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On our own we were able to obtain a flight from New York's JFK to Bangkok via Seoul, Korea, on Korean Air for a total of $842 per person, round trip. Round-trip air from :Bangkok to Yangon, Burma, was an additional $252 per person on Thai Airways.
I cannot say enough for the fine services of the airlines. Our flights from Yangon to Heho, Heho to Mandalay and Mandalay back to Yangon all were great.
We explained to Myriam that our main interest was photography and we needed a guide with a good command of the English language. Upon our arrival we were met by a most charming, friendly young man. speaking fluent English. Asia, 'our guide, proved to be a most congenial, competent and knowledgeable guide who worked with excellent drivers.
Going through Customs was most expedient, and the Customs officers were very friendly. Getting our luggage took time as there were large groups of tourists from Germany., Switzerland, France and Italy.
Our guide took us directly to the beautiful and charming Savoy Hotel, where we were met by an outstanding staff. The management welcomed. us, brought us cold drinks and gave us a tour of the beautiful swimming pool, dining rooms, etc. Our room was very large, with great air-conditioning and a beautiful bathroom with a hair dryer. As we had arrived early, we ate a wonderful American breakfast in a most charming room with a view of the famous Shwedagon Pagoda, only a 3-minute drive away.
Sights around Yangon
We spent the day walking through the Chinatown Market; visiting the Botataung Pagoda, which houses a hair relic of Buddha; walking around the famous old Strand Hotel, built in 1896, and walking around the Mawtin Street Jetty, where we watched the bustling activity on the wharf.
The next day we took an early morning drive via Bago to Kyaiktiyo, passing the World War II cemetery dedicated to the 27,000 Commonwealth forces who died in Burma. It was truly a memorable event for us. The cemetery was beautiful and immaculately groomed by a full-time staff of gardeners. After our 6-hour drive over very bumpy roads to Kyaiktiyo, we transferred to a special open truck for a 45-minute ride with hairpin turns along our ascent to Golden Rock.
Upon arrival at the foot of the mountain, we were surrounded by young men offering to carry our backpacks in their large bamboo baskets. Others ran up to us with sedan chairs to carry us up the mountain. We took advantage of the luggage carrier for our camera equipment but disappointed the chair carriers by walking up the mountain--a steep but pleasant 45-minute climb.
The sight of Golden Rock was well worth the effort, but we discovered that only men can actually touch the rock! The rock is so well balanced on its fulcrum that two people can make it sway (though not tumble down the mountain) as it is believed to .be balanced "on the hairs of the Buddha." Seeing the sunset from the rock was fabulous, and our stay at the Golden Rock Hotel was a wonderful experience--good food and a nice room.
After returning to Yangon, we visited the cashew nut plantations and the Buddhist Boys Orphanage and were fortunate to witness 1,000 monks having a meal together in one huge hall. (The. food was donated by a local wealthy merchant.)
Kalaw
We drove to Kalaw and stopped at two tribal villages, where we were met by many children and were invited inside one of their homes. The children were thrilled to receive pens, and Polaroid pictures were certainly a big success with the whole village.
We also took a half-hour walk in Kalaw to a beautiful pagoda and saw people walking their animals, cooking their meals, etc. We were most fortunate to witness a Light Festival in. town in which the children and young girls dressed in different tribal costumes and carried candles. It was a colorful, wonderful spectacle.
We overnighted at the Wooden Hotel, a famous half-timbered hotel with beautiful gardens that was a favorite hill-station retreat for British officials and their families during the hot season.
Inle Lake excursion
Early the next morning we drove to Pindaya, a small village noted for its umbrella industry, to visit Pindaya Cave, a very large cave with thousands of spectacular Buddhas of all sizes and ages. For those who cannot climb to the cave, there is a modern elevator outside.
We next had a 3-hour, bumpy drive to Kaung Dine, located at the northwestern shore of Inle Lake. We stayed at the Royal Orchid Hotel, which was very clean, with a good restaurant and very pleasant employees.
We took a private boat (with three comfortable chairs and umbrellas, if desired) for a fu 11-day excursion on Inle Lake. We saw the "leg rowers" and the floating vegetable gardens and visited the home of the long-neck Padaung women with their golden neck rings. (They loved the Polaroid pictures.) The gardens, called kyunpaw, are cultivated from boats, usually by women.
There was a beautiful floating restaurant called Golden Island Cottages that welcomed us with a band. The food was outstanding--the best we had in Burma. Four people could eat here for about $35, including drinks, desserts and tip. At most places on this trip we could eat for $20-$25.
The Intha people who live on Inle Lake are talented metal workers, carpenters and weavers. Our guide bought two beautiful knives and we purchased some lovely scarves, chimes and handbags.
Our last stop here was Nga Phe Chaung Monastery, which is the oldest on the lake.
On to Mandalay
We continued to Taunggyi, the capital of the Shan state, where our guide took us to his family's lovely home in the mountains. Here we met his 95-year-old grandfather, a most charming gentleman who spoke English very well. We also met other members of his family.
After visiting the colorful local markets and "malls" plus hundreds of stores selling Burmese rubies, we drove to Heho for our flight back to Mandalay.
Upon our arrival, we drove to the 150-year-old U Bein wooden bridge located 11 miles outside the city. We walked across the 2-mile-long bridge among numerous bicyclists, other travelers and local people. At the end of the bridge we got into a small rowboat in order to see the sunset behind the bridge. We were charged $1 per person, and it was a beautiful sight.
Our evening stay at the Sedona Hotel Mandalay, a luxury hotel with a large swimming pool, saunas, massage rooms, beauty shops, exercise rooms, etc., was memorable. Meals, including a tremendous American breakfast buffet, were excellent, with very good prices.
In Mandalay we visited many monasteries, including the Mahamuni Pagoda, housing the most revered Buddha image in Burma, and the Shwemawdaw Monastery with its exquisite wood carvings. We concluded our visit by climbing up the 1,729 steps to Mandalay Hill to see the sunset. Both an escalator and an elevator are available for those who do not wish to climb the stairs or who do not have the two hours to spare.
From Mandalay we drove to Monywa, a town on the bank of the Chindwin River, and saw the Alantayar Pagoda, the site of one of the largest reclining Buddha in all of Southeast Asia. Among the temples we visited was the Hida-styl Thank Buddha Temple. We spent the night at the Monywa Hotel, where we had a very plain but clean room and good food.
Bagan and environs
Continuing to Pankangyi, we crossed the mighty Ayeyarwady River to Bagan, again in a private boat (approximately two hours). At the new Ar Thaw Ka Hotel, our room was large and beautiful, there was a nice swimming pool and the personnel were extremely friendly and helpful. The American breakfast was very good.
We dined at the Nanda Restaurant, which featured a wonderful marionette show. The food was excellent and the show quite entertaining -- all at very reasonable prices.
A 11/2-hour drive took us to Mt. Popa, the "Mount Olympus" of Burma, home of the gods. Alchemists and occultists live on the slopes of the '4,98 1-foot-tall mountain. We climbed 777 steps that were quite steep, but. there were places to rest on the way. Of course, all this was, in bare feet.
We returned to Bagan to enjoy a full clay in this city, one of the most extensive archaeological sites in Asia, with 2,000 temples and pagodas of various sizes and ages in various states of repair. Bicycles and horse carts are very popular for sightseeing in the area.
The Ananda Pagoda, built in 1091 by King Kyanzittha, is known for its art and architecture. Its teak doors are 900 years old. The Shwezigon Pagoda is another example of the solid architectural style of Bagan. Its stupa is the most venerated in Burma as it contains sacred relics of the Buddha: his tooth, collarbone and frontal bone.
There is also a marvelous lacquer factory in Bagan where you can purchase many beautiful articles. The lacquer process is most interesting; we saw young girls drawing very intricate and beautiful designs.
Our journey's end
We flew back to Yangon and, in the early evening, raced to the famous Shwedagon Pagoda--truly the piece de resistance! It was brilliant of our guide to save the best for last. Seeing its massive, golden, bell-shaped stupa rising 100 meters above its hilltop surroundings all lit up and backed by a dark blue sky was awesome!
In fact, all the stupas, bells, temples and Buddha images were lit up--15 miles of beauty. In addition, seeing all the people from around the world in their "finery" giving tributes of flowers and prayers was breathtaking.
RELATED ARTICLE: A few tips for a visit to Burma
* Have sandals or footwear that can be taken off easily several times a day, as you must go barefoot (no socks) when visiting certain sites,
* Take items such as pens, pencils, lipsticks or other cosmetic articles to offer as gifts.
* All hotels do laundry quickly and cheaply, so don't overload your suitcase.
* We had hot weather and no rain, so take cool clothing. Though we did see some tourists wearing them, we felt shorts were appropriate.
* I suggest taking an inexpensive Polaroid camera along with tour regular camera gear. It made for some wonderful "Kodak moments." for us. We used a Polaroid JoyCam and took enough film for 50 pictures; I suggest taking noless than that. For regular film, we did find the guidebooks accurate in pointing out that you can purchase film in Burma, so if you don't take enough you should be able to pick up some film there.
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