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| The internet, man. |
The truth is, I didn't even know where or what a Myanmar was (Geography can really mean so many different things -_-) until we moved to Asia. Since then (and only then) secondhand travel stories, pictures and a growing buzz have made us want to check out this beautiful corner of the world, and after 5 years of casually checking on flights, we were itching to go! So after a terrifyingly sudden change in altitude and feeling like we had lived through our aviation nightmares, we happily landed in tact in lovely, lovely Yangon. Checking into our cheap n' cheerful hotel, featuring basement karaoke and $3 massages, we ventured out for a peek, pretty void of any preconceived notions.
So a very brief, breezy and incomplete note about Myanmar's recent history. They've had some growing pains (but who hasn't?); In the 1960's the army took over the government creating a single-party state called 'the Socialist Programme Party', after ensuring corruption was rife and society was stifled, a slew of other ill-appointed 'leaders' took the reins until things started to boil over. Currency was devalued, riots and protests started, martial law was implemented....aaannnd groups started to advocate for democracy. Among
these groups was the National League for Democracy lead by humanitarian Aung San Suu Kyi. Despite topping the polls in the 1990's, election results were ignored, and Aung San Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest by the state law intermittently for the next 20 years. For the decades to follow, Myanmar rode the wave of ongoing negotiations, demonstrations, further corruption, natural disasters, violence and international outcry. Upon Aung San Suu Kyi's release, she advocated (among many things) for a democratic election and greater transparency, and in 2015 the National League for Democracy won control of the government in Myanmar. And although Aung San Suu Kyi is not eligible to be president, as her children and husband are foreign born, her influences and values based on peace and democracy have not been lost. So is Myanmar resembling a family that has just emerged from a multi-generational restorative hug? -No. However, despite civil unrest continuing to wage on in areas of the country, things are moving in the right direction. As for the tourist side of things, we are permitted to travel in particular areas of the country only, and in those areas the best sides of the country are highlighted (in our humble opinion).We spent our first night in Yangon typically eating (what I think was a fried bat) and drinking copious amounts of Myanmar beer. The city was bustling on a micro-scale with street food and markets. We rambled around, hitting the 'backpacker area', 19th Street. As the tourism industry is continuing to develop, 19th Street in Myanmar resembles what you would expect Jalan Alor in KL, or Khoa San Rd in Bangkok to look like years ago when things were just getting rolling. More or less the same, just on a smaller, less florescent scale.
We wandered around the next day checking out pagodas, peeking on kanoodling teens in the park, marveling at the gigantic fruit and veg everywhere and noting the colonial buildings nearly as impressive as the Burmese sights. By the time the sun was setting, we were ready to board the overnighter bus bound for Bagan, armed with neckpillows and a mini cooler full of Bailey's and Baby Bells...always a winning combo! Paired with a 3am truck-stop insect-fried rice...Now we're livin'!
Rolling up to our Bagan hotel at 5am wondering if they do early check-in was a bit of a stretch...and I think we knew that. However, while waiting for a room we wandered up to the roof and took in our first of the infamous sunrises over the Pagodas of Bagan. After the Bailey's made its final appearance and we polished off a couple omelets we were ready for a sleep.
When we woke up later that morning we were ready to hit the pagodas and temples hard, and that we did...as hard as an e-bike riding through sand with two healthy Canadians on the back could hit anything. We had a blast spinning down serpentine pathways, stopping off to have a peak at whatever pagoda came next. With some 2200 pagodas, the trail was endless. Many of the big pagodas are the 'must-sees', but there are seriously pagodas everywhere. Some of the coolest ones were the tiny, supposedly haunted, bat-filled edifices with the dark passageways up to the top...being more spooked by creepy-crawlies, we were constantly on the look-out for sun-baking snakes!
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| Total posers!...Altho some of us more enthusiastically than others. |
So we're obviously super experienced travelers who do their research and generally just have it all figured out....and THAT'S why we very cleverly arrived at the famous Buledi pagoda pre-sunset. We rolled up around 4pm and noted that the views were pretty spectacular. We also noticed it was getting later in the day, and thought we'd better stick around to see where this setting sun was going to take us. Having our choice of spots, we sat down front and centre and congratulated ourselves on our impeccable timing and general lot in life (still riding that sunrise high). We were very quickly confronted with the crashing realization that we were so, so wrong. It turned out that a very large contingent of over-zealous camera-clad tourists decided that unless you had multiple tripods, insanely sized lens, camera gloves(?) and a snappy hiking ensemble, there was no need for you to be there. To their utter and obvious dismay, our measly camera-phones left us painfully under-qualified to enjoy the sunset. I mean, come on, how are you even going to know you saw the sunset, let alone enjoyed it if you don't take 500, 1000...ONE BILLION photos!? So after all kinds of Kindergarten rules about personal space had been broken and I thought the sun might actually set, I looked down to see a man crouching between my legs to get that perfect shot. Through my legs. It was as if I was birthing a child documenting their own emergence into the world. So yes, the sunset was beautiful, and we got A great pic BUT what was even better was the next evening finding a smaller pagoda to perch on, having a laugh with a few local ladies with the perfect amount of sass and soaking up the final rays of the day. Just.Us.Two.
...And then the e-bike ran out of battery, c'est la vie!
Besides the pagodas, Bagan was a lovely little spot! Good food, good vibe, good people, can't really ask for anything more. We whizzed around the old town on our battery jet packs, checking out the river front, palatial buildings, handicrafts and playing poker poolside at the flashest hotel in town (where we weren't staying). We spent our evenings eating a healthy mix Burmese curries and pizzas (...I know, pizza in Myanmar? But com'on, we live in Asia). After another overnight bus ride back to Yangon, we checked into the Vintage Luxury Yacht Hotel (that's the real name) for a few more days of Burmese charm while staying on a perma-docked cruise ship that was seriously committed to the its treasure island theme.
Yangon was a big walking city for us; it felt great wandering through alley after alley, playing arcade games and eating little bits of mystery along the way. The highlight was probably the impressive Shwedagon Pagoda. After being swaddled in our newly acquired, ill-fitting traditional dress, having a reasonable photo-shoot with locals, we set off for a wander. Shwedagon Pagoda is a 99 meter golden structure, studded with thousands of diamonds and rubies - tipped with a 76 carrot diamond...Ohh la la! Legend has it, there are strands of hair, bits of robes and other relics from previous Buddhas installed in the original Pagoda. The whole complex has oodles of amazing statues and art work, and is an all round pretty awesome symbol of devotion!
After ten days of city and country, luxury and all-nighter buses, cruising and moving we left Myanmar finally having our curiosity satisfied, and (more importantly) a massive appreciation for all the beauty its landscapes have to offer...Cè-Zù-Bèh, Burma!