Yangon and the Shwedagon Pagoda

February 2016

 

We flew from India to Yangon, which was previously known as Rangoon, in a country that was previously known as Burma but now, of course is known as Myanmar.  Have to say I prefer the old names, as apparently do many of the locals.  Perhaps because of my memories of Rudyard Kipling stories, Rangoon and Mandalay (which fortunately has retained its name – so far), have a romanticism that Yangon lacks.

 

Yangon is an interesting enough city – a mix of old British colonial buildings in varying states of decay, the ubiquitous characterless high-rises that can be seen anywhere and everywhere, and golden-domed Buddhist pagodas.  The people look like a mixture of Chinese, Thai and other Asian groups.  Certainly the Chinese have made a distinct and pervasive impression on everything.  The Sinicization of Myanmar is progressing apace here, as almost everywhere in southeast Asia.

Our hotel was on this street.

For whatever reasons Yangon is an expensive city, especially as far as hotels go, perhaps because there are so few of them.  We ended up taking a private room in a hostel, which was most useful in terms of the tips and advice we got from fellow travelers.  Where to go and how to get there, places that are more difficult to get to, but worth the effort, and places best avoided.  We added several places we hadn’t planned on seeing to our itinerary: Hpa-An, Mawlamyine, and Hsipaw, all quiet hidden gems. 

We spent several days just wandering the streets and taking in the Burman, or Myanmaran, culture.  Eating street food – the avocadoes were huge, with wonderful flavour.  Chatting with Myanmarmites, as we decided to call them.  Not a lot of people spoke English, but all were very friendly and helpful.  Myanmar is just beginning to experience more tourism, and is so far unspoiled.  We’re glad to be here now. 

Antennae or satellite dishes?  Everyone seemed to have one!

Huge avocados and gorgeous tropical fruits

Lots of street side eateries like this one

Public Mobile Urination Room - thanks, I'll wait...

Water pipes - yikes!

Let sleeping dogs lie - even in Buddhist temples

We visited several pagodas.

Loved this open air pagoda

The reclining Buddha

And his huge, fabulous feet.

Shwedagon Pagoda

And of course spent a full day, with thousands of others, at the famous Shwedagon Pagoda.

For more information on Yangon go to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yangon

For more information on the Shwedagon Pagoda go to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shwedagon_Pagoda

Mawlamyine and ‘Pagoda Ridge’

February 2016

 

When we were in Yangon, planning where we were going to go – Bagan and Inle Lake, of course – the hard-to-prounounce city of Mawlamyine (also known as Moulmein, so much easier to pronounce) was not on our radar.  But a couple of tourists recommended it as a relaxed and picturesque spot with a wonderful walk along a ridgetop filled with pagodas.  Moulmein, situated in the Salween River delta, was first capital of British Burma and a main trading centre and seaport.  It was a cosmopolitan city with a large Anglo community.  Remanants of that heritage are everywhere – once stately old buildings now in ruins.  

Few tourists bother to visit Mawlamyine, so it’s wonderfully quiet.  We were the only guests in our hotel.  

At night we’d go down to the water, where street vendors sold a variety of noodley dishes.  We’d slurp them down, noisily and with relish, like the locals do, as we watched the sun set.

We spent an entire day up on 'Pagoda Ridge', which is dominated by the large and impressive Kyaik Than Lan Pagoda.  There are over 30 smaller temples on the ridge, all with something interesting to see, and all very photogenic.

This group of elf-like creatures lined one of the roads on the way to  the temples.  I wonder how often they require fresh coats of paint to keep them looking so colourful...?

The Kyaik Than Lan Pagoda 

A glittery, twinkly and very opulent room - with a gold Buddha at its centre

An elephant gate on the path to another temple...

One of the older temples, now falling into disrepair...

A bamboo Buddha!

 Cobra-dragon guardians protecting the temples

The views from the top of the ridge were spectacular.

For more information about Mawlamyine go to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mawlamyine

Hpa An and Saddan Cave

February 2016

Hpa An is a small town, around 4-5 hours from Yangon by bus.  It's on the other side of the Gulf of Martaban, an arm of the Andaman Sea.    So to get there by road you've got to go first northeast and then southeast.  In the old bus we took, it was a long ride.  Hpa An is in Karen State (now called Kayin State).  The Karen people have been engaged in ongoing conflict with the government of Myanmar for many many years, and we wondered if we would see any evidence of that, but all was quiet when we were there.

We didn't spend much time in the town itself - just the time it took to find transport to the places we wanted to see, but we did see several things of interest - a man wearing a traditional Karen hat, and a pan seller making up the wads of pan that so many locals chew here.  The resulting red spit is everywhere. 

A Karen man, with his distinctive hat

A busy pan seller - like many Asians, many Burmese chew - and spit - pan

Saddan Cave

 

Our main reason for going to Hpa An was to see Saddan Cave, one of many Buddhist cave temples in the area.  Getting there was half the fun.  We took an small open-sided truck, perched on little plastic stools with about six other ‘passengers’ – all locals.  The countryside we traveled through was spectacular.  

Sitting in the back of the mini-truck

Nearing the cave

 

The cave is named after Saddan, the king of elephants who lived nearby. 

There’s a wonderful elephant gate and set of stairs leading up to the narrow entrance to the cave.  

 

Once inside the cave opens up into a very large grotto, filled with hundreds of little Buddha statues.  

 

There are also massive stalactites, and carvings in the walls.

 

Beyond the initial grotto the cave narrows, continuing on for another 300 feet to its exit, where there’s a large lake.  According to Karen legends, this is Saddan’s bathing lake.  It’s a beautiful serene spot, ringed by rocky cliffs, and full of flowering lilies.  

 

There’s another cave across the lake, this one flooded.  There were several boatmen in canoes offering to take tourists across the lake and through the smaller flooded cave.  We took one and enjoyed a dark and quiet ride - too dark for photos....

Water for the thirsty - we brought our own....

The cave's caretaker, having a little nap

For more information on Saddan Cave go to:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saddan_Cave

or read more about it at:  https://www.lonelyplanet.com/myanmar-burma/hpa-an/attractions/saddan-cave/a/poi-sig/1371917/1335726

For more information on Karen State and the ongoing conflict between the Karen people and the government of Myanmar go to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_conflict