9 days in Myanmar - July 2017
Trails of Indochina Myanmar study tour
July 2017
I finally had the opportunity to visit Myanmar, a country I admittedly had very little knowledge about and a destination that has been on my travel wish list for some time mostly to satisfy my curiosity.
Day 1 was an interesing start and after missing our connection due to a delay out of Perth we arrived in Yangon where we were met by our lovely Trails Of Indochina guide and driver. We checked in to the Sule Shangri La hotel and were lucky enough to be upgraded to a beautiful spacious Deluxe Suite with a separate living room and a view over this colourful jam packed city. We had the opportunity of inspecting the Belmond Governor’s Residence, a tranquil property tucked away from the sights and sounds of Yangon town. The villas are very authentic Burmese with dark teak furniture and lovely soft furnishings. The pool and restaurant would be a perfect place to spend a peaceful afternoon although I would probably recommend this to couples or solo travellers only.
Our fabulous Trails guide Lay then escorted us to the impressive Shwedagon temple for a stroll around the many pagodas full of monks and other locals offering their blessings.
Later we inspected the Sule Shangri La which is a great 4 star option in Yangon and located only steps away from Scotts market and easy access to many sights on foot. Management from the Shangri La together with Snow from Trails of Indochina surprised us with hosting drinks and canape in the Presidential Suite of this lovely hotel.
After a leisurely brekky on Day 2 we headed off to the train station to board a very basic train with the locals. Open windows served as our air conditioning on a hot and humid day and we travelled a half circle trip to experience the sights and smells of Yangon. The view from the train included villages and local stalls, delapidated huts flooded by the recent downpour, mud, raw meat and debris strewn along the tracks. It dawned on us how much poverty existed in this city. The poor quality of living didn’t stop the local Myanmar people from smiling and waving at us along the way.
After about an hour and a half we headed back to Yangon City Centre to check in to the beautiful Strand Hotel. Wow what a beautiful lobby - The impressive chandeliers, charming ceiling fans and authentic period furnishings, which have long served as the backdrop to this meeting place of famous explorers remain. Advanced air-conditioning and in-room technologies, as well as the amazing staff ensure flawless personalised service which lives up to this gorgeous boutique properties mission.
We were all checked in to beautiful Superior or Deluxe Suites ranging from a very spacious 55sqm to 65sqm. Our Butlers were on hand for anything we needed 24 hours a day so we all felt like Royalty for a night. After a hotel inspection of this grand hotel the Strand General Manager Mark invited us for a welcome lunch in the Strand Cafe.
We then headed out for a long walking tour of Yangon passing Pagodas, colonial buildings and well maintained parks. As the sun set we wandered through the Yangon night market full of local gastronomic Myanmar food stalls. It was then back to the Strand for a well deserved drink and snacks before we retired for the day.
Day 3 and we were boarding our early morning flight on Air KBZ to Mandalay to join our cruise which all of us were really looking forward to. After our 50 minute flight to Mandalay we were met by our Trails of Indochina guide and driver and drove just over an hour away to Mandalay jetty to board Heritage Lines “Anawrahta”. We set sail and enjoyed a scrummy lunch together with a couple of bubblies in the dining room then disembarked and taken by long boat to shore in Sagaing the former royal capital of Ava. Here we explored the region with a visit of one of the temples and then were treated to a surprise visit to a school to mix with the beautiful Myanmar children. Some were shy and others eager to give you a “high 5”. The little ones loved cuddles and we were able to enter the class rooms and witness life as a child novice. Children under the age of 18 are called Novices until they become Monks or Nuns for as long as they wish. By horse drawn cart we visited the huge Maha Aung Mye Bonzan monastery. The horses then led us to a secret location for a beautiful picnic laid out with red cushions fruit, biscuits, sweet Myanmar treats, our favourite peanut brittle, tea coffee and cold drinks in the middle of what felt like nowhere. From there the horse and carts took us back to the river for the river crossing to our home.
A 60 minute spa treatment was waiting for me when we returned – bliss!!
Day 4 Yanderbo a small riverside village was our next stop. The King of Ava signed the treaty of Yanderbo in 1826 signaling the end of the first Anglo Burmese war. These days the villagers produce water pots. We disembarked and explored this village on foot to mingle with the locals and learn the techniques of producing pots. One of the local Lady potters showed us her skills with the clay using her hands and manual wooden equipment which reminded us of the set of “Ghost” so some of us couldn’t help ourselves and broke out with the song “Unchained Melody” J which I think she enjoyed!
Day 5 we sailed into the town of Pakkoku and after a leisurely breakfast we found ourselves on another long tail to our tuk tuks to explore this region. Here we visited a thriving market and a Burmese slipper factory where some of us boosted the local economy a tad. We then continued on to Shwegu temple with it’s intricate carvings.
Back on board for lunch while we cruised to Bagan our final destination on the cruise. After lunch we were taken for a drive through an area of 30 square kilometres full of 2000 temples, stupas and pagodas. We climbed the Ananda temple for a fabulous view over Bagan. Just before dusk we climbed another pagoda summit to witness a breath taking view over temple and stupa strewn plains which was amazing and a well photographed part of our trip.
Day 6 – Bagan Our final day of cruise excursions. This morning we visited the bustling Nyaung market where nearly everything is offered. It was fantastic mixing with the locals and was a great opportunity to take some special photos of them going about their day. We then visited our final temple in Bagan Shwezigon Pagoda a gold leaf gilded stupa surrounded by smaller temples and shrines. We then visited a laquerware workshop to see the amazing skills of these talented locals.
Back to the boat to enjoy some time for lunch and a drink or 2 at the bar. One of the members of our group Craig gave the barman a demonstration on how to whip up an Australian favourite the expresso martini. He hit the mark first pop so we all sat down and enjoyed the result with our view over Bagan – yummo!
Day 7 - Bagan to He Ho (Inle Lake) it was time to say goodbye to the Anawrahta our home for the past 4 nights. We were transferred to Bagan airport which was only a 20 minute drive. Another Air KBZ flight this time ATR72 propelled. Our Check-in in for the flight in Yangon was an experience in itself with our bags being weighed on scales that looked like they were straight out of the 1950’s.
We were met by our lovely Trails of Indochina guide Win who transported us to Inle lake a 1 hour drive from He Ho. On our way we stopped at red Mountain Estate for some local wine tasting. The wines weren’t quite what we were accustomed to but it was nice to have a stop enroute to our site inspection of the Inle Princess Resort. Unfortunately it was quite wet so quite slippery but it would be a beautiful place to stay in the dry season. The villas enjoyed a fabulous view over the lake and the spa looked like the place to be. We then headed to our hotel for the night the Sanctum Inle Resort, a relatively modern (Spanish looking) property. The rooms were quite spacious and overlooked the gardens which was lovely. Free time in the afternoon and once again some of us found ourselves trying out the Resort spa first hand.
Day 8 Apart from our beautiful Heritage Line cruise, this day was one of the highlights of our trip. After breakfast we were collected by long narrow and sometimes unstable canoe and taken to our cooking school. The boat trip was awesome and something I have never experienced before. The boat navigated narrow waterways to the open lake and we enjoyed views of the fishermen and locals going about their day on the lake and interesting villages either side witnessing the locals doing their laundry lake side and tending to their everyday chores. I loved every minute of the boat ride!
We then enjoyed a Shan cooking class at Riverview restaurant where we enjoyed the fruits of our labour for lunch along with some local beer and wine. On our way back we again explored the lake and visited the fascinating floating gardens and villages stopping off at a lotus weaving workshop. I normally avoid these type of touristy excursions but I loved our visit and really enjoyed watching these fabulous local people smiling at work with their very simple archaic looking equipment producing the most beautiful pieces of work. We headed to our new home for the night Novotel Inle lake where we freshened up and enjoyed a few cocktails during happy hour at the pool bar. The Novotel is a beautiful resort and the rooms were huge and modern with a step down living area and gorgeous bathroom. Some of the rooms/villas overlooked the lake with a backdrop of the lush green misty mountains. Our farewell dinner was in the restaurant overlooking the lake.
Day 9 – Time to say goodbye to some of the members of our group with most of us heading back to Yangon for flights home or 1 more night in this bustling city. For a couple of us we were once again privileged to spend one more night at one of my favourite hotels of the trip “The Strand”
I absolutely loved my first trip to Myanmar and would definitely recommend this to anyone wanting to explore a new destination. Trails of Indochina were fantastic and I would be encouraging anyone to book a package through them as they really look after you and it is so comforting knowing that you have their support all the way. Our Guides Lay and Win were superb! The cruise was a perfect way to break up the trip and I would definitely recommend that anyone end their trip at Inle lake where you can simply chill out, lie by one of the many beautiful pools and explore what this special place has to offer.
Myanmar and Trails of Indochina you did not disappoint!