The Travelling Life of Silvan Colani
August 2004 - Myanmar (Burma)
Every good adventure starts at the Honey Hotel.
Be it mountaineering in Nepal, motorbiking through the jungles of Laos or - as in this case - an exploration of Myanmar, the Honey Hotel's close proximity to Bangkok Airport (and Soi Cowboy, of course) makes it a natural starting point for all South East Asian adventures.
Apart from one brief (but highly enchanting) border crossing into Burma during a motorbike trip in northern Thailand (another adventure that started at the Honey), I have never been to Myanmar. It was one of the blank spots left to fill on my Asian map and ever since that delightful lunch across the Thai border I've been meaning to come back.
Like its neighbors Cambodia and Laos, Myanmar (or Burma for those stuck in the colonial days) gets mostly bad press thanks to its military regime suppressing democratic freedoms and keeping its charismatic nemesis, Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, under house arrest. People think it's an unsafe and dangerous place, but nothing could be further from the truth. Its capital Yangon feels ten times safer than supposedly democratic Manila (or NYC or Washington for that matter, if you read the crime statistics).
The other controversy revolves around the argument whether you should actually visit such a military ruled country since your dollars inevitably end up in some generals' pockets. My belief is that if you travel sensibly, such as staying at a private (not state-owned) hotels and using private transport and tour guides, the local population will still benefit. And whether staying away deliberately will help bring about democratic change is highly doubtful in the first place.
In fact, you see very little military presence in the country, aside from a few shabby guard posts in the diplomatic district where our hotel was located. And once a traffic light stayed on red longer than usual until a black SUV in a convoy of six military jeeps drove across the intersection. "These are our VIPs", the guide whispered. Funny, how like in an American movie, the bad guys always drive black vans! Also, you may wish to refrain from asking your guide politically sensitive questions as these will simply be met by a polite smile and awkward silence.
Thus we embarked on a short exploratory trip to the "Golden Land", as they call it. August being the rainy season (the best time to go is Oct - Feb) we landed in a tropical downpour in Yangon (previously Rangoon). We were booked into the excellent Pansea Hotel, a beautifully restored guesthouse in the quiet consular district. With the rain abating around noon we booked a half-day city tour to take in the sights.
As soon as you leave the luxurious confines of the hotel, it becomes obvious what damage years of mismanagement and economic sanctions have caused: Yangon is in a state of decay, with most buildings and infrastructure dating back to British colonial days and little maintenance ever since. It could be incredibly scenic, if it was restored and maintained a la Singapore, but it isn't. Maybe the rain and grey skies did not help to liven it up, turning crumbly roads and pavements into sloshing rivers.
Some of the colonial buildings, such as the red brick High Court and City Hall across the square, could be very enchanting if they were better maintained, but they aren't. The only exception is The Strand Hotel, which has managed to retain some colonial charm. But despite the guide book trying to convince me otherwise, it does not live up to the splendor of its famous siblings, The Raffles in Singapore and The Oriental in Bangkok. The head office of Myanma Airways next door certainly is a good remainder of why you don't want to fly with them!
A series of escalators (!!) leads up the western entrance to the platform on which the pagoda stands together with a huge assortment of smaller statues, temples, zedis, shrines and pavilions. The platform has marble-covered floors, which after a heavy downpour make a tour of the pagoda like walking on ice (I almost fell three times!). The bright golden dome of the main stupa looked magnificent even under overcast skies, and I can only imagine the brilliance on a clear blue day. The amount of gold, diamonds and other stones used to decorate the pagoda is mind-boggling, particularly in a country as poor as this. The golden sphere at the very top alone is studded with 4351 diamonds, weighting 1800 carats in total, and is tipped by a single 76 carat diamond!
Aside from the Shwedagon Pagoda we visited a large reclining Buddha, whose feet were twice as tall as Mei, as well as the Bogyoke Aung San Market (easier to remember by its British name, Scott Market) and Chinatown with vendors selling seafood, meat and veggies in a gritty side street under the belching exhaust pipes of passing cars and trucks. Yummy!
Next morning we had to get up at the ungodly hour of 4:45 am to catch an early Yangon Airways place to Bagan, the country's spiritual heart littered with thousands of 800-year old temples and stupas. Privately-owned Yangon Airways turned out to be an efficient and reliable mode of transport, with the plane taking off 15 minutes ahead of schedule. Surprisingly, in Bagan we were greeted by bright sunshine and beautiful weather. It hadn't rained in three days, we were told, and it clearly wasn't going to during our short stay. Seizing these excellent conditions, we instantly hired a guide to explore as many temples as possible before the mid-day heat.
Bagan is a spectacular - almost magical - place that makes you forget the country's drab capital immediately. Spread across a vast arid plain bordered by the mighty Ayewaddy River on one end and minor hills in the distant, Bagan is littered with over 2000 stupas and temples, all of which date back to the 11th and 13th century (a relatively short period for the sheer amount of structures).
Unlike Angkor Wat, which still ranks as my personal favorite due to its mystical jungle setting, Bagan's environment is a flat desert-like expanse devoid of much vegetation, which makes it attractive in its own right. For example, when climbing to the top of those stupas which are accessible for this purpose, you'll see brown and golden domes of all sizes and shapes popping out as far as the eye can see.
While all structures are devoted to Buddha in some form or other, their architectural styles vary quite widely. Some are better preserved than other, and many were rebuilt/restored after a devastating earthquake in 1975. It's beyond the scope of my little report to give you the full historical and cultural background of all the temples we visited and I suggest you buy your own guidebook before you get there. Suffice to say that the scale and quality of these structures is truly amazing.
As we wandered (or drove, to be precise) from temple to temple, the August heat started to build. We broke for lunch and then retreated to our hotel for a mid-day snooze. The Bagan Hotel is another example of a beautifully maintained boutique hotel right on the banks of the Ayewaddy River. Our Ayewaddy Suite opened right to a lawn on the river bank and must be one of the most peaceful places I have stayed in a long time. Service was friendly and efficient.
In late afternoon we continued our tour. It was still boiling hot and the fact that you have to take your shoes and socks off at all temples meant that our feet got seriously barbequed that day. (A word of advice: since you have to go barefoot into all stupas, don't bother to wear proper shoes. Wear either flip flops or nothing!) In the fading afternoon light, Bagan looks even more magnificent, in particular Ananda Pahto, one of the finest and most revered of the temples. For sunset, your guide will lead you to one of the two stupas which today offer the highest accessible points within the archeological zone, from where you can watch the sun set across the river.
The good thing about visiting during the off-season was that Bagan was almost devoid of tourists, apart from a bus load of fat Italians whom we happen to bump into more often than we wished. In fact, all of Bagan was rather deserted, which added to the charm. (I guess it is busier during Oct - Feb). We finished that night with a visit to a local 'fun fair' and an illuminated stupa, which brought us a bit closer to the local people who were out celebrating some festival.
Next day we slept in before flying back to Yangon, which was still rain-soaked. We thus decided to chill out and relax in the Pansea Hotel. During a brief lull in the incessant rain we maneuvered our way past poodles of water the size of minor lakes to the nearby Feel Restaurant, for an excellent local lunch. In a buffet style setting there were dozens of choices of different curries, veggies and snacks. A heavy meal with two large bottles of beer set us back only 6000 kyat, about US$ 6.
In the evening we took a taxi to the 50th Street Bar and Grill, a cozy bar with pool tables and Star Sports on TV in a well designed brick building. They serve Tiger beer on tap and have a daily Happy Hour! Interestingly enough, the place belongs to the same owner as the FCC in Phnom Penh, and attracts locals and expats alike. (I wonder what sort of expats would live in Yangon, apart from diplomatic and UNESCO staff). Despite this being a Saturday night, the place was virtually deserted, but the staff assured us it would be busier during high season. The food, by the way, is not particularly good - stick to the Tiger draft!
A tour of three days (more like two, actually) doesn't do a country of this size any justice. In fact, we haven't seen many of Myanmar's highlights, such as the supposedly magnificent Inle Lake or the former royal capital of Mandalay. I think a week-long to 10 day trip would certainly be justified during the cool season (Oct - Feb). But I can nevertheless say with some authority now that Myanmar is a highly enchanting country with many excellent sights and a friendly and genuine people. Come to think of it, the biggest benefit of an extended stay is probably to get to know the locals better. I'm sure you would not be disappointed.
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