Day 192 - Monday 19th December 4.35pm
Myanmar you continue to amaze me.
Our 4.45am alarm was a slight shock, but worth every sleepy
grumbling second. A tuk tuk took (ha...) us to the edge of the lake where four
of us hobbled onto the long wooden boats, narrow enough for one seat behind the
other. The driver hopped on and tightroped expertly to the back of the boat
along the edge for his spot steering the engine. It was pitch black, misty and
absolutely freezing cold. And I mean leggings, trousers, socks, t shirt,
cardigan, pacamac, hood up, blanket and my shawl wrapped round my head still
cold kinda cold. It's all a bit of a blur for the first part as I don't think I
was quite awake yet, but as the sun grew behind the mountain the beautiful
scenery began to emerge and we settled next to the marshland for sunrise. As we
watched, we were handed our cheese and jam sandwiches (even autocorrect changed
that to ham), an interesting combination, and a tea mix consisting of 80% sugar
and 20% water.
It was one of the most amazing and peaceful places I've sat and
watched the sun rise, right up the top there with my hammock in Pai and 5,200
steps up to Sri Pada, with a slight mist gliding across the serene still lake.
What a way to start your day.
You may have seen the iconic Myanmar image before of the fisherman
balancing on their canoe with a bamboo cone fishing basket. There were a couple
conveniently positioned between us and the mountains, making for a picture
perfect sunrise silhouette. Sadly though, they are fake. The local fisherman
don't use these beautiful looking baskets, they've fortunately found more
practical ways to fish, so the ones you see in photos do that purely for a
living. Interesting and bizarre. The real fisherman are just as beautiful to
watch and photograph though, carefully collecting their nets, one leg balancing
on their wooden canoes and the other gently rotating the paddle. Yup, they use
their leg and hips to paddle across the lake, now that part is authentic!
Another amusing sight was the floating gardens of tea and tomato
plants, thriving in a field of green and red on top of the river between the
stilt villages. We stopped to climb up to some of the stilt houses, learning
how to make and roll a traditional Burmese cigar from scratch using a special
leaf (men and women of all ages are seen with these often - the young girl
making them with her family was only 13 too! We watched blacksmiths hammering
away with unbelievable strength to make their tools, machetes and machinery,
then discovered lotus silk weaving, unique to Inle Lake despite lotus flowers
being prevalent across Asia. The process is very long and requires careful retrieval
of the fine strands from the lotus stem, which are then twisted together to
make a thread then weaved with a hand operated machine, rolling a block back
and forth whilst operating a complicated mechanism of levers and foot pedals to
make a beautiful pattern. Because of the long process and uniqueness, Burmese
lotus silk products are a little bit outside of my budget, despite being
tempted with many beautiful dresses and scarves attached to too many dollar
signs.
The next stop was Thuang Tho Pagoda, a bizarre structure up a huge
staircase, passing through a derelict market place and then arriving to a
hundred glistening Pagodas with bells chiming in the wind. The view down to the
lake and across the hills were beautiful, and the peaceful atmosphere atop the
hill with only the tinkling bells made it a very unique experience amongst the
thousands of other temples I have visited on my adventures.
One of my favourite parts was stopping for lunch in the floating
village, joining a family in their stilt house and canoeing around with them in
a traditional boat. Their home was no different to yours or mine; made solely
of wood but curtains fluttering in the breeze, family photos on the shelves and
an old tv in the corner. The family had a very cute chubby baby too who wanted
to play and they showed us how to make the thanaka paste, mixing the tree bark
and water then applying it as makeup/sun cream on the cheeks and forehead. It
was a really special experience speaking to the young ladies who's whole life
revolve around the lake, knowing also that they probably haven't ventured much
further than its banks. The boat trip ended visiting Maing Thuak floating
village and bridge, famous from Lonely Planet readers as I realised that the
founders had donated the bridge to the local community. They had trouble
transporting goods and their children to school each day, so the bridge became
a key structure to ease the challenges of life on the lake.
The view is beautiful but it's definitely the community that make
this place special. Between the villages of rusty iron and faded wood sit
bright orange satellite dishes alongside sparking pagodas and wrinkled
fisherman and a new world where you balance your life on a canoe. The rotating
village market on the banks reminded me dearly of Tanzania - the bustling
madness and smells and humble vendors and wandering children and bizarre foods;
chickens flapping about and pots of local delicacies bubbling away throughout
the wooden maze of people in their daily lives. I could sit and watch for
hours, intrigued by how different the lives are of the individuals surrounding
me. Wouldn't it be fantastic to join them for a day? Think of how much there is
to learn outside of our boxed in view of the world.
9.32pm
Admired another sunset from the rooftop then ventured to find the
best dishes in town - cycling with a tiny torch along the bumpy dust tracks to
the night market for yet another tea chicken curry and chapatti. What a day!
Day 193 - Tuesday 20th December 6.19am
Watching Shan life at dusk from the rooftop, the cockerels are
cockadoodledooing, a young boy just cycled past in his matching pyjama set and
the lady next door is washing her dishes in her outside kitchen. The light is
growing very gradually as more life stirs, the neighbours opposite are wiping
down their white car before their first journey today, and the house next door
are waiting patiently for the monks to pass for almsgiving. It's very peaceful
aside from the occasional whir of a motorbike passing by and the edge of the
sky is tinted pink. The air feels fresh and mornings like this make me happy to
leave my duvet and dreams.
6.39am
You can hear the steady bell chime as the saffron robes pass
barefoot through the village, small silver pots ("alms bowls") held
in front ready for the daily almsgiving. This is practiced widely around
Buddhist countries such as Myanmar and Luang Prabang, where the community show
their respect to the monks by offering food each morning. In some places people
will queue to wait for the monks to pass and accept their offerings.
8.47am
Shan noodles for our fresh morning meal - this food continues to
become my new favourite. Peanutty, intense and filling, this should be my breakfast
more often.
Day 196 - Friday 23rd December 11.30am
Christmas Eve Eve. It's been a pretty surreal Christmas so far!
Had some classic festive tunes on this morning to remind us that it is actually
only two days away. Hard to believe when you're surrounded by sun and temples
in Myanmar!
Tuesday was our last day to enjoy the serenity of Inle Lake,
soaking rays on the rooftop and cycling to Bamboo Hut for more tea leaf salad,
ready for another long bumpy night on the bus to Bagan - the iconic ancient kingdom
of Myanmar. Feeling particularly queasy after the journey, it was a huge relief
to be able to check in at 4.30am when we arrived at our guesthouse. Good thing
too, as I spent the next 48 hours stuck in bed, damn those travel bugs.
So that was Wednesday wasted being too ill to leave my bed, but I
was determined to get up for a sunrise. We are in the place that brought me to
Myanmar after all! On Thursday morning we forked out for a taxi at 5am and
headed to Law Ka Oushaung, a recommended temple to watch the day begin. Luckily
there was only a small bunch of people there, most tourists are shuttled to the
nearby seven stories of Shwesandaw Paya, which became our sunrise silhouette to
the view beyond.
We clambered our way to the top of the old ruin, through minuscule
tunnels and staircases just about wide enough to breathe. As the suns glow
warmed up the horizon, more temples and beauty rose from the mist. It really
was a delightful sight, and when the blazing orange broke the skyline it was
the most magical experience. The colours of the sky are something no words or
photo could capture, with a silhouette of trees and ancient architecture below
and a dusting of hot air balloons above. As the sky became more intense and
beautiful, my body decided it couldn't hold on any longer. With no toilet in
sight, we ran to the taxi as the entire sky was decorated in the most insane
beauty, crying inside that we had to leave. I think I would have cried more if
I shit my pants though.
After a snooze I felt a bit more human and got slightly too
excited about the concept of food, devouring breakfast on the rooftop, then
immediately regretting it. Back to bed, feeling absolutely gutted and
uncomfortable with an endless knot harassing my stomach.
I was so disappointed that I'd come all the way here to spend two
days in bed, it's really not as fun as you hope it would be. So after long
discussions we decided to push back another night, with another chance to catch
the sunrise and explore the temples before sunset. Means that Christmas Eve
will be interesting spent on a river boat though!
Dinner and breakfast seemed to go down well, so this morning we
were able to head out on some bicycles to catch the rest of the sun rise
experience at a small crumbling temple. Today there was a semi-circle of clouds
dotted around the sun, which made it a different but still beautiful scene.
Plus there were only two others at this temple, which isn't too surprising as
there's over 2000 stupas to choose from! I'm glad I made it for another
sunrise, without needing to run home, with the additional pleasure of cycling
through the maze of temples as the morning light illuminated them.
8.09pm
May have got overexcited and overdone it slightly today, but it
was worth every moment!
We lugged our bags from Golden Rose to our fresh beds for the
night at Winner Guesthouse around the corner - both highly recommended to
anyone travelling here, mostly because of how amazing the staff are! I have
definitely found that from everywhere I have travelled the people in Burma have
been consistently the most kind, generous and helpful. When I was unwell at
dinner the other evening they gave me complimentary green tea for my stomach,
the guesthouse kindly drove our bags to our new accommodation so we didn't have
to cycle with them and everyone will stop to help you or answer questions, not
just those who want to sell you something. It might seem trivial but it makes a
huge difference when you're travelling around to weird and wonderful places!
Then it was time to grab our bicycles and explore the city,
chancing different dusty pathways and marvelling at the old architecture we
passed. You could spend a week simply enjoying the views and the mass of Buddhism
splurged across the landscape, but in the intense heat one day is enough to
visit all the biggies.
Schwesandaw is the famous sunrise sunset pagoda with seven floors,
with views equally as fantastic in the day. It looks more like a Mayan pyramid,
with staircases facing all four directions. From the top you can see stupa
after stupa after stupa, with all other evidence of life shielded by trees and
grassland in between. This is what you imagine when you picture Bagan.
Between the stupas, you have a maze of dusty pathways, some too
sandy to cycle and most lined with bizarre cacti. We passed many farmers with
their cattle and goats, shading from the sun as they watched them graze.
Imagining their lives just blows my mind.
Despite the number of tourists that would be in Bagan right now,
we rarely crossed paths with anyone. That's the beauty of this place,
especially as it only recently opened up to visitors. I feel privileged to have
been able to experience it before the tour bus masses arrive, overtaking Angkor
Wat, detracting from the soul and character that thrives behind the scenes.
We treated ourselves to sunset at our sunrise temple from this
morning, but then so did 30 others! The views were still great and we spent
some time chatting to the locals, encouraging them to wish everyone a Merry
Christmas with us!
Feeling absolutely exhausted now, it's time for an early bed.
Zzzz...
Day 197 - Saturday 24th December 10.57am
Christmas Eve! On a boat! In the sunshine! We're cruising down the
Irrawaddy River towards Mandalay for Christmas, feeling a bit perplexed at the
thought. It's my sixth day in a row being up at 4-5am, which is not ideal when
you're feeling ill. Better than another long bumpy bus ride though I'm sure.
I wasn't really sure what I expected, but I imagined the river
meandering through jungle and small tribal villages, instead its banks are
quite wide - up to 2km at times, and the landscape has been completely flat for
pretty much the entire journey. There's long sandbanks and sometimes wooden
communities lined up along the edge, other times we've spotted farmers grazing
their cattle or tending crops, but mostly it's just sand or grass with a few
trees. We've just passed a village's communal washing spot - a rainbow of
coloured cloth and dark bodies bathing at the river edge. The boats around us
range from tiny fishing canoes to big industrial tanks, often getting a wave
from the crew as we pass! I spent the first couple of hours snoozing, glimpsing
the sun rise above the palm trees, now I wonder how accurate our arrival time
will be. Hopefully we get there before Santa?
2.42pm
We have just passed a small fishing boat, with dark backs of three
young boys facing the sun, one jumping into the river to collect their net. I
wonder if they go to school? Spending your days in this silent sparse land,
fishing on a tiny boat with your friends or brothers. Does life get any simpler
than that?
Day 198 - Sunday 25th December 11.11pm
Merry Christmas from Myanmar! It's been quite a random
celebration, from a surprise midnight mass to cake and karaoke with the priest
to wishing people Merry Christmas on top of a hill in the sunshine!
Our boat trip yesterday ended up at sunset after 11 hours, so when
we got to the hostel it was time to refresh and fill our bellies. We started
chatting to the others staying at the hostel for Christmas and began our
attempt to find food... Why is it never simple. Pizza anyone?
After our failed and frustrating attempt to find food (i.e. a bowl
of unidentified soup and a plate of cashew nuts) our night was brightened up
unexpectedly with a Burmese Christmas twist! We stumbled across a Midnight Mass
church service, so we popped in to take a look. As they were doing the bit
where you swig some wine, the priest caught sight of us between the hundreds of
Burmese church-goers flitting around under the oh-so-Asian tack-galore shiny
Christmas decorations. He translated his next speech for us, so when we went to
thank him after the service it resulted in an invite to cake and carols in the
back hall! One of the most random, hilarious and heart-warming experiences,
crammed into the church back room with twenty Burmese Christians and a priest
singing Silent Night and Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer with guitars and
tambourines and a grin from ear to ear on everyone's face! What a Christmas
experience!
This morning Megan and I had our own songs and presents dancing
around our room, with a trip and trek to the top of Mandalay Hill to celebrate
Christmas Day. It's the first time we have been away from family at the special
time of year, so it's no surprise that pangs of homesickness have hit hard
today. Missing our roast dinner and loved ones, feeling sweaty and sad, we
snuggled up in our blanket (under the air con of course) to watch a movie and
cheer ourselves up with the best Burmese Christmas dinner available - pizza
delivery!
Day 199 - Monday 26th December 12.20pm
My stomach has decided it's still not happy, accompanied by an
annual Christmas cold and a very croaky voice. Fantastic news when we are sat
in an airport about to embark on over 24 hours of traveling to Bangkok down to
Koh Pha Ngan for New Year.
Two weeks in Myanmar has somehow passed, feeling like a lifetime
yet flashing by in a blink as usual. It has been a dream of mine for so many
years and I have absolutely loved it. The people have shown us their kind
friendliness and the handful of places we have visited have been especially
amazing. I really hope to come back, One Day, to explore the southern coast and
beyond. Chezu de Mari Myanmar!
9.38pm
Rocking away on my top bunk, we just about made it to the train!
Taxi, plane, bus, metro and train, here we are on our way to Surat Thani for a
bus, boat and tuk tuk to our destination. With a quickie 7/11 ham and cheese
toastie for dinner (anyone that's been here should know how grossly delicious
this staple food is). The journey so far has been pretty good, we got chatting
to a guy from Brighton who was sat next to me, on holiday after touring with
his band Yossarian (coincidently the random name of my dad’s boat!) in
Australia and New Zealand. Small world eh! Can't say it's been a smooth ride in
the slightest, but I'm definitely ready for a nice long snooze.
Day 212 - Sunday 8th January 12.30pm
Nearly two weeks have passed already, now we are sat by
candlelight in a powercut, indulging on Italian food as the never ending monsoon
storms on outside. Hello paradise of Koh Phi Phi.
This island has changed a lot since my first visit in 2011. I
remember back then hearing someone talk about how it was THE paradise island
before the tsunami. Now all those ignorant tourists are just getting drunk and
ruining the island. Not only was it heavily affected by the 2004 Boxing Day
tsunami, but the tourism boom had indeed boomed all over the backpacker island;
from a true representation of The Beach paradise to an Irish pub, fancy hotels
and endless tattoo shops. Don't get me wrong, I have once been that typical
English backpacker; watching fire shows, burnt, drinking too many whisky
buckets. But now the island seems to be a mini Ibiza, the natural beauty has
been taken over by lots of shiny new plastic everywhere; instead of a quiet but
fun backpacker haven. Even the great view down to the beach and limestone
cliffs from the bathroom at my usual digs Rock Backpacker has gone downhill;
now instead of trees you see shiny hotel rooftops. Anyone who has been to Phi
Phi will know Woodys, the bucket fuelled beach bar with no health and safety
limits, instead a tall wooden pole with a 'platform' just about big enough for
your toes to stick over the edge, where it was custom to get naked and climb for
a free bucket. Now replaced by a building site for a huge hotel complex;
probably not a totally bad thing but different to before. I rolled my eyes at
that stuck up nostalgic girl six years ago, but now I totally understand her
pain. It's a real shame that the island has lost its charm - I hope it can keep
up with itself.
Despite this, Phi Phi's food is fortunately still top of the
chain. I'd highly recommend the Prawn Panang curry at Garlic, any dish at an
all time favourite Papaya, a cheeky Moussaka at Cosmic, and the street spring
rolls or samosas -our daily treat from an evening on the beach.
Our trip in southern Thailand began with a long stint in Koh Pha
Ngan, starting with my 200th day in Asia and ending with a bang on the biggest
beach party in the world. I introduced Megan to the bubble of Koh Pha Ngan -
brilliant street noodles, Mama's Schnitzel, fire poi and dancing until the sun
comes up. Eat Sleep Rave Repeat. Most nights with no alcohol I may add! I
returned to my friends at Drop In bar to fall in love again with the fire,
freedom and forgetting life in the music (no, no, I do not do or need any
naughty substances).
Most of the week has involved watching the sunrise before bed (yes
you read that right), contemplating life on the soggy beach (monsoon season
still prevails) and celebrating the feeling of being young and free one more
time, bare feet in the sand and smiles all round. We were pretty lucky in our
12 bed dorm to have a great bunch of roomies, from Australia to America to Argentina.
It meant that when the rain poured it was acceptable to lay in bed all day
chatting and imagining all the waterfalls we could have visited. One sick
soldier decided to take part in the Exorcist after getting some dodgy food
poisoning, so we took a family trip to the hospital (to make sure he wasn't
faking it) to give him some company and help him feel better.
New Year's Eve was a mental night celebrating with thousands of
others on the sand, loving life with our roomies, ending up with a fantastic Mama's
Schnitzel sandwich at 8am on the way home. Definitely an experience to
remember!
A rather early 5am finish after our final night at Drop In and
some very early morning fried rice with our Burmese friends, just in time for
one hour sleep before our long sloggy day in a van, ferry, bus and boat, to the
unexpected destination of Koh Phi Phi. I'm here again?! This place was
certainly not on my list for this trip, but I think I'm in need of a simple
place to unravel my head after Koh Pha Ngan. What we didn't realise was quite
how packed it would be when we arrived, making accommodation slightly hard to
come by. When you hear the instant cry of 'FULL' on your tenth attempt to step
into a hostel it gets slightly concerning, but the "paradise" of Flower
Bungalows came to the rescue, offering overpriced dorm beds with friendly
mosquitos and the kind of bathroom you have to force yourself to enter. Time
for a night of more sleep than I'd tallied in the past eight days though.
Our first day back to a proper island beach - and the sun was
actually shining! Shame we got a tad too excited, forgot how strong the sun was
and ended up with burnt butts. In the evening we ventured down to the beach to
watch the fire at Slinkys, they put on a pretty good show! I could just sit and
watch for days, mesmerised.
Day two was yet another hot sunny day at the beach, finally able
to lay in the sand and feel the rays. I managed to carefully avoid burning like
the previous day, however Megan wasn't quite so lucky... (who knew you could
burn your eyelids?) We revisited Banana Bar (one of my old favourites) for a
bloody good chilli enchilada, waiting for the nightly rooftop movie to begin
when a switch flicked and the downpour started (little did we know this
wouldn't stop for about a week). Time for some pineapple fritters and ice cream
then?
The next day brought a full spectacle of relentless rain, forcing
us to slouch around, eat and finally begin researching my flights for Sri
Lanka. In need of a cuddle, I opted instead for the obvious alternative - an
hour long foot massage. (N.B. a foot massage in Thailand consists mainly of
your full leg, with a back, neck shoulder and head massage usually thrown in at
the end. Not bad for £6?) We moved camp to the trusty Rock Backpackers opposite,
my usual (/only ever) accommodation on the island. What I like about this place
is the open bathrooms up on the hill which looks down on the ever expanding
backpacker buzz below and out onto the beach, sparkling sea and craggy cliff
cove beyond.
The rain decided to ease to a slight drizzle for long enough to
watch the fire show at Slinkys - complete with some acrobatics, juggling and
tightrope walking too. Another ice cream anyone?
6.18pm
Feeling fed up and grumpy. Everything's damp. And came back to a
flooded room. Realities of paradise.
Is it time for another massage?
Day 213 - Monday 9th January 3.20pm
Megan and I have officially survived each other for four full
months, not a night apart, that's a new record for me!
So today's been a weird one. Opened the door at 9am to be blinded
by brightness (the rain has actually stopped and even unveiled some blue
skies). Went to get our morning shake, then by 9.15am had somehow considered,
decided and booked a trip back to Koh Pha Ngan. That gives us a total of 30
minutes to grab some fried rice, pack our bags from scratch and stumble to the
port for a boat ride of alternating scorching sweat and torrential rain. We're
coming back!
Day 216 - Thursday 12th January 4.50pm
The sun's out! It's been a weird week of soggy weather, with black
clouds constantly lingering ready to burst, but luckily we just missed the days
of monsoon and severe flooding in Koh Pha Ngan. More endless nights on the
beach dancing on the sand and playing with fire, indulging on the famous Mama's
Schnitzel sandwiches and getting a daily dose of Panang curry - no wonder I
quite like Koh Pha Ngan. Time to lay on the beach with my book and watch the
Full Moon preparations begin - ready for round 6!
Day 220 - Monday 16th January 10.10pm
Going to bed at 5am with a storm fast approaching. Waking up to
the taxi at 6am with it horrifically thundering and pouring from the high
heavens. It's time to leave this outrageous paradise.
We could feel the storm coming for the last few days, chancing a
day at the hidden paradise of Leela Beach just around the corner too. The Full
Moon party was good but the lead up and the quiet nights are by far my
favourite. I need sleep but can't, cocktails beers balloons and fire are the
best part of the day, followed by Burmese breakfasts on the way home.
Yesterday we relished one last night of prawn panang, watching
fire and a Mama's Schnitzel on the way back before the storm brewed. After an
hours kip we headed for our 14 hour journey to Bangkok. The rough boat trip and
getting our bags ransacked on the coach. Of course they didn't find any
valuables or money, but I'm pissed they lost my shower loafer when they
rummaged through our bags as we sat blissfully unaware on the top deck. Also
not the best situation when you're about to board a plane; would people plant
drugs or explosives..?
After a safe flight I could relax, and we began reminiscing all
our memories over the past few weeks. Koh Pha Ngan sure screws with your mind,
but I wouldn't change a thing.
We had a sleepy flight and a taxi stuck in traffic, but a hot
shower, spaghetti bolognese and the world’s comfiest bed have left me collapsed
in heaven. It's time for some much needed luxury. Good night!
Day 226 - Sunday 22nd January 4.31pm
Megan and I have enjoyed the luxuries of splashing out (on a
backpackers budget) in Bangkok, with pillows that you sink into, big fluffy
duvets, buffet breakfasts (pain au chocolate dipped in yogurt with a starter of
red curry), wifi and nothing necessary to do all. Sun, sweat and sleeping by
the pool. It's an amazing feeling to have a swimming pool, with no sand in
sight too. We've indulged on an Italian restaurant across the road most nights
and treated myself to a Thai massage and clean laundry. We have been productive
planning our route around the Philippines and booked my flights home for
Kathryn's wedding next summer too!
Nevertheless we've found it hard to leave paradise. We cuddled up
to watch The Beach in bed and treated ourselves to our last Chang and Panang.
You have stolen my soul once again. I don't want to leave, what have you done
to me?
Day 227 - Monday 23rd January 8.42am
After two hours sleep and a sausage Mcmuffin, we are sat at the
departure gate in Don Mueang, not quite believing that we are leaving Thailand.
Once again the Land of Smiles has stolen my heart and I've had the most
memorable six weeks. I hope to be back sooner than is acceptable, 'cause we
ain't never growing older. See you when you see me!
12.51pm
Arrived in KL - they've got a H&M at the airport! Feels very
strange to be surrounded by Western clothes (and lots of jumpers too
surprisingly?). May have got a tad over excited and splashed out on my card.
Oops.
Day 228 - Tuesday 24th January 1.16pm
Today is not the day. Today we near missed our flight and got
stressed with an urgent flight to leave the country and had seconds to spare
before check in closed. Today I got fed up with all this travelling and want a
stationary, familiar life. Today is just not the day.
