Myanmar

Thursday 16th June 2016 – We are woken from the serenity of our sleep by heavy rain drumming down on the roof of our cosy bedroom. Peering out of the window I sight a misty lake and murky mountains shrouded beyond. We get up and armour ourselves with waterproofs…then tiptoe through the downpour to a local restaurant that serves fresh pancakes with honey washed down with Myanmar tea…just what we need to warm the cockles! The rain continues to gush down from the heavens so we decide on a lazy day. The view from our room and the hotel balcony is wonderfully scenic. Our hotel stands on stilts right on the lakeside…it really is a room with a view. Below our window is muddy, wet marshland before you can reach the lake itself. It is here that animals come to graze…continually munching away to their hearts content…pigs, cows and chickens join together in a feast of the land. The pigs are my favourite, you always know when they’re around, showing their happiness with loud snorting and grunting as they look for their next tasty morsel to snuffle! During our restful day, I read my book and chatted to other guests while Aaron enjoyed some cave time on the iPad. In the evening we dined on vegetable noodles and drank the local Myanmar beer.

Friday 17th June 2016 – Today we planned to cycle from the south to the north of Lake Indawgyi. It appeared to be a good day for it…no rain and not too hot, with a little cloud coverage. After breakfast we hired our mountain bikes and headed off. It was around 8.30am and we planned to stay out all day exploring the lake and its villages. It was wonderful to be on a bike and stop where and when we wanted to and go at top speed down steep hills…we felt alive! We meandered through village life and then turned down a track that took us to Shwe Myttzu Pagoda. It is a famous temple and many Buddhists come to see it as almost a pilgrimage. Today we were lucky, it was very quiet. We parked up our bikes and then proceeded to walk across the water of the lake towards this religious spectacle. The path is always flooded in summer so we waded onwards, almost like walking on water, it was magical and spiritual all in one. Lily pads and purple flowers stood like an audience either side of us…witnessing our arrival. The pagoda stood proudly upon the lake, it’s reflection clear in the water. It was beautifully sized, not too big or small, but most impressive of all was its location…as though it was enchanted…floating upon the lake like a vision…an imaginary golden island. The experience for me was delightful…a temple upon the water…surrounded by the tranquility of a lake. It was as if the lake itself had cleansed you while you walked the water path to and from the Pagoda…an extraordinary experience and unlike any other temple I have ever visited. We reluctantly left and again headed northwards. After a short stop for fresh coconut juice we continued onwards past farmers’ fields. It was there that we heard a voice, almost as if someone recognised us and was calling us to stop. As we looked behind we saw Nan Khan Aung, the lovely teenage girl we had met in the taxi from Hopin to the lake. We immediately stopped, delighted to see her again. She was visiting her brother at his farm and took us to meet him in his house on stilts. Then she insisted that we all cycled back to the last village we had passed to meet her family. We said we’d love to (luckily she had her bike with her too) so back we went. First she showed us her house, we met her father and were given mango and sweets to eat. She then showed us four adorable kittens no older than four or five weeks. The mother cat was so gentle and happy for us to stroke her and her offspring. Next we cycled to meet her aunt and lastly she took us through muddy fields to the lakeside where we walked the decaying wooden bridge out to the lake up to our knees in water. It was hilarious when she started to bounce the bridge trying to get us to fall in! She was brilliant fun and so mischievous. She then spent the rest of the day with us cycling to the north and back to our hotel in the south. En route we raced one another, sang and chatted as though we were old friends. All too soon we had to say goodbye, I was tinged with a little sadness as I watched her cycle away, waving at us as she disappeared into the distance. What an unforgettable day we had had…interacting with all of Nan Khan Aung’s family, taking in the rural setting and finding a Myanmar friend who would always be remembered in my heart.

Saturday 18th June 2016 – Again we awoke to relentless rain. Again we had breakfast in our waterproofs! Aaron was determined to to get more exercise so despite the continuous rain he took a kayak out to explore the south and east of the lake. Meanwhile, I downloaded photos and caught up with our blog. After seven hours on the lake Aaron returned. He’d had a great time and seen Pelicans and many other water birds, plus he’d had a good workout! However…he’d also gone across the centre of the lake which he had been forbidden to do by the kayak company due to the dangerous waters of the rainy season…I was not surprised at all…just like him to break the rules! That night…at midnight…under the cover of darkness…after squelching through thick mud…we skinny dipped in the lake…illuminated only by the light of the full moon.

Sunday 19th June 2016 – Today we would travel back to Mandalay. We caught the 1.00pm train from Hopin with Upper Class tickets. It was to turn into a 17 hour mammoth journey. People continually walked the aisles calling out and selling all manor of food stuffs and drinks. It was like being at a market except you were on a train! Noisy passengers sang and watched loud videos on their phones while insects flew in circles around the bright lights of the train…which never went out…keeping people awake all night. This journey’s one saving grace was the sight of the full moon shining down upon us and occasionally mystically shrouded in thin cloud giving the impression of a silver halo surrounding the lunar sight.