Flights, Accomms in Myanmar...

Our homes during the trip:
Yangon: Traders Hotel
223 Sule Pagoda Road, G.P.O. Box 888, Myanmar

Bagan: Bagan Princess Hotel
Nyaung U Township, Bagan, Myanmar
www.baganprincesshotel.com/
USD256 - 2 twin rooms/3 days/2nights

Inle: Golden Island Cottages (Nampan)
Inle Lake, Nyaungshwe Township,
Southern Shan State, Myanmar
www.gicmyanmar.com/
USD140 - 2 villas/1 night

They helped us with flights and accomms:
Hotel (Bagan and Inle):
MYANMAR DIARIES
No. 16, 6th Floor (R)
U Aung Myat Street, Tha Pyae Gone Quarter,
Mingalar Taung Nyunt Township
Yangon, Myanmar
Phone: +95 (0)1 8619201, +95 (0)1 8619202
Fax: +95 (0)1 8619202
Email: book2@myanmar-diaries.com
Web: www.myanmar-diaries.com

Mode of Payment: Bank Transfer

Flights (Yangon-Bagan-Heho-Yangon):
GOOD NEWS TRAVELS

Phone numbers:  + 951-375050 , + 951-372227

E-mail address:    goodnewstravels@gmail.com

Office address:    FMI Centre, 4th Floor, Unit 18, Bogyoke Aung San Rd., Yangon

Office location:     http://www.myanmargoodnewstravel.com/where-we-are.htm

Website address: www.MyanmarGoodNewsTravel.com
RATES:
Yangon - Bagan - USD133 (Air Bagan)
Bagan - Heho - USD100 (Air Mandalay)
Heho - Yangon - USD133 (Yangon Airways)

Mode of Payment: Cash

People worth contacting if you do go:
Tour Guide:
Thu Thu Aung (USD20/day; boat - 18000ks)
thuthua79@gmail.com/ 081-209258/0941003892.

Airport Cab Driver/Rent-a-Car Driver (Yangon):
Min Soe (USD10 - Airport-Town/ AC Car)
HP: 0973046201
Email: minminsoe137@gmail.com

In the Land of Golden Smiles: 3 of 3

Continuation...

6.) Pinoy blooper. We were having dinner on our last night in Bagan. Right next to our table was a pair. The four of us started talking in Tagalog about the couple and I'm sure it was quite audible. Dinner came. Drinks came. After paying the bill and thanking the restau owner, we got up and made our way out. That's when the guy at the next table said, "Excuse me. You're Filipinos?" The four of just froze and tried to remember what we said earlier during the night. Haha! Thankfully, our earlier conversation stopped at asking who was what and nothing more crazy. Haha! 

7.) Being disconnected from the world. When we reached Bagan, almost every hotel and restaurant had a "Free Wifi" sign. But that was all it was - a sign. For two days, we tried to connect but it wasn't successful. I already expected that Inle would be the same. I was right. When we asked the front office of our hotel about wifi, they already told us that it doesn't work and they were apologetic about it.  I didn't mind at all. It was a reminder of the old days where I didn't have a mobile phone, I didn't have to post where I was, I didn't know what was happening in the outside world, and so on. (I did however still take photos of the food and the surroundings so I can upload them on Instagram upon our return to Yangon. Haha!) Being "offline" allowed me to just "be there" and be in awe of the panoramic lanscape surrounding us... and I was okay. 

8.) The sunrise at Shwesandaw Paya. My favorite, favorite, favorite experience during the trip! Let's just say that after having seen the sunrise at Shwesandaw, I've concluded that I really am a morning person. We reached Shwesandaw around 530AM. We made our way to the top of the temple. It was chilly. I didn't bring a jacket with me because it would be hot during the day. The magic started as 6 AM struck. I was on the other side of the temple marveling at the sight of the plains slowly being revealed by daylight. I decided to return to the other side which gave a vew of the sunrise. That was when I saw the golden orb rising from the horizon. At first, you can only just see a small section. Minutes, second passed by and the orb becomes bigger and bigger. A few minutes more and it was there - a perfect ball of golden yellow. It was truly an awesome sunrise. There is a feeling of optimism that goes with it, a feeling of hope that it's going to be an awesome day. And at that moment, I was just grateful, grateful to be there -  to see the glorious sunrise, to be in the midst of magical surroundings, to be alive and seeing everything around me. 

In the Land of Golden Smiles: 2 of 3

Continuation...

3.) The spectacular view of temples on Bagan plains. Bagan excites you even before you exit the airport. As our plane began its descent to Bagan, Chris and I already caught site of hundreds, thousands of mostly red concrete structures dotting the plains of Bagan. Dhammayangi, which I learned was the largest temple in Bagan, was quite easy to spot. You already get a feeling that it will be such a visual treat once you get closer to the temples. What a marvelous sight it did turn out to be! It was impossible not to be deeply impressed by the surrounding views. Close your eye. Randomly point somewhere. Open your eyes and there'll be a temple or pagoda or stupa in sight. Do it again, but this time point somewhere else, and there would still be a structure to see. With about 4,000 of these structures scattered all over the plains of Bagan, I have to say that this has to be one of the most breathtaking views I ever laid my eyes on. 

4.) The kindness of people. Whether it was in Yangon, or Bagan or Inle, the kindness of people just moves you. Three people stand out for me. In Yangon, it was airport cab driver Min Soe who was supposed to just bring me to the airport from the hotel. But when he found out I had more hours to kill, he drove me around the city so I can see more of it. The next one was a lady also waiting for a cab at Shwedagon Pagoda. Having a day to myself, I wanted to go to Aung San Suu Kyi's house, General Aung San's house and Bogyoke Aung San market. Having difficulty explaining to the cab driver what I wanted to do, the lady gave several minutes of her time to translate for me and the driver. In Inle, we got a tour guide to help. Her name was Thu Thu. She was very knowledgeable about the culture and heritage of the people and communities around Inle Lake. Because we only had an overnight stay in Inle, we could only do a half-day tour with her. She mentioned that what she would usually do is bring tourists to villages so they can really interact with the locals and learn more about the local way of life. 

5.) The faith and devotion of people. The other thing that really moved me was seeing the deep faith and devotion of (most) people. At Shwedagon, one will see a lot of people in front of the altars. Some are on their knees, other are sitting down, but all are deep in prayer. That is the common sight in most pagodas. However, the ones that struck me the most were two women at the Phaung Daw Oo pagoda in Inle. The Japanese have a term for it - zazen. Literally, it means seated meditation. That was what both of them were doing. One was near the side of the altar. A few feet away from her and right front of the altar was another lady. Their eyes were closed, deep in thought and prayer, unmindful of the noise made by us tourists. There was a sacred feeling to it. I am really just amazed by the kind of faith and the kind of devotion they have. 

To be continued...

In the Land of Golden Smiles: 1 of 3

The Land of Golden Smiles. That's how travel books describe Myanmar. After the whirlwind six-day trip to three historic areas of the country, I now understand why our Southeast Asia neighbor earned the title. Not only was I greeted by smiling faces wherever I went when I was there, I can't help but also smile whenever I recall the adventure that was Myanmar. 

Sitting in front of the computer now, my fingers dancing on the keyboard, I am having a tough time deciding on how to write about the trip. There are too many details, too many colors, too many sights, scents, and sounds that I would like to include in this post-trip reflection of sorts. 

And even if I am able to write everything, it still would be far from really understanding how phenom the journey was. One has to be there -  to feel it, to experience it. 

Borrowing a thought from the book I was reading during the trip, one has to push aside certain worries and concerns for a few days and just "participate" in the now. 

So I've decided that I am just going to about certain things about the trip that really stand out for me. If people were to ask me what I would remember most about the trip, what brought a smile to my face in the land of golden smiles, these would be it:

1.) The friendly monk at Shwedagon Pagoda. It was already close to 8PM when I arrived in Yangon. Travel buddies Chris, Reg and Sarge landed in the morning. After dropping my stuff at the hotel, I took a cab to Shwedagon Pagoda to meet up with the guys. The place closes at 10 so there weren't that many tourists anymore. It didn't take long for me to find them. With them was a monk who gave an impromptu tour of the marvelous shrine. The guys told me that the monk just started conversing with them and became an unofficial tour guide. It was great because he knew the place as if it were his own home. (It probably is.) He showed us certain areas, explained certain details which we wouldn't know about on our own. For example, thanks to him we learned of specific locations at the pagoda where you can see the 76-carat diamond at the top change color when you take a step forward or sideward. He even knew that we would probably want a souvenir group photo with the pagoda in the background. After the tour, we offered him a small token of gratitude. He declined. Instead, he said that if we really wanted to help, we should just donate the money in support of monks education. He then left us and proceeded with his next activity, probably give another tour to another group of souls visiting the pagoda.

2.) Cycling for a day in Bagan. The flight from Yangon to Bagan was very early. Thankfully, Air Bagan was a good flight. After a brief rest at the hotel, the guys and I freshened up and prepared to see Bagan. Whereas Yangon was much cooler and more urban with its paved roads, concrete structures, busy people, Bagan very much had the countryside feel which I really love. On our first day, we rented bikes to explore the ancient city. We pedaled our way around from Shwezigon Pagoda to the markets in Nyaung U to the first few temples lined up on both sides of the road leading up to Old Bagan. A lot of follow tourists decided to see the city the same way. The roads seem safe since there weren't that many motor vehicles anyway. We were sweating under the heat of the afternoon sun but I guess that's part of the experience. The reward for the almost whole day of biking was a magnificent view of the plains of Bagan from the top of Htilominlo Temple. We were hoping to catch the sunset, but it was too cloudy that day. But the cool wind up in the temples and a fantab view of Old Bagan brought a perfect ending to the day.

To be continued...

Hols is over... back to real world...

Six days of flying. Five airports in seven days. A bike ride on dusty, rough roads. An hour drive from the airport to a jetty, immediately followed by an almost hour boat ride to reach the hotel. Four hotel/resort accommodations. More than 2,000 photos. One great journey.

I'm back from Myanmar (and a side trip to Kuala Lumpur).

It's been a great holiday trip. I have yet to sort my photos and compose my thoughts on the entire experience.

Today, I return to work and must clear as much backlog as I can. Hehe!

So just for today, I'm posting this one photo from the trip.

More to come soon. ;P

Gone for the next few days...

I'm at one of the free Internet access terminals here at Changi Airport Terminal 1.

Waiting for boarding time, which is around 11:20.

It'll be quite a journey. Hehe!

Singapore. Kuala Lumpur. Yangon. Bagan. Heho. Inle. Heho. Yangon. Kuala Lumpur. Singapore.

In a way, it's sort of a semi-solo travel since I'll be on my own in Kuala Lumpur.

Hmm, I dunno yet how I really feel about traveling alone (although I've done it once before but only overnight). Some say it's better to travel with a companion or group of friends. Some say it's also okay to travel alone at times. (Well, at least for me, I'm seeing this is as some kind of training for solo travel in case I do go to Europe on my own some time soon.)

I'm excited about the whole trip, but not that excited yet. Maybe once I board the plane. Then it would really hit me that this is al happening. Haha!

I'm looking foward to Myanmar. What I've spent is way beyond my original budget but never mind lah, I'll earn it again anyway. Hehehe!

PG Boy is also going on a holiday. He's always been wanting to do an inter-state drive in the East coast of the US and he's going to do that. Initially, he said he was going to do it on his own. I wasn't too comfortable with the idea. So I'm sort of glad when he told me his best friend and a housemate would be going. He leaves this Friday and will be back on the 22nd I think.

Anyway, Changi Airport is just awesome. I've been to Incheon Airport a decade ago so I dun remember much of it, but Changi definitely always, always just amazes me. I wonder when all NAIA terminals would be "Changi" levels. Hehe!

Okies, this is it for now. Not sure if I'll have Internet access when I reach Yangon. It is actually goingg to be refreshing I suppose to be disconnected from the online world. Let's see.

See you soon, Myanmar...

I finally got my visa for Burma. (Hmm, for this one sentence, I'm going to use Burma instead of Myanmar. The former sounds more exotic. Hehe!)

There were really no plans to visit the said country this year, but a little prodding from MkSurf8 and Chris was all it needed to get me to say yes. Hehe!

The 2011 trip to Ho Chi Minh with these two guys was definitely one of the most unforgettable ever (lol!), so I'm quite sure that the trip to Myanmar would also be a good one.

Initially, the plan was MkSurf8, RKGreg, Chris, Chase plus me. However, Chase had to back out at the last minute because of a work trip.

Going back to the trip, because I took some time deciding on whether I will go or not, I missed the JetStar seat sale. The good thing was Air Asia had a somewhat similar seat sale. The downside (which later turned out not to be so much of a downside) - it's flying from Kuala Lumpur and I'll be arriving in Yangon early evening while MkSurf8, RKGreg and Chris arrive much earlier.

But I'm glad I was able to get the sale.

Next up was getting the visa. I dun really know why I have to get a visa and why I have to pay for a visa, when Myanmar is an Asean member. Anyway, the visa is SGD35.

Initially, I was thinking of going to the embassy myself to apply for the visa.

In the end, I did what MkSurf8 and Chris did. I went to a travel agent to process the visa for me. The cost was about SGD55. It was good enough considering that I dun have to queue at the embassy, I dun have to take half-day off from work.

The travel agent I went to is at Peninsula Plaza (adjacent to St. Andrew's Cathedral at City Hall MRT). I hardly go there. Apparently, as MkSurf8 said, it's the Burmese version of Lucky Plaza.

I gave my documents to the travel agent, and that was it. I just had to wait for a few days for them to process the visa at the embassy.

The Myanmar embassy says that the passport may be collected after 3 working days. Mine took a little longer than that but it was okay.

Just glad to have gotten the visa. Yey!

Can't wait.

Taw Win Oo (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
111 North Bridge Road,#02-40, Peninsula Plaza
65 976-55184; 65 6338-6273