before getting a flight to Mandalay for our first full day. Visiting the Yangon domestic terminal was a fascinating experience. The building was an old colonial building where the bags were checked in by hand and ticket details stamped by hand. During the course of the two weeks we took numerous flights between destinations and whilst the airport processes where relatively primitive, the planes themselves often ATR 72’s were clean, reliable and efficient. They often ran like buses, landing, getting bags and passages off and then getting bags and passages on again and then off again in 20 minutes.
Whilst in Mandalay we visited the Kuthodaw Pagoda, Shwenandaw Monastery, U Bein Bridge and many of the pagodas on Mandalay Hill. The next stop on our trip was Peik Chin Myaung Cave on the way to Pyin Oo Lwin. Pyin Oo Lwin was much cooler as it is located at an altitude of 1,070 meters. The town because the summer capital for British Burma with the Governors summer estate and a large national garden (Kandawgyi) located there. After some time exploring in cooler temperatures, we took the train to Hsipaw in the Shan state. On the way the train broke down for a couple of hours just before the Goteik viaduct, this allowed us to walk across the viaduct by foot and look at the structure in more detail. It is an impressive structure, which is starting to look pretty dated.
After Hsipaw we went to Monywa, Bagan and the Inle Lakes. Bagan is often indicated as one of the highlights on a trip to Myanmar and it didn’t disappoint. During the 11th and 13th centuries, over 10,000 Buddhist temples, pagodas and monasteries were constructed in the Bagan plains, of which there are now over 2,000 to explore. It is amazing to be able to explore them at your own pace. As with much of Myanmar it is possible to explore at your own pace and is not overpopulated with tourists. This meant that often we had the temples and pagodas to ourselves, particularly when exploring smaller ones. The Inle Lakes were also very impressive to see the floating villages and the fishermen paddling with an oar using their leg to hold it. The scenery around the lakes was also beautiful.
Finally, we had some time back in Yangon to explore the Shwedagon Pagoda and the city. The size of the Shwedagon Pagoda is very impressive. Although Yangon itself is neither the most peaceful nor beautiful city. After such a busy few days we used the final day to try and relax and not race around the city. The trip to Myanmar was fantastic and it was a great place to visit. The sights were not busy compared to Cambodia or Thailand and the sights and locals were very relaxed. The food was also very nice with interesting curries and food full of taste and spice. There was so much to do, it is not possible to describe it all.
Robin Bell 