Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Myanmar Trip Highlights

(Him: Charlie)

Yangon: The centre of commerce and culture in Myanmar. Most travelers only stay long here, but you can easily spend 3-4 days if you venture out to the nearby towns and villages.

 Architecture from the colonial era
 Yangon cityscape 
 The holiest place in Myanmar - Shwedagon Pagoda
 The love for Aung San Suu Kyi and her father is ubiquitous
 Yangon seen from across the river at Dalah village
 Rustic wooden house built from colourful planks (possibly from old boats)
 Yangon public bus (notice the wooden floor)
Street food

Bagan: Thousands of pagoda and temples scattered on this sacred land really do make the view spectacular, especially during sunrise and sunset. Temperature soared to above 40 degree during the day. We had to rely on electric bike to get around - biking on unpaved roads can be treacherous and would have been lethal under the scorching sun!

 Ananda Temple
 Sunset view from atop a Bagan pagoda
 Pagoda and temples relics
 More pagoda and temple relics
 Temple in dire need of repair with dozens more pagodas in the backdrop
Pagodas in nostalgia 
Picture on top of the famous Shwesandaw Temple
View from Shwesandaw Temple

Inle Lake: We left the arid Bagan behind and went on to Inle Lake (Nyuangshwe). The scenery that greeted us, unlike the brownish desert in Bagan, was lush green mountains and endless rice paddy fields! The lake makes the air cooler and the ambience more relaxing.

 View from one of the two wineries in Myanmar overlooking the Inle Lake valley
 Boats lining up to take tourists out to the lake
 Leg-rowing Intha fisherman
 Fishermen and their villages in the backdrop
 Close-up of leg-rowing Intha fisherman
 Monastery on Inle Lake 
 Classic Burmese houses on stilts
 Stups and ruins at Indein
Villager's life by the lake
Bridge connecting a floating garden and a monastery

Mandalay: Bustling city in central Myanmar. Instead of visiting the tourist attraction, we simply rented a scooter to check out local life. i.e., markets, river-side slums, etc. Of course, we managed to make it to the famous U-Bain bridge in sunset view.
 Bustling produce market in Mandalay
 Fruit vendor and local men in traditional changyi
 Myanmar spices with pungent smell
 Monks crossing the market toward the padoga
 Slum by the Ayeyarwade River
 The famous U-bain bridge on Taung Tha Man Lake
 Scenery seen from U-bain bridge
 U-bain bridge under twilight
 Serene scene from U-bain bridge
Monastery under twilight




No comments:

Post a Comment