Myanmar - Asia's uncut jewel

Introduction

Myanmar has only recently started to open its gates to the outside world as part of that process those gates are being flooded with tourists from all over the world and the big corporations of the world. Coca Cola, Pepsi and the big Asian brands are all making a play for Myanmar. So in time this country is going to become like all others. While this process will take ten years or more and we all hope that the country will retain its village feel for as long as possible. This blog post is about our visit to Myanmar in 2013. If you're planning on visiting this may help you and if your a drifter on the internet it may prompt you to visit or appreciate a rarely talked about corner of our world.

What we covered

Out trip took in the key triangular cities of Myanmar. Starting in Yangoon, flying up to Mandalay, then Bagan and finishing around Lake Inle. Other trip also take in the one of the beach locations. An whilst the Andaman Sea is one of the finest and warmest seas. We did not do a beach locations.

We went to Myanmar in March/April and it was seriously hot. Our tour had a whole day hike, the other half would never have managed it let alone our kiddies. Best time to visit likely to be November to February. This is high season. Which we went at the tail of the tourist season its was relatively easy to get around.

Yangoon (Rangoon)

We landed in Yangoon from Hong Kong. One of the most laid back cities in Asia. The traffic moves slowly and there is a lovely drift to the city. We started with a visit to Aung Sui Ki's residence where you're greeted with a lovely wall and told of her residency there.

The Shwedagon Pagoda overshadows the whole city and its the centre of attractions. The pagado is stunning day or night but its worth seeing it during both periods of the day. 

Shwedagon Pagoda - Day time ambience

Shwedagon Pagoda - Night ambience

Yangoon also has a number of other attractions the Scotts Market for any souvenir shopping, The reclining buddha pagoda (Chaukhtagyi Pagoda). We stayed at the Kandawgyi Palace Hotel - a lovely hotel with good facilities. A refreshingly cold pool to counterbalance the heat of Yangoon in March.

Mandalay

We flew Air Mandalay to Mandalay, our touch covered the Saigaing hills although we were too tired for the drive and we say the monastry from the bank of the Irrawaddy. Our real tour began with a boat ride and bullock card ride to the Bagaya Kyaung (Wooden Monastry). As you ride through the country side you notice the landscap littered with mysterious stupas and it does make you wonder what a rich civilisation this area must have been in the the past. The day finished with a walk around the U Bein Bridge. 

We toured more of Mandalay the following day covering Mingun and Shwenandaw Kayung a white stupa. 

Mandalay is the birthplace of a lot of Burmese Art and in particular marble carvings. To add to our collection we bought a lovely marble Buddha (60cm) for USD 50. It was unfinished but with the most blissful face possible. If you do be careful to make sure you have a receipt as airports check for stolen antiquities.

Happy walkers on U Bein Bridge

Bagan

No visit to Myanmar without taking in the magical city of Bagan. Rise early to see the sunrise over the mist covered stupas and transform yourself to an bygone era. Bagan has thousands of stupas and its impossible to see them all there are a few key ones that your guide will pick out for you.

The hot air baloon ride are super popular so be sure to book then well in advance. We missed out as out trip was very last minute. Other things I would recommend is to ride around Bagan assuming that its not the midde of summer.

Crowds on top of a stupa watching sunrise over Bagan

In Bagan we stayed at the Thiripyiysaya Scantuary Resort Bagan and what a location to stay at the children were happy with the pool to cool off after a hot day touring the sites. Dinner and breakfast was relaxed in facing the Irrawady river and the surrounding plains.

Pindaya and Lake Inle

From Bagan we flew to Heho airport from where the Pindaya Caves and Lake Inle are accessible. If you are short on time you would choose Lake Inle over the caves. Also there are a number of Hiking options from Pindaya to Inle should you feel energetic enough. I believe the hike take a day with an overnight stay in a monastry in the mountains. The lake, its markets and life is beautiful and gentil. The unique aspect of this place is the Inle fishermen and how the steer their boats as they fish. Sunset over the lake and absorbing its life is a great way to end any visit to Myanmar.

Paddle and Casting technique of the Inle fishermen

Lake Inle - reflections on street life

Lake Inle : Sunset conversations

Yangoon

From Inle (HeHo) we flow back to Yangoon. We had a spare day in Yangoon and then back to Hong Kong.

Our trip was arranged with a Myanmar Shalom travels and they were great. The arranged guides in each city, the flights, pick ups and drop off's. I would thoroughly recommend them to any future travellers. They seem to be a smaller company compared to a couple of their more established competitors.

Costs and Coverage

The snapshot below outlined what we covered and our tour cost were HKD 80000 or (USD 10K / GBP 6400. This was for two adults and two kids including internal air fares, guides, entry into all the sites and all drives.

More Photos of our trip at Myanmar on Flickr

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New adventures in Europe - Athens

The move back to European pastures marks the start of new adventures into Europe. Given our decision to move back to the UK originated in IndoChina, where better to visit than the equivalent in Europe - Athens, Greece. Greece in my view is the birth place of philosophy, arts and science in Europe and for a large part the world.

We arrived in Greece on Saturday evening, getting to the central of Athens is easy you have a number of options train (EUR 8), bus and Taxi (EUR 35). Given our family we opted for a taxi to take us directly to our hotel.

Athens - Day 1

We avoided doing the Acropolis on our first day as we had time and we wanted to orient ourselves with the city. So we started Sunday at Syntagma Square to watch the changing of the guard at eleven o'clock. The changing of the guard is a twenty minute ritual. But worth the entertainment value of the toe twitching legs of the gregariously dresses guards. Who are all immensely tall by anyone's standards.

We then walked along Metropoles from Syntagma Square to Monastriaki along the way you see a number of byzantine churches and Athens Cathedral (under scaffold when we went). But there is a quaint little citadel next to the cathedral.

We ended up at Monastriaki where on Sunday there is a flea market. The market is mostly tourist souvenir trap (market). There are some interesting antique stall further inside the market.

Out trip resume with walking through the Roman Market (Agora) into the Plaka area in the foothills of the the Acropolis. The area has a lot of coffee houses and restaurants catering for the masses. Great greek food available are some of these.

After a 3pm lunch we went to do some of the acropolis monuments on the lower part of the Acropolis, we saw the Temple of Hephaestus.

Our photographs for Day 1 are below:

Syntagma Square - View of the Bertagne Hotel

Interesting Street Art - Anafiotika

Syntagma Square - Changing of the guard photos

Metropoles - Kapnikarea

Anafiotika - the back streets this time with a race track

Athens Back Streets - Tatoos and Acropolis

Roman Agora (Market)

Mertopoles - Athens Cathedral a quaint chapel

Athens - Day 2

Our second day in Athens started how most people's first day would start with a hike up to the Acropolis. We walked up from behind Monastriaki station. The walk up takes about 20 minutes.

The Acropolis is a combination of structures, the leaflet that goes with the entrance ticket explains the structure of the complex. The area consists of the Propaleya (entrance), Temple of Athena, the Parthenon and a number of open air theatres.

The Acropolis took a good two hours to walk. We then walked down the hill towards the Plaka again and visited the Acropolis Museum. The museum is new and is definitely worth a visit to explain the decorative reliefs of the Parthenon. Unfortunately most of these reliefs are held by the British Museum and with the new Acropolis Museum, Athens has a great argument to have them returned to their rightful home.

We finish our day visiting the Temple of the Olympian Zeus and Hadrian's Arch. These are near the Acropolis station where we finished our day. The station is a good place to finish with lovely coffee shops and ice creams

We went on an absolutely brilliant day pictures from our visit that took the whole day below

Acropolis - Theatre of Dionysios

Acropolis - The perpetual works of the Parthenon

Acropolis - The straight curves of the corinths

Acropolis - Temple of Athens

 Day 3 - Sunion and Lake Voulgamani

After the walking on the first two days we opted for a few easier days doing museums and some day trips out of Athens the most notable of which was our trip to Sunion on the southern tip of the Attica province.

Sunion houses the temple of Poseidon perched high up on cliffs facing the Aegean sea. The trip out to Sunion takes about an hour from central Athens. You take the scenic road along the coast going south toward the southern tip. We went on a pretty grey day but if you're luckier then us that you will be greet by emerald blue seas and a fantastic drive. I get the feeling that its worth going to Athens again just to do the drive south on our own. One day ....

Our pictures from Day 3 are below

Sunion - The cliffs keep the ocean at bay

Sunion - Temple of Posiedon on a cloudy day

Our Athens list

We did the following on our trip to Athens. Day 1 and Day 2 will be the core to any trip.

Day 1

• Syntagma Square
• Changing of the guards at 11am (Sunday has a major change of guards)
• Walk along Mitropoles (road from Syntagma to Monastriaki)
• Athens Cathedral
• Kapnikarea
• Roman Agora (Market)
• Anafiotika
• Lysacretes Monument
• Temple of Hephasetus (can be done with Acropolis)

Day 2

• Acropolis - The Propylaea (Entrance)
• Acropolis - The Parthenon
• Acropolis - Theatre of Dionysios
• Acropolis - Temple of Athena
• The Odeion of Herodes (on the way down from the Acropolis)
• Acropolis Museum
• Temple of the Olympian Zeus
• Hadrian's Arch

Day 3

• National Archeological Museum (must do)
• National Gardens (can be skipped)
• Lycabettus Hill (A view point of Athens to do at sunset)

Day 4

• Lake Voilgamine
• Temple of Poseidon
• Sounion
• Byzantium Museum
• Old Olympic Stadium

We'll close this blog with a view across this wonderful city

Our Athens photos on Flickr

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Moving countries: HK to UK

Although our decision as a family move back to the UK from Hong Kong was made in April 2013. And that in the most unlikely of places of Myanmar. It's not been until December that the move became reality for me.

While HK was cold the move back to the UK was a 2 week freezing rain wake up call trapped in your home and car for extended period of time was frustrating but the clear January skies have generally been open and blue.

Have given the family do some of the things great about London. Were lucky to live close to the open countryside near Epsom. Morning walks on the Epsom downs have been excellent on the weekends. Here are some of the pictures from the area.

Lone Tree standing on the Downs

View looking across West London and the City

Looking across the race course to Racecourse Grandstand 

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HK Night Photography Trip

Hong Kong Night Photography

Hong Kong is definitely a city that lights up at night. One of the most interesting things you can do is to take pictures of the city at night using a variety of exposures around key landmarks and building. See below a selections of my pictures taken recently.

Photographs

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