Mingalaba Myanmar!

FOR TIPS AND MUST DOS GO TO THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE.

I say this with every port I go to, but Semester at Sea gets better and better. Going down the road less traveled in a country only 80,000 Americans visit each year, my time spent in Myanmar beautifully surprised me. The people we met made the trip. Smiling faces around every street corner and helpful hands guiding us when we struggled with direction, they welcomed us with open arms into their culture. Each day filled us with more adventure as knowledge seeped in our brains learning about the mysteries of this country. From watching the sunset over golden pagodas to gazing at the sunrise as hot air balloons floated across the sky, we did it all. We spent five days in Myanmar, two days in Yangon and three days in Bagan.

Yangon

We pulled into our first port in the middle of nowhere, an hour outside of the city. We hopped on the first bus out to take full advantage of Myanmar’s capital. As we made our way into the town, we passed at least four different golden pagodas, all similarly presenting the Shwedagon Pagoda, the largest in Myanmar. The city is much more westernized than I had imagined with bits of culture sprinkled all over. My friends and I started our day off visiting the “Reclining Buddha” or “Chaukhtatgyi Buddha Temple.” Walking in with our bare feet and covered shoulders, we turned into the room where 217 feet long Buddha was “j chillen” on her side. With ears hanging down to her shoulders and footprints containing 108 marks, this was not what I anticipated. I was waiting for a five to six-foot statue in a small room, but this was just the beginning of my misunderstood intellect of how tall the Buddha’s in Myanmar was to be.

After the pagodas, local Burmese women took us in as they dressed us and painted leaves of clay upon our faces. This type of clay is shared amongst the Burmese people as it’s good for the skin but mostly used as a sunscreen. We explored the city, receiving nods of respect for our appreciation of the Burmese apparel. We shopped and ate then stumbled upon the Rangoon Tea House. The British made a significant impact on this country with English architecture spread throughout the city and afternoon tea as a regular thing. After our tea and crumpets (Bellini’s and dessert), we bustled over to the Shwedagon Pagoda for sunset. When arriving upon the 326-foot tall pagoda, my eyes widen with pure awe. What was made out of pure gold, the temple glimmered in radiance as the sun touched down with its rays. Buddhist monks roamed around pausing to pray and give offerings. One of the most spectacular things I have ever encountered that the next day we went back and did it all over again!

The Overnight Bus

After we repeated the first day on our second, we hopped aboard a bus for a nine-hour drive to take us to our overnight bus to Bagan. A nine-hour ride turned into thirteen hours of sitting, which gave me a more profound love for flying. I’ve done bus rides like this multiple times, but I don’t sleep. So when I found out we were going straight into things in Bagan, I was not okay. The next nine hours consisted of bumpy off roads, women puking, Burmese music, and 30 minutes of changing positions to have inconsistent 30-minute naps. When I finally got a good hour in, I woke up to a sweet surprise of coke and wafers. Wasn’t my first choice at breakfast but I took it.

Bagan

We had a 6 a.m. wake up call in Bagan. We jumped right to business and drove through the pagodas to see the sunrise and gazed amazed as balloons ate up the sky. For a view like this, the bus ride wasn’t that bad. We ate at a local restaurant around the corner for breakfast with options like fried rice, noodles, and curry. That is a typical breakfast

around here in Asia. After, we spent our morning hopping through four different pagodas in a delirious state of mind. For some reason, I was expecting Bagan to be more urban, but it is very much rural, with clay pagodas scattered through the land. Each temple was beautiful and very similar to the last. Driving into the hotel and staring at the view ahead, my heart fluttered then dropped. I ran out to see a beautiful Burmese resort with an infinity pool looking out onto the pagodas. For a place like this, the bus ride was pretty nice. We took a three-hour break from our eastern living to immerse ourselves back into western ways. We ended our day in a horse and buggy carriage, riding into the sunset with a lovely meal waiting for us at the hotel. I had the best sleep of my life that night.

The next day overflowed with adventure. Another 6 a.m. wake up call, we took a dip in the pool to see balloons greeting us with the morning sun. Motor scooters awaited us

outside the hotel starting our day off right. Zipping around town with views on views, my love for life grew immensely as the wind rushed through my hair. After making our way downtown, we went to see how coconut, peanut, and ginger candies were made and tasted a few samples. We ate a delicious lunch on the side of a mountain and ended our day with a boat ride across the river to an island beach as the sun turned into the night sky. As we got off the boat, children smothered us trying to sell us drawings they made but claimed were painted by “Pablo Picasso.” We also met “Justin Bieber” and “Michael Jackson.” Weird how that worked out! Bonding with one, I decided to buy a few hoping they’d get off our backs, but quite the opposite happened as they brought over ten other of their friends racing after us to buy more. These kids know how to work the system. Round two of the overnight bus was about to approach but the thought of playing with elephants by morning got me through the night. We ended our trip feeding and riding elephants and learning what the conservation camp did to protect them.

xo,

Cat

TIPS AND MUST DOS:

If you ever find yourself in Myanmar here are some of my tips and suggestions to help your trip be one for the books.

YANGON

Things to do:

• Visit the Shwedagon Pagoda – The absolute highlight of Yangon and an incredible experience.
• The “Reclining Buddha” or “Chaukhtatgyi Buddha Temple”.

Eating out:

• Rangoon Tea House
• Strand Hotel

BAGAN

For our trip to Bagan, we booked through the company Safeway and they will plan everything for you. The bigger the group, the cheaper it will be.

Things to do: 

• Have a guide take you through ancient temples and pagodas
• Motorbike through Bagan
• Take a horse cart ride through the pagodas and end watching the sunset over looking the town
• Hike Mount Popa
• Hot air balloon over Bagan
• Paint or watch lacquerware be made
• Irrawaddy sunset cruise

Eating out and place to stay: 

• Aureum Palace Hotel and Resort (I stayed here)
• Popa Mountain Resort
• Aye Yar River Resort
• The Hotel Bagan Umbra

TIPS BEFORE GOING:

• Bring toilet paper and hand sanitizer. Most bathrooms don’t have either.
• Wear modest clothing (cover knees and shoulders). They really appreciate it when you try to blend in.
• Be prepared to take your shoes off when entering temples or pagodas.
• If you’re sensitive to certain foods, pack a lot of snacks and granola bars ahead of time.