Yangon. 

 

We have very long flight. More then 24 hours. We are completely dead. 

 

We bought SIM card in airport. It’s 75 usd for 20 days. And it’s empty. We also buy 5 cards. Every 10 usd. For international calls its 1 usd per minute. Local are very cheap. Internet 2 kyats per min. And 978 kyats per 1 usd if you sell one bill 100 usd. 

 

We stay in Agga Guest House. It’s in Downtown. In Chinatown. Our street is narrow. It’s early and we cannot get into rooms. So we go to pick up our train and air tickets which I booked before.

 

There are numerous Chinese around and they sell a lot of food just on the street. We bought something. It’s was testy. But then they give one portion of soup and its smell SO bad!!! I don’t know what is this!

 

At 12 we returned to hotel and took the rest. Two hours of sleep. We have big rooms with balcony. Toilet facilities in corridor. They are shared. Clean. No paper. No hot water). Friendly staff and very quick Wi-Fi. 

 

Next destination and main is Shwedagon. This gold pagoda is huge  and surrounded by complex of temples. We walked 40 minutes. Entrance for foreigners now is 8usd. There are 4 entrances. They have escalators. And we arrived directly into the main place with gold Paya. It’s shimmering in sun lights! It’s so beautiful!  We start our clockwise trip between numerous temples. They all are richly decorated with colored glass, pieces of mirrors, gold and teak curving. Everywhere Buddha’s. And people who move, donate, pray. We made one full turn. Sunset starts. And the colors also start to change. We just sat and watch this miracle. 

Wonderful!

 

But it’s a time to eat. 

 

We exit from East gate. Here are dirty and smell bad. 

 

Near the lake there are few restaurants but they are overpriced and overcrowded.   

 

So we follow to New Delhi Restaurant in Downtown. From this time we didn’t know yet  that the best food is street foot. This small unpleasant cafe do not wonder us and we follow to our hotel. Occasionally we found small cafe and eat noodles with sauce.  And then found that just near our hotel night vendors sell sea food, fruits, sweets, meat and vegetables. Don’t mind! Next time we will be more cleaver. 

 

The night was quite. 

 

In the morning we at first drink coffee at cafe Parisien.  Real coffee and real fresh juices. Testy!  And we found that our next street ( we live on 13th street ) is full of cafe and small restaurants. 

 

There is no possibility to get to Yangon river. We walked  and in 30 min reached hotel Strand. Opposite was big market  and ferry boat station. At that time Huge ferry depart. It was old and had awful exterior. I cannot understand why it’s not sank at this moment. 

 

We also visited Gems Museum. It’s pretty long way by taxi in traffic jams. Museum is 4 floors building but 3 first floors are shops with ordinary and cheap jewelry. There were some gold things with gem stones but not beautiful at all. 

Museum is only on 4th floor. 5$ pp. There are different stones from all regions of Burma, interactive map of semiprecious stones, hems and minerals if Burma and few pieces of art. I think it would better to sleep In hotel instead of…

 

The time of our depart approach. Our train was at 3 pm. So we returned to neighbors with hotel street ( must be 12th but have a name), and ate perfect sushi!

 

Then taxi drop off us on the railway station. 

 

Station has big waiting hall before the platform. Platform is defended by big fence. It’s close. Half of hour before departure the fence was opened and people can go through the small gap to platform. Every person show the tickets. 

 

We were brought by staff  to our sleepers coach. We had personal entrance and personal half of coach! We also had luggage room and toilet. We were completely happy! But we are completely separate from other train. If something happens we are not able to get into another coach – there is no pass, it’s not exist. 

 

The train slowly starts. Our coach began to move in different directions. As train go  faster, the coach start to shake us as ice in shaker! I was forced to keep myself not to be beaten by sides! Small walk to the toilet is real adventure. And it became more and more cold. I put on all my clothes. It’s cold. 

 

 

 

 

Mandalay. 

 

We didn’t slept this night. We arrived to Mandalay exactly in time, at 5-30.  Slowly we escape our coach. It was something from movie what we see on platform – hundreds of people came out from every window of coaches. They also throw on platform big boxes and luggage. 

 

We were hungry and wanted to drink something. 

 

Just near the railway station was cafe for locals – tables, simple chairs, big cans with food. Termites for tea are everywhere. Tea is free everywhere. So we ordered small fried samosas. Perfect. Then soup, rise. Very testy! And we paid 2,5 usd for all food. 

 

At 6-30 we arrived to hotel Fortune. It’s amazing but check- in is from 6-00! So, we pick up our keys and play dead at the same moment. 

 

At 10-30 we start our Mandalay sightseeing. Because of sleeping its seems to us that we are second day in the city. 

We walked slowly. Mandalay has straight and wide streets. They are dirty and not attractive. The distances are huge. This two or tree blocks to Mandalay Palace we passed after 40 min. And arrived to West gates. They are not for foreigners. Our gates are from East side and its more then 6 km!

 

Mandalay palace is not comfortable for taxi pick up – there are no taxi on the streets! Occasionally there are some of them but they are busy. There is a place between 27/82 ( seems) streets where all cars wait for orders. 

 

One local person proposed car service. In 10 minutes we received open air car for agricultural works. Just 40 usd! We refused. 

 

After 5 min one car stops near us and driver, who speaks English (!) ask about our problem!!

His name was Thiha and he became our driver for next week ( but first we agreed the prices per day per place).  

 

Mandalay Palace is very impressive from external. There are massive fortified walls and numerous towers-pagodas around. But inside its nothing. Palace was at first plundered by locals. Then English troops finished its beauty. The rests were bring to private collections, estates and Victoria and Albert museum. It was also governor house with golf club. After last big fire the rests were collapsed. 

Now Palace is finished. 

 

Opposite the entrance to the palace it’s small local cafe with fresh avocado juice and green tomato salad. It’s something very delicious!

 

Next point Mandalay Hill. Taxi get us to the top. 

 

Here is temple- pagoda complex of impossible beauty! All shimmering because numerous pieces of mirrors and color glass. And of course gold. A lot of gold statues, columns, flowers everywhere. From this point it’s a view all over Mandalay and surroundings. But usual mist do not give visibility farther then to Irrawady. 

 

By the way we visited very quiet teak monastery Shwe In Bin Kyaung. Nice place for relax and meditation. It has in the center of territory old building, made from teak and rich decorated. Curving there is everywhere – on doors, near windows, on the roof. Teak is very dark brown color. Inside there are big columns, also teak. 

 

And we also had been in very sacred place Mahamuni Paya. This temple is richly gilded inside. It has big corridors, arched passes and looks like medieval European monastery. Inside there is big statue of Buddha. People buy small books with thin leafs of gold and pressed this gold on statue. Width of gold cover on Buddha now is more then 12 sm! There is a queue   of man to put on gold. Women don’t allow to approach ( actually, Buddha didn’t say that women cannot approach and touch him). 

 

And it’s time to see famous teak bridge U Beins in Amarapura. 

 

It’s pretty long way because of traffic. Thousands of motorbikes follow the streets. They ride the way they ride. Nothing can move them aside or faster. 

 

Near U Beins real pilgrimage. Dozens of touristic buses, taxi, minivans and crowds of people. Everywhere. On the bridge it’s people jam. We move shoulder to shoulder very slow. Then return back. We tried to find bust for sunset view. No. All boats already booked and mostly on the river. 

We just observed little bit sunset and escape to Mandalay. Here we ate in famous cafe Nay. The worth food from first day in Burma!

 

Sleeping in Fortune hotel. 

 

 

 

 

Monywa. 

 

It’s only 140 km North of Mandalay.  We are follow by taxi. It’s approximately 3 hours. 

 

First we cross Irrawady by new bridge. From Mandalay to Sagaing. It’s wonder, but it’s seems to me, that we crossed  Dniper river from left side to right! The same altitude of hills on right site, the same skyline, and green trees there, and a lot of white and gold pagodas! Like Lavra monastery complex! I think, right side of the Dniper just 100 years ago was like right side of Irrawady now! With golden tops if the churches. 

 

Roads in Burma are with payment. Not all. But main – yes. Sometime payment fixed, sometime our car was weighted (!). 

 All around by the way there are pagodas and temple, old and new, small and big, like complex and monastery. 

 

Mostly, people live very poor in houses made  from straw and wood. They have hens, chickens, pigs. A lot of cats and dogs everywhere. They sleep near the road, on the yards, on the bamboo chairs near the houses. Houses made from brick are rare. 

 

Our first stop was near the brick unpainted temple with lions. Morning sun gave nice light. It was first temple this type.  And we made a lot of photos. 

 

Then we stopped in small local cafe and ate tea leaf salad with big amount of fresh made samosas. Salad was delicious, with fried nuts, and samosa was with potatoes and something. All was served with sauces, pieces of garlic and small chilly. Total price for 5 persons was 3 usd. 

 

Near Monywa there is big complex Bodhi Tataung. It’s a place with 1000 Buddha’s in the garden, sitting in meditation, with umbrellas. They all observing huge hill. On this hill there is 116 m golden standing Buddha and just below big lying Buddha.  

 

There is an entrance to Big Buddha. This statue is biggest in Asia. But burmany don’t like it. They prefer smaller sizes.  Every floor inside devoted to buddish country ( Cambodia, Thailand, Korea ext). There are numerous pictures with life in hell (?). But this is not traditional in Buddhism!  The view point was closed. We returned back. 

 

In Monywa there is also big lake with nice restaurant. We took there coffee. Natural coffee is problem in Burma. You need ask Black  coffee. But usually it’s not in menu list. Locals drink mix from packets. And sugar is rare and expensive. Tea served without sugar or with sweet concentrated milk. Thermoses with tea are everywhere and they are free. We bought coffee  in the shop but it was one pack and they try to found it during 10 minutes! 

 

So, the coffee in restaurant was really good. 

 

And afternoon we get to the best place in Monywa – Thanboddhay Paya. This is huge monastery complex. The main building is quiet modern – 19th century. It’s pink color, with numerous multicolor flowers and details and more then 500 000 statues of Buddha, decorated all walls inside and outside temple! It’s something incredible! There are big monuments around the temple. They are like Cleopatra’s Needles and also covered with rows of Buddha. 

 

Inside temple again , as for me, look like not on buddish temple but on Italian monastery. Walls with Buddha seems to me be mosaic. Everywhere shimmering gold light and big gold statues of Buddha. Impossible to escape from this place!

 

Just near is strange view point (?) or temple decorated with mirrors and multicolor glass. It has four columns and central tower. I don’t know if Gaudy steel ideas from burmany or opposite!

 

Next temple has tigers. Everywhere. 4 of them guarded gates, 2 tried to get on the top of gates. All around the temples were tigers and their heads. Also there were statues of two Gentlemen’s near main entrance. I thin there were donators. But sculptures are realistic and strange. 

 

It possible spent here few hours. We found sacred animals half entering the walls, big dragon, half coming from the earth and covered with dark green tile, small richly decorated temples. Endless things!

 

But it was time to return to Mandalay. 

 

It’s get us 3 hour to return. 

 

 

 

Mandalay- Avva-Sagaing 

 

Around Mandalay there are tree more previous capitals of Burma.  Now we are going to Avva. 

 

Mostly people start day with observing how monks eat their breakfast in monastery. But it’s seems to me stupid and we escaped this option. 

Actually there are monasteries for girls and for boys. We see every morning long chains of monks and nuns with  special bows for  alms.

Young monks in dark terracotta    capes.  And nuns in pink. And everybody bold!  They all follow along the streets stooping near shops, restaurants and just near houses. And people give them money, food ext. In Bagan I saw long queue of nuns. They receive blankets near hotel.  Many monks who are adults eat in restaurants. And mostly they have good expensive gadgets – I- phones, tabs ext. 

 

So, we went to Avva. This city was capital of Burma 4 times. 

 

To get to Avva first need to cross the river by old boat. It’s also possible to make loop by the road but for tourists it’s boat.  

 

Boat is old. Person pumping water from boat. Second person is with engine and he drives against current by two hands and two legs. 

 

On another bank there are numerous carts. 200 of them. Full trip in Avva is strictly 6usd. 

 

There are 4 main sites in this old capital. 

First is temple. Beautiful temple with rich massive stucco curving, with thick walls inside and long cold passages. It has hidden ladders and terraces. There are old payas around which are covered with grass. 

 

Second one is clock – watch tower but I don’t like it. 

 

Third one was ancient temple complex with half ruined temple, without selling but with very Rome columns and big Buddha inside. 

 

And last one was biggest teak monastery in Burma. It’s looks like Norway  stave churches little bit. It has numerous rich wooden curving and huge columns inside. They are at least 20 m high and may be 1 m in diameter. This construction situated on the water, so like Venice buildings it has also big amount of supporting columns. 

 

That’s all. We crossed small river by boat. Then crossed Irrawady. Again it was like entering to Kiev from left bank to right. 

 

Sagaing didn’t impressed me. The main Sagaing Hill is copy of our Lavra monastery complex. It’s ancient, it has something sacred, it has numerous pilgrims.  All hills around are covered with stupas, temples ext. But they are very similar, as for me. 

 

The only one stupa which was in 10 km ahead was different. It’s round shape, golden and big. According to Legend it has such a form because king ordered make it like breast of his wife. May be).  It’s beautiful and has inside pond with sacred fish. We also bought there 10 swallows and release them. 

 

And then it was mountain road to Pin Oo Lwin. May be 3 hours. By the way we bought avocado (7 pieces on 1 usd, 1 kg of mandarins for 1 usd and all for tea leaf salad – tea leafs and fried beans with nuts for 1,5 usd). 

 

We arrived afternoon to Pin Oo Lwin. This city located in mountains, was favorite fr English. Here is best golf club in the country, a lot of colonial buildings, huge botanical gardens and numerous restaurants. 

 

We stay in guest house. With breakfast and hot water. 25 usd per room. Room is cold. And the temperature outside in the evening is low.