Yangon
We stayed in a Dorm at sleep in hostel, close to Chinatown. A funny thing about Myanmar is that everything is really cheap except from accommodation, where you're looking at paying at least $10 - $15 per person. Our days in the city we mainly spent strolling around town, getting use to the culture. We walked along the lakefront between the palace, and the big Pagoda, which is super nice. Yangon is nor the capital, but it is still one of the biggest cities with a traffic fairly chaotic. We met Italian Marco, who joined us for dinner at 19th street, Chinatown. The best area for cheap dinner and drinks in Yangon, with a nice atmosphere. Surely it will turn into a backpacker street in a few years.
Bagan
We took the nightbus between Yangon and Bagan. The home for hounderedes of temples and pagodas, and may mars main touristattrachion. Even if we booked a V.I.P bus, our expectations wasn't to high given that we still are in Asia. To our suprise it turned out to be super luxury, with big back folded seats, snacks and blankets and we could easily sleep the whole way. It was 6am, when we arrived to Bagan. The buses is always early, as we learned during our Myanmar travels. There's 3 areas to stay in Bagan; new Bagan, old Bagan and Oowhyn. Confused tourists, and overexcited taxi drivers created chaos as we arrived just before dawn. No one knew where to go. We headed for the area Oowhyn who's providing the cheapest guesthouses with prices for around $20 for a double. Stina and I shared I triple room with a Japanese guy we met on the bus. While lazy people got an electric bike or motorbikes to get them between the temples, Stina and I got $1 pushbikes. We started biking between the temples, but the heat and lack of sleep brought us back to our aircon room in the afternoon.
Kalaw
We got the local nightbus to Kalaw, to save us a nights accommodation. Bad decision. We got two seats in the far back - the only seats you can't fold back. Stina even ended up with a baby in her lap. As I mentioned earlier, feh buses always arrive early, and we for to Kalaw at 2.30! Being a town up in the mountains it was also way cooler than Bagan, which I was nor Prepeared for. Not wanting to spend the night on the streets, we checked into Lilly's guesthouse. With unfriendly staff, simple rooms, dirty showers and blocked toilets. I guess we got what we paid for with $7 a room.
During breakfast we got talking to Line and Jeff, Danish and French, and decided to do a 3 day trek to Inle lake. Together with Inga from Latvia and American Rebecca we made a great team. Marco was suppose to come as well but changed his mind last munite. As he still joined us for dinner and drinks that night we started calling ourselves 'Lucky number 7', a name that followed us for the rest of the trek.
We got the best guide one can ever wish for during these 3 days. Sue, a 24 years old Burmese girl. As she guided us up the mountains, throught the field and villages she was more than happy to share stories and information about her county, thieir culture and the history behind it. The trek itself wan not to competitive, and thinking back at it, we're addressing it more as a 'food marathon' than a trek. Fastlav was travelling with us under the name 'mr. cook' and Prepeared Myanmar food for us 3 times a day. Amazing local dishes kept filling up our plates, stretching our stomachs, and not ones during the trek did we go hungry. We stayed our first night in local house in one of the villages. 6 tiny madresses, which was more like folded blankets, was lying in a row in the middle of the room. I got to experience a hurtful traditional Burmese $2 massage that evening, before we once again stuffed ourselves with food listening to one of Sue's stories.
We started walking early, and just before lunch we passed a local village where they had a wedding celebration. Spontaneously, we decided to crash it. Hot and Sweathy, with dirty clothes and backpacks we squeezed into a room full of locals. The married couple was sitting in the corner of the room, with all the guest seated on the floor. Our group created our own circle and got tea and snacks sent our way straight away. The dad of the bride was so happy having us there and incited us downstairs for lunch. It was such a different expedience from any wedding you'd attend back home, and improved our understanding of their culture and their way of celebration. Happy with our stop, we continued our journey, playing different word games as we went. Towards the end of the day, we passed a river for a well needed swim, washing of the dirt and sweat after hours in the Asian sun. We reached the village of our homestay just as the rain began or fall. The first rainfall in months. Celebrating our days mission, we headed to the shop for several beers and cultural exchanges with Sue before dinner. We continued our beer-drinking session with over 30 beers having Sue teaching us a great card game name 'kaboo'.
A bad hangover in combination with too much local food made me sick all morning and with a massive lack of energy I struggled throught the last few hours of our trek. With a feeling of a knife cutting the inside of my stomach into pieces. Sue made me try their local medicine, which worked surprisingly well and after an easy lunch I felt much better. It was only a 1,5 hour boatride left to get us to Inle lake, our final stop. A roofless longtail boat where we all sat in a row as we went throught the river. Lucky enough, the rain began to fall just as we left and we were all soaking wet and ice cold as we reached the village of Inle Lake. We forced Sue, FastLav (mr. Cook) and sue's boyfriend to join us for a last celebration drink, with a thankful speech after an amazing trek that I would recall as one of the highlight of Myanmar.
Inle lake
Sue recommended a friend to guide us on a boat trip throught the Inle lake the following day. Luckily, the weather cleared up as we got into the same longtailboat as the day before.
As we got back to town, we headed for the beer station killing a few hours with rounds of 'kaboo' before sadly saying goodbye to Inga who was heading south that night.
Phyin oo Lwin
A comfy nightbus took the five of us to Phyn oo Lwin, a smallish town just north of Mandalay. We hired pushbikes to bike to the nearby 'Anisakan falls', even thought everyone told us if was way too far to bike. We reckoned it was only in desperation to get us into their tuktuk and took no notice as we biked off. It didn't take us long or get there as it was only downhill. The worst part was still to come. We had to walk the last 30 minutes, steep downhill throught the forest before reaching the waterfall. But omg how it was worth every step. The colors of the water in transpiration to the forest. The 20 metros high waterfall created different pool layers, in which we could swim. Behind the falls was a cliff to reach, where we sat overlooking the views through the falls. What an amazing sight. It reminded me of the waterfalls in Luang Prabang, but more spectacular and remote. We imagined it within a few years, where they surely will have entrance fees, shuttle busses and houndereds of people sharing the sight. We stayed for lunch, making our own Burmese bean salad (our favourite dish during the trek), before starting our heavy trek back up. The cycling back took us a long time, with a few 'beer&kaboo' breaks. A never ending uphill road with our one geared bikes. In the end of the day we felt like we'd reached a level of fitness we did not achieve during our 3 day trek from Kalaw!
Hsipaw
Marco walked into the hostel early the next morning! And we convinced him to come with us on the trashy, cheap but sightful train taki us to Hsipaw. Just the train ride was an experience, passing the national bridge, and the first time we've been travelling daytime. We met Swedish Matt, Fliz and Ronnie from England and Canadian Lindsay on the train, expanding our variation of nationalities. We spend the day playing games over beers while watching the beauty of the country passing by. Arriving to Hsipaw we booked the ten of us into mr Charles guesthouse. The number one place to stay in Hsipaw, and the best accommodation I experienced in Myanmar. $14 for a double room with the best buffe breakfast included. The lucky 5 of us booked a full day trek for the next day. They claimed it'd be a hard 10 hour trek up the mountains, in which we experienced as a comfortable 7 hour walk. Taking us up and down the mountains, throught the forest and villages and to the top village for lunch, beer and kaboo. As we got back down to the hostel we had a tearful godbye to Line, Jeff and Rebecca who all was heading on a nightbus down south. We've been such an perfect travelling group, leaving memories to carry for the rest of our lives.
Rebecca, Stina, Jeff, or guide, Line and me after our one day trek
In a mission to make new friends Stina and I joined the group from the train for dinner and drinks. After sharing about 50 draught beers between us in the resturant the local waiter showed us to a pool hall. Hours of chatting, laughing, drinking and games of pool kept us there until 5am when Marco realized he had to catch a bus back to Phyn oo whin. With the worst, and first Myanmar hangover we could not achieve much the next day. We realized that I had counted the days wrong, and we had one day more in Hsipaw than we thought (who would know that March has 31 days?). As it was getting towards the end of our trip we didn't mind having a couple of relaxing days in the beautiful town of Hsipaw before leaving for the hectic life in Yangon.
Yangon
Lindsay (Canadian), joined us on the afternoon bus taking us back to Yangon after a 17 hours ride. We spent most of the day on 19th street, getting ready for an emotional goodbye. 1.5 year of knowing, living and travelling with Stina had come to an end. An end where I was heading back to Australia, and Stina's heading home after travels in Asia. We had a few beers or finish up our time together before I jumped in a cab taking me to the airport. All by myself!
