mt.popa

Our first night in Bagan we had a great dinner at a place called “7 sisters” that was recommended to us by our taxi driver. They served a variety of Thai, Myanmar, Chinese and Indian food (as many restaurants in Myanmar do). Jessica and I had a delicious soup. Walking through Bagan ( Yangon as well) you see dogs EVERYWHERE! Like everywhere! Easily 6-10 on every street. Many female dogs are nursing or pregnant. They run free and most don’t seem to belong to anyone. They all look to be the same breed and are not aggressive at all. Jessica loved seeing the many puppies everywhere.

After dinner we were walking back to our hotel when we spotted a larger adult dog in the street next to 3 puppies. As we got closer we realized she was licking their blood. They were all dead. All three puppies dead in the middle of the road. It was horrific. I couldn’t bear to look and felt sick to my stomach. The mother dog was confused and didn’t seem to understand why her babies weren’t getting up. It was so awful. The dirt roads are very dark so it is pretty likely a car hit them.

It was tough to go to sleep after seeing that. We had arranged with our airport taxi driver to be our driver the following day. He would pick us up super early at 4:30am to catch the sunrise at the top of a very tall temple. Bagan is known for its over 2200 ancient temples, some dating as far back as 3rd century. Waking up at 4am was a little rough but knowing what was ahead made it easier. We arrived at very tall temple with very, very steep steps to the top. After taking off our shoes we climbed to the very top. It was already a bit crowded, which our driver warned us about. This was supposed to be the very best view for sunrise. We waited about 30 minutes before the sunrise began. It was just gorgeous-absolutely breath- taking! To see the sun rise and horizon around the temples was just spectacular! We all got so many awesome pictures!

After sunrise the famous Bagan hot air balloons took off floating above the temples, just like you see in pictures. We had planned to do the hot air balloons , but after much consideration and thought we decided not to. It was $350 per person for about 1 hour or so in the sky. After talking to other travelers we learned the views were just as good at the top of the temples.

Our driver drove us back to our hotel so we could enjoy nice breakfast on the rooftop to include fresh honey melon juice, watermelon and bananas, eggs cooked to order how you like, and toast with fresh preserves. Much better than our Yangon hotel breakfast.

Our driver drove us to all the best temples for the next 8 hours (about $33 USD, 45,000 kyat for the whole day), stopping along the way at local villages. In most countries they do this whether with a private driver or tour bus, in hopes tourists will buy something from the village. I love stopping at the villages and learning about what they do, how they live. Each village has its own specialties. Our driver explained to us that he came from a village that has many tour guides and taxi drivers. At one village a nice woman showed us around. She told us 600 people lived in the village and they were encouraged to marry within. They weave beautiful cotton blankets, table cloths, as well as make cigars. She introduced us to her 80 year old aunt who was smoking a cigar on seated on the dirt ground weaving. She offered us the local popular thanaka to put on our face. You see people everywhere wearing it on their cheeks. It is sun protectant and seen as a makeup-like trend made from tree bark. Jessica let her put some on her face.

man climbing for coconuts…on a not sturdy make shift ladder

She showed us the school and the clinic, where a doctor comes 1 time/ week.She told me her husband had passed away 7 months earlier. She wanted us to buy something but we just gave her some money instead as a thank you for showing us around. We can’t buy too many things, seeing as we have no room in our travel packs.

At one of the first hotels we met a sweet woman and her brother. They talked to us a lot and told us they were from a family village of artists, After we toured the temple we looked at all of their artwork. It was very impressive! They make colors from different parts the trees and paint on cloth that can be rolled up and folded very small. She told us we could easily travel with it rolled up and iron the back of the cloth when we returned home. I convinced Conner that we should buy one! We decided on a beautiful one and I am so excited to find a perfect spot for it in our condo!

After a day of numerous buddhas and ancient temples,our driver ended our day program with the best temple for sunset. We again climbed to the very top where it wasn’t as crowded as our sunrise temple. While waiting for sunset some small children kept asking us to buy postcards that they hand-made. The parents make their children work so young in much of southeast Asia. At times it is heart breaking. Jessica started playing with one of the kids- a boy, probably about 10. They kicked a rock back and forth like it was a soccer ball. The kid has some skills. The younger child, a pretty girl, about 5 or 6 shyly joined in. The rock kicking got a little aggressive and we were afraid someone would get hit. I suggested tic tac toe. Jessica knelt down on the ground and drew a tic tac toe board with a rock. I was shocked to see the kids knew what it was ! The boy started playing and even won a game. The kids looked so happy to be playing and not working, until their mom showed up and they were reprimanded. They were told to get back to work. The kids look sad and solemn. Jessica found them and gave them each a dollar, hoping it would appease the mom.

We watched as the beautiful sun set behind the temples, and got more extraordinary pictures!

A long day ended with a Myanmar meal near our hotel- more noodles topped with a fried egg for me. Eggs seem like the safer option, when you are unsure of the meat. I have never had so much rice and noodles, as when we are in Asia. i normally don’t eat this amount of carbs at every meal, but when in Rome…….The southeast asian diet is rich in carbs. Cheese, wine and vegetables (my main faves in the US) are less common here. Many times when there are vegetables or salads in southeast Asia we can’t eat them. Or I should say, we shouldn’t eat them. Anything not cooked or cleaned in local water can get us very sick. We have to be very careful not to get fountain drinks or things with ice. Did I mention I am taking malaria pills? So far ok- not side effects,( knock on wood).

For our final day in Bagan we arranged for our taxi driver buddy to take us to Mt. Popa, which was about 1.5 hours away. It was a bumpy ride on dirt roads. Jessica took some motion sickness medication but it made her sleepy. Along the way we stopped at another interesting village. The locals didn’t talk much but they did show us how they made peanut wine, coconut sugar candies, honey and tamarind candies.

Our driver showed us the long pipeline that provides China natural gas. He told us it was a bad deal because they aren’t getting enough money for what they are giving.

Arriving near Mt. Popa there were very nice mountainous views. The place was swarming with wild monkeys. They were running, swinging and jumping from everywhere. We watched as monkeys would steal food from the street vendors when they turned their heads. Sneaky little monkeys. It was quite funny!

As we walked into the entrance to Mt. Popa we had to remove our shoes and socks before climbing to the top. The stairs to the top were stained and dirty with monkey poo and who knows what else. Yes, it was gross. Yes, it was very gross. Just walking with bare feet in temples where hundreds and hundreds of others have walked barefoot gives me the heebie jeebies. But you know- it is part of traveling. You have to go with the flow. As I walked up stair after stair I just mentally kept reminding myself that my feet can be cleaned.

There were vendors selling small peanut packs that many people were buying to feed the monkeys along the climb. These monkeys had no fear of humans and were just jumping over our heads at times. It scared me a bit and I definitely screamed once or twice. As we got higher the monkeys decreased. At the top we had some lovely viewing points. The temple itself was nothing spectacular. We took some scenic pictures and then made our way back down through the poop stairs and monkeys.

The tiny baby monkeys were so adorable. It is funny to watch dogs and monkeys interact. The dogs are a little intimidated by the monkeys. We scrubbed our feet like crazy!! I literally doused them in an entire bottle of sanitizer …

Arriving back near our hotel we had an Indian lunch of naan, chicken and rice that was pretty tasty! Conner and Christopher decided to rent motor bikes from our hotel and drive around the temples. Jessica and I stayed back at the hotel to relax. We sat on the rooftop deck where we enjoyed chatting. I typed some of my blog while Jess took care of some reservations and loose ends. She and Christopher plan to continue traveling for many more months. They still have Thailand and Cambodia planned, and also will likely return to see more of India. Jess wants to end their trip with Australia. My brother feels he needs to get back to work though. I say YOLO! They are young and if they can do it, more power to them! I would LOVE to travel for a whole year! Every time I set foot in a new place I get chills! I get a rush of excitement. It is the best feeling!

After 3 hours of motor biking the boys returned and we set out for dinner. The town of Bagan is divided into New Bagan and Old Bagan. We were staying in New Bagan. It still had an “old” feel to it. A cozy town with a street lined with quaint restaurants. Our last dinner in Bagan was at a nice place with a big menu. Conner and I ordered pizza. We needed a change. Our personal size pizzas tasted like totinos you get in the freezer section of US grocery stores. It was still decent for a change. Conner also ordered a side of french fries. Can you tell we were noodled and riced out? We headed for another early night knowing we had an early rise the next day- 4am to be exact. We were set to sail along the Arrawadway river from Bagan to our next destination – Mandalay!

Mandalay

Waking at 4am to an alarm when in a deep sleep is never pleasant, no matter what country you are in. We jumped out of bed though not wanting to miss our boat. After scrambling to get ready we arrived outside to the car to find out that Jessica’s sunscreen exploded in her bag all over her really good camera! She is a great photographer and this camera means a lot to her for documenting their travels. She tried to clean it thoroughly but it wasn’t working. Poor Jess. We were all pretty bummed for her. We are hoping Sony can fix it since it is still under the 1 year of purchase.

We said goodbye to our Bagan driver friend. He was very kind and during the drives we learned some things about him. He was engaged and would be getting married next month. I wished him the best for his wedding and marriage. We walked along 2 unsteady boards made into a plank to get on the boat. Once on board we found seats on the lower deck and all tried to sleep some. A man who works on the boat covered me with a blanket. With only 6 other passengers and crew there was plenty of room.

trying to sleep …..

The sunrise woke me up around 6am and we went to the top deck to take some pictures. They provided us a box breakfast of hardboiled egg, croissants and bananas.

I spent the morning on the top deck enjoying the sunshine, the river views and tying this blog. As I write this we are sailing.The ride can take anywhere from 9-11 hours. At this point it has been 8. It has been really pleasant and enjoyable. For about an hour earlier in the day I chatted with a very friendly French man. I found a place on the top deck to charge my computer. I sat down closing my eyes next to it while it charged. The older man immediately sat next to me asking my name. He is from Normandy and is 80 years old. He is traveling with his girlfriend of 7 years. They travel about 4-5 months of the year and have been to so many different countries. They just came from 2 months in Vietnam. He has lived and worked throughout his life in many different places- Egypt being his favorite. He told me about his travels and asked about ours. We looked at his map book together. He told me the French think Americans travel too quickly. Visiting a place or a city for 3 days is not enough in their mind to get the full experience. He and his girlfriend spend 9 nights in each city. I can see that in some places ( Tokyo, Bangkok), but not smaller towns, and definitely not Yangon. He also talked about staying healthy and saving money to travel when we retire. He worked for Pfizer for many years and loves that he is 80 but healthy enough and wealthy enough to travel the world. He has not been to the United States though, which really baffled me! Lunch served on the boat was quite good. I saw one crew member cutting up the vegetables to cook. They brought each of us our plate which was rice, stir-fry veggies and a noodle type salad. It was actually really good.