First Day in Burma

 

Our first Day in Burma started early, early as 4:00 AM to get up and get to the Airport at 5:00 AM.

After a more or less comfortable Flight with the Air Asia we arrived in Yangon at like 8:15 after ~ 1 1/2 Hours.

After another Hour of Immigration queue we finally made it! We arrived in Burma! Go out of the Airport and see the Taxis. Wow. No AC but open Windows instead, the Cars are all older then we are. Want to see how safe they look from Inside? Here you go.

Don't even ask how they look from Outside  

But anyways, he bring us the 18 Kilometres into the City Centre to the Sule Pagoda, to the Okinawa Guesthouse which Radka recommended me, she was in Burma in February so we got first hand Recommendations from my GF.

Arrived there it was clear instantly. This is different from any other Country we visited so far. Its like a mixture between India and some other Planet

I'm not able to upload so many Pictures, if I'm able to Upload anything i don't know yet, because the Internet, if available in Burma is VERY slow.

So far so good, at least the Guesthouse was  a good one, even for 25 US Dollars, but divided through 2 its ok. Always fucking expensive big City prices as everywhere. But better Pay 25 US Dollar than going into a Place which was described in our Guidebook as “The cheapest Accommodation in Burma, where you can see the Rats going up and down the fire Ladders in front of your Window”.

At least a good accommodation in another dirty Capital City.

So a long day come to us, we decide to spend one day here and leave the next Morning.

So what you do one Day in Yangon? Exactly, change Money on the Black Market. They are totally crazy about Dollar Notes! If the Notes are not in PERFECT and FLAWLESS condition, they say, we don't take it. If they have been folded once and they can see and proof of that, they don't take it. If a corner of a note is folded or missing, they don't take it. So honestly! If you decide go to Burma, take BRAND NEW US DOLLAR NOTES! I'm not joking! don't fold them, keep them straight and clean, and best, take them from Europe already, because its hard to get new ones in Thailand!!!

Anyways, one Day in Yangon, where you go? Sure! To the Schwe Dagon Pagoda! A very wonderful and Big Place!

The good thing is, as far as we have seen now, there are just a few other tourists, you rarely see them at all. So its a much better experience over all. There are only Locals on the way.

The Schwe Dagon Pagoda is the biggest and most popular in Yangon, you have to enter it over an Elevator, because its up on a Hill.

In the Centrum, there is the big Pagoda, and around it are A LOT of different temples and other Stuff, where People just hanging out or Praying. The Place has a great relaxing atmosphere. I share some Pictures with you.

Monk heading to the Elevator to leave the Pagoda.

Near the entrance of the Pagoda.

Its a huge Place, like a small Village.

Wonderful.

Ceremony where some Guys get Monks.

The Main Pagoda is HUGE!

 

But its Night where the Magic starts to happen. They glow up the whole Place which looks unbelievably beautiful. I have huge Amount of Pictures, too much to Post them, so if interested ask me when I'm Back to show you

Its amazing.

And how you can see if your Taxi Driver is a good one? Exactly, when he offers you a Cigarette when you enter the Taxi, and has his own Can of Beer Chang in his Hands,drinking it while driving.

At the end of the Day we had an Burmese Dinner and after we were going to bed early, because the next Day would include a exhausting Bus Drive to Pyay, which lays between Yangon and Bagan.

Next day, after a one hour drive with the Taxi to the Bus Station we going into the Bus, which was not that bad… just not enough Space for the legs, so it was very uncomfi. It was only around 6 Hours drive, but to imagine a 15-20 Hours drive in it directly to Bagan, i would die.

Arrived in Pyay we recognized the unbelievable Heat. It must have been around 40° already, because even the Wind while driving to our accommodation was extremely hot, like when you use a hair dryer, u nearly cannot stand it. Pyay is a “little” Village which we will discover in the next 2 Days, it was some Pagoda and some nice big White Buddha. It is not like Laos, Thailand or Cambodia here, where you go to a Travel agency and everything gets arranged for you, its a real adventure here, you have to do all on yourself, which means if you want to go on to Bagan you need to go to the Train Station yourself and ask for it, and if you want to leave next day and you end up there with a guy, if there is anybody at all, telling you oh, no train tomorrow, engine broke, don't be surprised, this will happen not only once to you in Burma.

So we managed to get a train (i hope) on April 23. Its a night sleeper which approximately takes 8 hours from here to Bagan, costs 28 Dollars, i hope its worth the Price… When i upload this, i probably will upload more new entry's as well, so don't be surprised if more blog entry's appear at the same Time, because there is just no Internet here and i write them in Advance to not miss anything...

So, i hope we make our way to Bagan, where will be maybe about 45° of heat… Its crazy hot here, u cannot imagine if you never been in hot Country like that. If you been here once, you will never ever complain about heat in Europe again

 

Hear you soon, Greetings from Pyay, Burma.