Day 1 Oct 30 BANGKOK TO RANGOON
“This is quite unlike any places you know” R. Kipling
Names of places have changed since my last visit, I use the old names. Burma=Myanmar Rangoon=Yangoon Sandaway=Ngapali/Thandwe
The Bangkok new airport is a zoo….if you cannot get into the sanctuary on the other side of security. Outside in the massive check-in and public area it is just a maze of moving people, small cramped fast food places, and few places to set. Once inside it is more a Thai tranquil type setting with everything from Burger King to Cartier. Unfortunately, we had standby tickets and had to wait with the mass’s until the last moment to cross the magical security point.
The flight was an Airbus 300-600 of Thai Airlines. I was surprised they had such an old airplane, but it was like new. In the 40 minute flight to Rangoon they served us a boxed meal and wine. The flight attendants, no longer the young docile girls of the past, were efficient and nice. Unless you crossed them, as one passenger did, then they were like any senior mama f/a in the US and let him have it in English.
Setting in the center of the airplane we saw nothing when we landed in the dark. The airport was like any new international airport and despite all the paperwork that took 2 officials to handle, we were through immigration and out the door quickly. I was glad they still believed in paperwork, carbon paper and longyees (men’s sarong).
Since I knew not where I was going, we opted for the prepaid $7 taxi ride to the Classique Inn. http://www.blogger.com/ We got two drivers for the price of one, Jack Black and his brother So. The ride into town was now a 6 lane highway with shops and buildings all along the side with neon signs. It took a few stops for directions but we soon arrived at the Inn.
A wonderful place in the high end residential area, we were met by the whole family. Clean and modern and most important quite. We had a night cap of real gin bought at duty free, as opposed to the counterfeit we bought in Vietnam and called it a day.
guest house main house our room
DAY 2 RANGOON
We walked out of our neighborhood for about an hour and caught a cab downtown to the Strand Hotel on the Irrawwady River front. It would be the land mark to explore the downtown area. The hotel is from the British Empire days and is $400 a day (somebody is really getting ripped off). When we got there and walked the broad Strand Road along the river it came to me that despite all that had changed, the country was the same. I guess I had hoped for a cleaner, nicer place, maybe like Hanoi. But it is not. Despite the many cars, badly constructed new buildings, and “modern” hotels it is more run down place than it was 35 years ago, just more of it and more so. The old beautiful government buildings are falling down with no maintenance. The sidewalks long ago turned to piles of broken concrete and are blocked by venders and massive generators. Where the front of the few buildings that are painted and nice, the back side of it is crumbling and falling down. All of the cars are used castoff’s from other countries. I had felt from afar, that if these people just had a free election things would be better. Politically it would be, but it will take life times to bring this country back to jewel that it once was.
These pictures do not convey how bad these building are. We saw desks through missing windows or no glass, with the appropriate stacks of paperwork.
the strand hotel customs house no glass or shutters
government building close up park
generators close up downtown
It is hot here. In Vietnam I sweated like a stuck pig, as we say on the farm, but the locals were cool. Here everybody sweats. I remember rain, but I do not remember the heat. We did not even have a/c, just fans, before.
DAY 2 RANGOON
Today was a down day. A few meetings including one to arrange for our ride up country starting tomorrow and a visit to an internet shop where the electricity went out three times and they have to use special software just to get to my yahoo mail, because the government sensors the internet.
I learned the reason there are no motorbikes. One of the top generals, with escort guards, was passed by a motorbike and the 2 riders did the hand pistol thing like they were shooting. He then banned all bikes from the city.
In the afternoon we went to visit the Swhadgon Pagoda. Today is a big festival for the mother Buddha, so it was quite crowded, but nothing like it will be tonight. Somebody decided that all the Buddha’s would look better with flashing neon lights behind his head.
more photos
DAY 4 RANGOON TO TOUNGOO
U Myo Myent picked us up as planned to start our 8 hour journey north. As we squeaked and rattled our way out of Rangoon, in a car of unknown origin, we passed several miles of military areas, all as dilapidated as the rest of country. We were to see a large military presence in this country, where we saw none in Vietnam. After an hour or so we where in the true country. Here nothing had changed. It was almost as I had left it and that is a shame. The houses are all bamboo or thatch and mostly subsistence living farming mainly growing rice.
The road is in pretty good shape. The roads are privately maintained and seem to one of the few things in this country that work. Tolls are collected along the way and used to repair the road. They were not all smooth but there were not potholes either. Repair is all by hand except the roller. Not even a wheelbarrow. They dig up for the repair, put down rock then gravel, and roll it. Then they heat 55 gallon drums of tar, dip the tar into a gallon bucket with holes in the bottom and spread it across the gravel followed by sand over the top.
We saw some more Buddhas.
At about 4pm we came to the town of Toungoo our destination for the day. This had not changed at all. Turning off the main highway we started down and overgrown dirt track until we came to the Myanmar Beauty Guest House. A small compound of 2 teak sleeping houses and a dinning building. Right out of 100 years ago. It was all you needed even if a little worn. A safe, clean place to sleep with a great view of the rice paddies. And, some mosquitoes but no electricity. They have government electric here when the government elects to do so but not today. So they run a generator from 6 to 10pm. The government elected to turn on the electricity at 2am for about 2 hours. Good deal, except some guy across the rice paddy had his mega speakers playing Burmese music so everyone could listen during in his few hours. Fingernails on a chalk board do not come close to explaining the sound of Burmese music in the middle of the night.
the road Vicki, driver and owner
front porch full moon over rice paddy hot and cold water
more photos
DAY 5 TOUNGOO TO KADLAW
After watching a beautiful red sunrise over the rice patties and a breakfast with the other guests (one a honeymooning couple from France) over more plates and fruits than I have ever seen , we hit the road. We continued up highway 6 a couple of hours then cut across country to the new “Road To Mandalay”.
The author of the poem, “The Road to Mandalay”, Rudyard Kipling never went to Mandalay.
sunrise
used cow market short cut to superhighway
It is a 4 line superhighway that links Rangoon and Naypyitaw, the new capital. In 2005 the generals decided to move the capital 200 km north of Rangoon to a whole new city. This will make them even richer as there is massive construction going on and I am sure they are getting their part. The driver asked that I not take pictures and since he is the one that goes to jail, not me, I did not. The whole place looks like a massive planned community you see in Florida. We passed 5 beautiful new hotels, not highrises, not all completed, spread over massive grounds. All looked 5 star, but you know they are not. There was a new water land park, new office buildings, new residential areas, 8 line highways and everything with golf club type grass. There were just no people. On the superhighway in 2 hours we saw less than 20 vehicles. In the town there where more, but no cars at the finished hotels, shopping center or theme park. They are building a new international airport and when it is completed all international travel will be in and out of this new city.
highway to new capital and government workers new housing
Generals are getting richer and the country cannot afford the new city but in reality it is probably a smart move. Rangoon is beyond repair. It least it will take a few years before the new city is rundown. It is not unheard of in modern times to move the capital. Brazil moved theirs to the middle of the jungle and it worked. But Brazil works in general, Burma does not.
Also near here is where the Burmese and the North Koreans are doing secret stuff in a mountain.
Stopped to take a picture of some monk statues. Before you knew it everyone was in the picture.
The farther north we get the less public transportation is available and it shows. It is also very rural.
About an hour out of the new capital we took a right and started the climb into the hills of the Shan state and the town of Kalaw. The pothole rule went out the window and pretty soon the road at all went out the window. Three hours of squeaking, rattling and bouncing up the mountain, in our car of unknown origin and we were there.
We arrived in Kalaw and old British hill station about 4 and settled into a very nice bungalow overlooking the town. http://www.blogger.com/
sunset from hotel
photos
DAY 6 KALAW
Took most of the day off as Vicki tries to get over the cold. Went to town for lunch and some touring. The old 1915 British hill country hotel, which could be gem, but is run by the government, is run past down. The government gives it 5 stars. The town was surprising clean and very nice people. Then we caught a horse cart home. In the last century this was the only transport when we went up country. U Myo Myent said the horse could not pull up the mountain and the driver said it could. U Myo Myent was correct. I also forgot how rough the ride is and that horses can have very smelly bowel movements and it is caught and carried with you. On the steep parts the poor horse’s shoes kept slipping so we abandoned the cart and walked and walked home.
The main currency here is the blackmarket US dollar and oddly they want $100 bills. (Any place else in the world they won’t touch them because they are the most counterfeited bills.) Everyone takes them but they have to be perfect, so I started ironing mine in hopes of less hassles. The currency is the Kyat and 1000=$1 and all they have basically is 1000kt bills. So, all business is done in $1 bills.
ironing money market water wagon
entrance to hotel my new security job sunset over town
This is a town I could spend a week of doing nothing and trekking.
More photos
DAY 7 KALAW TO INLEY LAKE AND BEYOND
In easy ride through the plains area enroute to the lake. This is a large vegetable growing area. We had lunch in the town of Nyaungshew at a pizza parlor. As the sign says we were tired of rice but not up for pancakes. The manager U Win was very proud of the pasta maker and brick oven and insisted I see them. An Italian tourist had spent time in the town and taught them how to make real ingredients for pizza and pasta and had sent them seeds to grow what they could not get.
We went to the Golden Island Cottages http://www.gicmyanmar.com/ office and began the negotiating dance on price. These cottages are built on the lake over the water about an hour from town. The price got right and we loaded in a boat and took off. The lake is a series on the Zawgy river and are very shallow, about 3 to 4 feet.
A forty five minute boat ride and we were there and had a sunset drink on the water.
More photos
DAY 8
We spent the day touring the lake with U Myo Myent and the boat driver. Vicki says he is the reincarnation of George Arkebauer. Vicki was using an umbrella, as most women do here, but when I turned around I discovered that U Myo Myent was holding it for her! Just a damn princess!
We saw weaving, silver smiting, cheroots, and metal making. All done by old manual means and these were not just places set up for tourist. The were numerous identical shops with people working in them. The amazing discovery for us was lotus stalk weaving. We thought they used the stack and made something. But what they do is cut each stack and pull out one long silk like fiber.
That is a lot of pulling ! The cheroot rollers have to do between 800 and 1000 cheroots a day each. Oh yea, and cats jumping through hops at the monastery.
pulling water lilly silk looms making 1000 cheroots a day
working silver and gold long neck weaver key west cats jumping
The evening ended with another great sunset on our porch over the water.
More photos
DAY 9 INLEY LAKE TO MANDALAY….the 3rd world day
By 8:30 we were off the lake on our way. The route I wished to travel was “not possible” so we began to retrace our route down the mountain. Bouncing, squeaking, rattling and eating dust in the car of unknown origin. About 4 hours into this journey the car of unknown origin starting acting up. We limped into town and while we had lunch U Myo Myent changed the fuel filter. “All better now” and we left town……about 3 hundred yards. He could not get enough power to go forward so I said back into to town and away we went. Some more under hood work with “my friend”, no mention of mechanic, and “all better now” and we roared out of town for about 3 miles. Longer story shorter we limped along until the bigger town of Thazi and a real shade tree mechanic. Having done this same scenario in my past many times, I sensed that this was not going to end well. Too much pointing, talking, taking things apart, and hands in the pie. Thus ended our automotive part of this trip with the car of unknown origin and U Myo Myemt. At 5pm we hired a Toyota station wagon of real Japanese descent, meaning it was small, at an outrageous price, but when you are stuck in some 3rd world town, it’s dark and it is your only real choice you pay the price. We rolled into Mandalay about 9pm to the Emerald Land Hotel. A quick check of the room looked ok and so we checked in. In the sunlight this may be a mistake, but right now we wanted a cold beer and to wash off 2 inches of road dust. If I said the roads in this country are ok, I lied. A road in this country is ok and the rest are all crap.
father and son fishing dust road wooden bridge
many of these stops the garage the fixers
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DAY 10 & 11 MANDALAY
With out U Myi Myent we are now back to our own survival. Really not a lot to do in this town except look at more Temples. Unable to accomplish any planning on Sunday as everything is closed, we just killed time. The boat that runs everyday to Bagan doesn’t, so we are waiting until Tuesday to get out of town.
taxi green sign says “no foreigners” good beer
DAY 12,13,14,15 BAGAN
Well, the boat does not really run on Tuesday, so we hopped a plane and flew 25 minutes to Bagan. To get to the airport was a 1 hour drive with no traffic. The Mandalay airport is in the middle of nowhere. A huge “international” new airport with 10 jetways with all of about 60 passenger and one prop plane that did not use a jetway. Nothing works or is turned on. The typical Burma operation. Flying over the countryside brought many memories. From up here the place looks great. You could see dozens and dozens of oxen plowing fields and not one tractor.
Checked into Bagan Hotel http://www.blogger.com/ for $40/nt. Anywhere else in the world this would be a 5 star 140nt/hotel. We set off that afternoon to see the old temples. There are over 3,000 temples here built in the 11th and 12th century.
We had no intention of seeing them all.
Vicki is still declining in health with what we think is a cold, but now she has major joint pain so we call in medical help. The doctor arrives around 8am, says she has a local virus and to stay in bed for 3 or 4 days, take these pills and away he went.
So, we redo our plans. She stays in bed and Shaw Kaw, me and willy go touring. Well, mainly we are out trying to find stuff to make Vicki comfortable.
There are many old US Army jeeps in this country. This one is left over from Vietnam but there are still some WW II jeeps running. I watch the big first class tourist boat dock on the river. The only interesting part of this is how they tie up. They stick a long pole in the ground and the boat pulls on it to sink it in and then they tie the pole down to a peg. Interesting.
There is a false economy in this country driven by drug money. You do not see drugs but you do see the effects of the money. I have been told most of these big hotels and airlines are for laundering money. The airplane ticket that we bought for $66 is written on the ticket(all tickets are hand written and only cash) at $128. So, if that is part of the deal it is pretty out in the open.
yangoon airways modern office.
Again we witness the great divide between us and the average Burmese. As we set on the river bank having an extensive breakfast buffet, just a few yards away people are plowing with oxen and planting small peanut patches.
my personal breakfast staff Vicki and friend 1441
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DAY 16, 17, 18
Thank goodness for socialized medicine and fairly priced drugs ($4) as Vicki is up and running…well walking again, and we are off to the beach after all.
To get there we fly back to Rangoon and fly back almost to Bagan except on the beach. While in Rangoon we met U Myo Myent and went to lunch. He spent 3 days sleeping in the car of unknown origin waiting for a part to come from Mandalay before he got home.
Sandaway (Ngapali/Thandwe) was one of the most beautiful places in the world. In Rangoon, I never worked more than 3 days a week and usually just 2. It left plenty of time to set at the bar at the American Embassy club and drink with friends and try to plan 2 things in Burma. One, how to take the helicopter and steal the top off the Swhadgon Pagado that had ruby’s, emeralds and a 75 carrot diamond in it; two, get a 99 year lease on the Sandaway Beach. The beach had and old British guest house with bungalows and there were some grass shacks and that was it. This was one of the most tranquil and untouched beaches in the world. Why it had such a magical touch I don’t know but it was not just me. My good friend Steve Truax got to spend more time there than I. This is what he says about it.
Can't tell you how much I loved that place and those people!! Best kept secret in all of SEA! I was the ONLY honkie there most of the time! God, what great memories!!
I remember (and cherish) the feeling of isolation and being cut off from the rest of the crazy world. Remember the MARS stations in RVN, and the HF radios we used in Balikpapan, Palembang, Rangoon and Sandowoy?? Now THAT was hi tech to me!! Also the extent of communication I wanted while I was in the bush. Leave me alone!!
My feelings exactly!!!
We arrived about 3pm. The airport had not changed much. Each airport requires different stuff. In Bagan it was security and health; in Rangoon nothing; and here immigration. It’s Burma.
My first choice to stay, Silver Beach Cottages was full, and not knowing about the others and Vicki’s disease, I went upscale. Something, as you know, I prefer not to do. The Amata Resort http://www.blogger.com/ is an excellent “resort” type place just as they advertise. It is about 20 minutes from the airport and you would think that to be a long way. Nope, it is just a couple of kilometers, but the road is that bad. Despite being 4 star, it is still Burma. Each room comes with a little safe. Only problem, it is not attached to anything.
this was all ours aren’t they cute
I can tell you the beach is not what it used to be, but what they have done is excellent. They have basically protected it as much as possible. There are no buildings higher than 2 stories and those are all cottages. Almost all the palm trees are still there. Everything is well hidden in the natural foliage. All hotels are relatively small. No massive resorts. I am impressed.
Steve wanted a picture of a damn rock on the beach, so a off I went on ratty bike in tropical heat to find it. I pedaled past hotel row, over the hill and through the rice paddy, stopped for free air in the tire, found a great native beach side bar but had water instead of beer, rode up the beach, walked, climbed over rocks and found the “rock on the beach” just short of the airport. This stretch of beach is almost untouched from days of old. Some grass huts and one unfinished concrete house. Took the picture, talked to the little urchins and headed home. About half back I called it quits and grabbed a cab.
more photos
DAY 19 NOV 17TH LEAVING RANGOON
Half a day at the resort and now we start the long slow trip home. We are returning standby, so who knows what adventures the future holds.
Returning to Burma was a great experience. If you want a real vacation back in time this is the place for you. The world has changed little in this country and though they still have the freedom to move now, they do not have the freedoms we know. In a way they are still cut off from the world. Phone calls are expensive and internet phone is not an alternative as in 99% of the country it is non-existent or slower than dial up and censored by the government.
Whether I never read the Burma history in my youth here, when drinking and having a good time was a higher priority, or the drinking made me forget it all, it is not what I thought it was. I did read the history of this country while here this time. It basically has been in turmoil since it began. The whole country revolves around astrology and fortune tellers. No one has a family name. When you are born you go to the monk or fortune teller and they read the stars and signs and give you a name. The leader..make that dictator of the country when I lived here, General Nye Win ran the whole country biased on this. His lucky number was 9 so all denominations of money had to be divisible by 9.
So, if they do have a free and fair election next year, and no one believes that will happen, they still will have serious problems running the country.
But the bottom line is the country is beautiful and the people are great.
THE END
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