When I last left you, Joanna was the one who left me…well
only for 9 days! Joanna flew to Thailand to meet up with her friends from back
home, while I stayed in Myanmar for another week. We would soon reconvene, but
for the time being I was on my own. It was quite strange, actually; aside from
my short stop in Delhi, I’d been traveling with friends for nearly a month.
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Scene along the circular train; see
the video below for a short clip |
On January 28th, the day after Joanna left, I
rode the circular train around Yangon. The ride has become a tourist attraction
in itself, as it gives tourists a glimpse of life on the outskirts of the city
and the much less developed parts of Yangon. For less than 50 cents you can do
the entire three hour loop. The scenery quickly changes from urban Yangon to
small villages and agricultural fields, and although the ride was a bit long, I
was still glad to complete the loop.
Halfway along the route I stopped off to see a war memorial
dedicated to Commonwealth fighters killed during WW2. The cemetery is
maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, so the site is
immaculate. I hopped on a motorbike taxi to get to the cemetery, which was
further than I anticipated. By the time I made it back to the train and into
central Yangon, it was already late afternoon. I make my way back to the hostel
to pick up my bags, grabbed dinner, and walked to the central station to catch
my overnight train.
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| The war cemetery north of Yangon |
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The day Joanna left was the official start to the Chinese
New Year, and Yangon's Chinatown was in a festive mood |
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The seats were actually comfy, but they
never turned the damn lights off! |
The train to Mawlamyine (a mouthful, I know) departed at 9
pm and arrived the following morning at 7. According to Google Maps the
distance between the two is all of 310 kms, or just shy of 193 miles. To
repeat, the train traveled 310 kilometers in 10 hours. That’s an average speed
of 31 kms / 19 miles an hour!
Since we were going so slow, you’d think the ride might be
smooth—well, sorry to disappoint. The train bobbed back and forth, clanking and
banging in a way that made me question if the tracks were even welded together.
If the sound weren’t enough they kept the fluorescent lights blaring the entire
night (the bugs loved that). I used tissues as earplugs and wore a sleeping
mask, but only managed a few hours of shut eye. Was the train a worthwhile
experience? Yes. Would I do it again? Probably not.
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| My train ticket, which came with life insurance! |
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| View of Mawlamyine from Kyaik Tan Lan Pagoda |
Mawlamyine, with 325,000 people, is Myanmar’s fourth largest
city (most Burmese still live in the countryside). There is little to see in
the town itself, but it is a decent base to explore the southeast peninsula,
which until recently was off-limits to foreigners. Fewer tourists is a plus,
but it also means that there are limited accommodation options. More foreigners
are already venturing to these parts, so prices are quite high for SE Asia.
When I looked online for places in Mawlamyine only a handful of hotels were available,
and the cheapest private room was $16, but at a place rated 5.9 out of 10 on
booking.com. Considering the next cheapest was over $40, I opted for a dorm bed
in a nicer establishment (which worked out to $15 a night).
The morning I arrived I got lucky and was able to check in
straight away to my hostel. After a nap I strolled around town and saw a couple
temples and old churches. I also talked to a hotel owner who agreed to rent me
a motorbike for the afternoon and the following day, although I had to bring it
back before sundown and pick it up in the morning. I used the remaining daylight
to drive south some 25 kms to the world’s largest reclining Buddha, which is
180 meters long!
After the caves I drove on to Hpa-an town itself for lunch, and
then to Mt Zwegabin, where I attempted to climb to the top. The key word here
is attempted—I had no idea how long it would take! I trekked up the endless
stairs for an hour in the 90+ degree (low 30s Celsius) heat with no end in
sight. I think I was close, but the temple at the summit was still hidden from
my view. At that point I had to turn back, because I booked a bus ticket to
Dawei which was due to pick me up in Mawlamyine at 5pm.
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| The lake opposite Saddan Cave |
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| At the base of Zwegabin mountain |
I managed to get back and return my motorbike with only 15
minutes to spare. As often happens though, a van picked me up and dropped me
off at the local bus station, where we waited for nearly an hour to leave. To
be fair they did need to register every foreigner, because certain parts of the
southeast are still off-limits to foreigners. I hoped that our journey would be
behind schedule and get in the next morning, but of course we arrived in Dawei
at 2 am when the town was shut down.
I had no booking, and the place I had saved on my maps was
full. I lucked out and found a local who showed me to several other hotels—I
don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t met him…maybe just sit around and
wait for morning. I finally landed on the Princess Hotel, which had shabby
rooms and shared toilets, but considering it was 3 am and rooms were $8 a
night, it would have to do.
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| A village on the peninsula south of Dawei |
I ended up spending three full days in Dawei, mostly just
driving around on a motorbike and visiting beaches. The peninsula near Dawei
extends over 60 kms south along the Andaman Sea and takes several hours to
drive using the main road. At various points there are turnoffs to small
villages and remote beaches with almost nobody around; several times I was
literally the only person there!
Before I went to Dawei I pictured the town as completely off
the tourist trail; I thought I’d be the only one there, or maybe one of a
handful. In reality there were dozens of other foreigners—still not many—but
more than I expected. Just to the east is Thailand, and it only takes a trickle
of tourists from Thailand to drastically change the landscape in Myanmar. Initially
I was disappointed to see more foreigners, but once I hit the road on my bike I
soon got the familiar “what the hell is he doing here?” kind of looks.
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| Even Manmuguan was quiet |
On the 31
st of January, my first day in town, I
slept in and wandered around the city center. That afternoon I rented a bike
and drove to Manmuguan, the most well-known and easily accessible of the
beaches. There were local Burmese tourists, but still only a few Westerners.
The following day I drove the full length of the peninsula,
and searched in vain for Grandpa beach, which the guy at the rental shop
recommended. I still found several other tranquil spots, and got tons of bumpy
riding on rocks and steep dirt tracks. After one day I wanted more, so on
February 2
nd I again went out exploring, this time in the northern
part of the peninsula. By nighttime I was exhausted from riding, my ass was
sore, and I needed a solid night sleep.
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| An empty beach at the southern end of the peninsula |
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| The ride was rough at times |
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| Another beach with no tourists, just curious kids! |
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| Nobody in sight! |
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| A village near the Andaman Sea |
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| Motorbiking is fun but tiring |
Three days in Dawei was enough, so on the 3
rd of
February I took a shared taxi to the border and crossed over into Thailand. The
trip was only 200 kms, but it took us 5 hours on dusty dirt roads. Once I got
through immigration and had lunch, the bus on the Thai side to Kanchanaburi was
less than 2 on a wide, smooth, paved road; what a difference!
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| My motorbike for the day |
During my full day I rented a motorbike…again. It seems that
whenever I go to SE Asia I have to rent a bike and drive; life on two wheels is
addicting! Besides, I needed a way to get to Hellfire Pass, a stretch of the
Death Railway 80 kms north of Kanchanaburi. POWs and Asian laborers had to cut
through solid rock using only simple hand tools, and thousands died in the
process, both from malnutrition and disease (hence the name). The site has a
museum run by the Australian government, and visitors get a free audio guide
which includes historical information and oral histories from survivors.
After the Hellfire Pass I took advantage of the open roads
and zipped around the beautiful countryside before returning to town. At one
point I ended up at a remote border crossing with Myanmar; good thing I didn’t
sneak in! That night I had an early one, and the following morning hopped on a
bus to Bangkok to meet up with Joanna again!
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| The Hellfire Pass |
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| Another view of the River Kwai |
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