In the market you can find everything you need, it's full of colours and local people are there in their traditional clothes.
The mountainous region we passed through by bus to get to Kalaw.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Kalaw
Leaving Bagan at 4 o'clock in the morning, we took a bus to Kalaw, in some mountains to the east direction Inle Lake. The bus nearly had no space for the legs, the road was very bumpy and so we were very lucky when if arrived there at about 2 in the afternoon. Kalaw is a village, nothing special to see, but the region offers some good trekking opportunities.
In the market you can find everything you need, it's full of colours and local people are there in their traditional clothes.
The mountainous region we passed through by bus to get to Kalaw.
In the market you can find everything you need, it's full of colours and local people are there in their traditional clothes.
The mountainous region we passed through by bus to get to Kalaw.
Bagan
Bagan, a highlight on each travel to Myanmar, is ranking with Angkor to be the most famous religious place in Southeast Asia. The ruins of Bagan cover an area of 16 square miles and originally it had more than 4000 temples! The area is huge and there are still about 2000 left to explore, too many for 2 days, probably even a week wouldn't be enough to see them all. The majority of the buildings were built in the 11th to 13th centuries, during the time Bagan was the capital of the Myanmar. Of course such place is a UNESCO world heritage.
When we were there, on the 1st day we went to the temples which are further away by taxi and on the 2nd day we rented bicycles to get around. It was sunny and hot and there was nearly no shade available, only a few palm trees. Ruins are seen everywhere, but many are so badly destroyed that it wasn't worth to stop.
In front of the main tourist temples are souvenir vendors, but compared with other countries we had visited, it was hassle free.
The temples and stupas have many different shapes, old are all, even if some look newer because they were covered with gold recently.
Inside the temples are Buddha statues, often one in each direction. Originally they were all painted and also the walls, but many are damaged and so only in a few places they are still good visible.
Most of the temples and stupas are now closed for tourists to climb up. However where it is still possible we got a tremendous view over the landscape full of other stupas rising up to the sky. The steps leading to the top are often small and very steep, but it is worth it, also Fredi had a nice and time and enjoyed the sun.
There are a few places to get to the top and even fewer of them offer a good sunset. On the first evening we were unlucky and it had to many clouds to see the sun, but afterwards the sky turned to a nice red colour. On the 2nd day we had more luck and sun was going down behind all the stupas.
People here often still use horse carts to carry things from and to the fields. Such a horse cart in front of the temples and stupas is the famous picture of Bagan! (click on the 2nd photo wo see it better.) The Irrawaddy river flows nearby and many people use it, to wash and also as transport opportunity as roads in this part of the country are bad.
When we were there, on the 1st day we went to the temples which are further away by taxi and on the 2nd day we rented bicycles to get around. It was sunny and hot and there was nearly no shade available, only a few palm trees. Ruins are seen everywhere, but many are so badly destroyed that it wasn't worth to stop.
In front of the main tourist temples are souvenir vendors, but compared with other countries we had visited, it was hassle free.
The temples and stupas have many different shapes, old are all, even if some look newer because they were covered with gold recently.
Inside the temples are Buddha statues, often one in each direction. Originally they were all painted and also the walls, but many are damaged and so only in a few places they are still good visible.
Most of the temples and stupas are now closed for tourists to climb up. However where it is still possible we got a tremendous view over the landscape full of other stupas rising up to the sky. The steps leading to the top are often small and very steep, but it is worth it, also Fredi had a nice and time and enjoyed the sun.
There are a few places to get to the top and even fewer of them offer a good sunset. On the first evening we were unlucky and it had to many clouds to see the sun, but afterwards the sky turned to a nice red colour. On the 2nd day we had more luck and sun was going down behind all the stupas.
People here often still use horse carts to carry things from and to the fields. Such a horse cart in front of the temples and stupas is the famous picture of Bagan! (click on the 2nd photo wo see it better.) The Irrawaddy river flows nearby and many people use it, to wash and also as transport opportunity as roads in this part of the country are bad.
Monywa
From Mandalay we continued by bus to Monywa, a bit on the northwest. From this place we took a tuktuk to get to the Hpo Win Daung Caves, on a bad and dirty road it took us 1,5 hours to get there.
On one side of a small hill are many (about 1000), mostly small caves, all of them artificial, cut by people into the rocks. From outside they are normally nothing special, but their interior is often full of paintings and Buddha statues. The condition of the caves can vary a lot, many are heavily damaged as nobody take care of them, but some (easiest way to find them is with a guide) are still nearly entirely covered with colours. The paintings date back to the 13th/14th century.
In the 18th/19th century they started again building new caves, the difference to the older one's is easily visible.
From Monywa we took a boat down the Irrawaddy river to Bagan, our next destination. On the boat we met a monk and taught him playing cards (skipo!), he nearly didn't speak English, but he learnt it quite fast.
On one side of a small hill are many (about 1000), mostly small caves, all of them artificial, cut by people into the rocks. From outside they are normally nothing special, but their interior is often full of paintings and Buddha statues. The condition of the caves can vary a lot, many are heavily damaged as nobody take care of them, but some (easiest way to find them is with a guide) are still nearly entirely covered with colours. The paintings date back to the 13th/14th century.
In the 18th/19th century they started again building new caves, the difference to the older one's is easily visible.
From Monywa we took a boat down the Irrawaddy river to Bagan, our next destination. On the boat we met a monk and taught him playing cards (skipo!), he nearly didn't speak English, but he learnt it quite fast.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Mandalay
Well, the Myanmar chapter hasn't finished yet, here is coming the next part, a bit late, but better late than never.
From Bago we took a nightbus to Mandalay, the ancient capital before the British moved it to Yangon. In the middle of the 2nd biggest city in Myanmar is the royal palace, surrounded by a very large moat and wall. Outside towards Mandalay Hill are many old temples to visit and finally from the hill is a superb view of the city, Irrawaddy river and the landscape. Last but not least it's a nice sunset point a good place to get in touch with novices who come to the city from the whole country to go to school in the morning and practise their English with tourists afterwards.
The big moat and wall around the palace and at the end Manadalay Hill. The buildings inside the walls are all reconstructed, they were destroyed by fightings.
Mandalay is famous for many Buddhist temples at the bottom of Mandalay Hill. Very special is the wooden temple, only few of them have survived in the country.
The entrance to the staircase up to Mandalay Hill from where we could enjoy the landscape and a nice sunset.
Mandalay is a tourist place and an ancient capital. However in the region arround the city are 4 other former capitals to visit. On 2nd of totally 3 days we spent here we took a taxi to visit 3 sites in the southwest of the city.
Passing the Irrawaddy river on a brigde we arrived to Sagaing. Also once a capital, now only a lot of stupas remember of this place. The hills are dotted with them and the view from the top is great.
Afterwards we went to Inwa, situated just on the opposite side of the river on an island. Only a wall and some temples are visible in this place.
At the end we went to Amarapura, like the other places also an ancient capital. This place is famous for its teak bridge crossing a lake, the longest in the world. On the bridge is a lot of traffic, some tourists, but mainly local people who use it to go to work and back. The site is wonderful at sunset time when it gets busy and a lot of monks are hanging around.
On the last day we went by an 1 hour boat ride upriver to another ancient capital, Mingun. As in the other places, also here are temples and stupas to visit. The special one is the Mingun Paya, now only a ruine is left and from the top we could enjoy a nice view. Unfortunately never finished and also destroyed by an earthquake, it would have been Myanmar's biggest stupa.
From Bago we took a nightbus to Mandalay, the ancient capital before the British moved it to Yangon. In the middle of the 2nd biggest city in Myanmar is the royal palace, surrounded by a very large moat and wall. Outside towards Mandalay Hill are many old temples to visit and finally from the hill is a superb view of the city, Irrawaddy river and the landscape. Last but not least it's a nice sunset point a good place to get in touch with novices who come to the city from the whole country to go to school in the morning and practise their English with tourists afterwards.
The big moat and wall around the palace and at the end Manadalay Hill. The buildings inside the walls are all reconstructed, they were destroyed by fightings.
Mandalay is famous for many Buddhist temples at the bottom of Mandalay Hill. Very special is the wooden temple, only few of them have survived in the country.
The entrance to the staircase up to Mandalay Hill from where we could enjoy the landscape and a nice sunset.
Mandalay is a tourist place and an ancient capital. However in the region arround the city are 4 other former capitals to visit. On 2nd of totally 3 days we spent here we took a taxi to visit 3 sites in the southwest of the city.
Passing the Irrawaddy river on a brigde we arrived to Sagaing. Also once a capital, now only a lot of stupas remember of this place. The hills are dotted with them and the view from the top is great.
Afterwards we went to Inwa, situated just on the opposite side of the river on an island. Only a wall and some temples are visible in this place.
At the end we went to Amarapura, like the other places also an ancient capital. This place is famous for its teak bridge crossing a lake, the longest in the world. On the bridge is a lot of traffic, some tourists, but mainly local people who use it to go to work and back. The site is wonderful at sunset time when it gets busy and a lot of monks are hanging around.
On the last day we went by an 1 hour boat ride upriver to another ancient capital, Mingun. As in the other places, also here are temples and stupas to visit. The special one is the Mingun Paya, now only a ruine is left and from the top we could enjoy a nice view. Unfortunately never finished and also destroyed by an earthquake, it would have been Myanmar's biggest stupa.
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