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?"

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Headed back down Golden Rock on the trucks and drove back to Yangon for the evening. ...View image... Flew Air Mandalay early the next morning from Yangon and started our sightseeing with a visit to Sagaing Hill which is perhaps the living center of Buddhist faith in Burma today. The hillsides are dotted with numerous pagodas and monasteries. Arriving at the top, I suddenly remembered that we had visited Sagaing in 1988. Not much has changed over the years but my mind!

Lunch at the Silver Sky Restaurant, on to the local ferry to visit Innwa (Ava) located on an island between the Ayeyarwady (the famous "road to Mandalay...") and Myitnge Rivers. We visited Ava by horse cart (you could also walk although the distances were great or even take a bullock cart). ... View image...The ruins of a brick and stucco monastery called Maha Aungmye Bonzan (also known as Ok Kyaung) is the main site.

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Kyaiktiyo is "Golden Rock," a huge boulder completely covered with gold leaf. The gilded boulder is delicately balanced on the edge of the sloping surface of a separate rock table. The boulder and rock barely touch each other. The legend is that the position of the boulder is held by virtue of the power of a Hair relic of Gautama Buddha, enshrined in the pagoda. Built in 574 BC (more than 2500 years ago) and recognized as one of the wonders of Southeast Asia, Golden Rock is an important pilgrimage site. The Kyaiktiyo Pagoda (Pagoda and/or Stupa are interchangeable words) is located on top of Mt. Kyaiktiyo at about 3,600 feet above sea level.

You get to the top by taking an open truck (very crowded) up the 6-mile dirt road to a mid-staging point. ...View image... The lower area is surrounded by food stalls and lots of hustle and bustle. The truck operators have their routine down to a science...wait until each truck is completely loaded, jowl-to-jowl,...cheek-to-cheek... and head on up with everyone hanging on for dear life. We smooshed ourselves in towards the backside of the truck to hold on because it resembles a bumpy, roller coaster ride. At the half-way mark, all foreigners get off with the aid of a little ladder and start walking to the final stage (another three miles), up steep paths. Foreigners are not allowed to travel any higher by vehicle because the road is steep and dangerous. ...View image...

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Toe, our guide, was standing in the airport inside customs waiting for us with all our Visa-on-arrival forms filled out. He rushed us into a small room where the Customs Official took our $$, stamped our passports, and we left the airport, past all the lines of tourists waiting to enter Burma! This was a very unexpected and impressive "rich and famous" moment.

To Trader's Hotel (part of the Shangri-La Hotel chain) in downtown Yangon and a fast visit to the market to exchange money. Toe couldn't accompany us into the market because he said there were many police standing around, but he told us what to do. Go up to one of the many jewelers inside, ask if they are exchanging dollars. If not, go to the next one until you find the proper person. Mission accomplished, we walked out with 1,000,000 Kyats barely stuffed in our fanny packs, looking like two pregnant whales. There are also people standing around on the street asking if you want to change money and Toe said they would have taken you into the market, directly to their favorite money-changer. We were just too chicken to try that.

Continue reading "Yangon, Bago and Kyaiktiyo" »

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Tour Operators? We have always used Diethelm Travel. Diethelm has a huge presence in Southeast Asia, is extremely reliable, and has an excellent reputatiion - so important in this part of the world. There are many other Myanmar tour operators but we stick with Diethelm. E-mailing back and forth to make plans (leisure@diethlem.com.mm) and use wire-transfers for payment - no credit cards. It's very easy to wire-transfer. Diethlem usually requires a minimal deposit and they are very responsive to your needs. As a reminder - I never recommend anyone that we haven't used, receive no discounts and pay our own way.

Visas? Yes, you must have one. Diethelm obtained our Visa-upon-arrival for a small surcharge, but you can also go on-line to Embassy of Myanmar, download forms, fill out, and mail off application and passport to get a Visa. The Embassy had on-line applications for Visas in 2004, but it was discontinued. Who knows, perhaps they will reinstate it because it was so easy to do.

Continue reading "Planning A New Trip To Myanmar" »

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This was our third trip to Myanmar (Burma) using the same tour operator, Diethelm Travel, and same guide, Than Toe Win. Why do we keep returning?

- This small country has a lot to see with the Myanmar Government constantly opening new areas to tourism . There aren't many countries where you are probably the first Westerner the locals have ever seen and one of the first Westerners who have ever visited that area. With tourism growing, get there now!

- Because tourism is still relatively undeveloped, you have a chance to experience South Asia the way it once was. Albeit, without many frills.

- The hotels and food situation has improved dramatically since our first trip in 1988 when the food was inedible, and is extremely delicious.

- The people are thrilled to welcome us to their country, and intereact. Gracious, sweet people who need tourism badly, starved for outside contact, and we have a chance to make a positive impact on their lives.

With Diethlem's input and many e-mails, we planned a trip to Kyaiktiyo, Mandalay, into the Rakhine State, ending in Ngapali (pronounced Napoli) for a little R&R, an up-and-coming beach resort area. Rakhine State is a very remote area in the west of Myanmar with simple accommodations, bad roads, erratic supply of electricity but few tourists. That is a big selling point to us.

Continue reading "Returning to Myanmar/Burma" »

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