Myanmar: Avoiding the holiday rush and going back to Yangon

There was a power outage again when i returned to Nyaung U (I asked and was told that the dry season was affecting the power generation).I n the 40 degree plus temperature, it feels nice to be able to nap with the windows open before having a leisurely lunch and showering.At nearly 3.15pm, the Bagan Minthar Express bus bound for Yangon passed by. I made a hasty wave to Aung, Eden's manager. He helped me secure my ticket with one call to the bus company and it cost me only 16,000kyats (about $16), even cheaper than the fare I paid for the trip from Yangon to Mandalay.

The bus made a very early dinner stopover -- 5.30pm to be exact. After that, our next stop was through a military checkpoint where soldiers listed down our names and inspected our passports and visas. I summarily fell asleep afterwards. I was expecting to arrive in Yangon at around 9am so getting there before sunrise was a big surprise. The much improved roads have considerably reduced the travel time to just under 16 hours instead of the usual 20.The taxi from the station to downtown shouldn't cost more than 7,000kyats but the taxi driver I rode with not only asked for more, he also got more passengers to ride along. I tried getting into the YMCA hostel along Mahabandoola Road but the gates were still closed. I tried the second inn on my list and it was an act of serendipity. Motherland  Inn 2 is located in the quieter side of town, at lower Pazandaung Road, near a railway. Except for the occasional shakes when a train passes by, the place is cozy, very clean, and offers good value for money. At $10/day for an airconditioned double room, it offers very spacious and very clean toilet and bath, free big breakfast, free transport to the airport, cable tv (only five channels available); internet-ready computers (spotty connection though). The clincher was the 24-hour power supply. Considering the very long power outages even in Yangon, this was a relief. The staff were also very friendly and helpful, especially Ko Ko. Look for this friendly chap if and when you pass by. 

Tips: always carry your passport/visa (and also a photocopy) especially when traveling cross-country • info: Motherland Inn 2, no. 433, Lower Pazundaung Road, Yangon; email: [email protected]

Myanmar: Making friends, parrying persistent vendors, waiting for the perfect sun at Shwezigon Paya

I may have lingered in Ananda Temple but my early start meant I have a lot of time to spare for the morning. my new guide, Ko Lin, was just too eager to show me around. It was tempting to go pagoda-hopping since I was set to leave for Yangon at 3pm but I told him I just want to visit one more pagoda -- nearby Shwezigon -- and linger there.

Shwezigon Paya holds an esteemed place among the pagodas in Bagan. It serves as the prototype for all Burmese stupas constructed after the rule of Anawhrata, who established the theravada faith in Bagan. Shwezigon is the center of prayer for this new faith. King Anawhrata was set to obtain all relics of the Buddha as he possibly can, including the frontal and collar bones. He was said to have set a white elephant loose to determine the place where the pagoda that will serve as the reliquary for the remains will be built. The Shwezigon Pagoda Festival, which is celebrated during November-December, is one of the most popular mainly because nat worship is combined with Buddhism.I've seen very nice images of this pagoda in the net and guidebooks. Multi-hued pagodas dot the area. Even to my untrained eye, the intricate details bear design and color details worth admiring. To a photographer like me, the walkway on the southern part was too tempting to pass up with the patterns of the posts and the long shadows cast by the early morning light. It was a good thing i befriended Ko Ko, a vendor on this alleyway the previous day. It was him who advised me to come back in the morning so i can take better captures of the walkway.  It was also him who tipped me about Tuyin Taung having a good vantage point of the sunset.

But meeting up with Ko Ko was tricky as i had to evade the vendors who besieged me the previous day. To say they were persistent is an understatement -- I really had to put my foot down and say no since I already spent more than 25,000kyats for souvenirs but they want me to buy from every stall.I t was a good thing Ko Ko saw me in the distance and that's how I got a nat souvenir plus a gift (a bronze elephant).Anyway, I think the persistence of the vendors stem from the hard times as one told me for the past year, tourists are harder to come by. This makes me think back to ethical questions about visiting Myanmar. I think I'm visiting the country to see and experience the culture and to somehow help out the locals. My opinion is that the locals can do with the money that tourism brings. I'm not a souvenir-type of person but if I could, I would've bought even just one item from each stall just to help out even in a little way. In any case,  I went away richer for the experience and a friendship made. 

Info:  Shwezigon Pagoda is open to tourists from 6am-8pm • It is located between the village of Wetkyi-in and Nyaung U • entrance fee: US$5.00 • accessible through walking (around 20-25 minutes from Nyaung U, horse cart or bikes ($1/day rental)

Myanmar: Into New Bagan and Ananda Pagoda

With a whole morning to spare before i ride the bus back to Yangon, I got another horse cart driver to go to Ananda Pagoda in New Bagan. O wouldn't want to repeat my previous experience of going on a pagoda tour because O want to spend time appreciating the pagoda, not zipping through stupas after stupas.

For a change, Ko Lin, my guide and horse cart rider is knowledgeable and hardworking. On board horse cart no. 117, we chit-chatted about New Bagan and I quickly appreciated what this friendly young man, is willing to share.I chose the Ananda Temple since it is considered the most important pagoda here and often, the recommended starting point for most visitors.C ompleted in 1091, the temple is considered to be the oldest surviving masterpiece of Mon architecture. The temple has four main halls, each with a vestibule with niches containing a 31 foot teak Buddha image. The Buddhas each face a different direction - Gautama, the west; Karushandha, the north; Konagamana, the east; and Lassapa, the south. Only the north and south images are originals, the other two are replacements for those ruined by thieves. Looking up, the roof with 389 terracotta glazed tiles make the temple distinct with the largest collection of terracotta tiles seen in any temple in Bagan.I wandered into the darkened corridors as people continue to stream into the temple, appreciating the niches where Buddha images seem to hover above eye level into the ceiling. I maybe Catholic but i do appreciate the calm, the serenity of the temple, its labyrinths and halls pervaded by the smell of incense, the murmur of prayers, and the offering of good intentions.

Myanmar: Bypassing the old pagodas of New Bagan for the hills of Tuyin Taung

I got back from Mt. Popa by lunchtime and even though i had to bear with the 30,000kyats expense (discounted from the originally-quoted 35,000kyats), I had to take on the horse cart rental I paid for in advance the previous day. Since I paid for a whole day's tour (12,000kyats or $12), I revised my destination from New Bagan (only 7 kms. away from Nyaung U) to Tuyin Taung (27 kms. away) on the tip I got from an acquaintance I made in Shwezigon Pagoda.

To compound my day's woes, I got assigned to a very lazy driver (whose name I'm not going to mention). First, he complained about not having lunch (so I gave him 1,000kyats so he can drive on a full stomach). Then, he made a stopover midway our trip so he can rest while his cousin attempts to sell me stones with jade on them. Tsk, tsk. (Later, he would ask me for an extra 1,000kyats to which i really said no in no uncertain terms).After over an hour, we see hills rising above the plains. The Tuyin Taung Pagoda overlooks the Ayeyarwaddy River bank of Bagan.I n contrast to the other pagodas I visited earlier, the hills are practically desserted save for two men on bikes. Statues line up the hills leading to the pagoda where I see a family paying a visit.The main stupa is resplendent in the afternoon sun, the floor still hot to my bare feet. Iwander to the steps descending to a deck with a breathtaking view of the nearby hills, the dry plains bathed in golden light.I  waited for a glorious sunset but alas, the dusty air obscured any opportunity to see the fading sun kiss the earth. For a while, I wondered if I should've stayed in Bagan but then again, I thought I didn't mind going to this rather more obscure pagoda. This wasn't a textbook trip and maybe, I'm just following a different script altogether. 

Info: The Tuyin Taung Pagoda was build in AD 1059 by King Anawrahta. One of the Buddha's tooth relic donated by King Vizaraba of Sri Lanka was embedded in a place inside the pagoda. • the best way to go here is via motorcycle rental from Nyaung U or Bagan

Myanmar: Onwards to Bagan and up Mount Popa

After marveling at Maha Muni and sharing breakfast with the friendly Cho Gyi, I got on a small bus for the 6-7 hour ride to Bagan. While there was an 8.30 sked for departure, they follow the familiar "alas puno" (leave when full) system we also have here. I was the only foreigner in the bus station but I felt very much at ease. Two hours into the trip, we made an early lunch stopover. Heavens, I bumped into Jasper, Ironwulf's other travel buddy who's also having an early lunch. He's on his way back to Mandalay after only a day in Bagan. It was a pleasant change as I can talk and swap stories with someone who can fully understand me after almost two days of being on my own.

I got to Bagan at nearly 5pm but finding my budget accommodation, Eden motel, was easy. I was really tired so even through the midnight power outage, I slept on.  Here's when things got very interesting.I  was roused at 3.30am by a staff and led to a waiting taxi (actually, a van). Bleary-eyed, I didn't query the driver much if this was indeed for me, as he understands very little English. My thought balloon: did they upgrade my horse cart ride to a taxi? I have no one else to ask at this hour.As it turned out, the trip was bound for Mount Popa, over 30 miles away. Speeding through the hilly terrain and dark roads, we reached Mount Popa way before sunrise. The town was just rousing from slumber as we ate breakfast. Climbing up the stairs, sweepers were cleaning up as macaques play with each other rambunctiously.The summit is at 4,981 feet so I took my time ascending (largely avoiding the macaques' poop). It's also good to observe the locals streaming in and engaging each other in chatter since the hike up was not a joke. Mount Popa is considered as the Mount Olympus of Myanmar, being the home to the nat.T he nat is a group of spirits the Burmese have paid homage to even before Buddhism was introduced here. According to tradition, the nat can protect the believer and can be appeased by offerings.The view at the top is invigorating, seeing the mountainside dotted by stupas of varying sizes sharing space with houses and shops.  It didn't take long for the crowds to arrive. Going back to Bagan and passing through the roads weaving through the dusty plains, I get glimpses of the rural life -- monks getting their food from eager donors; locals filling the scarce transport vehicles; people walking along the dirt roads.It was only when I got back to Bagan when I realized the mistake -- the trip was meant for another guest. You can just imagine my chagrin as the mistake set me back 30,000kyats (roughly US$30) when I've already paid my horse cart rental 12,000kyats in advance the previous day. But looking back, I thought maybe, just maybe, I was really meant to climb Mount Popa. Maybe the mountain was calling out to me to visit.  It wasn't a textbook kind of trip for me but I loved it. 

Info: Mount Popa is located over 30 miles southeast of Bagan. It can be reached by car/taxi or bus with transfers in Nyaung U and Kyaukpadaung. the taxi can be shared with other passengers if you wish to save and split the average 30-35,000kyat fee • There's a $10 entrance fee for the Bagan Archeological Area allowing one to explore all the pagodas; a separate fee is charged for visiting the Bagan Archeological Museum

Myanmar: Catching the sunrise at Maha Muni

There were two stopovers during our 12-hour bus ride to Mandalay but I hardly remembered them save for making the obligatory alighting off the bus for dinner and post-midnight snacks. Then it's back to dreamland again. The bus resembles the ones plying EDSA, only older, but they were comfy and cool enough considering older traveler accounts that tell of non-aircon buses with hard seats.

It wasn't light yet when we arrived in Mandalay.  By then, I made up my mind to go straight to Bagan on the first bus I can get on so I can reach the farthest point in my itinerary and work my way back to Yangon according to bus skeds and availability.

By luck, I bumped into friendly Cho Gyi who offered to help me get an 8.30am bus ride to Bagan. Meanwhile, he gave me an idea of visiting the Maha Muni Pagoda because it was still early. Good thing really as we caught the sun rising above the edifices across the pond of Maha Muni. It's an edifying experience witnessing the sun being born again in the horizon, draping the pagodas with increasing luminosity.The Maha Muni Pagoda is considered the most important religious structure in Mandalay. Cho Gyi likens it to the Shwedagon in Yangon in terms of iconic and religious significance. it is located around 3 kilometers south of the city center. The original pagoda was built in 1784, razed by fire a century after, and rebuilt later.

The much-revered Maha Muni figure which is 12 feet in height, has seen an interesting changing of hands -- it was taken as booty when the king of Bagan conquered part of Rakhaing in the 11th century but recovered by a force of 30,000 soldiers in 1784. Cast in metal, the statue is now covered with layers of gold leaf several centimeters thick -- a testament to how well venerated this statue is. 

Info: the Maha Muni Pagoda is open to tourists from 6am-8pm • entrance fee: $4

Myanmar: Ruminations on the road to Mandalay

I miscalculated the time difference between Thailand and Myanmar which made me very, very early for my 5.30pm bus bound for Mandalay. I decided to go from my last pagoda stop, Kyautawgyi, directly to the bus station at the outskirts of Yangon by 4pm (as it turned out, it was just 3.30).A Buster Leaton feature was being rerun on the cable feed. The Burmese crowd may understand little English but the physical comedy wasn't lost on them on the account of loud guffaws and giggles in all the right moments. Then, there's a corner store manned by a friendly couple from where I bought some snacks. I probably aroused the hubby's curiosity when I brought out the camera to take some photos of the crowded station because afterwards, he seems delighted with the images I took earlier in the day, nodding his approval and pointing them out to friends.Nearby, I espy a novice monk chatting away on his mobile phone. A curiosity alright but come to think of it, Buddhism may have been thousands of years old but it certainly isn't going to be left behind by technology. All these leads me into thinking I may be far away from home but I find kinship in our Southeast Asian brothers.Our bus arrives before 5.30 and after the traditional rites (lighting of incense and laying of leaves on the windshield for a safe journey), we were on our way. Another curiosity: we were each given a free set of toothbrush, toothpaste and candies (on another bus, we even got a bottle of mineral water), all to make the long journey as pleasant as possible. Exhaustion caught up with me as we rode, literally, into the Yangon sunset. It's a 12-hour trip to Mandalay and I intend to spend most of the overnighter in slumber. 

Note: I got lucky to get tickets as soon as I inquired from the fourth bus ticket outlet we approached.I t would be best to book a day at least or two in advance especially when a public holiday like the recent water festival is in full swing. There are bus ticket outlets near the Bogyoke market; inquire from locals about their whereabouts. There are several bus companies that ply the Yangon-Mandalay route with fares ranging from 12,000-16,500kyats (roughly $12-16.5); however, some of the buses are intended for the locals only.