Destinations

Khay Min Gha Phaya Temple

We headed in the morning to see a few more areas around Bagan.  Our first stop was Khay Min Gha Phaya Temple.  Bagan is amazing, everywhere you turn, you see these temples.  It is a Unesco world Heritage site.

Every direction that you look there are pagodas and stupas.  I stopped taking pictures because I thought how many pictures can you take?  There are over 2,500 stupas and pagodas and they don’t all look the same.

As we left the ship, my travel companion (Jet) talked to one of the people selling T-shirts.  When we got on the bus, I told him that he shouldn’t have engaged with her, she had him on her radar.  She stood outside the bus holding up t-shirts and waving to him. Continue reading →

In the evening we headed to an are to watch the sunset.  I am not one for heights and we were allowed to climb up a temple in order to get the best photos of the sunsets. I slowly and reluctantly went up five sets of stairs to photograph the sunset.  It was crowded and I cannot say it was a pleasant experience. I had the Japanese on the one side and the Germans behind me and the French on the other side.  It was crowded and people were pushing. I kept thinking someone was going to go over the side.  It was worth it.

Bagan is often compared to Angkor Wat.  I must admit that although Bagan is impressive with ancient stupor after ancient stupor, it isn’t quite Angkor Wat. However, it was impressive!

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I arrived in Bagan this morning.  As the ship docked a small group of young women formed selling T-shirts, post-cards, Longyi pants and other memorabilia.  We hadn’t even left the boat and they were already bargaining.  We hadn’t seen this in the other less travelled villages.

The girls had learned a few English phrases that they all said.   “What is your name?”, “My names is ……. remember me, don’t by elsewhere”,  “You think about it, you think about it later!”.

I learned long ago the best way to handle the aggressive sales people were to pretend they weren’t there.  Any sort of acknowledgement encouraged them.  I noticed on one day that the woman outside of the boat were also at our first stop and then our next one.  They were being picked up on motorcycles and following the tour bus. Continue reading →

In the afternoon, we visited a monastery.  The Yout-Saun-Kyaung Monastery built-in 1882 completely of wood. There are detailed ornate carvvings that surround the outside of the building that depict the different lessons of buddha. Continue reading →

As usual, I wake before sunrise and hurry up to get to the sun-deck to watch the sunrise.  They are as beautfiul as the sunsets.

Our first day, we were taught how to greet someone in Myanmar by saying “Mingalaba”, we hear it all the time and when we venture into the villages, the locals love it when we use it. The also taught us “Tata” which means good bye. This morning the ship put together a presentation o n Burmese Customs.  Each one of us were given a Longyi and we learned the many ways the Longyi could be used.  Both men and women wear Longyi but the patterns for the man and women are different.  I had no idea there were so many different ways a Longyi could be tied.

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Making Paan

Betel Nuts

Betel Leaves

When I landed in Yangon, the first thing I noticed were a couple of porters with deep red lips.  It didn’t look like lipstick, I wasn’t sure what it was going on.  When I spoke to the porter, he smiled and it was hard to hide my disgust, his teeth were stained dark red and they didn’t look at all healthy.  He turned from me and spit into the garbage can bright red liquid.  Reminded me of chewing tobacco but clearly they weren’t chewing tobacco. Continue reading →

Mya-Tha-Lun Pagoda

We arrived in Magway after lunch.  We were picked up by trishaws and taken to Mya-Tha-Lun Pagoda.  I noticed that Viking had pu in their daily overview that it was made of solid gold bricks.  Someone asked about it and the guide said that it wasn’t made with solid gold bricks.  He thought someone at the Lonely Planet guide books missed something in translation and it got published as being made of solid gold bricks.

After seeing the pagoda we got back on our trishaw and headed to the market.  I have to admit, I pity the poor trishaw drivers.  When they signed up for this, did they know what the big American tourist looked like?  They certainly got their workout for the day peddling our tour group around.

I love a local market.  Call me strange but no matter where I go, I want to see their market whether it be a grocery market or an outside local market.  It gives me an idea of what they eat, Here in the states, the healthy items are aound the perimeter with the other 80 percent of the market – processed food.  It is different in every country.

In southeast asia, most shopping is done at the local market and fresh often means still alive.  You can have your chickens beheaded and defeathered in front of you or you can take home and do yourself.  Fish, prawns and crab are usually floopping around in shallow water.

At this market we learned about shrimp paste.  In Burma, shrimp paste is like ketchup is to Americans.  It can be put on almost anything.

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We sailed again this morning to Minhla and visited a fort constructed by two Italian brothers to protect the Royal Burma from the British.  Our tour guide gave a lengthy lecture on the history of Burma and the series of wars with the British colonists.  I will sum it up by saying, ulitmately the British defeated the burmese capturing the fort in 1885.

Minhla Fort

Minhla Fort

Minhla Fort

The weather has really suprised me.  In the morning, it is cold.  I had to put jacket on when I went to breakfast.   It gets warmer throughout the day and by mid-afternoon the temperature rises into the high 80’s.  I cannot imagine what it is like during the summer.

Although it is cool in the morning, it is hardly cold yet the natives are all wearing coats, sweaters and hats.  They are dressed as if it is winter and I am in shorts.

The moring tour started out with archeoligical sites nceint Thiri-ya-kittiya, arheologiical site that is the former capital of Pyu civilization which existed from the fifth to eighth century.  The tour guide told explained something that I had been wondering for years – the difference betweent a pagoda and a stupa.  A Stupa is solid – like a potatoe, it is solid and you cannot go in it, a temple is hollow and a pagoda is like a dumpling – it has many things including stupas and temples.

Along the way we learned how they made palm sugar. Continue reading →

This morning I left Yangon for Pyay where the Viking Mandalay was docked. On our way out of Yangon, we passed by Aung San Suu Kyi’s house.  Besides the gate, there wasn’t a lot to see but the Burmese, Aung San Suu Kyi is a hero.  I remember first learning about her back in 1990’s.  I had seen the film “Beyond Rangon” which was about an American who witnesses the military crack down and abuse of power.  I became interested in Aung San Suu Kyi and her courage to fight for democracy.

You can clearly hear the adoration in people’s voices when they talk about Aung San Suu Kyi. They call her “The Lady”.  You see her picture everywhere. I almost feel she is considered a saint.

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