Our trek into Nam Tha National Protected Area began at 9am. I got up at 8 and had breakfast with Marco (Spain) and Jenny (US) at Zuela Guesthouse/restuarant. We met again at the Green Discoveries office. We found that Jerome (France) had joined our group last night, so we got some of our $ refunded. I got along great with everybody and was looking forward to the trek. It was a gloomy and cloudy day but at least it wasn't raining. We first had to take a tuk tuk about 30 minutes out of town to a small village that was our starting point. At the village we picked up two villagers that would help carry and prepare our food for the first day.
We branched off the main road and followed a skinny but well maintained tral along the river. Then the trail climbed and climbed and climbed! It seemed like the first day was mostly uphill but it wasn't that difficult. I actually prefer going mostly uphill as to downhill. Sure, downhill is easier and you're not sweating but it's much harder on my knees and my legs sometimes get shaky after extended descents, so I didn't mind the uphill. We stopped for lunch beside a river. Lunch consisted of a big ball of sticky rice and a cauliflower/mushroom mix and another meat mixutre with sides of a really spicy dish. It was all a free for all, I would pick up the rice with my hand and then the other food with my chopsticks and try to combine them at the same time in my mouth. It was all very good and filling.
Our first day was easy as we only trekked 6km and got to our camp for the night at 2.45. The jungle camp consisted of a communal sleeping hut raised off the ground and a small cooking hut all set on a high ridge surrounded by forest. It was a really nice spot and a stream was only a 5 minute walk downhill. I got settled in and then we all went down to the stream. I walked upstream for some privacy and bathed quickly. The water was only about 15C. I brought a book with me so I read for a while after that. Dinner was again sticky rice, veggies and meat but a different variation and really good too. There was always enough food to fill up. We had cardomum tea that was picked fresh along the way. After dinner, our guide, 24 year old Pet, produced a bottle of Laolao, the national drink of Laos after Beerlao. It's strong stuff usually made from rice or maize. We each did a shot but that was about all I wanted.
That evening the two villagers took Jerome and Marco to catch frogs to eat for breakfast, along the stream. I wasn't into this but they let me walk alone in the forest for a nightwalk. The forest here is home to many animals, tiger, gibbons, deer, pangolin, slow loris, monkeys, wild pig,etc. Though we didn't see or hear anything on our trek, I hoped I might have some luck with some nocturnal creatures. The pangolin and slow loris are two nocturnal animals that are at the top of my nocturnal mammal wishlist. I looked hard and slow but only saw a giant grasshopper, almost 15cm long. I think I scared a few sleeping birds too as I heard some commotion but never saw any eyeshine.
I hung out at the dinner table for a while watching the stars. I saw an amazing shooting star, one of the best I've ever seen. It lasted almost 2-3 seconds. I saw it penetrate our atmosphere and then disintegrate into a fantastic burst of red, yellow and orange and finally disappear. It was really something special. I saw another later but this was like most shooting stars that only last a fraction of a second and then are gone. Everyone was in bed by 9am! We slept on a hard, thin mattress with a mosquito net and two blankets. The entire forest was a in a thick mist and the temperature was about 14C but the humidity was 90%!
Day 2
When I woke up early in the morning I could hear the guides and porters talking and thought they would be waking us up anytime but I would sleep until they did. I woke up again later on my own and checked the time. It was 8.15. I was surprised and thankful that they let us sleep in. Most treks, you're up at six or seven and then on your way an hour later. This was different and I liked it. I got up naturally, had a three in one coffee and waited for breakfast. The forest was still very misty. Breakfast was a big clump of sticky rice, an omelette and pumpkin soup, all very good and filling. I was ready to trek. We packed up and left at 10.
Today was our longest day but it the 11km we had to trek was supposed to be mostly on flat ground. The trekking was easy but the mist obscured some of the viewpoints along the way but it never rained. We all got to walk at our own pace and we rested about once an hour. There were many snacks of oranges, sour apples, apples and cookies and oreos provided by our guide and porters but also from within our group. I was never hungry or thirsty. They provided bottled water and boiled water but I brought my water purifier. I don't like the burnt taste of boiled water and this way I could have fresh water whenever I wanted when we crossed a river. I was only carrying my small day pack with a change of clothes, camera, binoculars, book, portable weather station, towel and some personal stuff. It was really easy to trek with just this.
We stopped for lunch on the trail and Pet cut a bunch of banana leaves as a makeshift placemat and table. Lunch was again another variation of meat and veggies with sticky rice. We had also been eating a lot of Rattan, collected along the way. Rattan is a thorny vine/shrub type palm that is prized for furniture and basket making. I've seen it before a lot in Borneo but never knew that the inside of the fresh stems could be eaten. The taste and texture was like bamboo, I liked it. Sometimes they even roasted it. Our second night was spent at another jungle bungalow, except this one was more in the open. It was in the site of an relocated village. The government sternly enforced the village to move out of the middle of the NPA to near the road about 3 years ago. The only signs left of the village were some massive and very dead 4x4's that we burned.
Pet told us there was a large waterfall nearby that we could bath under. We all got ready and were really looking forward to a good washing. We looked up a pitiful and vegetation choked stream for the waterfall but couldn't find it. Turns out Pet was just bullshitting us! I didn't find this funny though. The 'waterfall' was only about 30cm high. I still got naked though when everyone left and used a scoop to take a 'bucket' type shower. I read again after my shower. I was so full from lunch that I wasn't that hungry when dinner was ready around 5.30. It was another delicious feast. The Laolao came out again after dinner but I only had one shot.We sat around a fire for a while before crashing at around 9. The sky was clear above us but the half full moon was too bright for any amazing stars.
Day 3
Our last day was supposed to be the hardest, a lot of up and down but that still didn't mean we had to get up early. I woke up around 7.30 and had a coffee. Breakfast was an egg/rice mixture with veggies and pumpkin soup. We were all full and ready for our trek. It was a lot of long ascents and descents but not too hard and we took regular rests. A local from a nearby village helped fetch water and prepare the food. He and his four year old son also helped set up and take down our beds and nets. The trekking got easier after a few hours. Most of the way, the four year old boy was leading the entire group, and barefoot at that! I must admit he kept up a good pace and knew the way and never complained. This was one tough kid.
Around 2pm we reached our finishing point in a small village. We had lunch here near the river. It was another giant feast with fresh forest made chopsticks from bamboo. The villages were used to tourists and ready for us. Little kids tried to sell us homemade bracelots and jewellery. We took a waiting tuk tuk back to Luang Nam Tha and our trek ended around 3pm. We all went our own ways but agreed to meet for dinner at 7.
Though I enjoyed the trek and being out in the forest, I was a little disappointed with the wildlife. I thought I would maybe have a hint of seeing or hearing an animal but nothing. We only saw some fresh tracks of a wild pig our last morning. After doing the trek I realized that we weren't deep enough in the forest to see anything. All along the way we saw tiny encampments,some old, some new, used by the villagers while they are in the forest collected bamboo, rattan or other forest products. It's illegal to hunt in the protected area but I'm sure it probably still happens and I think all the wildlife has learned to avoid any areas near humans. I hope to see more in Laos's other protected areas.
We all met up for dinner and went to Yamuna Indian restuarant at my suggestion. Jenny gathered up the few people there that were eating alone and our group was eight people. It was a fun Christmas Eve night of drinking and merryment. Marco is a showman and a bit of a magician. He does some cool tricks that the village kids love. I must admit, I didn't even know how he did some of his tricks. Some of our group left today but the rest of us are doing our own things during the day but will meet up for Christmas dinner. My Christmas gift to myself is a herbal sauna and massage that I will take later today. Tomorrow I head to Luang Prabang.
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
Luang Nam Tha
I came to Luang Nam Tha (or just Nam Tha) to go trekking in the Nam Tha National Protected Area (NPA), Laos's version of the national park. The big difference being that people are allowed to live within the boundaries of the NPA. The town of Nam Tha is small with one main street with lots of guesthouses, traveller oriented restaurants and travel agencies. The town didn't have any character but I still liked it. It was quiet with lots of facilities and stuff to do around. I was looking to do a long trek in the NPA and went to a few different agencies. Green Discoveries had a German couple doing a seven day trek combining forest and village stays. This sounded good to me. They would arrive in town tomorrow. I wanted to meet them first because seven days is a long time to spend with people you don't like. I ate lunch and dinner at an excellent Indian place.
I went back to Green Discoveries the next day to find out that the German couple had cancelled! I was on my own again. Treks with one person are very expensive. Even just adding one more person cuts the price almost in half. I began just asking random couples and solo people I saw. I found a Portuguese guy who was interested so we went to Green Discoveries. He wasn't totally sure because he was worried about his knee he injured 3 weeks ago but then decided to go for it. Then at the last minute as we are literrally signing the paperwork, he stops and says he doesn't want to go now! What a f#$@ing loser! Sorry for my language but this really pissed me off. I spent a few hours with this guy talking about the trek and then last minute he changes his mind!? I left right away. I had to find at least one other person to share the trek with and didn't want to spend another day in town looking for people. I finally found an American women and a Spanish guy who were interested. We went down to Green Discoveries, filled in the paperwork and paid. We were on our way, finally. The 3 day trek starts tomorrow (Dec 22) and spends 2 nights sleeping in forest bungalows. It goes through forest and mountains and not near any villages. This is just what I wanted. I only have to carry my personal stuff and some clothes. I look forward to this trek.
I had not seen a drop of rain in Myanmar but things were looking lush in Laos. It is the dry season but there was a five minute shower yesterday and it sprinkled rain for hours today. This isn't normal for this time of year and I just hope it doesn't rain too much on our trek.
I went back to Green Discoveries the next day to find out that the German couple had cancelled! I was on my own again. Treks with one person are very expensive. Even just adding one more person cuts the price almost in half. I began just asking random couples and solo people I saw. I found a Portuguese guy who was interested so we went to Green Discoveries. He wasn't totally sure because he was worried about his knee he injured 3 weeks ago but then decided to go for it. Then at the last minute as we are literrally signing the paperwork, he stops and says he doesn't want to go now! What a f#$@ing loser! Sorry for my language but this really pissed me off. I spent a few hours with this guy talking about the trek and then last minute he changes his mind!? I left right away. I had to find at least one other person to share the trek with and didn't want to spend another day in town looking for people. I finally found an American women and a Spanish guy who were interested. We went down to Green Discoveries, filled in the paperwork and paid. We were on our way, finally. The 3 day trek starts tomorrow (Dec 22) and spends 2 nights sleeping in forest bungalows. It goes through forest and mountains and not near any villages. This is just what I wanted. I only have to carry my personal stuff and some clothes. I look forward to this trek.
I had not seen a drop of rain in Myanmar but things were looking lush in Laos. It is the dry season but there was a five minute shower yesterday and it sprinkled rain for hours today. This isn't normal for this time of year and I just hope it doesn't rain too much on our trek.
Laos!
I shared a tuk tuk to the local bus station from the border with an older Danish couple. There was only one bus at the station. It was leaving at 5pm for Luang Prabang but stopped at Luang Nam Tha, where I wanted to go. The problem was it was only 1.20pm. The Danish couple changed their plans and went back to the border town. I was alone at the station for a while until a group of package tourists from China took over the place. A few backpackers arrived just before the bus left at 5. The bus was super modern ultra deluxe, compared to anything I saw in Myanmar. It was two levels with super freezing Air Con. They even handed out water and blankets.
I arrived in Luang Nam Tha at 9.30. I took a tuk tuk into the town which is ridiculously 11km away from the station. I took a nice room at Manychan Guesthouse, ate dinner, watched TV and crashed. It was another long day but I was glad to be in Laos.
I arrived in Luang Nam Tha at 9.30. I took a tuk tuk into the town which is ridiculously 11km away from the station. I took a nice room at Manychan Guesthouse, ate dinner, watched TV and crashed. It was another long day but I was glad to be in Laos.
The Golden Triangle
Dec. 18
I ate my last breakfast at Four Sisters and walked with all my stuff into town. A travel agent there was giving me the cheapest price on a taxi to the airport. The airstrip was in Heho, 40km away and the taxi was $14 to get there. I gave myself one hour to get there and arrived exactly one hour and a half before my flight left, as the travel said I should do. I checked in a then waited. The 'airport' was empty except for a few locals. The plane landed just minutes before we boarded. It left on time at 1.25. There were already passengers on the plane but it was full. It was open seating and I took a window seat. The aircraft was a 60 seater twin prop plane. It's not everyday I ride in a prop plane. The flight was fairly smooth and only 45 minutes long. The landscape below looked brown with some different colored cultivated patches. Once we landed in Tachilek I took a taxi into town to the Myanmar Travels and Tours office (MTT) to get my permit. The office was smartly located right at the border. Everything went smooth and the guy from the office even walked me to the Thail immigration and helped me. MTT took care of all the customs on the Myanmar side.
Once in Thailand it was easy to get the standard 30 day visa. The border was really busy with Asain people. I took a pickup to a waiting bus for Chaing Rai. It took about 1.5 hours to get to Chang Rai.It was a shock to be back in Thailand after a month in Myanmar. Sure Thailand is still a developing country but compared to Myanmar, it's developed! The smooth and paved roads, new cars, nice buildings and abundance of shopping and services available took a bit of getting used to. It was nice to be back in this for a bit. I took a nice room at City Home and went out to eat. I had a tasty green Thai curry and Singha beer. There were lots of foreigners around too. I just relaxed for the rest of the day, it had been a long one.
Chaing Rai is one of the largest cities in the Golden Triangle, the triborder area between Thailand, Laos and Myanmar were most of the worlds opium is grown. Chaing Rai was just a transit point for me. I left the next day on a bus at 10am for the border, 2 hours away. I arrived at the border and it was pretty straightfoward filling out the forms and getting my 30 day Laos visa.
I ate my last breakfast at Four Sisters and walked with all my stuff into town. A travel agent there was giving me the cheapest price on a taxi to the airport. The airstrip was in Heho, 40km away and the taxi was $14 to get there. I gave myself one hour to get there and arrived exactly one hour and a half before my flight left, as the travel said I should do. I checked in a then waited. The 'airport' was empty except for a few locals. The plane landed just minutes before we boarded. It left on time at 1.25. There were already passengers on the plane but it was full. It was open seating and I took a window seat. The aircraft was a 60 seater twin prop plane. It's not everyday I ride in a prop plane. The flight was fairly smooth and only 45 minutes long. The landscape below looked brown with some different colored cultivated patches. Once we landed in Tachilek I took a taxi into town to the Myanmar Travels and Tours office (MTT) to get my permit. The office was smartly located right at the border. Everything went smooth and the guy from the office even walked me to the Thail immigration and helped me. MTT took care of all the customs on the Myanmar side.
Once in Thailand it was easy to get the standard 30 day visa. The border was really busy with Asain people. I took a pickup to a waiting bus for Chaing Rai. It took about 1.5 hours to get to Chang Rai.It was a shock to be back in Thailand after a month in Myanmar. Sure Thailand is still a developing country but compared to Myanmar, it's developed! The smooth and paved roads, new cars, nice buildings and abundance of shopping and services available took a bit of getting used to. It was nice to be back in this for a bit. I took a nice room at City Home and went out to eat. I had a tasty green Thai curry and Singha beer. There were lots of foreigners around too. I just relaxed for the rest of the day, it had been a long one.
Chaing Rai is one of the largest cities in the Golden Triangle, the triborder area between Thailand, Laos and Myanmar were most of the worlds opium is grown. Chaing Rai was just a transit point for me. I left the next day on a bus at 10am for the border, 2 hours away. I arrived at the border and it was pretty straightfoward filling out the forms and getting my 30 day Laos visa.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Inle Lake
This placid lake was to be my last destination in Myanmar but it was one I liked the most. I checked a few hotels out and settled at the Four Sisters Inn, about a 15 minute walk from the centre of Nyaungshwe town. The town is very small with little traffic but plenty of places to stay and eat. The internet was also kind of fast and cheap. It was a mellow place just to walk along with no hassle. A few guys would approach you for a boat or trek but were easy to deal with. My first day there I just relaxed in the afternoon, I arrived at 2.30. I was really looking forward to a grilled fish dinner and actually pre ordered my dinner. I arrived at Unique Superb food restaurant at 6.30, just when I said I would. My dinner was out in minutes. A huge grilled lake fish stuffed with veggies and accompanied with french fries for $4. It was all supremely delicious.
The lake sits at an elevation of 900m, so it was just a bit chilly at night. It was a bit expensive here to do a boat trip on the lake, so I asked a few people I saw around but everyone had already been on the lake. I figured I would leave the boat trip till my last full day here and see if I met anyone to share.
Day 2
The Four Sisters Inn gave one the the best breakfasts I've had in Myanmar. Tea/Coffee,bananas, toast, eggs and a pancake! I hung around and read for a while before walking into town. There were some hot springs nearby that I wanted to visit and went to a tiny hole in the wall travel agency to ask about hiring a moto. I got a moto and driver for $5 take me there and back and wait a few hours. This was decent price and we left at 11am.
The Hu Pin hotsprings were exactly as I pictured them from the guidebook's description. Hot spa/mineral water was channelled into nicely tiled small pools for bathing. It was all very tasteful and well constructed. They supplied towel,locker, change room,soap and shampoo. They also separate the men/women and foriegners. I had the whole 3 pools to myself and total privacy, no locals to stare at me but no other foriegners around either.
There were 3 pools, 2 warm and one hot. I started in the warm pool, about 32C, very comfortable.
The lake sits at an elevation of 900m, so it was just a bit chilly at night. It was a bit expensive here to do a boat trip on the lake, so I asked a few people I saw around but everyone had already been on the lake. I figured I would leave the boat trip till my last full day here and see if I met anyone to share.
Day 2
The Four Sisters Inn gave one the the best breakfasts I've had in Myanmar. Tea/Coffee,bananas, toast, eggs and a pancake! I hung around and read for a while before walking into town. There were some hot springs nearby that I wanted to visit and went to a tiny hole in the wall travel agency to ask about hiring a moto. I got a moto and driver for $5 take me there and back and wait a few hours. This was decent price and we left at 11am.
The Hu Pin hotsprings were exactly as I pictured them from the guidebook's description. Hot spa/mineral water was channelled into nicely tiled small pools for bathing. It was all very tasteful and well constructed. They supplied towel,locker, change room,soap and shampoo. They also separate the men/women and foriegners. I had the whole 3 pools to myself and total privacy, no locals to stare at me but no other foriegners around either.
There were 3 pools, 2 warm and one hot. I started in the warm pool, about 32C, very comfortable.
Mandalay - Thazi - Kalaw - Inle Lake
My next destination was the mountain town of Kalaw on the way to Inle Lake. I was going to do the three day trek from Kalaw to Inle Lake but taking a day to rest after being sick kind of screwed everything up. I was able to get my permit to cross the border to Thailand and booked a flight for the day before my visa expired on Dec. 19. There was no flight on the 19th or else I would have went the last day. This means that I would only have 4 nights for Kalaw, trekking and Inle Lake. The trekking was two nights. I didn't want to spend just one night at the lake so I decided to skip on the trekking. It was only staying in villages along the way with not much forest, so I wasn't too disappointed.
The problem I had to figure out was how to get to Kalaw without taking the overnight bus option which was the most popular and straightforward way. I came up with a plan. It would be a bus/train combo to Kalaw. I hung out with Thida for the last time in the morning before I left. She helped me get transport to the bus station and rode with me there. I said bye and then got on the bus to Meiktila.
It was three hour ride from Mandalay to Meiktila. Once there I had to switch to a pickup for Thazi, only one hour away. I rode in the back of a pickup filled to the brim with sacs of onions. It only took us 30 minutes to get to Thazi and before I knew it, they were dropping me off at Moonlight Resthouse. I ate dinner and went to bed. The train to Kalaw left at 5am.
I woke up at 4.20am and walked to the train station. I bought my ticket for upper class and had a bit of rice and coffee for breakfast. The train left 30 minutes late. Instead of separate chairs, like a bus, off the last train, this time it was a larger seat with one big cushion. It was more comfortable and had more elbow room. The tiny old woman sitting beside seemed far away. The train left in the dark but soon the morning sun was a welcome sight. It's warming rays getting out the morning chill. The scenery along the way was amazing, mountains and rolling hills and small villages only along the rail line. It took about seven hours to get to Kalaw.
I took a horsecart to the Golden Lily Guesthouse and got a large, though faily empty room, with hot shower for $6. After eating lunch I took a rest. I was feeling the effects of being up at 4am. For dinner I went back to the same small family run restaurant. I was literally eating in their living room. Kalaw sits at 1230m elevation and gets cold in December and January. It was 14C when I went to bed but when I got up it was only 9C! This was the coldest place I had been to so far and I hoped it would remain the coldest place I would visit.
That morning I took a pickup to the junction for the road to Inle Lake, about two hours away. From here I hired a moto for the last 30 minute drive. I was finally in my last destination in Myanmar. I had 3 nights to spend at the lake before my flight out.
The problem I had to figure out was how to get to Kalaw without taking the overnight bus option which was the most popular and straightforward way. I came up with a plan. It would be a bus/train combo to Kalaw. I hung out with Thida for the last time in the morning before I left. She helped me get transport to the bus station and rode with me there. I said bye and then got on the bus to Meiktila.
It was three hour ride from Mandalay to Meiktila. Once there I had to switch to a pickup for Thazi, only one hour away. I rode in the back of a pickup filled to the brim with sacs of onions. It only took us 30 minutes to get to Thazi and before I knew it, they were dropping me off at Moonlight Resthouse. I ate dinner and went to bed. The train to Kalaw left at 5am.
I woke up at 4.20am and walked to the train station. I bought my ticket for upper class and had a bit of rice and coffee for breakfast. The train left 30 minutes late. Instead of separate chairs, like a bus, off the last train, this time it was a larger seat with one big cushion. It was more comfortable and had more elbow room. The tiny old woman sitting beside seemed far away. The train left in the dark but soon the morning sun was a welcome sight. It's warming rays getting out the morning chill. The scenery along the way was amazing, mountains and rolling hills and small villages only along the rail line. It took about seven hours to get to Kalaw.
I took a horsecart to the Golden Lily Guesthouse and got a large, though faily empty room, with hot shower for $6. After eating lunch I took a rest. I was feeling the effects of being up at 4am. For dinner I went back to the same small family run restaurant. I was literally eating in their living room. Kalaw sits at 1230m elevation and gets cold in December and January. It was 14C when I went to bed but when I got up it was only 9C! This was the coldest place I had been to so far and I hoped it would remain the coldest place I would visit.
That morning I took a pickup to the junction for the road to Inle Lake, about two hours away. From here I hired a moto for the last 30 minute drive. I was finally in my last destination in Myanmar. I had 3 nights to spend at the lake before my flight out.
Mandalay Hill
I met Thida later in the afternoon. We went to a local market but there was nothing I wanted. We both wanted to go to Mandalay Hill for sunset. The hill rises 760' above the flat city. We hired a bicycle trishaw for the ride there and back. We arrived late and as we climbed barefoot up tons of stairs to the top, the sun set. That was okay though because I've learned the most intense colors of the sun can come 20 minutes after it's set. We were both a little sweaty by the time we reached the top, but what a view! A panoramic 360 degree view of the shan hills in the distance, Ayerwaddy river and the huge Mandalay palace. There were some curious young monks up there asking me questions. We stayed up for a while admiring the views.
Ten minutes into our trishaw ride back into downtown there was a firecracker loud BANG! It was the tire of the sidecar exploding. We sat at a teashop for a bit waiting for it to be repaired. After it was fixed we only went for 5 minutes before it started ballooning out, it wasn't fixed. So we switched to another trishaw. We went to a local place for dinner. I ordered a big bowl of Thai veg soup, since it was only 30 cents more than the small bowl. Sure, I ordered the big bowl and that was what I got! There must have been 2 litres of soup, tofu and veggies! I said " Come on! You're kidding" as it arrived. Thida was laughing her head off! I scooped out most of the tofu and veggies. It was spicy but my stomach was able to handle it fine just two days after being sick. I just didn't want rice for a few days. Soup seemed like the way to go. I said bye to Thida at 9 as she rode her bike back home.
Ten minutes into our trishaw ride back into downtown there was a firecracker loud BANG! It was the tire of the sidecar exploding. We sat at a teashop for a bit waiting for it to be repaired. After it was fixed we only went for 5 minutes before it started ballooning out, it wasn't fixed. So we switched to another trishaw. We went to a local place for dinner. I ordered a big bowl of Thai veg soup, since it was only 30 cents more than the small bowl. Sure, I ordered the big bowl and that was what I got! There must have been 2 litres of soup, tofu and veggies! I said " Come on! You're kidding" as it arrived. Thida was laughing her head off! I scooped out most of the tofu and veggies. It was spicy but my stomach was able to handle it fine just two days after being sick. I just didn't want rice for a few days. Soup seemed like the way to go. I said bye to Thida at 9 as she rode her bike back home.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Monywa
Monywa is about 4 hours northwest of Mandalay by bus and thankfully, there are buses almost every hour, so no need to leave at 5am. Last night in Mandalay I met Thida, a 24 year old Burmese local. She started chatting me up as I went to the internet cafe. I wasn't sure what her motives were but it turned out she was genuine and just wanted to talk. We hung out for a few hours and she said she wanted to travel with me as an unofficial guide/friend, for no money. I could use the company since I've hardly met anyone after leaving Bagan.It's also nice to have someone who can speak english and Burmese.
I kind of feel like I'm in Africa, where I would travel for weeks on my own not really meeting anyone. You get that feeling that you're an old colonial travelling around unseen territory for the first time. The traveller crowd here is slim. Even at places I thought it would have been busy, it wasn't. Also Myanmar seems to be more of a 'mature' traveller's destination. Most of the travellers I've seen are over 30.
Thida and I met in the morning and took the 12.30 bus to Monywa. The bus was medium size and the seats were pretty tight. We got a hotel in Monywa and relaxed before going out to eat. We were both thinking the same thing at the Schwe Tang Tarn restaurant/guesthouse - chicken, veggies, rice and a glass of beer. It was the cheapest thing on the menu. We had a TV in our room but it only had news stations and sometimes chinese movies with English subtitles.
Thanboddhay Paya
I came to Monya to see the sites in the area and this pagoda was our first stop. It's a massive pogada which took almost 20 years to build. What sets it apart from any other temple I've seen is the mind blowing amount of buddha statues it contains. The guidebook says it has 582,363! Some of these are large but most of them are small and line the upper walls to the ceiling.
Bodhi Tataung
5km from Thanboddhay Paya was the highlight for me of our trip to Monywa. On the site of Bodhi Tataung are a gold temple and 2 massive buddhas. The gold standing buddha is 425' tall with a 312' reclining buddha at his feet. The standing buddha is over two times the height of Niagara Falls! I could see it in the distance when we were coming on the bus. I wonder why they put something this amazing way out in the middle of nowhere. Thida and I hired a motorickshaw to get to these two sites. The area around the buddha was pratically empty except for a few vendors. I'm guessing they didn't speak english because only Thida was asked to buy stuff. There are about 26 floors inside the standing buddha, all accessible by stairs. An elevator was there but not working. The standing buddha was cool and like nothing I've ever seen but what really got my attention were the paintings inside.
Extremely graphic, violent,bloody,realistic and disturbing images lined the walls. Vivid portraits of humans being butchered by huge ogre like creatures. Humans were being skewered on a stick, boiled in stew, heads bashed in, limbs cut off....etc,I think you get the picture! It was getting late in the afternoon as Thida and I began to go up inside the buddha but I kept wanting to go just one more floor. I wanted to see what ghastly paintings were in store on the next floor. We made it up about seven floors. The inscriptions surrounding the paintings are all in Burmese but say something about this happening to you when you die. Thida says " I never want to die!' and "Will this happen to me?" I reassure her it won't. This isn't a place for children but as we left young kids were ascending the stairs. Apparently it is a place for children! The paintings were somewhat cartoonish but there was no denying their brutality. I had not expected this at all.
Back in Monywa, Thida and I ate really cheap and delicious street food.
Hpo Win Daung Caves
Thida only stayed 2 nights and went back to Mandalay. I stayed one more day to visit the man made temple caves of Hpo Win Daung. Thida has seen them before and doesn't like the aggressive monkeys hanging around the caves. I hired a mototaxi to get there, the cheapest way. The caves were about 70 minutes west from Monywa. The road out of Monywa wasn't bad at all but then we turned on to a unpaved road for a while. On both sides of the road were copper mining villages. Thankfully the road became sealed again before we reached the caves. There was hardly anybody around the caves. The monkeys quickly gathered around me in search of food as I opened up my pack to get my camera out. A local guide kept them away. I grabbed a stick to keep them away. Not far from the entrance though there were no more monkeys and I could walk in peace and eat my bananas.
These caves were all carved from a giant sandstone mountain between the 14th and 18th centuries. A local unofficial guide offered his services for whatever I wanted to pay. Seemed like a good deal to me, so he led me around the site and had some information. I could clearly see the difference between the newer and older caves. Some caves would have many small entrances to one larger chamber. Of course, inside most of the caves were statues of buddha. Some had elaborate and colorful frescoes on the walls still in good condition. Many of the caves are blocked with wire gates to keep the monkeys from living in them and smelling them up. Back in Monywa I ate the same meal Thida and I had a few days ago at the same place. I went to bed feeling fine.
I woke up at about 5am and felt sick. I vomited a few times and felt a lot better right away. I went back to bed. At 6am I was awoken again feeling sick. I thought I got it all out the first time but I guess not! I vomited some more and went back to bed. Breakfast at the hotel was from 7-9am but I didn't care if I missed it. I had a slight fever and felt like crap. I didn't think it was malaria though. I didn't have any hot/cold sweats and I didn't vomit when I got malaria (though this is possible, it was the treatment of malaria that made me vomit). This sickness came as a big surprise and totally unexpected. I had done nothing different.
At 8.30 I got a knock on my door from the hotel manager asking if I'm coming for breakfast. I told him I was sick and only wanted some juice and fruit. He came back with exactly what I needed. A glass of cold lime juice and a big platter of fruit - orange, apple, papaya, banana and watermelon. I ate most of it and then went back to sleep till 11. I wanted to check out by 12 and go back to Mandalay. If I was going to be sick, I wanted to be in a bigger city. I wasn't feeling too terrible and picked up some paracetamol on the way to the bus station.
I got a room at Nylon hotel and went to the chapatti stand for dinner. I could only eat one chapatti. I relaxed and watched movies and felt a bit better. I had taken 2 paracetamols and my slight fever was stable and not rising. I was going to make a judgement in the morning, if my fever was higher, I was going to go to the Doctor. Thankfully when I got up I felt a lot better, no fever. I was able to eat all of the hotel breakfast. I even got caught up on some blog writing.
I kind of feel like I'm in Africa, where I would travel for weeks on my own not really meeting anyone. You get that feeling that you're an old colonial travelling around unseen territory for the first time. The traveller crowd here is slim. Even at places I thought it would have been busy, it wasn't. Also Myanmar seems to be more of a 'mature' traveller's destination. Most of the travellers I've seen are over 30.
Thida and I met in the morning and took the 12.30 bus to Monywa. The bus was medium size and the seats were pretty tight. We got a hotel in Monywa and relaxed before going out to eat. We were both thinking the same thing at the Schwe Tang Tarn restaurant/guesthouse - chicken, veggies, rice and a glass of beer. It was the cheapest thing on the menu. We had a TV in our room but it only had news stations and sometimes chinese movies with English subtitles.
Thanboddhay Paya
I came to Monya to see the sites in the area and this pagoda was our first stop. It's a massive pogada which took almost 20 years to build. What sets it apart from any other temple I've seen is the mind blowing amount of buddha statues it contains. The guidebook says it has 582,363! Some of these are large but most of them are small and line the upper walls to the ceiling.
Bodhi Tataung
5km from Thanboddhay Paya was the highlight for me of our trip to Monywa. On the site of Bodhi Tataung are a gold temple and 2 massive buddhas. The gold standing buddha is 425' tall with a 312' reclining buddha at his feet. The standing buddha is over two times the height of Niagara Falls! I could see it in the distance when we were coming on the bus. I wonder why they put something this amazing way out in the middle of nowhere. Thida and I hired a motorickshaw to get to these two sites. The area around the buddha was pratically empty except for a few vendors. I'm guessing they didn't speak english because only Thida was asked to buy stuff. There are about 26 floors inside the standing buddha, all accessible by stairs. An elevator was there but not working. The standing buddha was cool and like nothing I've ever seen but what really got my attention were the paintings inside.
Extremely graphic, violent,bloody,realistic and disturbing images lined the walls. Vivid portraits of humans being butchered by huge ogre like creatures. Humans were being skewered on a stick, boiled in stew, heads bashed in, limbs cut off....etc,I think you get the picture! It was getting late in the afternoon as Thida and I began to go up inside the buddha but I kept wanting to go just one more floor. I wanted to see what ghastly paintings were in store on the next floor. We made it up about seven floors. The inscriptions surrounding the paintings are all in Burmese but say something about this happening to you when you die. Thida says " I never want to die!' and "Will this happen to me?" I reassure her it won't. This isn't a place for children but as we left young kids were ascending the stairs. Apparently it is a place for children! The paintings were somewhat cartoonish but there was no denying their brutality. I had not expected this at all.
Back in Monywa, Thida and I ate really cheap and delicious street food.
Hpo Win Daung Caves
Thida only stayed 2 nights and went back to Mandalay. I stayed one more day to visit the man made temple caves of Hpo Win Daung. Thida has seen them before and doesn't like the aggressive monkeys hanging around the caves. I hired a mototaxi to get there, the cheapest way. The caves were about 70 minutes west from Monywa. The road out of Monywa wasn't bad at all but then we turned on to a unpaved road for a while. On both sides of the road were copper mining villages. Thankfully the road became sealed again before we reached the caves. There was hardly anybody around the caves. The monkeys quickly gathered around me in search of food as I opened up my pack to get my camera out. A local guide kept them away. I grabbed a stick to keep them away. Not far from the entrance though there were no more monkeys and I could walk in peace and eat my bananas.
These caves were all carved from a giant sandstone mountain between the 14th and 18th centuries. A local unofficial guide offered his services for whatever I wanted to pay. Seemed like a good deal to me, so he led me around the site and had some information. I could clearly see the difference between the newer and older caves. Some caves would have many small entrances to one larger chamber. Of course, inside most of the caves were statues of buddha. Some had elaborate and colorful frescoes on the walls still in good condition. Many of the caves are blocked with wire gates to keep the monkeys from living in them and smelling them up. Back in Monywa I ate the same meal Thida and I had a few days ago at the same place. I went to bed feeling fine.
I woke up at about 5am and felt sick. I vomited a few times and felt a lot better right away. I went back to bed. At 6am I was awoken again feeling sick. I thought I got it all out the first time but I guess not! I vomited some more and went back to bed. Breakfast at the hotel was from 7-9am but I didn't care if I missed it. I had a slight fever and felt like crap. I didn't think it was malaria though. I didn't have any hot/cold sweats and I didn't vomit when I got malaria (though this is possible, it was the treatment of malaria that made me vomit). This sickness came as a big surprise and totally unexpected. I had done nothing different.
At 8.30 I got a knock on my door from the hotel manager asking if I'm coming for breakfast. I told him I was sick and only wanted some juice and fruit. He came back with exactly what I needed. A glass of cold lime juice and a big platter of fruit - orange, apple, papaya, banana and watermelon. I ate most of it and then went back to sleep till 11. I wanted to check out by 12 and go back to Mandalay. If I was going to be sick, I wanted to be in a bigger city. I wasn't feeling too terrible and picked up some paracetamol on the way to the bus station.
I got a room at Nylon hotel and went to the chapatti stand for dinner. I could only eat one chapatti. I relaxed and watched movies and felt a bit better. I had taken 2 paracetamols and my slight fever was stable and not rising. I was going to make a judgement in the morning, if my fever was higher, I was going to go to the Doctor. Thankfully when I got up I felt a lot better, no fever. I was able to eat all of the hotel breakfast. I even got caught up on some blog writing.
Pyin U Lwin and Kandawgyi Botanical Garden
From the train station I took a mototaxi to Grace 1 hotel. It was just outside of downtown and on a quiet street. The $10 room was a bit expensive but it was large, clean, with TV and a hot shower. It would be okay for one night. I went to Club Terrace restaurant for dinner. The guidebook describes it as a classy place. Now, I'm anything but classy but what sold me was that it also said it had authentic Thai curries and I could really go for that. The place was nice with candlelit tables outside but there was no one else there. Where is everyone in Myanmar?
My waiter's english wasn't great but after talking about my order for a few minutes, I wasn't sure what I was going to get but that all changed when the food came. The green Thai chicken curry was really heavy on the chicken and light on the sauce but the spice was just right. It was the best curry I've had in Myanmar and one of the best I've ever had anywhere for that matter. I wish I was staying longer in town just to eat here again! My dinner with rice and a tasty pineapple shake was $5, still not too much and totally worth it.
Kandawgyi Botanical Garden
This 176 hectare garden was founded in 1915 by an English botanist. Most of it was in immaculate shape, there were a few weeds but that's in every garden. The amount of work and detail that went into this place was absolutely staggering. I couldn't imagine the maintainence here but somehow they pulled it off. The garden had more work than all of the Niagara parks gardens (where I work) put together. It was mindblowing. There were quite a few different types of plants but some they used a lot. These included easter lily, kale, pointsettia, marigold, alternanthera, salvia, pansy, carnation, dusty miller, snap dragon, iresine and bromeliad. They had a big orchid garden. While I was walking along, an Indian/Burmese family that was picnicing called me over. They ushered me to sit down and began filling a plate with food for me. They only spoke a little english but really wanted me to eat a lot! It was good food but I had limited time. I had booked a share taxi back to Mandalay at 2pm and it was after noon already. In hindsight, I should've gave myself more time.
Surprisingly they had a takin enclosure here. The takin is a strange looking animal seemingly made out of spare parts of other animals. I first read about it in George Schaller's book The Last Panda. Takin live in the same habitat as pandas. They are large mammals and difficult to see in the wild. I had wanted to see one ever since I read about them. They had four of them in the enclosure. The large male hung out at the fence breathing heavily out of his nose. Time was running out so I rode my rented bicycle back into town into the market to look for some fruit but couldn't find what I was looking for. I found out I was looking in the wrong spot, oh well. I got the front seat of my share taxi for the easy 2 hour ride back to Mandalay. I went back to the Nylon hotel but they didn't have any nice rooms left. I took a similar room at ET hotel, just down the street. I was only staying in Mandalay for one night. My plan was to head northwest to Monywa the next day.
My waiter's english wasn't great but after talking about my order for a few minutes, I wasn't sure what I was going to get but that all changed when the food came. The green Thai chicken curry was really heavy on the chicken and light on the sauce but the spice was just right. It was the best curry I've had in Myanmar and one of the best I've ever had anywhere for that matter. I wish I was staying longer in town just to eat here again! My dinner with rice and a tasty pineapple shake was $5, still not too much and totally worth it.
Kandawgyi Botanical Garden
This 176 hectare garden was founded in 1915 by an English botanist. Most of it was in immaculate shape, there were a few weeds but that's in every garden. The amount of work and detail that went into this place was absolutely staggering. I couldn't imagine the maintainence here but somehow they pulled it off. The garden had more work than all of the Niagara parks gardens (where I work) put together. It was mindblowing. There were quite a few different types of plants but some they used a lot. These included easter lily, kale, pointsettia, marigold, alternanthera, salvia, pansy, carnation, dusty miller, snap dragon, iresine and bromeliad. They had a big orchid garden. While I was walking along, an Indian/Burmese family that was picnicing called me over. They ushered me to sit down and began filling a plate with food for me. They only spoke a little english but really wanted me to eat a lot! It was good food but I had limited time. I had booked a share taxi back to Mandalay at 2pm and it was after noon already. In hindsight, I should've gave myself more time.
Surprisingly they had a takin enclosure here. The takin is a strange looking animal seemingly made out of spare parts of other animals. I first read about it in George Schaller's book The Last Panda. Takin live in the same habitat as pandas. They are large mammals and difficult to see in the wild. I had wanted to see one ever since I read about them. They had four of them in the enclosure. The large male hung out at the fence breathing heavily out of his nose. Time was running out so I rode my rented bicycle back into town into the market to look for some fruit but couldn't find what I was looking for. I found out I was looking in the wrong spot, oh well. I got the front seat of my share taxi for the easy 2 hour ride back to Mandalay. I went back to the Nylon hotel but they didn't have any nice rooms left. I took a similar room at ET hotel, just down the street. I was only staying in Mandalay for one night. My plan was to head northwest to Monywa the next day.
The Gokteik Viaduct
The owner of Mr. Kid convinced me it was a better idea to take the train out of Hsipaw instead of the bus. Sure, it's slower and more expensive but I get to cross the Gokteik Viaduct, a steel train bridge that I could see from the bus on the way here. The bridge crosses the Gokteik gorge, an obstacle to travel between Mandalay and Lashio and the way to China. The British solved this problem by going right over it. The viaduct was constructed in 1901 by the Pennsylvania Steel Company. It's 318' high and 2257' long and was the second highest train bridge when it was constructed. It's the oldest and longest railway bridge in Myanmar. Normally I'm not into trains or railway bridges but this seemed like something special and different and I wanted to cross it.
I got a ticket in upper class, the one difference between this and second class was a cushion seat. My bony ass needs cushion! The other was that they only sell tickets for the seats. On the regular class they sell space after the seats are sold so every available space is taken up. Some people stand or sleep on the floor for the entire journey. As with most things in Myanmar, the government applies a two teir pricing system. One for locals, one for foreigners. Sometimes the foreigner price is five times the local price! That was the case with the train I found out from a local. I thought Myanmar was fairly cheap on the whole even with this system in effect. It would be insanely cheap if I was able to pay local prices all the time!
The train went really slow but passed some great scenery. Before we reached the viaduct, we went through two tunnels. The train geared down to cross the bridge at a snail's pace. I was hanging out the window taking photos. Technically taking photos of the bridge is prohibited for 'security reasons' but I thought I would risk it. No one said anything. The bridge creaked a lot as we crossed it and it was a great experience. Even though the train was slower than the bus it was more comfortable. I could get up whenever I wanted and go to the bathroom anytime. I was the only white face but the locals were really friendly. All over Myanmar, the charm of the local people wins over travellers. They are really some of the most friendly and genuine people I've encountered. I arrived in Pyin U Lwin about 7 hours later. I stopped in Pyin U Lwin mainly to see its botanical garden.
I got a ticket in upper class, the one difference between this and second class was a cushion seat. My bony ass needs cushion! The other was that they only sell tickets for the seats. On the regular class they sell space after the seats are sold so every available space is taken up. Some people stand or sleep on the floor for the entire journey. As with most things in Myanmar, the government applies a two teir pricing system. One for locals, one for foreigners. Sometimes the foreigner price is five times the local price! That was the case with the train I found out from a local. I thought Myanmar was fairly cheap on the whole even with this system in effect. It would be insanely cheap if I was able to pay local prices all the time!
The train went really slow but passed some great scenery. Before we reached the viaduct, we went through two tunnels. The train geared down to cross the bridge at a snail's pace. I was hanging out the window taking photos. Technically taking photos of the bridge is prohibited for 'security reasons' but I thought I would risk it. No one said anything. The bridge creaked a lot as we crossed it and it was a great experience. Even though the train was slower than the bus it was more comfortable. I could get up whenever I wanted and go to the bathroom anytime. I was the only white face but the locals were really friendly. All over Myanmar, the charm of the local people wins over travellers. They are really some of the most friendly and genuine people I've encountered. I arrived in Pyin U Lwin about 7 hours later. I stopped in Pyin U Lwin mainly to see its botanical garden.
Hsipaw
It seems like all the buses travelling longer distances leave either before 6am or after 6pm. I don't like either of these departure times but what am I going to do? The bus for Hsipaw left at 6am. I got up at 5am and went to the station. For the first time, the bus actually left late at 6.30. There were a few other foreigners on the bus too. Hsipaw is in the mountains and a good spot for local trekking. The road climbed up endless switchbacks. The different, safe and smart thing about the switchbacks here was that there was 2 different roads for ascending and descending traffic on the really tight corner parts. That's a smart way to avoid any accidents.
We stopped for breakfast at 9. I ate rice, chicken and some other stuff. Not normally what I would choose to eat for breakfast but again, not much choice and I was really hungry. The bus arrived in Hsipaw at 3. The town is really small and I just walked to my guesthouse. There are only 3 guesthouses licensed for foreigners in town. The guidebook really recommends Mr. Charles, 'Our Pick' they call it. Of course this is the one that most people go to but I had heard that there was construction going on beside it and sometimes I just don't feel like going to their pick. I heard the other 2 guesthouses were just as nice. I got a room at Nham Khae Mao for $4. It was a small concrete box, clean but the bathroom was downstairs and around the corner. After I checked in I went to check the other guesthouse, Mr. Kid. There I found a room for $4 also but it was bigger with more stuff inside and an attatched hot shower! I should've checked here first! Sure there was no breakfast included but for that price I didn't care.
After eating lunch at a tiny pick and point canteen, I walked up a hill behind town to a temple which is supposed to have good sunset views. I got up there just in time and it was a great view of the town. On the walk back down, an American couple in a taxi gave me a lift back to my guesthouse. I ate at a decent and very cheap chinese restaurant. Sweet and sour chicken with veggies and rice and a draft Dagon beer for $2.Not much to do in the evenings here. Most of the tea shops have TV's but they show soccer or Burmese shows.
Day 2
After breakfast I checked out of my guesthouse and into Mr. Kid. I thought there would be some other backpackers around but I was the only guest there. I got my room which also had a private back entrance and balcony outside. The women owner had two friendly little dogs who warmed up to me right away. She also had a true albino guinea pig, pink eyes and all! She didn't know what albinism was but I told her it was rare. I had to take a photo of this rare pet. I came to Hsipaw to go trekking and the woman here had some self guided maps.
My first destination was some local hot springs not too far away. I walked along the road and then branched off onto a trail through villages. I found the hot springs easily enough and no one was around them. They were in a totally natural settnig. Though they weren't really hot springs as warm springs. The water was only about 28C, nice and comfortable but not hot but when compared to a stream nearby they were hot. This cold spring stream was only about 10C! Even really cold just to cross in my bare feet as I had to. I hung out here for a while and then walked back to Mr. Kid.
I had lunch at the canteen and then went to the Black House Coffee shop, a large teak mansion on the river that served real coffee! Again, I thought there might be some people here, but nope, just me. I ordered a cappucino and it was delicious. I ate another cheap meal at the chinese restaurant. On the walk back to Mr. Kid, a teashop was showing the latest Indiana Jones movie in english. I had already seen it and thought it was really cheesy but decided to have a tea and sit and watch it. The nights drop to about 16C here but days are really warm. I liked the atmosphere of Hsipaw. I got a few stares from locals but they were a bit used to seeing backpackers in their town.
Day 3
Today my destination was 2 waterfalls. I walked the same way out of town as towards the hot springs but turned right instead of left at the cemetary. I passed through the town dump on the way. Some of it was smouldering and people were searching through it. One man's trash is another man's treasure. I saw the waterfall from afar and thought that was good enough instead of walking to its base. I went back to the main road and hiked further to a village with a road leading to the other waterfall. There were lots of tracks in the village and I was directed a few times to the waterfall but just couldn't find my way, so I said screw it, it's only a waterfall. Hell, when you grow up in Niagara Falls, it's not a big deal to miss a waterfall! Back on the main road I decided to hitchhike my way back into town. I only held out my thumb for a minute when the first motorbike to go by gave me a lift.
I went online for a while and then relaxed and read in my room before devouring another cheap and tasty meal at Mr. Food. Unfortunately the tea shops were all showing some big soccer match tonight. I felt I had done enough in Hsipaw and left the next morning to Pyin U Lwin, a small town about 2 hours before Mandalay on the main road.
We stopped for breakfast at 9. I ate rice, chicken and some other stuff. Not normally what I would choose to eat for breakfast but again, not much choice and I was really hungry. The bus arrived in Hsipaw at 3. The town is really small and I just walked to my guesthouse. There are only 3 guesthouses licensed for foreigners in town. The guidebook really recommends Mr. Charles, 'Our Pick' they call it. Of course this is the one that most people go to but I had heard that there was construction going on beside it and sometimes I just don't feel like going to their pick. I heard the other 2 guesthouses were just as nice. I got a room at Nham Khae Mao for $4. It was a small concrete box, clean but the bathroom was downstairs and around the corner. After I checked in I went to check the other guesthouse, Mr. Kid. There I found a room for $4 also but it was bigger with more stuff inside and an attatched hot shower! I should've checked here first! Sure there was no breakfast included but for that price I didn't care.
After eating lunch at a tiny pick and point canteen, I walked up a hill behind town to a temple which is supposed to have good sunset views. I got up there just in time and it was a great view of the town. On the walk back down, an American couple in a taxi gave me a lift back to my guesthouse. I ate at a decent and very cheap chinese restaurant. Sweet and sour chicken with veggies and rice and a draft Dagon beer for $2.Not much to do in the evenings here. Most of the tea shops have TV's but they show soccer or Burmese shows.
Day 2
After breakfast I checked out of my guesthouse and into Mr. Kid. I thought there would be some other backpackers around but I was the only guest there. I got my room which also had a private back entrance and balcony outside. The women owner had two friendly little dogs who warmed up to me right away. She also had a true albino guinea pig, pink eyes and all! She didn't know what albinism was but I told her it was rare. I had to take a photo of this rare pet. I came to Hsipaw to go trekking and the woman here had some self guided maps.
My first destination was some local hot springs not too far away. I walked along the road and then branched off onto a trail through villages. I found the hot springs easily enough and no one was around them. They were in a totally natural settnig. Though they weren't really hot springs as warm springs. The water was only about 28C, nice and comfortable but not hot but when compared to a stream nearby they were hot. This cold spring stream was only about 10C! Even really cold just to cross in my bare feet as I had to. I hung out here for a while and then walked back to Mr. Kid.
I had lunch at the canteen and then went to the Black House Coffee shop, a large teak mansion on the river that served real coffee! Again, I thought there might be some people here, but nope, just me. I ordered a cappucino and it was delicious. I ate another cheap meal at the chinese restaurant. On the walk back to Mr. Kid, a teashop was showing the latest Indiana Jones movie in english. I had already seen it and thought it was really cheesy but decided to have a tea and sit and watch it. The nights drop to about 16C here but days are really warm. I liked the atmosphere of Hsipaw. I got a few stares from locals but they were a bit used to seeing backpackers in their town.
Day 3
Today my destination was 2 waterfalls. I walked the same way out of town as towards the hot springs but turned right instead of left at the cemetary. I passed through the town dump on the way. Some of it was smouldering and people were searching through it. One man's trash is another man's treasure. I saw the waterfall from afar and thought that was good enough instead of walking to its base. I went back to the main road and hiked further to a village with a road leading to the other waterfall. There were lots of tracks in the village and I was directed a few times to the waterfall but just couldn't find my way, so I said screw it, it's only a waterfall. Hell, when you grow up in Niagara Falls, it's not a big deal to miss a waterfall! Back on the main road I decided to hitchhike my way back into town. I only held out my thumb for a minute when the first motorbike to go by gave me a lift.
I went online for a while and then relaxed and read in my room before devouring another cheap and tasty meal at Mr. Food. Unfortunately the tea shops were all showing some big soccer match tonight. I felt I had done enough in Hsipaw and left the next morning to Pyin U Lwin, a small town about 2 hours before Mandalay on the main road.
U Bein Bridge
There are many sights to see around Mandalay but the only one that really interested me was U Bein bridge in the village of Amarapura, about 7km from Mandalay. On my walk back to the downtown after applying for my permit, I was approached by a taxi driver. I was going to rent a motorcycle to visit the bridge but wasn't looking forward to this due to the traffic. This taxi driver agreed to go for the same price as a bike rental so we agreed to meet at my hotel at 3.30. I wanted time to explore the bridge and to see sunset there.
The taxi driver was there on time and we left, dodging the traffic of Mandalay. My driver's vehicle was a blue 1962 Mazda pickup,but it was unlike any taxi I've ever been in. This vehicle was absolutely tiny. Our shoulders almost touch in the front cab. The pickup looked like it belonged in miniature world. It could have easily been lost in a child's dinky car set!
The road to the bridge went along the lake it crossed on one side and the village on the other. The village was really dirty with trash littered everywhere. The bridge is obviously a very tourist spot for independent and package tourists. There were large open air restuarants and vendors along the bridge. Beggars placed themselves strategically along the bridge. There was almost no hassle though so it was okay. When I arrived there was almost no other visitors there. I took time to walk almost the entire length of the bridge, taking photos along the way. I saw 2 snakes in the shallow water below. Around 4.30, the busloads of package tourists began to arrive but the bridge is wide enough for a car and 1.3 km long, so their numbers never felt overwhelming.
U Bein bridge is the world's longest teak footbridge and is over 200 years old. It's quite an amazing sight and unlike anything I've ever seen. Normally I'm not too into bridges but this one is something special. It was possible to hire a boat to take you across the lake but I thought this expensive for the very short ride. As it got closer to 5pm and the sun began to drop, a boatdriver approached me and offered me a discounted price because it was close to sunset. I accepted his offer because I did want to see the bridge from the water and thought there would be excellent photo opportunities for the bridge with the setting sun in the background. I was right, it was a very photogenic scene and an intense sunset. I stayed out on the lake after the sun went down for the after sunset colors. I was the last boat to come ashore.
Coming back into downtown, the traffic was horrendous. The fumes were enough to choke on and I thought 'I have to get out of this place!' and I did. The next day I left on a bus for the mountain town of Hsipaw.
Bagan to Mandalay
Most buses in Myanmar seem to leave really early morning, at 6am or before. Thankfully going to Mandalay I had a choice and choose the latter bus at 9am. The bus wasn't in great shape. I didn't get a window seat either! Myanmar is one country that is really particular that you sit where your seat number says. I've never seen this more strictly enforced in any other country. After an hour the guy beside me got off, so I took his window seat. We stopped around noon and I asked a guy if we were staying for lunch. He said we were. He spoke a bit of english and I sat beside him and his friend. He was very smartly and cleanly dressed.
There are a few things very unique to Myanmar. One of them being the longyi, kind of like a skirt for men. Women also were them but they just look like a regular skirt on a woman. About 95% of the men wear a longyi and it looks comfy but I'm not going to be one of those foreigners that wears one! The other thing is thanaka, a sandalwood type paste that is smeared on the face during the day and the body at night. It's a natural sun block and supposed to be good for the skin.
This guy from the bus was wearing pants, not a longyi. After lunch, he paid for my meal, very nice of him. The bus trucked along slowly. At another rest stop, this guy paid for my pop too. There was no stopping him!
We finally arrived in Mandalay at 4.30 at the highway bus station, 7km from the downtown. The guy, his friend and I shared a pickup into town. I took the $7 room at the Nylon Hotel, over the $5 room, basically because it was much larger, nicer and had TV, HBO at that! Mandalay is the second largest city in Myanmar and is kind of a smaller version of Yangon. I didn't like it too much. Lots of crazy traffic. The British designed the block grid street system, which is great for finding streets. The downside is, there are mass intersections and hardly any traffic lights. The traffic that wants to cross the street just inch their way out slowy into the other traffic until they are forced to stop and they can cross. It's a crazy system but seems to work. I've learned to stand right beside a car or motorbike and cross synchronised with them.
I ate a delicious dinner of chapattis and curry chicken on the street at a chapatti stand. All that and a Star cola, for $1.80. I watched movies later when the power was on. The electricity is erratic here to say the least. When it's not on, the city is very dark. Many places have a generator, hell, Nylon hotel is above a generator shop! But there are few street lights on the government grid, so it's dark in the streets. Thankfully, traffic dies off early in the night. It's really warm here, my room stays a lot warmer than outside and at night it's about 28C. I do have A/C but it only works when governmentt power is on, so I've just been using my fan. It's fine, I can sleep in the heat with a fan. I'm on the 5th floor which is a pain for going and coming on the stairs but breakfast is served just outside my door in the dining area.
I'll be spending the next 2 weeks of my trip in this area of Myanmar. I wanted to fly from Mandalay to Chang Mai in Thailand when I leave Myanmar and then overland into Laos. The guidebook said it was possible but I went to a travel agent and he said those flights haven't been running for 2 years now! I wonder if the guidebook authors do update everything or just add it in from previous editions? I have the latest edition, with information no more than a year old. Going back to Yangon and then flying to Chang Mai is expensive and time consuming. I can fly to the border with Thailand but need a government permit to do this and cross the border. Going overland to the border is not allowed, not sure why. There's stuff going on there the government doesn't want seen, like opium fields. It is afterall part of the Golden triangle, the tri-border area of Laos, Thailand and Myanmar that grows much of the world's opium.
I went to the government run Myanmar Travels and Tours (MTT) to apply for my permit. It would take 2 weeks but that's fine because I have 18 days till my one month visa expires. When applying they want to know everything. Where I've been so far, where I stayed, how I got around and where I will be going for the rest of my trip. Maybe they'll follow me around! Seriously, they do that. The guy at the office said permits are generally issued without hassle most of the time but can't guarantee. A lot hinges on this permit for me. He told me to call the office in a week and he will know for sure then if I get my permit. Either way, they have my $50!
There are a few things very unique to Myanmar. One of them being the longyi, kind of like a skirt for men. Women also were them but they just look like a regular skirt on a woman. About 95% of the men wear a longyi and it looks comfy but I'm not going to be one of those foreigners that wears one! The other thing is thanaka, a sandalwood type paste that is smeared on the face during the day and the body at night. It's a natural sun block and supposed to be good for the skin.
This guy from the bus was wearing pants, not a longyi. After lunch, he paid for my meal, very nice of him. The bus trucked along slowly. At another rest stop, this guy paid for my pop too. There was no stopping him!
We finally arrived in Mandalay at 4.30 at the highway bus station, 7km from the downtown. The guy, his friend and I shared a pickup into town. I took the $7 room at the Nylon Hotel, over the $5 room, basically because it was much larger, nicer and had TV, HBO at that! Mandalay is the second largest city in Myanmar and is kind of a smaller version of Yangon. I didn't like it too much. Lots of crazy traffic. The British designed the block grid street system, which is great for finding streets. The downside is, there are mass intersections and hardly any traffic lights. The traffic that wants to cross the street just inch their way out slowy into the other traffic until they are forced to stop and they can cross. It's a crazy system but seems to work. I've learned to stand right beside a car or motorbike and cross synchronised with them.
I ate a delicious dinner of chapattis and curry chicken on the street at a chapatti stand. All that and a Star cola, for $1.80. I watched movies later when the power was on. The electricity is erratic here to say the least. When it's not on, the city is very dark. Many places have a generator, hell, Nylon hotel is above a generator shop! But there are few street lights on the government grid, so it's dark in the streets. Thankfully, traffic dies off early in the night. It's really warm here, my room stays a lot warmer than outside and at night it's about 28C. I do have A/C but it only works when governmentt power is on, so I've just been using my fan. It's fine, I can sleep in the heat with a fan. I'm on the 5th floor which is a pain for going and coming on the stairs but breakfast is served just outside my door in the dining area.
I'll be spending the next 2 weeks of my trip in this area of Myanmar. I wanted to fly from Mandalay to Chang Mai in Thailand when I leave Myanmar and then overland into Laos. The guidebook said it was possible but I went to a travel agent and he said those flights haven't been running for 2 years now! I wonder if the guidebook authors do update everything or just add it in from previous editions? I have the latest edition, with information no more than a year old. Going back to Yangon and then flying to Chang Mai is expensive and time consuming. I can fly to the border with Thailand but need a government permit to do this and cross the border. Going overland to the border is not allowed, not sure why. There's stuff going on there the government doesn't want seen, like opium fields. It is afterall part of the Golden triangle, the tri-border area of Laos, Thailand and Myanmar that grows much of the world's opium.
I went to the government run Myanmar Travels and Tours (MTT) to apply for my permit. It would take 2 weeks but that's fine because I have 18 days till my one month visa expires. When applying they want to know everything. Where I've been so far, where I stayed, how I got around and where I will be going for the rest of my trip. Maybe they'll follow me around! Seriously, they do that. The guy at the office said permits are generally issued without hassle most of the time but can't guarantee. A lot hinges on this permit for me. He told me to call the office in a week and he will know for sure then if I get my permit. Either way, they have my $50!
Bagan
Bagan
Upon arriving in Nyuang U,I was still tired from the early morning bus and the first thing I did was catch up on some sleep. I went out to eat lunch after that. The New Heaven guesthouse where I'm staying, is a block away from ' Restaurant Row', a road lined with restuarants, shops and travel agencies geared towards foreigners. Many of the places have the same menu. I just relaxed on my porch for the afternoon until I went out for dinner.
The guidebook mentions a few standout places for dinner so I thought I would try their recommended Aroma 2 for Indian food. This restaurant, like many, has a great atmosphere with tables out under the stars with candles on them. The food was very delicious and probably as close to real Indian food that I will find in Myanmar.
Day 2
I slept in till 8 and then had the complimentary breakfast. There are many ways to explore the nearby temples and today I decided to rent a bike for $1.50. It was a junky chinese bike but it would do. The temples started just minutes after I left the small village of Nyuang U. Some of the temples are marked and described in the guidebook but there's just too many to mention them all.
At last count there were 2230 temples and another 1800 brick mounds that used to be something. The temple builders started in 1057 and built relentlessly for the next 230 years before being overrun by the Mongols of Kublai Khan. The temples are crammed onto a small 26sq mile plain. It's mindblowing to be standing on one of the higher temples and look out over the bagan plain and see an endless vista of stupas, the cylindrical cone that tops the temples. A massive earthquake in 1975 devastated Bagan, but many of the temples have since been restored.
The first few temples I explored were lesser known and I had them all to myself. It wasn't until I got to one of the more famous ones that I saw how touristy and annoying Bagan can be. Vendors selling souvenirs line the entrances to the pagodas and are relentless with offers to buy or just come have a look. Even just making eye contact can result in constant pestering but I found that most respond to a firm 'no thank-you'. The only souvenir I bought here was some old Burmese $ for my $ collection back home. I spent the whole day exploring different temples, some were crowded, some I had almost to myself. I only stopped for lunch. I rode back to the guesthouse around 3 and then headed out again for sunset at 4.30 atop buledi temple. Some of the temples are jam packed with foreigners at sunset but Buledi was supposed to be a low key sunset place and it was. There was only about a dozen other people up there. Sunset from third level of the temple, reached by climbing outside stairs, was amazing. The silhouttes of the temples with the vivid colors of dusk was very photogenic. The sun sets very early here. I thought it would be around 6pm but at exactly 5.20, the sun dipped below the horizon. However some of the most intense colors didn't begin to reveal themselves until long after the sun had set. At around 5.40, the sky was intense. I was the last one to leave the temple and rode back in the dark.
Once back at the guesthouse I met Charlie and Nina, a British couple staying at New Heaven who I had been seeing around during the day. We went out to eat at a restaurant specializing in Thai food. After eating there and the Indian place, I knew I would just divide my time between these 2 places for all my dinner meals.
Day 3
I hired a bike again today to explore but instead I hired the bike from an outside travel agency as they had newer and better bikes for the same price as the shitty New Heaven bikes. It was so much easier on this bike. I road straight to Old Bagan, a walled city with many famous temples in a small area. I parked my bike at the first temple and then did a circuit on foot.
I ate lunch at Golden Myanmar, a purely Burmese place that was packed. I was the only white face. I ordered chicken curry and rice and this came with 8 side dishes! This is normal for Burmese cuisine, many small side dishes.Some of the side dishes were good, like corn and veggies, while others were bitter and disgusting. They fill up the rice and side dishes as fast as you can empty them. Lunch with a soda averages about $3.
Back at the guesthouse I ran into Charlie and Nina again as I was getting ready to go out for sunset. They had a temple in mind for sunset that they had seen earlier in the day and I joined them. It was far out but reachable along a paved road. There were only 3 other people there. Sunset was great, though not as colorful as the previous night. Charlie,Nina and I went out to eat at Aroma 2. They also love curry. They are on a year long driving trip across Europe and Asia but left their Landcruiser in Thailand while they came to Myanmar. They were short on time and were leaving the next day.
Day 3
I was a bit sore from the seat of my bike and was looking to hire a horsecart to explore today. It would be a bit pricey for just me so I was hoping to find at least one other person to share. I saw two guys looking over a map at my guesthouse and approached them after I ate breakfast. They were also looking to rent a horsecart and I could join them. They were Rihot and Jaron, both from Singapore. Our driver first took us out to near the place where I had spent sunset the previous night. From there we toured to some temples I had already seen and others I had not. Our driver Min Min spoke some English and was a funny guy. His horse, Rambo, was in good shape and seemed to know the route as well as he did. I wasn't too picky on where we were going so I ended up back at Buledi for sunset again. Tonight's sunset was spectacular. Vivid and surreal colors of pink and orangey red that got more intense after the sun set behind the distant hills at 5.20. I have so many sunset pictures!
Back in Nyuang U, the 3 of us went out to eat at the Thai restaurant. Rihot and Jaron weren't really my type of traveller though. They moved much too fast and left the next day for some other place.
Day 4
Besides the temples, there were some other sites I wanted to see in the area. The main one being Mount Popa, about 60km away. I would have to hire a car to go there and was only going to do it if I could share the car. I met John, an American, the night before and he was also interested in seeing Mt. Popa. The 2 of us and another older Austrian guy shared the car to Mt. Popa. The mountain is actually a small and freestanding ancient volcanic plug in front of another higher and larger mountain. On top of the 2418'Mt.Popa are numerous monasteries, stupas and shrines. Macaque monkeys are all over the mountain and unafraid of humans. The 25 minute climb to the top has to be done barefoot. The walkway is covered to provide relief from the sun but I had to watch out to avoid monkey feces and urine on the steps. Thankfully some locals spend their days cleaning the steps but not all of them are clean. The bold monkeys have no fear and it's possible to get very close for a photo, just hold onto your bag and camera! I hung out on the top for a while taking in the views of the surrounding plains. I ran into Paul, an Irish guy I had been seeing all over Bagan but never really spoke to him before. Now I run into him on top of Mt. Popa, it's a small world!
I ran into him again in Popa village were we had lunch. He came here by public transport but his ride had left before he got down the mountain. We squeezed him into the middle seat in the back of our taxi. On our way back we stopped at a small shack where they make peanut oil. No one was really doing anything when we were there but they sat us down and gave us tea and snacks. I saw bamboo ladders tied up to palm trees nearby which means only one thing - palm wine! I asked our driver about sampling some Toddy, as palm wine is known here, and it was no problem. They brought us out a shot glass each. It wasn't the best palm wine I've had, but it was still good. After that they brought out the heavy stuff. Jaggery wine is crystal clear and 40%. Again we were given a shot glass of that. It was harsh but not as bad as I thought it would be and had an pleasnt aftertaste. After our local liquor sampling, we each gave some small money and then we headed back to Nyuang U.
I hadn't been online for over a week, so I went to check my email. This internet cafe was able to bypass government restrictions and I went on my blog to update. I had dinner again at Aroma 2. After spending 4 days in Bagan I was ready to move on. I bought a bus ticket for Mandalay to leave the next morning.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Yangon to Bagan
Yangon was my first stop in Myanmar but it obviously wasn't the first place I really wanted to be. That place was Bagan, about 400km north of Yangon. Bagan is famous for it's many ancient temples and pagodas, slightly similar to Cambodia's Angkor Wat and I really wanted to see it. I spent a week exploring Angkor Wat and really enjoyed it even though I'm not much of a history buff. There were basically 3 ways to get to Bagan
1. Fly. It took me 4 flights to get to Myanmar, I was done with flying for a while.
2. Bus to Mandalay and then another bus to Bagan.This was the most popular option most people went with but since I was going to Mandalay later, I wanted to avoid backtracking to it.
3. Bus to Bagan, the 'back' way through Pyay and Magwe and this is the route I went with. I would have to overnight in Pyay and Magwe but that's Ok, I wanted to break up the bus journey anyway.
I took a taxi from Golden Smiles to the bus station, near the airport. Buses to Pyay went every hour. I got on the 11am bus that left exactly at 11. It was a nicer bus, no A/C but that's Ok. Comfy seats and a pouch on the back of the seat in front of me and a coat hanger and 2 plastic bags provided. This was a great idea and something I'd never seen before. They were useful for garbage or spitting your red slimy saliva from betel nut chewing which was alive and well here. Betel nut is a stimulant which reduces appetite and provides energy. It was really popular is Northeast India and globs of red stain the pavement everywhere like they did in India.
The scenery on the way was nothing much. Very dry and flat golden brown rice paddies. We reached Pyay at 5.30 and I went to the Myat Lodging House. The owners were super friendly and my room was very nice. Carpet, fridge, TV (no English channels though) desk and many other little nice features. Though it didn't have a private bath and was kind of expensive at $12, but for one night it would do just fine. The communal bath was very nice and clean. I ate at a local restaurant and drank a Tiger beer while watching Resident Evil on TV.
The next morning, the owners of Myat took me on a motorbike to a larger hotel that they also owned for the the complimentary breakfast. I wore a skullcap helmet with a brand new Nazi swastika sticker on it! I don't think they even know what it means. The bus left on time at 8.30 and I arrived in Magwe at 4.30. The scenery was much of the same from the day before.
There were only 2 listed hotels in Magwe and one was out of town. Hotels have to be licensed by the government to rent rooms to foreigners and not many hotels have done this outside of touristy areas. The place was a dive and overpriced. I didn't like it all but it would only be for 12 hours as my bus left for Bagan at 6am the next day. I went to eat at Monarlizar 2, the happening place in town. Behind the place was an impressive and newly built 2km bridge over the Ayeyarwaddy river. The food was fine and the staff was very attentive and professional. Entertainment was provided by some young and beautiful Burmese women dancing in harmony. After that there were some individual women singing karaoke style.
My bus left at 6am promptly. The sun wasn't up yet but it was just getting bright at that time. This bus, as yesterdays, was getting lower in quality that the first day. The road was the same and it disintegrated into a potholed one lane road. Thankfully there wasn't much traffic because we had to slow down for oncoming traffic and we both squeezed over a little onto the shoulder to pass. The scenery was more hilly and treed and more interesting. I was dead tired from getting up at 5am and by 10, couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. I rested my head in the bus and was awoken by a tiny Burmese women. I had arrived in Bagan and was to pay my one time $10 admission fee. This was great news to be woken up for. I took a bicycle rickshaw to the New Heaven guesthouse. This was a great place. My $6 room had a private (and working) hot shower, towel, toilet paper, porch, reading lights(also working) and was very neat and clean. I liked it a lot was glad to be here finally. I would easily stay 4 or 5 days exploring the temples and surrounding area.
1. Fly. It took me 4 flights to get to Myanmar, I was done with flying for a while.
2. Bus to Mandalay and then another bus to Bagan.This was the most popular option most people went with but since I was going to Mandalay later, I wanted to avoid backtracking to it.
3. Bus to Bagan, the 'back' way through Pyay and Magwe and this is the route I went with. I would have to overnight in Pyay and Magwe but that's Ok, I wanted to break up the bus journey anyway.
I took a taxi from Golden Smiles to the bus station, near the airport. Buses to Pyay went every hour. I got on the 11am bus that left exactly at 11. It was a nicer bus, no A/C but that's Ok. Comfy seats and a pouch on the back of the seat in front of me and a coat hanger and 2 plastic bags provided. This was a great idea and something I'd never seen before. They were useful for garbage or spitting your red slimy saliva from betel nut chewing which was alive and well here. Betel nut is a stimulant which reduces appetite and provides energy. It was really popular is Northeast India and globs of red stain the pavement everywhere like they did in India.
The scenery on the way was nothing much. Very dry and flat golden brown rice paddies. We reached Pyay at 5.30 and I went to the Myat Lodging House. The owners were super friendly and my room was very nice. Carpet, fridge, TV (no English channels though) desk and many other little nice features. Though it didn't have a private bath and was kind of expensive at $12, but for one night it would do just fine. The communal bath was very nice and clean. I ate at a local restaurant and drank a Tiger beer while watching Resident Evil on TV.
The next morning, the owners of Myat took me on a motorbike to a larger hotel that they also owned for the the complimentary breakfast. I wore a skullcap helmet with a brand new Nazi swastika sticker on it! I don't think they even know what it means. The bus left on time at 8.30 and I arrived in Magwe at 4.30. The scenery was much of the same from the day before.
There were only 2 listed hotels in Magwe and one was out of town. Hotels have to be licensed by the government to rent rooms to foreigners and not many hotels have done this outside of touristy areas. The place was a dive and overpriced. I didn't like it all but it would only be for 12 hours as my bus left for Bagan at 6am the next day. I went to eat at Monarlizar 2, the happening place in town. Behind the place was an impressive and newly built 2km bridge over the Ayeyarwaddy river. The food was fine and the staff was very attentive and professional. Entertainment was provided by some young and beautiful Burmese women dancing in harmony. After that there were some individual women singing karaoke style.
My bus left at 6am promptly. The sun wasn't up yet but it was just getting bright at that time. This bus, as yesterdays, was getting lower in quality that the first day. The road was the same and it disintegrated into a potholed one lane road. Thankfully there wasn't much traffic because we had to slow down for oncoming traffic and we both squeezed over a little onto the shoulder to pass. The scenery was more hilly and treed and more interesting. I was dead tired from getting up at 5am and by 10, couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. I rested my head in the bus and was awoken by a tiny Burmese women. I had arrived in Bagan and was to pay my one time $10 admission fee. This was great news to be woken up for. I took a bicycle rickshaw to the New Heaven guesthouse. This was a great place. My $6 room had a private (and working) hot shower, towel, toilet paper, porch, reading lights(also working) and was very neat and clean. I liked it a lot was glad to be here finally. I would easily stay 4 or 5 days exploring the temples and surrounding area.
Myanmar!
First day in Yangon
The hour long flight to Yangon, capitol of Myanmar, was smooth and easy. Going through customs and immigration wasn't as strict as I thought it would be. It was just like anywhere else. Since Thailand just another longer stopover on my trip,I consider my trip to have begun officially now that I'm in Myanmar (pronounced me-an-mar). I shared a taxi with a German for the 18km ride into the center of town. I went to the Golden Smiles Inn. I took a simple room with shared bath for $5. I was starving and stopped to eat at a busy street food place just outside the hotel. I had rice, potatoes and prawns and a Star( Myanmar's cheap version of Coke) cola for 900 kyat. $1US/Can will get about 1000 kyat (pronounced chat). It was a really funny scene that I wasn't used to be seems to be the norm all over Myanmar, the tables and chairs are all like for little kids. The seat of the chair was only up to my shin!
Second day
I got up at 8am and had breakfast on the balcony. The Golden Smiles Inn is located on the second floor of some huge building. The cool and fairly unique thing about Myanmar hotels is that they often include breakfast in the price of the room. Sometimes, it's basic but can be substantial. Golden Smiles included bananas, toast, omelette and coffee. My first order of business was to check the cinemas to see what was playing. Unfortunately at the one 'Hollywoodish' place, they were showing Michael Jackson's movie, no thanks. As I stood out front of the cinema a Burmese man approached me and we started talking. His name was Willam Tate, 53, and an English teacher. He didn't want any money, he just wanted to talk with me and hear my accent and pronunciation. That was fine with me and he would direct me anywhere I needed to go. I needed to change $, so we went and did that at a reputable place. Banks are a waste of time here. There are no ATM's and practically no place changes Traveller's cheques, so cash is king in Myanmar. I changed $100 and got a huge stack of bills. Myanmar's largest bill is 1000kyat, so I got a stack of 97,000 kyats! I told William I collect $ and the money changer gave me a few old bills of small donominations in really good shape for free. We continued my quest for collectable $ and went to a gold shop owned by one of his students'parents. They gave me a few more bills.
I had read in the guidebook to check out Sakura tower. A twenty floor building in the center of town with good views of the city. On the top floor is a posh restaurant, the Sky Bistro. It was empty then and they let me in to take some aerial photos.
We then went to check the rest of the cinema's in town and at the last one, an American movie 'Sudden Impact' was playing. I've never heard of it but decided to come back and watch it at the last showing, 4.30pm. Next was to get cleaned up and get my yearly haircut. We went to a small place down a side street with a bunch of young girls there. One of them cut my hair and did a good job, for $1. I parted ways with William next but we agreed to meet the following day. He wanted me to talk to his class. I thought this would be fun.
After that I went for lunch and then to relax in my room until it was time to leave for the movie. The cinema was Ok, the sound was good but the picture was only showing on half the size of the screen. Turns out the movie ending up being 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' with Samuel L. Jackson from the 1990's, which I had already seen! No big deal though, I stayed to watch it anyway. Hell, I already paid my 60 cents to watch it!
I went for some Ok Indian fast food after that I went back to the Sky Bistro for some beer and night photos of the city. For the month of November there was a promo on Tiger beer, one glass for 1000kyat. I sat down for a few beers and pulled out my tripod for some long exposure shots of the traffic below. It was a very nice place but not very busy. A meal there cost 6000kyat. After a few beers and lots of photos, I walked back to Golden Smiles.
Day Three
After breakfast I walked 45 minutes to Shwedagon Paya, a huge and famous Buddhist pagoda in Myanmar. Yangon is not like Thailand at all. It's much more rundown with street markets selling everything, everywhere. Traffic was only busy in some places and for a capital city, I didn't hate it. They sold lighters the size of an ice cream bar! The city is fairly crime free, as is the whole country. If a local steals from a foreigner, they can get 5 years hard labour in prison. The military government, run by a few greedy generals, have 'spies' all over and someone would never get away with trying to sell something stolen from a foreigner. The sidewalk, like many roads, is a crumbling mess that requires constant attention or else fall in the sewer below. The Pagoda is one huge pagoda surrounded by many more smaller pagodas. The main stupa (spire) is covered in gold and the top plated with diamonds, rubies and sappires. It is a very important place for Burmese people. After hanging out there for a few hours and getting my picture taken with some monks (at their request), I walked back into the center of town. I ate lunch and then went to the cinema at 4 to meet William, who was already there. We walked to his class, about 10 minutes away and up 3 floors in an old building. Not all his students were there, but there was about 15 of them, roughly divided equally between male and female and between the ages of 17 and 25. The Burmese people are extremely hospitable and before I did anything, they brought me some mohinga, a fish/noodle soup and a coffee. The soup wasn't bad at all. William said all Burmese people like it. The coffee was 3 in 1, that's coffee mix, sugar and creamer all together. It's a rich and sweet blend that I quite like. I've bought these before at an Asian store back home and they are perfect for camping. There are huge billboards advertising them all over the country. At local restaurants, it's normal for a pot of weak Chinese tea to go complimentary with your meal.
After my meal and meeting a few students, I went to the head of the class. I wrote my name and where I was from on the chalkboard. I was the first foreigner that they've had in the class. I told them a bit about where I was from and then it was more like a question and answer period. I helped them pronounce a few words that were written on the chalkboard too. They asked me questions in English about my hobbies, favourite place in Myanmar, what I though of the Burmese people, etc. It was a lot of fun and very low key.
When that was over, William and his teaching partner, Jeffrey wanted to take me out for dinner but first I needed to shower. I had been out walking around all day since 9am and it was now 6.30pm. The weather here is almost perfect. It's the 'winter' season and a bit cooler. Days were sunny and about 30C with only %50 humidity, which made it not as hot. Nights dipped to a comfortable 25C. I showered at Golden Smile and then met William and Jeffrey. We took a taxi into the suburbs to go to a really local place. They bought me dinner and a few beers and wanted nothing from me. They were both very friendly and genuine and invited me back anytime I wanted. It was probably the most time I've spent with locals in a long time that weren't a girlfriend or a guide.
The hour long flight to Yangon, capitol of Myanmar, was smooth and easy. Going through customs and immigration wasn't as strict as I thought it would be. It was just like anywhere else. Since Thailand just another longer stopover on my trip,I consider my trip to have begun officially now that I'm in Myanmar (pronounced me-an-mar). I shared a taxi with a German for the 18km ride into the center of town. I went to the Golden Smiles Inn. I took a simple room with shared bath for $5. I was starving and stopped to eat at a busy street food place just outside the hotel. I had rice, potatoes and prawns and a Star( Myanmar's cheap version of Coke) cola for 900 kyat. $1US/Can will get about 1000 kyat (pronounced chat). It was a really funny scene that I wasn't used to be seems to be the norm all over Myanmar, the tables and chairs are all like for little kids. The seat of the chair was only up to my shin!
Second day
I got up at 8am and had breakfast on the balcony. The Golden Smiles Inn is located on the second floor of some huge building. The cool and fairly unique thing about Myanmar hotels is that they often include breakfast in the price of the room. Sometimes, it's basic but can be substantial. Golden Smiles included bananas, toast, omelette and coffee. My first order of business was to check the cinemas to see what was playing. Unfortunately at the one 'Hollywoodish' place, they were showing Michael Jackson's movie, no thanks. As I stood out front of the cinema a Burmese man approached me and we started talking. His name was Willam Tate, 53, and an English teacher. He didn't want any money, he just wanted to talk with me and hear my accent and pronunciation. That was fine with me and he would direct me anywhere I needed to go. I needed to change $, so we went and did that at a reputable place. Banks are a waste of time here. There are no ATM's and practically no place changes Traveller's cheques, so cash is king in Myanmar. I changed $100 and got a huge stack of bills. Myanmar's largest bill is 1000kyat, so I got a stack of 97,000 kyats! I told William I collect $ and the money changer gave me a few old bills of small donominations in really good shape for free. We continued my quest for collectable $ and went to a gold shop owned by one of his students'parents. They gave me a few more bills.
I had read in the guidebook to check out Sakura tower. A twenty floor building in the center of town with good views of the city. On the top floor is a posh restaurant, the Sky Bistro. It was empty then and they let me in to take some aerial photos.
We then went to check the rest of the cinema's in town and at the last one, an American movie 'Sudden Impact' was playing. I've never heard of it but decided to come back and watch it at the last showing, 4.30pm. Next was to get cleaned up and get my yearly haircut. We went to a small place down a side street with a bunch of young girls there. One of them cut my hair and did a good job, for $1. I parted ways with William next but we agreed to meet the following day. He wanted me to talk to his class. I thought this would be fun.
After that I went for lunch and then to relax in my room until it was time to leave for the movie. The cinema was Ok, the sound was good but the picture was only showing on half the size of the screen. Turns out the movie ending up being 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' with Samuel L. Jackson from the 1990's, which I had already seen! No big deal though, I stayed to watch it anyway. Hell, I already paid my 60 cents to watch it!
I went for some Ok Indian fast food after that I went back to the Sky Bistro for some beer and night photos of the city. For the month of November there was a promo on Tiger beer, one glass for 1000kyat. I sat down for a few beers and pulled out my tripod for some long exposure shots of the traffic below. It was a very nice place but not very busy. A meal there cost 6000kyat. After a few beers and lots of photos, I walked back to Golden Smiles.
Day Three
After breakfast I walked 45 minutes to Shwedagon Paya, a huge and famous Buddhist pagoda in Myanmar. Yangon is not like Thailand at all. It's much more rundown with street markets selling everything, everywhere. Traffic was only busy in some places and for a capital city, I didn't hate it. They sold lighters the size of an ice cream bar! The city is fairly crime free, as is the whole country. If a local steals from a foreigner, they can get 5 years hard labour in prison. The military government, run by a few greedy generals, have 'spies' all over and someone would never get away with trying to sell something stolen from a foreigner. The sidewalk, like many roads, is a crumbling mess that requires constant attention or else fall in the sewer below. The Pagoda is one huge pagoda surrounded by many more smaller pagodas. The main stupa (spire) is covered in gold and the top plated with diamonds, rubies and sappires. It is a very important place for Burmese people. After hanging out there for a few hours and getting my picture taken with some monks (at their request), I walked back into the center of town. I ate lunch and then went to the cinema at 4 to meet William, who was already there. We walked to his class, about 10 minutes away and up 3 floors in an old building. Not all his students were there, but there was about 15 of them, roughly divided equally between male and female and between the ages of 17 and 25. The Burmese people are extremely hospitable and before I did anything, they brought me some mohinga, a fish/noodle soup and a coffee. The soup wasn't bad at all. William said all Burmese people like it. The coffee was 3 in 1, that's coffee mix, sugar and creamer all together. It's a rich and sweet blend that I quite like. I've bought these before at an Asian store back home and they are perfect for camping. There are huge billboards advertising them all over the country. At local restaurants, it's normal for a pot of weak Chinese tea to go complimentary with your meal.
After my meal and meeting a few students, I went to the head of the class. I wrote my name and where I was from on the chalkboard. I was the first foreigner that they've had in the class. I told them a bit about where I was from and then it was more like a question and answer period. I helped them pronounce a few words that were written on the chalkboard too. They asked me questions in English about my hobbies, favourite place in Myanmar, what I though of the Burmese people, etc. It was a lot of fun and very low key.
When that was over, William and his teaching partner, Jeffrey wanted to take me out for dinner but first I needed to shower. I had been out walking around all day since 9am and it was now 6.30pm. The weather here is almost perfect. It's the 'winter' season and a bit cooler. Days were sunny and about 30C with only %50 humidity, which made it not as hot. Nights dipped to a comfortable 25C. I showered at Golden Smile and then met William and Jeffrey. We took a taxi into the suburbs to go to a really local place. They bought me dinner and a few beers and wanted nothing from me. They were both very friendly and genuine and invited me back anytime I wanted. It was probably the most time I've spent with locals in a long time that weren't a girlfriend or a guide.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Bangkok
Nov. 18
I arrived in Bangkok at midnight. I had 3 flights from Toronto to Chicago to Tokyo to Bangkok. I must say all 3 were very smooth with minimal turbulence. I got to my hotel, New Siam II at 1am. My room was very nice with attatched bath, TV and even a safe and strangely enough a scale too. I watched a bit of TV before crashing. It had been about 45 hours (including time change of 12 hours) since I left Niagara Falls.
Nov. 19.
My only task today was to secure a visa for Myanmar. I kept waking up and telling myself the next time I get up, I will eat and get a visa. Well, this didn't happen till almost 1pm. I asked around at a few travel agents and it seems things have changed. Instead of the travel agents getting the visa for you, I would have to go to the Myanmar embassy and apply in person. A travel also told me that the embassy closed at 1pm so I was out of luck for today. I ate a delicious breakfast of yogurt, muesli and fruit for $2. There is only a 9% difference in currency between Canadian and American right now so any prices I mention will be in Canadian. The exchange rate is $1 Can = 30 Thai baht. With nothing else to do today I went back to my room to watch TV and sleep more. I went out for a very tasty evening meal of spicy green curry vegetables and rice. Behind my hotel is a pedestrian street full of restaurants, guesthouses, vendors and more. It is similar to the backpacker ghetto of Khao San Rd. about a 10 minute walk away. There are tons of foreigners here. I have easily seen more foreigners here than I did on my whole last trip to East Africa and that's no exaggeration. I stayed up late watching movies. I'm still very jet lagged.
Nov. 20.
I was up at 7.30 today and watched a bit of TV before eating a tasty breakfast in the hotel restaurant. My goal today was to get a visa for Myanmar. To get to the embassy I first had to get to the pier, which was a 5 minute walk away. The traffic can be hectic in Bangkok and for where I had to get to, taking a public boat was the best option. The ticket was 50 cents and I rode to boat to Central pier which took about half an hour. The boat was very efficient at docking and dropping off/picking up passengers in minutes. From the central pier I took a mototaxi to the embassy. It was a bit unnerving on the moto as the driver weaved through Bangkok's traffic. Surprisingly though, they gave me a helmet to wear. At the embassy I filled out the detailed forms for a tourist visa. They wanted to know everything, eye color, hair color, complexion,my father's full name, hotel I'll be staying in, why I wanted to go there and my last 3 jobs! I also had to paste in 2 passport photos which I had brought with me from home. They told me to come back to collect my visa on tuesday and this was friday! I did not want to wait that long in Bangkok or travel anywhere in the meantime so I asked about an express visa. They told me if I paid $15 more I could have the visa today, so I went with that option, considering it would cost me a lot more to hang around for another 4 days.
Visa application done, I went back to my hotel to rest and eat lunch. I got back to the embassy right at 3pm when they told me to come back to collect my visa. The place was jam packed! Thankfully they opened up another queue for visa express applicants. I only waited 10 minutes in this line before getting my visa. Now I had to get a flight to Myanmar as there are no overland options into the country. I went to the travel agency at my hotel and they told me that all flights into Myanmar were booked until monday! This was terrible news so I went to another agency to confirm it and they told me the same thing. So I went back to my hotel agency to buy a ticket for monday. As they searched, a seat became available for tomorrow, saturday. This was the news I wanted and I promptly paid for my ticket.
Myanmar was turning out to be more popular than I had thought. The travel agent told me that the high season is beginning now and that anytime last month I could have gotten a seat anyday for a flight. I relaxed in my room and then went out to eat dinner. Back in my room I had planned on watching a movie but 20 minutes in I began to fall asleep. It was only 8.30, but I decided not to fight it and crashed.
Nov. 21
I was up at 7.30 and watched a movie before eating breakfast. My flight is at 6pm and checkout time is 11am. I didn't want to hang out in cafes for 5 hours till I had to leave for the airport so I paid for half a day in my room. My next post will be from Myanmar.
I arrived in Bangkok at midnight. I had 3 flights from Toronto to Chicago to Tokyo to Bangkok. I must say all 3 were very smooth with minimal turbulence. I got to my hotel, New Siam II at 1am. My room was very nice with attatched bath, TV and even a safe and strangely enough a scale too. I watched a bit of TV before crashing. It had been about 45 hours (including time change of 12 hours) since I left Niagara Falls.
Nov. 19.
My only task today was to secure a visa for Myanmar. I kept waking up and telling myself the next time I get up, I will eat and get a visa. Well, this didn't happen till almost 1pm. I asked around at a few travel agents and it seems things have changed. Instead of the travel agents getting the visa for you, I would have to go to the Myanmar embassy and apply in person. A travel also told me that the embassy closed at 1pm so I was out of luck for today. I ate a delicious breakfast of yogurt, muesli and fruit for $2. There is only a 9% difference in currency between Canadian and American right now so any prices I mention will be in Canadian. The exchange rate is $1 Can = 30 Thai baht. With nothing else to do today I went back to my room to watch TV and sleep more. I went out for a very tasty evening meal of spicy green curry vegetables and rice. Behind my hotel is a pedestrian street full of restaurants, guesthouses, vendors and more. It is similar to the backpacker ghetto of Khao San Rd. about a 10 minute walk away. There are tons of foreigners here. I have easily seen more foreigners here than I did on my whole last trip to East Africa and that's no exaggeration. I stayed up late watching movies. I'm still very jet lagged.
Nov. 20.
I was up at 7.30 today and watched a bit of TV before eating a tasty breakfast in the hotel restaurant. My goal today was to get a visa for Myanmar. To get to the embassy I first had to get to the pier, which was a 5 minute walk away. The traffic can be hectic in Bangkok and for where I had to get to, taking a public boat was the best option. The ticket was 50 cents and I rode to boat to Central pier which took about half an hour. The boat was very efficient at docking and dropping off/picking up passengers in minutes. From the central pier I took a mototaxi to the embassy. It was a bit unnerving on the moto as the driver weaved through Bangkok's traffic. Surprisingly though, they gave me a helmet to wear. At the embassy I filled out the detailed forms for a tourist visa. They wanted to know everything, eye color, hair color, complexion,my father's full name, hotel I'll be staying in, why I wanted to go there and my last 3 jobs! I also had to paste in 2 passport photos which I had brought with me from home. They told me to come back to collect my visa on tuesday and this was friday! I did not want to wait that long in Bangkok or travel anywhere in the meantime so I asked about an express visa. They told me if I paid $15 more I could have the visa today, so I went with that option, considering it would cost me a lot more to hang around for another 4 days.
Visa application done, I went back to my hotel to rest and eat lunch. I got back to the embassy right at 3pm when they told me to come back to collect my visa. The place was jam packed! Thankfully they opened up another queue for visa express applicants. I only waited 10 minutes in this line before getting my visa. Now I had to get a flight to Myanmar as there are no overland options into the country. I went to the travel agency at my hotel and they told me that all flights into Myanmar were booked until monday! This was terrible news so I went to another agency to confirm it and they told me the same thing. So I went back to my hotel agency to buy a ticket for monday. As they searched, a seat became available for tomorrow, saturday. This was the news I wanted and I promptly paid for my ticket.
Myanmar was turning out to be more popular than I had thought. The travel agent told me that the high season is beginning now and that anytime last month I could have gotten a seat anyday for a flight. I relaxed in my room and then went out to eat dinner. Back in my room I had planned on watching a movie but 20 minutes in I began to fall asleep. It was only 8.30, but I decided not to fight it and crashed.
Nov. 21
I was up at 7.30 and watched a movie before eating breakfast. My flight is at 6pm and checkout time is 11am. I didn't want to hang out in cafes for 5 hours till I had to leave for the airport so I paid for half a day in my room. My next post will be from Myanmar.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Southeast Asia 2009/10
Hi everybody. Welcome back to my blog. It's been almost 8 months since my last post but that's going to change soon.
On Nov. 17, I begin another 4 month adventure. This trip marks 12 years of seasonal travel for me since 1998. This year I am exploring SE Asia for the fourth time. I will be visiting Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam but I begin my trip in Bangkok. I'm only staying a few days there to get a visa and a flight to Myanmar. Flying into Myanmar is much more expensive than flying into Bangkok. After about 3 or 4 weeks in Myanmar, I will be dividing my last 3 months between Laos and Vietnam. I have been to Thailand and Cambodia before but this year's countries are all new to me. I really like this part of the world. The people, food, weather and economical prices make this a great region to travel in. Although it doesn't have the big game parks like Africa, I'm still looking forward to spending a lot of time in national parks. Finding wildlife here in the rainforest will be much more challenging but I'm up for it. Besides the national parks, I will be visiting ancient temples like Bagan in Myanmar ( a smaller, version of Ankgor Wat in Cambodia), trekking, caving and maybe a few beaches. I also look forward to exploring the tunnels of Vietnam. This region (though maybe not Myanmar) is firmly on the backpacking circuit but I will be doing my best to get off the beaten track and into remote areas.
On Nov. 17, I begin another 4 month adventure. This trip marks 12 years of seasonal travel for me since 1998. This year I am exploring SE Asia for the fourth time. I will be visiting Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam but I begin my trip in Bangkok. I'm only staying a few days there to get a visa and a flight to Myanmar. Flying into Myanmar is much more expensive than flying into Bangkok. After about 3 or 4 weeks in Myanmar, I will be dividing my last 3 months between Laos and Vietnam. I have been to Thailand and Cambodia before but this year's countries are all new to me. I really like this part of the world. The people, food, weather and economical prices make this a great region to travel in. Although it doesn't have the big game parks like Africa, I'm still looking forward to spending a lot of time in national parks. Finding wildlife here in the rainforest will be much more challenging but I'm up for it. Besides the national parks, I will be visiting ancient temples like Bagan in Myanmar ( a smaller, version of Ankgor Wat in Cambodia), trekking, caving and maybe a few beaches. I also look forward to exploring the tunnels of Vietnam. This region (though maybe not Myanmar) is firmly on the backpacking circuit but I will be doing my best to get off the beaten track and into remote areas.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Home
I arrived back home in Canada safely late thursday night, the 19th of March. The flights were fairly smooth and uneventful, how any flight should be. I was able to catch up on a lot of movies on the personal screen on the back of the seat in front of me. These personal screens with plentiful choices of movies are a life saver for me on any flight. I usually can't sleep well on a plane and just watch movie after movie.
The weather is cold here at home but at least there is no snow. I've been trying to make my re entry as painless as possible, relaxing at home, cleaning around the house, watering plants and visiting friends. I will be back at work soon and start saving money and planning for this year's adventure.
The weather is cold here at home but at least there is no snow. I've been trying to make my re entry as painless as possible, relaxing at home, cleaning around the house, watering plants and visiting friends. I will be back at work soon and start saving money and planning for this year's adventure.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Tanzania to Kenya
The day after our I got back from safari I spent in Arusha, taking care of some last minute souvenir shopping and just relaxing. I bought a ticket for the shuttle from Arusha to Nairobi for 8am, tuesday morning March 17. The shuttle left at 8.30 with me and only 5 other passengers so it was very comfortable with no stopping. I had expected the road connecting these 2 major cities to be in good shape but I was wrong. There was a main road but large sections of it were in a state of repair and we were forced to take the dusty and bumpy alternative route. It was a terrible road and super dusty. All I could taste and smell was dust, there was no escape. The border crossing was easy though busy. It was the most people I had seen at any border. I got a week long transit visa for $20 instead of the usual $50 visa. We arrived in Nairobi about 6 hours later. I was looking for a cheaper hotel than the one I stayed in 4 months ago. A taxi driver suggested Planet Safari which had a dorm bed for $6.50. That worked for me. Planet safari is a small place not listed in the guidebook but it mostly used before and after clients return from safari. It is located on the top ninth floor of a building with a nice outdoor patio. It was a basic place but I was the only one in the dorm and it had an attatched bath.
I don't like Nairobi at all. It's a very busy place but I must admit it is very cosmopolitan and has everything you need in variety. I have tuesday night here, a full day wednesday and then fly home early thursday morning. This will be my last post for the trip I write abroad. It has been another memorable and amazing trip with many highlights. I look forward to planning the next adventure once I get home.
I don't like Nairobi at all. It's a very busy place but I must admit it is very cosmopolitan and has everything you need in variety. I have tuesday night here, a full day wednesday and then fly home early thursday morning. This will be my last post for the trip I write abroad. It has been another memorable and amazing trip with many highlights. I look forward to planning the next adventure once I get home.
Ngorongoro Crater
Today was our last day but it was still a full safari day. We got up at 6.30am to pack up everything. We ate breakfast and left at 8. It was only a short drive to the descent road. There is only one road to descend into the crater and only one road out of the crater. Ngorongoro is one of the world's largest unbroken calderas. It measures 20km across its widest point and was lush and green on the floor. Due to abundant grass and a steady supply of water, many animals live permanently in the crater. There can be up to a million hoofed animals and these in turn feed a healthy predator population. There are many buffaloes and zebras as we first start driving in the crater. The crater is mostly flat and treeless with a large salt lake in its center but with other smaller freshwater lakes feed by underground springs. We come across a family of foxes close to the road. There are really small and cute and new for me. We see many other animals but nothing unusual until Isaac stops the Landcruiser a few hours later. He checks a large grey spot in the distance and confirms his suspicions. It is a black rhino. Actually it is 2 black rhinos and one young. They are lying down but later get up and walk around. Though they are far I can clearly see them. There is another big animal crossed off my 'wishlist'. There are about only 23 black rhinos living in the crater. Africa has the black rhino and the white rhino, both have been poached to near extinction for their horns. The white rhino was reduced to a single population in Umfolozi national park in South Africa. This population has been used to relocate animals to areas where they used to graze, including Lake Nakuru national park in Kenya where I saw them on the beginning of my trip. I saw many white rhinos in Kruger national park in South Africa but black rhinos are very rare there. I have been wanting to see one since my first safari. There are many differences between black and white rhinos but most of these are small. Some of the major differences are the type of eating they do. The black rhinos are grazers, eating leaves of small shrubs and grass. White rhinos are browsers with a low hung head for eating grass and will congregate in groups more than the mainly solitary black rhinos. Black rhinos are also known to be more aggressive and will readily charge just about anything. So, in a way it was good that this rare family of black rhinos was in the distance.
We drove around many corners of the crater before going for lunch at noon. We had lunch among a collection of skulls and bones of mostly buffalo. There were many birds around and Isaac told us to watch our food. I threw one piece of rice for a single bird and in a second I had 20 birds right beside. I could reach out and touch them. They flew off suddenly and I got a birdwing in the face by a large, predatory black Kite that was after my food and the birds. It was the first time I've actually been hit by a bird, I couldn't believe it! We finished lunch and would have a short game drive before leaving the crater.
Only minutes from leaving the lunch spot we stopped. There were 2 cheetahs here, walking and lying around. I was blown away, more cheetahs! I was so happy. There were also a few huge bull elephants in the distance. Only solitary old males descend into the crater, family herd of elephants aren't found here. The area around the ascent road is concentrate densely with zebras and wildebeests. They were everywhere, walking all over the road. We had to constantly slow down to allow them to move off or drive around them. A very dark rainfilled sky loomed ahead of us. We drove into torrential rain. The windows fogged up but Isaac still had to be careful as there were still many zebra on the road. We climbed out of the crater and it stopped raining. We had a long, uneventful drive back to Arusha. Even though it rained a lot on our safari, the area close to Arusha was still dry and dusty.
I really enjoyed the crater and it was a highlight of my trip, as was the Serengeti. This northern park safari circuit was my last activity before heading home in a few days.
We drove around many corners of the crater before going for lunch at noon. We had lunch among a collection of skulls and bones of mostly buffalo. There were many birds around and Isaac told us to watch our food. I threw one piece of rice for a single bird and in a second I had 20 birds right beside. I could reach out and touch them. They flew off suddenly and I got a birdwing in the face by a large, predatory black Kite that was after my food and the birds. It was the first time I've actually been hit by a bird, I couldn't believe it! We finished lunch and would have a short game drive before leaving the crater.
Only minutes from leaving the lunch spot we stopped. There were 2 cheetahs here, walking and lying around. I was blown away, more cheetahs! I was so happy. There were also a few huge bull elephants in the distance. Only solitary old males descend into the crater, family herd of elephants aren't found here. The area around the ascent road is concentrate densely with zebras and wildebeests. They were everywhere, walking all over the road. We had to constantly slow down to allow them to move off or drive around them. A very dark rainfilled sky loomed ahead of us. We drove into torrential rain. The windows fogged up but Isaac still had to be careful as there were still many zebra on the road. We climbed out of the crater and it stopped raining. We had a long, uneventful drive back to Arusha. Even though it rained a lot on our safari, the area close to Arusha was still dry and dusty.
I really enjoyed the crater and it was a highlight of my trip, as was the Serengeti. This northern park safari circuit was my last activity before heading home in a few days.
Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Shortly after we left the Serengeti, we entered the NCA. It began to rain heavily. We could hardly see out the windows. It didn't last long and soon after we entered came to a very dry area. It had not rained here for a while. We began seeing more Maasai and their goats and cows. Wildlife roams freely around the whole NCA area and we saw a few giraffes very close to the road. Isaac noticed up on a hill in the distance was an eland. The eland is the largest of the antelopes, weighing up to 1500kgs. I have been wanting to see an eland for a while. Isaac said there are many in the crater but they are shy. This might be the only time I see one, so I ask him to stop so I can take a photo of it. We reach our campsite on the rim of the crater around 5.30. It's raining lightly but very sunny and there is a huge rainbow. I set up my tent under a huge tree on a grassy area with a bunch of other tents. This 4 day northern park safari circuit is a popular one and I am recognizing people that were camping near us in the Serengeti.
This campsite is called basic but it's anything but. It had covered eating areas, electricity and to my amazement, hot showers! I shower and then join the Norwiegans already eating our pre dinner popcorn. After dinner, Isaac explains our program for tomorrow and then excuses himself. I never hang around long after I've finished eating. The Norweigans can all speak fluent English but they don't. They only speak English when they are talking directly to me. With the exception of Chris, the other 3 only speak to me when they want to know what animals we saw that day. They're not mean about it, they just don't speak to me. Most people I spend time with who don't speak English as a first language but can speak it very well, are considerate enough and make the effort to speak English, even when talking amongst themselves, but not the Norwiegans. They spoke English on safari and at the dining table, effectively leaving me out of any conversation, so there was no point to hang around and listen to them speak. I would hang out in my tent and read or look at the days photos.
I woke up in the middle of the night to relieve myself and could hear loud chewing. I stepped out of my tent, but not far. I could see 3 buffalos in close by and when I shined my light on them they did nothing, I took care of my business and went back to bed. Last night at our Serengeti campsite, Isaac told us to bring our shoes inside the tent for safe keeping. Hyaenas sometimes take away left out shoes but I didn't think there was that much of a threat on the crater rim campsite, so I left my sandals outside but close to my tent. I was woken up by the ruffling of my ground tarp. I shook my tent to scare away whatever it was and brought my sandals inside. A few minutes later, I heard the same ruffling followed by the snorting and sniffing of a warthog's snout. I guess he was checking me out but I had nothing he wanted. I wasn't woken up again.
This campsite is called basic but it's anything but. It had covered eating areas, electricity and to my amazement, hot showers! I shower and then join the Norwiegans already eating our pre dinner popcorn. After dinner, Isaac explains our program for tomorrow and then excuses himself. I never hang around long after I've finished eating. The Norweigans can all speak fluent English but they don't. They only speak English when they are talking directly to me. With the exception of Chris, the other 3 only speak to me when they want to know what animals we saw that day. They're not mean about it, they just don't speak to me. Most people I spend time with who don't speak English as a first language but can speak it very well, are considerate enough and make the effort to speak English, even when talking amongst themselves, but not the Norwiegans. They spoke English on safari and at the dining table, effectively leaving me out of any conversation, so there was no point to hang around and listen to them speak. I would hang out in my tent and read or look at the days photos.
I woke up in the middle of the night to relieve myself and could hear loud chewing. I stepped out of my tent, but not far. I could see 3 buffalos in close by and when I shined my light on them they did nothing, I took care of my business and went back to bed. Last night at our Serengeti campsite, Isaac told us to bring our shoes inside the tent for safe keeping. Hyaenas sometimes take away left out shoes but I didn't think there was that much of a threat on the crater rim campsite, so I left my sandals outside but close to my tent. I was woken up by the ruffling of my ground tarp. I shook my tent to scare away whatever it was and brought my sandals inside. A few minutes later, I heard the same ruffling followed by the snorting and sniffing of a warthog's snout. I guess he was checking me out but I had nothing he wanted. I wasn't woken up again.
Serengeti National Park
We left the small village near Lake Manyara around 8am. We had a long drive to Serengeti. We climbed the rift valley road up to the crater highlands. The road climbed steeply more through some forest to the rim of the crater. We stopped at a viewpoint of Ngorongoro crater. Tomorrow we would be exploring the crater.
We continued on from there through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA), a vast area of 8000sq km. Local Masai people have been grazing their cattle here for hundreds of years. That's why this area is a conservation area instead of a national park. There in no cattle grazing allowed in a national park. The landscape was very flat and featureless.
We took a side detour to Olduvai Gorge, 5km from the main road. Since we entered the NCA, we left the smooth tarmac for a bumpy, dusty road. The Olduvai gorge is one of the cradles of humanity. It was here a few decades ago that the Leakey's discovered some of the oldest and most important human bones, linking our evolutionary past. There was a very informative museum and a viewpoint over the dry and inhospitable gorge. There were many other visitors here, large groups of package tourists.
After we left the gorge, we continued towards Serengeti. We stopped at the main gate which was on a forested hill. It was the only hill around. Serengeti means ' endless plains' and from a viewpoint on top of the hill, it was a very appropriate name. The landscape was flat and treeless as far as I could see. It was hard to imagine that this seemingly barren landscape supported one of the largest populations of wildlife in the world.
As we entered the proper park, the weather turned cooler and it started to rain. We had the roof of the Landcruiser opened but had to close it for the rain. The rain would let up and we would open it again. It kept on like this for the rest of the afternoon, opening and closing the roof. The further on we got into the park the more the landscape slowly changed. Trees started to appear and shrubs. There were zebras, giraffes, wildebeest, thomson's gazelle, grants, gazelle, hartebeest and topi.
Isaac got information of a leopard around with some baboons. We went to the area and saw the baboons, but no leopard. We did see a herd of elephants that were black from the mud. The earth here is all black sand which is very slippery in the rains. Most of the roads have had coarser sand with pebbles added to them for traction but sometimes we would come to a black sand stretch. Once the Landcruiser began sliding sideways, it felt like we were sliding in the snow. Isaac was an experienced driver and would let off the brake and ride it out.
It was raining hard when we saw the first of many lions. The rain makes most animals hide and is not a great time for safari driving. We watched the lions for a few minutes but they were hard to see through the fogged windows. The rain came in if the windows were open too much. We reluctantly headed to our campsite for the night in the heart of Serenget in a place called Seronera. The rain stopped when we got there and we set up our tents. I brought my own tent and saved $20 on the safari price for using my own equipment. It was called a basic camp but had running water and showers and covered eating areas.
After dinner we could hear different groups of lions calling out to each other a few km from camp. There are no fences here and it was a little unnerving knowing that there were huge predators not far from us. Isaac said sometimes they wander through camp at night, along with elephants and hyaenas. I heard hyaenas and lions calling throughout the night but still managed to sleep well. I was happy to be back in my tent.
The next morning we were all up at 6am for a small breakfast of coffee and cookies. We left on our game drive at 6.30. Giraffes and buffaloes were only a few minutes away from camp. We drove for a while seeing nothing unusual, mostly impala, warthogs, hartebeest, grant's and thomson's gazelle and a few topi. After a while we came across some lions. They were a bit in the distance but easy to see. Then Isaac got some information about something special and we left. I thought it must be something special in order to leave lions! We drove determinedly to the spot. We could see a few vehicles there but we had to take the road, which was a long way around. In contrast to the Maasai Mara in Kenya, drivers in Serengeti don't go offroad. They require a special permit in order to leave the established tracks. This is good for the park to reduce erosion but not good for close up photos. You have to hope something is fairly close to the road.
We got to the spot and at first glance I thought they lions but they turned out to cheetahs! A family of 5, 4 cubs and the mother, though the cubs were almost the same size as mama. They lied around a lot but also walked around and the cubs play fought with each other. They also chased each other using a bit of their speed that can propel them up to 110km/h for short bursts and which will be essential for catching their prey. Cheetahs are fast declining in many parts of Africa. This is partly due to poaching and farmers killing them because they thought they killed their cattle but also due to the natural selection of the cheetah. Cheetahs are large cats but very slender and built for speed. They are not tough and must eat anything they catch quickly because they are often chased away from their kills by lions and hyaenas. Also take in to account that only a small percentage of their chases result in successful kills. It takes a lot of energy to reach their high speeds and an unsuccessful hunt is a substantial loss. There are only about 9000 cheetahs left in Africa with the largest populations in Namibia.
I have never seen cheetahs before and they were high on the top of my 'wishlist' of animals, along with wild dog and black rhino. I was hoping to see a cheetah either here in Serengeti or in Ngorongoro crater but I never expected to see 5 of them. This is better than I could have hoped. We watched them for a while and after they moved away we followed another track that let us get closer to them again. Isaac was never in a rush and we were allowed to watch any animals as long as we wanted. I really liked this. I hate to be rushed on safari.
It was getting late in the morning now and I was starving. We started driving towards camp and then saw a male and female lion together. Males and females only get together for about a week during mating. They were really close to the road, though they were fairly inactive, just lounging about. We left them after a while, only to stop 2 minutes later when we noticed the rest of the family, a female and some cubs on top of a rocky outcrop. We only stopped here for a few minutes because they soon disappeared out of view. Isaac said we would be back at camp around 10.30, we arrived at 11.30. Brunch was waiting for us, pancakes, sausage, fruit and more. We packed up camp and left at 1pm. We had to be out of the park when our 24 hour entry permit expired at 3pm but still leave enough time to stop for anything on the way.
Isaac received more information on something special and we the opposite way of the gate. They were a few vehicles parked on the road but it wasn't apparent what they were looking at. There were only a few big trees around and nothing noticeable on the ground. We stopped and Isaac said there was a leopard in the tree. It was on the first large branch of the tree, lying in a weird position. I could see it with my binoculars and with the digital zoom of my camera. The leopard is the most elusive of the big 5 ( lion, leopard, rhino, elephant,buffalo) to see, so we were very lucky to see one. I had not expected to see a leopard, but of course hoped we would. The Serengeti was proving to be an amazing place, lions, leopard and cheetahs all in the same day. After the leopard we drove towards the gate and made it out of the park with 20 minutes to spare.
We continued on from there through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA), a vast area of 8000sq km. Local Masai people have been grazing their cattle here for hundreds of years. That's why this area is a conservation area instead of a national park. There in no cattle grazing allowed in a national park. The landscape was very flat and featureless.
We took a side detour to Olduvai Gorge, 5km from the main road. Since we entered the NCA, we left the smooth tarmac for a bumpy, dusty road. The Olduvai gorge is one of the cradles of humanity. It was here a few decades ago that the Leakey's discovered some of the oldest and most important human bones, linking our evolutionary past. There was a very informative museum and a viewpoint over the dry and inhospitable gorge. There were many other visitors here, large groups of package tourists.
After we left the gorge, we continued towards Serengeti. We stopped at the main gate which was on a forested hill. It was the only hill around. Serengeti means ' endless plains' and from a viewpoint on top of the hill, it was a very appropriate name. The landscape was flat and treeless as far as I could see. It was hard to imagine that this seemingly barren landscape supported one of the largest populations of wildlife in the world.
As we entered the proper park, the weather turned cooler and it started to rain. We had the roof of the Landcruiser opened but had to close it for the rain. The rain would let up and we would open it again. It kept on like this for the rest of the afternoon, opening and closing the roof. The further on we got into the park the more the landscape slowly changed. Trees started to appear and shrubs. There were zebras, giraffes, wildebeest, thomson's gazelle, grants, gazelle, hartebeest and topi.
Isaac got information of a leopard around with some baboons. We went to the area and saw the baboons, but no leopard. We did see a herd of elephants that were black from the mud. The earth here is all black sand which is very slippery in the rains. Most of the roads have had coarser sand with pebbles added to them for traction but sometimes we would come to a black sand stretch. Once the Landcruiser began sliding sideways, it felt like we were sliding in the snow. Isaac was an experienced driver and would let off the brake and ride it out.
It was raining hard when we saw the first of many lions. The rain makes most animals hide and is not a great time for safari driving. We watched the lions for a few minutes but they were hard to see through the fogged windows. The rain came in if the windows were open too much. We reluctantly headed to our campsite for the night in the heart of Serenget in a place called Seronera. The rain stopped when we got there and we set up our tents. I brought my own tent and saved $20 on the safari price for using my own equipment. It was called a basic camp but had running water and showers and covered eating areas.
After dinner we could hear different groups of lions calling out to each other a few km from camp. There are no fences here and it was a little unnerving knowing that there were huge predators not far from us. Isaac said sometimes they wander through camp at night, along with elephants and hyaenas. I heard hyaenas and lions calling throughout the night but still managed to sleep well. I was happy to be back in my tent.
The next morning we were all up at 6am for a small breakfast of coffee and cookies. We left on our game drive at 6.30. Giraffes and buffaloes were only a few minutes away from camp. We drove for a while seeing nothing unusual, mostly impala, warthogs, hartebeest, grant's and thomson's gazelle and a few topi. After a while we came across some lions. They were a bit in the distance but easy to see. Then Isaac got some information about something special and we left. I thought it must be something special in order to leave lions! We drove determinedly to the spot. We could see a few vehicles there but we had to take the road, which was a long way around. In contrast to the Maasai Mara in Kenya, drivers in Serengeti don't go offroad. They require a special permit in order to leave the established tracks. This is good for the park to reduce erosion but not good for close up photos. You have to hope something is fairly close to the road.
We got to the spot and at first glance I thought they lions but they turned out to cheetahs! A family of 5, 4 cubs and the mother, though the cubs were almost the same size as mama. They lied around a lot but also walked around and the cubs play fought with each other. They also chased each other using a bit of their speed that can propel them up to 110km/h for short bursts and which will be essential for catching their prey. Cheetahs are fast declining in many parts of Africa. This is partly due to poaching and farmers killing them because they thought they killed their cattle but also due to the natural selection of the cheetah. Cheetahs are large cats but very slender and built for speed. They are not tough and must eat anything they catch quickly because they are often chased away from their kills by lions and hyaenas. Also take in to account that only a small percentage of their chases result in successful kills. It takes a lot of energy to reach their high speeds and an unsuccessful hunt is a substantial loss. There are only about 9000 cheetahs left in Africa with the largest populations in Namibia.
I have never seen cheetahs before and they were high on the top of my 'wishlist' of animals, along with wild dog and black rhino. I was hoping to see a cheetah either here in Serengeti or in Ngorongoro crater but I never expected to see 5 of them. This is better than I could have hoped. We watched them for a while and after they moved away we followed another track that let us get closer to them again. Isaac was never in a rush and we were allowed to watch any animals as long as we wanted. I really liked this. I hate to be rushed on safari.
It was getting late in the morning now and I was starving. We started driving towards camp and then saw a male and female lion together. Males and females only get together for about a week during mating. They were really close to the road, though they were fairly inactive, just lounging about. We left them after a while, only to stop 2 minutes later when we noticed the rest of the family, a female and some cubs on top of a rocky outcrop. We only stopped here for a few minutes because they soon disappeared out of view. Isaac said we would be back at camp around 10.30, we arrived at 11.30. Brunch was waiting for us, pancakes, sausage, fruit and more. We packed up camp and left at 1pm. We had to be out of the park when our 24 hour entry permit expired at 3pm but still leave enough time to stop for anything on the way.
Isaac received more information on something special and we the opposite way of the gate. They were a few vehicles parked on the road but it wasn't apparent what they were looking at. There were only a few big trees around and nothing noticeable on the ground. We stopped and Isaac said there was a leopard in the tree. It was on the first large branch of the tree, lying in a weird position. I could see it with my binoculars and with the digital zoom of my camera. The leopard is the most elusive of the big 5 ( lion, leopard, rhino, elephant,buffalo) to see, so we were very lucky to see one. I had not expected to see a leopard, but of course hoped we would. The Serengeti was proving to be an amazing place, lions, leopard and cheetahs all in the same day. After the leopard we drove towards the gate and made it out of the park with 20 minutes to spare.
Lake Manyara National Park
Safari planners was there to pick me up on time at 9 am. We drove to their office to get the rest of the clients. I would be joining a group of 4 Norweigans, 2 couples just a little younger than me. When I walked into the common room there was some obvious tension and anger among the Norweigans. I went into the office alone to pay my balance and asked what was happening. Apparently the Norweigans weren't happy about another person joining them but it was ok now. I sat outside to let things cool down. I met one of the guys and introduced myself as ' The guy you didn't want coming.' He said it was ok now but I think he still didn't like the idea of another joining their group. I met all 4 of them but really only talked to Chris.
After running some last minute errands we finally left Arusha at 10.30. We passed the junction I came from a few days ago and then joined a road to the northern park circuit. This road was only 2 years old and in immaculate shape, not a pothole in it. Along the way we saw some giraffes. We arrived at a small village near the gate of the park. We settled in a Fig Resort for lunch and for our room for the night. It was a nice self contained room with fan. After lunch we left for the park.
It was only a 10 minute drive to the gate of the park. Tanzania's national parks use a credit card like system for payment instead of cash. Isaac was having a problem with his card and the system and this delayed us for almost an hour. While we waited a large, fearless baboon entered our Landcruiser in search of food ( while we weren't in it) but found nothing.
We finally entered the park at 3.30. I didn't care if I visited Lake Manyara or not and wanted to spend most of my time and money in Serengeti and Ngorongoro but since Lake Manyara is on the way to these parks, it's always included on the itinerary. Lake Manyara is small at 330sq km and 230 of this is taken up by the salty lake. The park lies at the foothills of the cliffs of the rift valley and has some lerai forest and open grasslands. We saw plenty of baboons along with a few blue monkeys and vervet monkeys in the forest. In the grasslands were zebras, giraffes, thomson's gazelle and buffalo but these were all in the distance. Upon entering the forest again we came close to a herd of a dozen elephants. There were elephants of all ages and they were feeding on both sides of the road. One of them came very close to us, they were not aggressive at all. On the way out of the park, we came across more elephants and had more close encounters. Lake Manyara was proving to be better than I expected and I was glad we came here.
We left the park around 6.45pm and headed back to Fig Resort. Since we were delayed when we wanted to enter the park, Isaac gave us the option of coming back to the park the following morning at 6am for a 2 hour game drive before breakfast. I could go either way on the matter so I let the Norwiegans decide. They choose not to come back to the park, which was fine for me. It meant I could sleep in till 7.30.
After running some last minute errands we finally left Arusha at 10.30. We passed the junction I came from a few days ago and then joined a road to the northern park circuit. This road was only 2 years old and in immaculate shape, not a pothole in it. Along the way we saw some giraffes. We arrived at a small village near the gate of the park. We settled in a Fig Resort for lunch and for our room for the night. It was a nice self contained room with fan. After lunch we left for the park.
It was only a 10 minute drive to the gate of the park. Tanzania's national parks use a credit card like system for payment instead of cash. Isaac was having a problem with his card and the system and this delayed us for almost an hour. While we waited a large, fearless baboon entered our Landcruiser in search of food ( while we weren't in it) but found nothing.
We finally entered the park at 3.30. I didn't care if I visited Lake Manyara or not and wanted to spend most of my time and money in Serengeti and Ngorongoro but since Lake Manyara is on the way to these parks, it's always included on the itinerary. Lake Manyara is small at 330sq km and 230 of this is taken up by the salty lake. The park lies at the foothills of the cliffs of the rift valley and has some lerai forest and open grasslands. We saw plenty of baboons along with a few blue monkeys and vervet monkeys in the forest. In the grasslands were zebras, giraffes, thomson's gazelle and buffalo but these were all in the distance. Upon entering the forest again we came close to a herd of a dozen elephants. There were elephants of all ages and they were feeding on both sides of the road. One of them came very close to us, they were not aggressive at all. On the way out of the park, we came across more elephants and had more close encounters. Lake Manyara was proving to be better than I expected and I was glad we came here.
We left the park around 6.45pm and headed back to Fig Resort. Since we were delayed when we wanted to enter the park, Isaac gave us the option of coming back to the park the following morning at 6am for a 2 hour game drive before breakfast. I could go either way on the matter so I let the Norwiegans decide. They choose not to come back to the park, which was fine for me. It meant I could sleep in till 7.30.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Tanzania
I got up at 5.30am monday morning in Kigali to get the bus to the Tanzanian border. I have a lot of travelling to do in the next 2 days to get to Arusha, so I wanted to get started early. I litterally got the last seat on the bus. It was a small foldout chair in the asile right near the door. My large pack was on the floor in front of the door which was really annoying because anytime someone got on or off the bus, I would have to pick up my pack, which isn't that light. Thankfully we didn't stop that much. The road was good all the way there and in 3 hours we were at the border. It was 9.30am Rwandan time but as I crossed the border, it was 10.30am Tanzanian time. I had no problem crossing the border and after eating 4 chapatis for breakfast, I was in a minivan heading for Kahama.
The road to Kahama was pretty good, better than I expected. The landscape was mostly scrubland and some trees but became drier the further I got from Rwanda. I arrived in Kahama at 4pm and wanted to keep travelling so I would have less distance to cover tomorrow but there was no bus leaving to Singida now, it was too late in the afternoon. I would have to overnight in Kahama. Kahama is a small, dusty town that doesn't even get a mention in my guidebook. The bus passed a few hotels on the way to the station and I checked into a very nice room. It was self contained, hot water and TV. I ate at the hotel and had my first Kilimanjaro beer. I went to bed early because I had another long day ahead of me.
I got up again at 5.30am and by 6 was in a minivan heading for Tende. I was on my way to Arusha but had to switch to a large bus at the Tende junction. We reached the junction before 8 but had to wait till 8.15 for the bus coming from Mwanza. I met a local guy, Titus, and sat beside him. He helped me get the real price for my ticket and not the Mzungu price and saved me $4. The bus was ok, it wasn't crowded but it was a piece of shit. We had to stop to fix a flat tire and then numerous other times for small repairs of what, I'm not sure. We reached Singida at noon and stopped here for lunch. After that we left the tarmac for a horrible dusty and bumpy road. The landscape was very dry and clouds of dust would enter the bus anytime traffice passed us in the opposite direction. There wasn't much of anything along the way. A few small towns and that's it. Like yesterday, we just passed a lot of uninhabitated open space. Tanzania is vast and spread out, such a contrast to Rwanda where every piece of land is cultivated.
Night fell and I still wasn't in Arusha. We finally arrived at 9pm. It had been 15 hours since I started travelling, my longest travel day on this trip by far. I was so glad to arrive. I took a taxi to a hotel. There were no bodas here. I didn't think the room price was fair so I looked at a few other places and found a room at Minje's for $6.50, without bathroom but it was clean and quiet. I ate at the African Queen, chips and chicken washed down with a tasty and light Kilimanjaro, a 500ml bottle costs $1.20.
Safari shopping
I was out of my hotel by 7.45am. I only had limited time and wanted to get on safari as soon as I could. Dominic, a local guy/tout who I met last night, was outside waiting for me. Without asking he took me around to a bunch of tour operators. It is low season now and difficult to find a group to join. I had 4 to 5 days to do a safari and my ideal safari was 2 nights in Ngorongoro crater and 2 nights in Serengeti but it looked like this wasn't going to happen. There are standard safari circuits and since I'm only one person, I would have to join group doing one of these. Once I found out the price of a 5 day safari, it was clear I would only have enough to do a 4 day safari. The typical 4 day safari was the first day in Lake Manyara national park, sleep in a room in a small village near the park, second day drive to Serengeti, passing through the crater, camp in Serengeti. The third day was game drive Serengeti in morning and then drive to Ngorongoro crater, camp on rim of the crater and the last day was a game drive in the crater before returning to Arusha in the evening. I talked to numerous operators and they all had the same itenirary. It was just a matter of finding one who was going soon.
While looking around, I met Darco, a Serb, who was also looking for a tour, but only 2 days. He was having trouble and joined Dominic and I. I was exhausted by walking around and looking so much, so I left Dominic and Darco and took a siesta. Dominic would keep an ear out for my safari while he looked with Dominic. He came back in the afternoon and had a promising tour. I went with him to Annex hotel whose in house safari company, Safari Planners, had a group of 4 people leaving the next day for a 4 day tour. I could join them and the price was the average price. I was still sceptical, so I only paid for half the tour and would pay for the rest tomorrow morning. Safari Planners would be picking me up from my hotel at 9am. I went out for breakfast at the African Queen and was ready and waiting.
The road to Kahama was pretty good, better than I expected. The landscape was mostly scrubland and some trees but became drier the further I got from Rwanda. I arrived in Kahama at 4pm and wanted to keep travelling so I would have less distance to cover tomorrow but there was no bus leaving to Singida now, it was too late in the afternoon. I would have to overnight in Kahama. Kahama is a small, dusty town that doesn't even get a mention in my guidebook. The bus passed a few hotels on the way to the station and I checked into a very nice room. It was self contained, hot water and TV. I ate at the hotel and had my first Kilimanjaro beer. I went to bed early because I had another long day ahead of me.
I got up again at 5.30am and by 6 was in a minivan heading for Tende. I was on my way to Arusha but had to switch to a large bus at the Tende junction. We reached the junction before 8 but had to wait till 8.15 for the bus coming from Mwanza. I met a local guy, Titus, and sat beside him. He helped me get the real price for my ticket and not the Mzungu price and saved me $4. The bus was ok, it wasn't crowded but it was a piece of shit. We had to stop to fix a flat tire and then numerous other times for small repairs of what, I'm not sure. We reached Singida at noon and stopped here for lunch. After that we left the tarmac for a horrible dusty and bumpy road. The landscape was very dry and clouds of dust would enter the bus anytime traffice passed us in the opposite direction. There wasn't much of anything along the way. A few small towns and that's it. Like yesterday, we just passed a lot of uninhabitated open space. Tanzania is vast and spread out, such a contrast to Rwanda where every piece of land is cultivated.
Night fell and I still wasn't in Arusha. We finally arrived at 9pm. It had been 15 hours since I started travelling, my longest travel day on this trip by far. I was so glad to arrive. I took a taxi to a hotel. There were no bodas here. I didn't think the room price was fair so I looked at a few other places and found a room at Minje's for $6.50, without bathroom but it was clean and quiet. I ate at the African Queen, chips and chicken washed down with a tasty and light Kilimanjaro, a 500ml bottle costs $1.20.
Safari shopping
I was out of my hotel by 7.45am. I only had limited time and wanted to get on safari as soon as I could. Dominic, a local guy/tout who I met last night, was outside waiting for me. Without asking he took me around to a bunch of tour operators. It is low season now and difficult to find a group to join. I had 4 to 5 days to do a safari and my ideal safari was 2 nights in Ngorongoro crater and 2 nights in Serengeti but it looked like this wasn't going to happen. There are standard safari circuits and since I'm only one person, I would have to join group doing one of these. Once I found out the price of a 5 day safari, it was clear I would only have enough to do a 4 day safari. The typical 4 day safari was the first day in Lake Manyara national park, sleep in a room in a small village near the park, second day drive to Serengeti, passing through the crater, camp in Serengeti. The third day was game drive Serengeti in morning and then drive to Ngorongoro crater, camp on rim of the crater and the last day was a game drive in the crater before returning to Arusha in the evening. I talked to numerous operators and they all had the same itenirary. It was just a matter of finding one who was going soon.
While looking around, I met Darco, a Serb, who was also looking for a tour, but only 2 days. He was having trouble and joined Dominic and I. I was exhausted by walking around and looking so much, so I left Dominic and Darco and took a siesta. Dominic would keep an ear out for my safari while he looked with Dominic. He came back in the afternoon and had a promising tour. I went with him to Annex hotel whose in house safari company, Safari Planners, had a group of 4 people leaving the next day for a 4 day tour. I could join them and the price was the average price. I was still sceptical, so I only paid for half the tour and would pay for the rest tomorrow morning. Safari Planners would be picking me up from my hotel at 9am. I went out for breakfast at the African Queen and was ready and waiting.
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