The Wanderings of busman7

OK back in business. Not sure what the guy at the internet café in Mandalay did but had to get windows reinstalled to get things back to normal & the good news is only cost 200 Baht ($6) just gotta love Bangkok!!!!

Good old Lonely Planet guide (pretty good source of info most of the time) on Myanmar recommends not using the trains, or gov’t run boats as the US$ tourists pay goes to the government’s repressive regime. They also rant about them being late yada, yada, yada & advise using the bus, like buses never run late or breakdown? Yeah right!! Also a long trip in an Asian local bus where you are packed into the small seats with no leg room like sardines & that stop for a break every 3-4 hrs is no joy!!

Well I look at it from a different angle. When traveling on the train I am paying the taxi (or whatever) to get to the station, porters when needed, once on board I am buying food from the vendors that come aboard at the stations, then transport to the guest house, not to forget some of my ticket money goes to maintain the infrastructure & pay wages. To date I have traveled from Yangon – Mandalay on the local train 16 hrs & was on time, then Hsipaw – Pyin U lwin 8 hrs about 1/2 hr late but this trip crosses the Gokteik Gorge, an amazing experience not to be passed up by any train buff! My total ticket cost US$36.00 so I sincerely doubt that amount is buying many toys for the leaders & with the Thayts spent directly with the locals it is a nonissue IMHO!!!

Yangon (Rangoon) with it’s Shwedagon Paya, Bogyoke Aung San Market, lakes & other activities is an interesting place to spend a few days & has cheap city buses, but with 5 million people it’s a bit big for my liking + the hydro supply is not very reliable.

Mandalay at about 1 million is better & a bit cooler but the hydro situation is worse so don’t waste money on a room with AC. Actually more to see there with the Mahamuni Paya, Shwe In Bin Kyaung monastery with it’s fabulous carvings & all made out of teak, Mandalay Hill, Mandalay Palace not forget the world’s biggest book. Then in nearby Amarapura is Bein’s Bridge the world’s longest teak bridge at 1.2 kms.

Must visit Hsipaw (silent H) (take a sweater for the evenings) just to walk around the small hill town & check out the clock tower, if nothing else then on the return trip to Mandalay take the train to Pyin, spend a night or 2 but make sure visit National Kandawgyi Gardens & watch out for the stage coaches!

The Slow Boat from Mandalay to Bagan on the Ayeyarwaddy River is a “Bucket List” trip for anyone wishing to spend a day (13+ hrs) relaxing while watching the past float by. Kipling wrote “This is Burma, it is quite unlike any place you know about” & he would still feel right at home as on the river it still pretty much the same as in his day.

Self-employed people my age (old fogies LOL) see things in a different way than most people.Had breakfast in a small Indian place (stayed at Grace 2 probably the only guest house in Burma not including breakfast) where conversation with the owner, a 3rd generation Burmese resident (family originally from Nepal) whose grandfather moved there before the British took over, revealed a happy man satisfied with his life & family. He owns his home but rents the unit housing his restaurant where his youngest son also works & pays very little to the tax man. He wasn’t concerned about civil rights or politics only with the fact that Burma has given him the opportunity to run his business, raise & educate his family in a comfortable lifestyle. Some thing that used to be possible in Canada until the turn of the century.

Went to the Moustache Brothers show my last night in Mandalay & it was worth the money, Par Par Lay is now out of prison & back in the show. However in talking with the owner’s son of the New Park guest house here in Bagan he had never heard of them so there is censorship as to what news the local population (that doesn’t have contact with tourists) has access to.

Myanmar as it has always called, except when the British occupied the land & called named it Burma, is a definite bucket list destination for any traveler who is looking different, safe & great people.

Think I have found a source of travel income, just charge all the Chinese & Burmese girls that want their picture taken with me! LOL

This entry was posted on Monday, December 28th, 2009 at 03:31 and is filed under Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.