Yangon, Bagan, Mandalay

Yangon

At this point in our travels, about half way through our 10-month trek, we were getting a bit travel weary. This leg of our journey is full of little hiccups that probably could’ve been easily avoided.

We arrived at our hotel in Yangon (formerly Rangoon), learned about the various amenities, including the restaurant where the buffet breakfast was held. Famished and exhausted, we went to the hotel restaurant for dinner. The lights were all turned off except for where the two employees were sitting. That should’ve been our first clue. We asked if they were still open for dinner, they said “yes” so we sat down. They were not open. They opened for us, and most of the items offered on the menu were not available. Communicating was difficult. It was one of the most awkward dinners we’ve had. But, we ate. Sometimes it’s just all about survival!

Getting to the Shwedagon Pagoda the next day was another ordeal. We arrived in a taxi, went up the many stairs shoes in hand) to the ticket booth. We were a few kyats short, asked for an ATM but they didn’t know where one was. Down the stairs (shoes in hand). We decide to walk back to the hotel following the GPS. What we didn’t realize at the time was the address on the hotel key card was incorrect. On the way to the (wrong) hotel we see a glorious thing: an ATM. With a wallet full of cash, we hop in a cab that is blasting Shania Twain. Shoes off, up the steps to the ticket booth. We *finally* have our tickets, walk into the pagoda and see not one, but MANY ATM’s inside! Besides our long-drawn-out ATM scavenger hunt, we liked our time at the Shwedagon Pagoda. It was saturated with deep red, gold and green beautiful decorations.

Entrance to Shwedagon Pagoda

Walking to find the ATM.

Shwedagon Pagoda

Shwedagon Pagoda

Shwedagon Pagoda

Shwedagon Pagoda

Bagan

Flying into Bagan was a nail biter. Our pilot missed the runway the first time around, so we circled back through the fog and luckily had success the second time! (see Dad’s Airlines post)

Upon successful landing in Bagan, we were met with a “visitor tourist fee” that we had to pay that we weren’t aware of. As our bags were held captive, Dad went inside the tiny airport to pay the tourist fee. After paying the fee, we each received a card that we showed at the various tourist destinations in Myanmar. As we loaded into the taxi, the men who had held our bags captive held out their hands for a tip “Carry carry money money.” Dad’s reaction to this is captured on his list of Airlines on Dad’s page.

Through Airbnb we signed up for a cooking class taught by a lady in the outdoor kitchen at her house. She lived there with her daughters and sisters who spent time with us and helped us cook. The best part of the class was being able to ask questions about the culture and ask their opinions about various subjects. The countertops were covered in vegetables, spices and meat. K spent most of her time making curry. We made lots of food. Tons of it. We had so much food left over that we brought back to Dad who was home with C, who was under the weather.

Claypot over hot coals

Vegetables

Spices

K making curry

For our second day in Bagan, we hired a driver to take us to many famous pagodas. Trying to be thrifty, we didn’t get an English speaking guide, which we somewhat regret because half the time we had no idea what we were looking at or its significance. As we went to the different pagodas, many people, tourists and locals, asked to take pictures with us, primarily because of my blue-eyed, blond haired sisters. We were used to people sneaking photos of us on the metro, but it was our first experience taking photos WITH people.

H’s traditional Myanmar meal

Pigeons loved the pagodas as much as we did.

For the second to last stop of the tour in Bagan, we went to Golden Cuckoo Lacquerware where we learned about different types of bamboo artwork. It can take six months to complete one cup, bowl, chopstick etc. They don’t use glue, it’s held together only with pressure. They don’t use paintbrushes to put the varnish on either. They use their fingers to avoid streaks in the finish. It’s nearly impossible to break one of these beautiful works of art.

Lastly, we went to watch the sunset on a hilltop with many other tourists. This was the next best thing to doing a balloon ride. Of course we had to buy H a coconut as well.

Mandalay

The same driver from the day before drove us the four hours to Mandalay. Many of the men in Mandalay chew a plant that turns their teeth red. Besides working to avoid the major missing patches of sidewalk, we enjoyed walking around the city. We stayed in a nice hostel in a central location. Only being there for one full day, we hired a driver to take us to the pagodas and temples so we could make the most of our time there. By the end of the day, we were getting tired of pagodas! While touring around Myanmar, we noticed the tan paste that many women and children wear on their faces. We discovered that it’s called thanaka made from the thanaka tree. They use it to protect their skin from the sun and as a beauty product. Apparently the men wear it too, but only at night. You can see Dad posing with a friendly woman with thanaka. They had the best laugh together!

Largest Book Kuthodaw Pagoda

Kuthodaw Pagoda

Kuthodaw Pagoda

Our driver dropped us off at the U Bein Bridge, which is very popular for tourists at sunset, but we chose to go in the middle of the day. We were some of the only non-locals there. We received a lot of stares, and at one point, a man came up to my sister, sat down next to her and put his arm around her to take a selfie. My mom yelled at him and he wouldn’t stop. This part of S.E. Asia has had some tough sights and realities of life, especially for the girls. There was a dead puppy just lying near the stalls by the bridge.

For sunset, we drove up to Mandalay Hill. H was approached by a monk who asked if he could speak English with him. He was a novice who was the leader/teacher of the group and ended up talking a lot with us. A group of girls also wanted to practice their English. We had a fantastic time talking with all of them. This time friendly locals asked permission to have their photos taken with us, especially C and K. C had many babies handed to her! That evening was one of our favorite memories from our trip to Myanmar.

Family photo taken by the novice we met.

C is being handed babies for photos

Next up, after a quick pit stop in Bangkok, we are in the desert of Oman!