In October 2013 hubby and I visited Myanmar.
Now with the recent coup and ongoing unrest in Myanmar, memories of our trip resurfaced.
Aung San Suu Kyi had been released from house arrest in 2011, a quasi-civilian government had been elected, and tourism was no longer boycotted (Lonely Planet Myanmar).
The military still held quite a bit of power and it was intertwined with economic control. We tried to choose our tour company, guides and hotels to limit our support of the military, but the control was well hidden. At one hotel that was touted as a training opportunity for local youth, we found that the manager was “retired” military. We had an unpleasant interaction with him regarding the treatment of one of the employees. But on the whole, our guides were excellent and we were impressed with their professionalism and knowledge.
So much was unknown! To start, what was going on with multiple geographic names? Myanmar or Burma? Rangoon or Yangon?
We started our trip in Yangon, the economic capital. We were in Myanmar for 16 days. Here are images from the first five days.
Yangon
Trying new foods, especially fruits, is a favorite travel activity. Exciting to find a durian vendor!
Some people regard the durian as having a pleasantly sweet fragrance, whereas others find the aroma overpowering with an unpleasant odour. The smell evokes reactions from deep appreciation to intense disgust, and has been described variously as rotten onions, turpentine, and raw sewage.
Although some areas in the country were off limits to foreigners, we were free to explore on our own. It was very safe for us (probably due to military control), yet there were a series of still unexplained bombings in Myanmar while we were there, one bombing within blocks of our hotel.
The ancient temples at Bagan were next on the itinerary. Bagan was where we really noticed that it was HOT and HUMID in Myanmar (as expected). Geographically it’s in the center of Myanmar, between Chauk and Myingyan on the map.
During the kingdom's height between the 11th and 13th centuries, more than 10,000 Buddhist temples, pagodas and monasteries were constructed in the Bagan plains alone,[2] of which the remains of over 2200 temples and pagodas survive.
From Bagan we took a day trip to Mt Popa. I have a uncontrollable sweet tooth, so along the way we stopped to check out jaggery production. Jaggery reminded me of molasses-sugar maple candy. And if I see a market, we have to stop. It’s funny, I hate to shop at home.
Mt Popa Temple – 777 steps and assertive monkeys. And Nats!
It took most of the trip to begin to understand nats. They are spirits of the dead who protect the living. Small structures resembling simple dollhouses provide shelter for nats. For example, a nat can reside on a stair step, to protect someone from falling down the stairs.
“It is believed that the nearby Taung Ma-gyi is inhabited by the Great Nats. According to Burmese Buddhist beliefs, nats are a diverse group of spirits who ranged from being personal guardians to spirits of the forest. The worship of nats predates the arrival of Buddhism in Burma, though it was merged with the teachings of the Buddha when it arrived from India in the 3 rd century B.C.”
After returning to Bagan, we took a morning river boat to Mandalay.
Thanks for looking at my first Kos diary. Comments, constructive criticism, cocktails and chocolate are welcome and appreciated.