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 MYANMAR    DIARY 2

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Diary 1  2  3  4  5  6 

 From Diary 1 I head up towards the north as close as possible to the eastern border - which is not that close.
6/12
A nearby restaurant supply me with an omelette and rice breakfast and two small cups of hippo-water. A girl approaches me, and it turns out to be the girl that helped me getting out of Bago the first time. She just want to make sure I'm all right. The guy who sold me the bus ticket for today also gave me a slip with his name and phone number, just in case I wanted help with anything. These are really friendly and helpful people!
The hour I have to wait for the bus is spend catching up on emails and alike. Not that I have that many, but the internet is on/off all the time - mostly off.

The moped-driver is a no-show, and it take a bit of asking around before I find another one, knowing the right bus station - or rather restaurant. At first, I'm driven to a small busstation, and my ticket is confirmed. Then I'm shown to the restaurant where I bought it the other day. After some time, my ticket is exchanged into another one, but with same destination and time. I get my usual seat #1, despite the bus is almost full. The tourist seat? Anyway, much appreciated.
The bus is half a hour delayed,  and start with a loop around the busstation. Then we passes my hotel, and start driving the other direction of what I expected. After 45 minutes, it is time for the first brake with toilets and food. I get some thin tea-ish drink and find some caramel-nut candy for the tour. My GPS estimates it is a 500+ kilometres tour, over ten hours.

The restaurant was found right at the Yangon-Mandalay Highway, and we follow it for three hours with around 100 km/t. It is a perfect concrete, four-lane road practically with no traffic. Actually, I think the most numerous vehicle is the oxen-wagons! We passes through swamps and rice patches in a general green landscape. To the left, a low range of hills are covered in bushes and small plantations of fruit trees. Scattered among them are a few kapok-trees. Here are also palms, bananas, mangos? and other familiar - but forgotten - fruit trees.
The right side is mainly grassland, but with quite some rice patches and other agriculture. I spot a few sunflower fields, some sugar canes, a bit of mays and what might be liquorice-root bushes. A few patches have cotton, and I see it being dried along the road.
Despite the road look as at least fifteen years old, here are only a few farm houses along it, but no villages or towns at all. Huge rivers are let under it, leaving room for a lot more water than present.
After some time, the landscape turn rather dull to watch due to its homogeny appearance. Just as the other busses, a flat screen show either local or Bollywood movies or local music videos. At least, the sound it not that high.

At three, we leave the big highway, and head east on a narrow, badly maintained road. This one is on the other hand pretty busy, and villages are scatted all along it. We make another toilet/food brake at a rural restaurant in the middle of the fields. I use the time to head out on a small botanising expedition. Besides from what might be a local Jatropha, the most interesting plants I spot are Madagascan - and as such not interesting.
The sun  set at 17;30, and fifteen minutes later, it is pitch dark. At the same time, the road start to really twist, and we start to gain height. This is the stretch I wanted to see... The best I can do is to capture the serpentine on my GPS!
We are almost in Kalau/Kalaw, but the traffic is intense, the trucks can only pass the oncoming in a few places, and the slowest, overloaded lorry set the speed.

We reach what appears to be a tourist visited town at eight, and a friendly guy recommend me the Golden Lotus as a recently hotel. So do the receptionist at a more fancy place and the host at a restaurant. It is just a few hundred metres down the road, just in the centre of town, and it look fine.
The temperature have dropped significantly due to the height of 1500 metres, but I'm assured they have hot water in the showers. I drop the bag and head back to the restaurant with my computer.
They have a few vegetarian courses, and I get a Tradition Myanmar tea leaf rice with peanut and fried egg and let it be chased by a Tradition Myanmar Soya bean paste rice with fried egg. Along with the food, I get a pot of jasmine tea. It seems like I, as so many others in the bus, have cached a cold - real annoying!
Unfortunately, they do not have internet, and I ought to check work-emails. Back to the hotel, where the fleece jacket is insufficient - at least for me. Never the less, I sit outside and work to midnight, hoping for a hot shower to put me to sleep.
I spend some time talking to a Swiss woman, who have spend four months teaching English in a monastery. She have just stopped, and seems a bit desperate.
Well, here is actually hot water, but it does not help me sleeping at all.

7/12 Despite I don't fall asleep before around two, I have no problem being right awake at five. My little, wooden room in a little wooden hut is filled with smoke. Then it start to smell a bit like food, and I realises I am placed over the open, wood-fuelled  kitchen. Then I doze off again, only to be bright awake by the loud sound of what through my ear-plugs sounds like fire. Then it is more like a massive thunderstorm of water on my tin-roof.
I never find out what caused this noise, but call it a night anyway. The room come with delicious pancakes with jam and bananas, and almost tea. My cold is doing way better than I, and I am considering to bring a towel. Instead, I buy a role of toilet paper.

I am looking so much forward to explore this mountainous area, and see what interesting plants which can be found here. On the way, I see a part of Kalaw, and especially their mirror-covered pagoda. It is a sleepy town, and it does not have much to show, despite it was the English summer capital, and now the centre of tracking. 
It is a bit tricky to get out into the wild. The roads tend to get to alleys, turning into paths, ending at a big fence or hotel. Finally, I succeeds getting out of town, and boy, am I disappointed? I see around fifty  flowering plants, none native as fare as I can tell. I guess most of the non-flowering herbs could be native, but it is just not the same without flowers!
It is a bit better with animals. Around ten different butterflies are fleeing in front of me on the small path, and some huge earth-worms have decided to die on the path. At first, I actually think of some sort of Anguis (Reptilian), but a live specimen make it clear; it is a worm. Some giant Golden Orb spiders have their huge nets in the bushes along the path. I get a few photos without getting caught.

After two hours of tracking, I make it out to the forest - and that is just another big disappointment: It is almost exclusive pine trees - another invasive species. Small farms have cleared patches on the hill-sides, but I fail to find anything interesting.
I get to test my matchbox-hat, and it does work. I might look a bit odd with this faro-like headdress, but what?
After having walked the hills and their pine-trees enough, I return down to the town. The famous market is large, pretty clean and average interesting.
I try to find a vegetarian lunch, but I fail at the market. Even an Indian restaurant deny to have a single vegetarian course! I end up at a overpriced Nepalese restaurant, but at least the potato-curry are tasty.

The plan was to spend another night here, but considering the poor botanical value, the fact I have seen the town and the state of my room in the morning, I start looking for a bus. A taxi driver tells me the next one for Lake Inley leaves within ten minutes. I take that as a sign, and rush back to get my bag. It is a mini bus, and after we delivered four other passengers to their Kalaw hotels, we are only two left. My travel companion is the smiling Italian Luigi, coming all the way from Bago.

We drive down the other side of the mountain, and it is a significantly more boring tour. Quite flat, full of pine-trees. After a hour and a half, we see the first bigger lakes at Lake Inley. One area is completely taken over by some sort of sun-flower.
Luigi have a reservation at a hotel, and I figure I'll try the same. We end up in the same room, although I asked for a single room, and he had a reservation for a dorm bed.
After checking emails, I walk the kilometre back to town at dusk. The area is famous for the lake, which is actually a swamp. I know from experience, one can only explore an area like this from a boat. Several companies offers boat-rides, and I book a five person boat for the morning. I bounced into Luigi, and invites him along.
Again, finding food which are not based on meat is a problem, but finally, I get some fried vegetables and rice. On the way back, I am glad I again remembered to get the GPS set for the hotel. It is real dark, and the GPS doubles as a headlamp and a torch.

8/12 After spending most of the night feeling sorry for my self due to the flue, the morning sun is a blessing. Breakfast on the roof, and then Luigi and I are picked up by our boatman. Two Spaniels want to join, but I rather have a small group. They can easily get their own boat. A quick drive through town , and we can enter out longboat. A one stroke diesel engine produces plenty of power end even more noise.
The first stint is by the river, and it is a busy river. Tourist boats, fishermen, farmers and nurserymen along with everything in-between. We sail between two lines of stilts-houses, all made of wood or bamboo. A small herd of brown, furry water buffalos and the last town-hoses, and we reach the Inle/Inlay,Inley lake and its bird reservation area.

To  both sides of the huge lake, low mountain ranges are seen through the morning mist. The surface of the lake is at almost 1000 metres height. Soon, we meet some of the fishermen the area is known for. The stand on their low boats on one leg, holding their fishing basket with the other. Or, even more impressive, they actually paddle the boat with one leg, standing on the other, using the hands for fishing.

Plenty of floating islands, made up by living plants floats around. Unfortunately, the main material is made up by the South-American Water Lily. The rest is grasses. Here are plenty of seagulls, some cormorants, several different herons, Willy Wagtails, a few falcons, coots, starlings, finches and others.
Besides from the water, the floating islands, the swamps, here are also quite some mud islands. And it seems like most are inhabitant.

The first stop is at a silver smith. Myanmar have several silver mines, and their tradition dates way back. We see how the melt small pieces and craft a thick "coin". It is being hammered to a thin bawl with lots of delicate ornamentations.
On the other side of the river is a big collection of pagodas, but we sail on. Next stop is a Kayan tribe shop. Here, we see not only the up to ten kilos of metal the women wear around their elongated necks, but also the women and the crafts they produces. To me, is seems like it would have been significantly easier for them with normal necks...

We head further into the swamps, and passes banana plants, flowering morning-glories, grass and even trees. The next stop is a show-room/shop as well. I not sure I understood much of the sales speak I got yesterday, but I don't recall that many shops and that little nature or markets. And no chance we can exchange a word with our captain!
Anyway, it is interesting to see how they produced strings from the fibres of the lotus stalks. It take a lot of work, and the weaved fabric is seven times more expensive as silk. And if you had asked me, I would have guessed on cotton or even Cannabis salivates. I don't feel like bringing home a brownish scarf for US$ 430.
We find the boatmen's game of bob way more interesting, and get to play a game by us self. On the balcony, a line of Dendrobium-like orchids are flowering.

The next time we pull over is at a black smith, making machetes. Then we continues through the maze of overgrown mud banks. A stop at a shop with all kind of weaved goods and a funny mahogany ball pen, I have to buy. Next stop is a cigar factory. They role these nicotine-free cigarillos by hand, and sell them in small, wooden boxes for a fortune, compared with those looking just like than, at the local shop. Luigi supports this shop, and I promises to buy at the next - hoping for lunch. And it is!

Then we enter a whole village, a bit Venetian like. A huge, golden temple have some small boulders, which men are putting gold leafs on. Everywhere around the temple, Plexiglas boxes are filled with bank notes. I find it so hard  to combine the humble Buddhism with gold and bank notes! The entire area is scattered with souvenir shops.
The tour through the village, on the other hand, is a real treat. Everyone have their own little boat, and here are a lot of activity. On the other side of town, we meet the real narrow canals. Along them are the "fields" with cucumbers and tomatoes. The plants are places on narrow ditches and the water flows in-between each row. This is the floating gardens of Inlay.

We reach another temple, this one more like I had expected. Dark inside, numerous statures but only a single, fat monk in a beach chair. On the other side, the souvenir shops are found. We have stopped supporting the locals...
After seven hours, we head back cross the huge lake. The sun is setting, but we rather get back. A eight hour boat ride is enough, and I want to visit the local market. Unfortunately, it is already closed, and we walk back to the hotel. The guy who contacted us this morning, and presented our captain, turns up. It  turns out we were on the wrong tour! That does explain for the amount of shops and lack of floating markets. Not that I complain: I have only to work for ten minutes, to be able to pay for a day-trip like this! I start on diary while I wait for dinnertime to come. It seems like we have gotten another roommate. I might negotiate the rate of my room.

At seven, I head back to town for dinner and a ticket for tomorrow. The internet is not working, and I guess it is a general Myanmar problem. Down town, I learn that the eastern area I planned to visit is closed to foreigners. I have heard of one guy who went here breathily, and during the night, he heard gunfire and an explosion. Guess I have to do without that corner.
I find Luigi at the local food night-market, and we sit and eat and chat to way too late, considering the 200 photos I have to proceed. I make a special slideshow with Lake Inlay.

9/12 Another wasted night, and even the sun refuses to join in before ten. As I can't make it to Kyaingtong and Mong La, I head towards Pyin Oo Lwin. But the only daily bus leaves at 19;30, and I'm not that keen on night rides. Plan C will be a de-tour around Mandalay, which I might as well see, when I get there.
A taxi bring me the eleven kilometres up to the intersection. Here I learn; I have to go to Meiktila first. Fine with me, as it is down hill to Kalaw by the mountain road I missed in the dark.

The first bit is through swamps and rice patches. Followed by the pine forest, then it turns more green an lush, and giant trees are covered in vines. Despite my best efforts to get a good photo, I end up with blurry, partly window-framed mistakes. But it is a beautiful tour. 
We stop breathily around noon to let the driver enjoy his dinner. Strangely enough, everyone else remain seated in the minibus. I get a photo of the taxi-horse-carriages, which I have seen in several towns. As we continues, we passes a huge parade with dressed-up cars, humans and horses - not a clue to what it was about.
As we reach the lowlands, it turns dry and savannah-like. Then the green vegetation returns, and the rice patches dominates. I guess I see 100 oxen carriages, but fail to capture a single.

We reach Melktila at four, and I get a short ride with a horse-taxi, to the ticket office. They can offer me a ticket to Mandalay, and onwards in the morning. Ten minutes later, I crammed into another minibus. I check my GPS, and it seems like we take the western route. That means we will pass two of my other sights, and I will jump off at the first.
After six, in the pitch-dark, I jump off near the village of Paleik - hoping to find a place to sleep. The driver follows me across the busy road to the local ticket office. This is a junction, but almost without a town. They talk and phone a bit around, and a young man follows us back to the bus. He give directions to a hotel, way out in a dark area, and the bus drive me there. I would never have walked there, thinking I would find a hotel. These people are just so great! Everyone in the minibus smiles and greats me goodbye, despite the de-tour.

The host offers me dinner, but he have only plane rice and sardine-sauce. I walk back towards the junction, and get a lift by a moped. I actually get to do the driving, and he a phone call, the five kilometres back. Here are many food-stalls, and I get a big dish of fried rice with spices and roasted beans, a huge dish fresh vegetables, a bowl of soup and a mug of almost dissent tea. All for 1000 K.
A tour around the other stalls and small convenient shops results in a packet of cookies. Then it is back to work at the hotel. I can see a Wi-Fy, but it is apparently not theirs.

I see clearly by going through my photos, I do fare from experience as much as I use to do. By now, I use to have several hundreds photos of specific plants,  I have five... Further more, several days have been spend on transport alone. I am convinced; this is caused by the fact, I have no car of my own. When I drive myself, I can stop and explore wherever I want to, making the transport a part of the expedition.
The few photos of the day and limited experiences are not enough to keep my occupied, and I do some reading on the coming days' sights. And I make a slideshow with the photos of Easter Central.

From the eastern as I could come, I head into the central part around Mandalay in Diary 3

Photos   Map & Plan   Diary 1  2  3  4  5  6