And Then The Problems Began...
At the Mandalay Airport waiting to fly from Mandalay-Yangon-Sittwe, the problems began. There was a low pressure system over the Bay of Bengal causing unseasonably, heavy rains. This created a major snafu in all Myanmar airports. The first rule of flying in Myanmar is: there are extremely few non-stop flights. Most planes make at least two stops on every route. If your flight is a rare non-stop it is only because the plane has already made several stops and is on its way back to Yangon. Our plane was coming from Yangon, stopping at Pagan, picking us up in Mandalay, going on to Kentung, returning to Yangon, where our connecting flight was flying to Sittwe.
The waiting room was packed with people going to Pagan, Yangon and Kentung because it was too cloudy and rainy for the planes to land in Pagan. Everyone visits Mandalay and Pagan on their first trip to Myanmar...we did. Thank heavens for Toe otherwise we wouldn't have had a clue as to what was going on. Occasionally, a static filled announcement was made that no one could understand. Toe went back and forth to the personnel trying to get the latest news while tourists traveling without guides would come up to us and ask, "do you know what's happening?"
We sat...and sat...and sat the entire morning while planes in Yangon took off for Pagan, decided the weather wasn't good enough to land there, flew back to Yangon, waited a while and repeated the entire chain of events. At last the different airlines started landing in but our plane was going to take the waiting passengers in Mandalay on to Pagan first, and then come back for us. It became very obvious that we were not going to be able to fly to Sittwe. And we didn't.
Toe took us back to Trader's Hotel in Yangon (Diethelm footed the bill). We'd try again tomorrow and this is where we spent Christmas eve.
The next day...it was still pouring...Toe said the low pressure was stagnant over the Bay of Bengal...headed for the airport to find our flight to Sittwe cancelled. Decision-making time. Part of our Sittwe trip was traveling by boat upriver to see the Chin Tribe and Toe thought that all this rain would make it too dangerous. He's the man with the expertise so we eliminated Sittwe and the Chin Tribe. What about Ngapali Beach? How silly to spend three days on a beach when nobody knew how many days the rain would continue. Scratch Ngapali Beach.
What to do...it was Christmas Day, and most travel within Myanmar requires permits in the remote areas. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, we changed our Thai Air reservation and flew back to Bangkok that night, spending the remainder of the day visiting some shops. One, the Yangon Women's Home (also called Art & Decor in a reisdential area) had some beautiful costume and semi-precious jewelry made by the local women. Toe scrounged up some little "antique" shops on the way to the airport. We planned to visit Diethelm Bangkok the next day, see if any refund was possible and find someplace to go for our remaining week in Thailand.
Diethelm did give us a partial refund and arranged a trip down to Koh Chang, a Thai island beach resort, Southeast of Bangkok. It wasn't easy to make alternate reservations because it was the 1st anniversary of the Tsunami and most resorts were filled with commemorations and visitors over Christmas and New Years holiday season.
We are heading back to Myanmar in January, 2007. Diethelm has arranged a new itinerary for us (along with wonderful Toe as our guide) visiting: the far north, Myitkyina and surrounding areas; Pindaya caves and Kalaw day-trekking in the Mandalay area; different parts of Inle Lake; and, SITTWE, Mrauk U and the Chin Tribe! I'm determined to get there and, hopefully, the weather will cooperate. This is a three-week trip and there is still more to see in Myanmar as the government continues to open new areas .
*#*# happens when you travel...roll with the punches...adapt...adjust...and try again. Myanmar is definitely worth it!
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Hi all!
You are The Best!!!
G'night
Posted by: Terabanitoss | May 3, 2007 09:21 AM