Itinerary summary :
Day 1
Arrival at Yangon - Botataung - Shwe Dagon Temple
Day 2
Departure for Bagan - Explore nearby temples - Lacquerware Workshop tour - Sunset at Loka Nanda - Dinner at Si Thu Restaurant
Day 3
Horsecart tour around Bagan temples - Soe Min Gyi - Myin Kaba Village - Ananda Temple - Star Beam Bistro - That Bin Nyu Temple - Htilominlo Temple - Shwe Zigon Paya - Kyan Sit Thar Umin (Temple Cave) - Sulamani Temple - Dhamma Yangyi Temple - LakaouShaung
Day 4
Departure for Heho - Visit local villages
Day 5
Boat tour at Lake Inle
Day 6
Departure back to Yangon
Our flight to Bagan was early in the morning. We left for the airport at about 6am and the taxi driver conveniently dropped us at the wrong terminal despite the reminder that we're taking a domestic flight. All was kind when we managed to get another cab to take us to the right airport, although it was less than 500m away (but we were having our luggages!).
This is the sight of the domestic airport in Yangon. It is definitely a far cry from the international airport just next door. One thing you might want to note when you travel to this country is that the flight details can change for any reason and without prior notice. Most of our transactions need to be done via a tour agent (we used Sanay Travels and Tours based on friend's recommendation).
You will not see the familiar sights of conveyor belts and computers at the check-in desk. Everything is done manually. The right photo shows how the airport ground staffs assist to bring in the check-in luggages which they will later load onto the airplane.
Most of the domestic airplanes in Myanmar are the propeller jets. There is usually only one small runway so it is common to have a couple of different companies flying to the same destination at about the same time.
Once you're all checked in and ready to go, you'll be given a sticker to indicate the flight that you'll be taking. Each sticker will differ by airlines and by route. This is also my first time being issued a boarding pass without any of my particulars on it. Just another note, there is usually no seating arrangement for passengers. You board on a first-come-first-serve basis.
Upon arrival at the airport, you'll have to pay a tourist fee of USD20.
Upon arrival at the airport, you'll have to pay a tourist fee of USD20.
For the price we pay, it is actually a really good deal. You could also rent a bike to get around the temple areas if you're up for a ride. It is harder to hail a cab in Bagan. Typically, you'll have to pre-arranged your cab service with the hotel or the restaurants.
The welcome statue at the entrance of the hotel upon our arrival. In general, you can get WiFi service in the hotels in Myanmar but outside Yangon, the signal seems to be pretty weak. Cellular doesn't work in Myanmar at the moment but it may work in the future.
Our room is huge. It is like a studio for 2 with your own lounge, bedroom, bathtub, lazy area by the pond just outside your room and of course, it is air-conditioned.
These are the other available rooms near the swimming pool overlooking some of the temples.
We were hungry by 10am so we decided to have brunch at the hotel before going out for a walk to visit the temple sites. Our hotel actually serves pretty decent food. We actually like them better than the other ones we tried based on tripadvisor's recommendation. It is also priced very reasonably, unlike most of the hotel prices you get in other countries. You'll find that the price is similar to the restaurants outside. We had their Myanmar curry, some fish dish and a plate of stir-fry vegetables.
This is the view as we walk in the scorching heat to visit the temple. Somehow, the sky in Myanmar is similar to that in Australia - so blue!
After a good 40 minutes walk in the hot sun, we head back to the hotel and went the opposite direction to check out the local residences and chance upon this lacquerware workshop.
We were greeted by their very friendly staff who went on to talk about how lacquerware is produced before taking us for a tour around the workshop. One thing I find really good about Myanmar is that the people do not push you to buy their products. They'll just explain to you and leave it for you to decide whether or not to purchase the item. Perhaps, when they open up a little more, it will be like Thailand and Vietnam.
These are all the hard labour put into the products, be it bangles, trays, coffee table or even just a coaster. Everything is hand-made, from moulding to polishing to drawing and painting. The picture on the right most is actually of a guy polishing the lacquerware with his bare hands and saw dust. I bet his hands must be really course from his daily work.
Let me show you some of their final products. These bangles can be purchased at a price range of USD 2 - 5 depending on the design. They also make colour umbrellas in various sizes.
Some of the more intricate items like teapot, tiffin carrier, dining partition and bedroom partition can also be specially ordered. I am not the biggest fan to have such intricate art all over my house but I do appreciate how meticulous their effort is in coming out with the final product.
Outside the store, I saw some of the marionette puppets hanging from the roof. Apparently, this art is quite a big thing in Bagan and we were glad to watch a show during dinner that night.
After getting our drinking water supply and some tamarind flakes, we finally went back to the hotel to get some rest before heading out again in the evening to catch the sunset over Irrawaddy River. You can have this perfect view at Loka Nanda which houses another pagoda.
The sky turns dark very quickly and before we know it, we're on our way out from Loka Nanda to look for dinner at Si Thu Restaurant. On our way, we passed by a who herd of cows which frightened us because we couldn't see very well in the dark. The dinner at Si Thu was slightly more pricey but it was quite delicious. We were also entertained by a marionette show performed by this enthusiastic young man who was manning some 12 different puppets during the 30 minutes show.
That pretty much sums up our first day in Bagan as we rest to prepare for our horsecart journey the next day!
2 comments:
Sounds like a great trip! Are you able to go around by yourselves easily?
In Bagan, the only attractions are actually the temples and the lacquerware workshops. It's not as easy to hail a cab compared to Yangon. But you'll be able to get around quite easily on foot or you can get the locals (either the restaurants or the hotels) to help you call a cab.
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