Myanmar, the country of smile and silence

This trip was in the drawer for several years for various problems this year with only very pleased we managed to do. E 'stato as usual planned and organized all over the internet. After exhausting research, readings, participation on various different forums journey (viaggiatori.net markos.it event for tourists and many others) many correspondences via email with those who have made this journey before us (Sabrina, Fabio, Antonino,) our choice is stopped with respect to Burma
YANGON TOUR
Travels & Tours Co., Ltd.
E-mail: raffaele@YANGON-tour.com
We contacted Min Swe (Raffaele) that now has proved to be very prepared and above all very available, even we met in Rome during his trip that he made to establish contacts with TO Italians. He proposed a route which we have just made some changes, we added a trip to the Golden Rock, which normally he does not propose in August for the presence of the monsoon ... ... and actually was right, the day was the only where we have taken the monsoon rains in all their glory, but ... it is certainly to be repeated even so, the emotion we felt it was very unique!
Travel The Eclipse of Empoli, in the person of Andrea Simoncini has provided us with the flight, with the company THAI, Roma-BKK and BKK-YANGON, and the BKK Airways to Ko Samui (one week of the sea in addition to Burma), even this at a good price, considering the period of high season and the number of people booked this year ... we're 31! 25 euro visa embassy issued in two days.

The last days before departure are dotted by the heat, from the preparations and the news all the news is not exactly the comforting chaos of airports overworked baggage arrived at their destination and in particular on the extent of monsoon rainfall this year seems to have reached intensity like never before ... .. we are talking about 25 million displaced persons ... ...

1 day - 5 August 2007 ROMA BKK

Finally arrived on the day of departure, growing quite large, we are 31, the usual friends, someone did not come this year, but have added others, always friends, we are all the adults for the most part with their children services, from Niccolò mascot of 10 years, Pearl 12, Daniel 14 and 7 others all aged between 20 and 24 years, is a pleasure to travel with them!
Ritrovo in Fiumicino, long row bench Thai, some anxiety about the weight of luggage .... But in the end everything ok!
Of the real situation is dramatic, are luggage thrown on all sides ... .. well we hope, our group already has a precedent on baggage, arrived in Lima, three days after ... ...
Starting with about 1.30 of a delay, probably because of the difficulty of loading luggage, brand new aircraft, a huge two-storey carry a thousand people. In-flight staff is always smiling elegant and very efficient! We start with peanuts, cocktail, refreshing wet sponges and excellent dinner!
Film, talk, read and just nine hours after arrival in BKK in perfect time, at 5.55 local, the pilot has recovered all the delays!
Next flight to YANGON Thai, gift orchids to the ladies ... arrival at 8.35 local and now we see Raphael and his wife that we are waiting ... .. this year has gone! Every year there is always a doubt at the moment ... and if there was anyone to expect ????? What to do in 31 in Burma without any reservation ... ... the rest of our contacts are solely and entirely by mail, without any advance money, everything on trust!
All recovered luggage and we know that our guide has a long name but we all call Mya, will be our guardian angel for the next 15 days, always careful to satisfy all our .... Thought!


2 days - 6 August 2007 BKK - YANGON


Transfer to the Summit Park View hotel **** hotel very pleasant, centrally located right next to the pagoda Swedagon, wonderful welcome, a smile never ending and our bags are .... Even in a room miraculously, and this habit will accompany us throughout the journey indeed luggage travel by another mode and then arrive in the hotel before the coach ever and will be there to welcome us to our arrival ... we travelers pseudo-do-it-yourself, we are not just used to this super organization and we can only welcome ! We adjusted the financial side with Raffaele el'appuntamento is for 15 to start the visits of the city. After the aperitif, a shower and someone restoration adventure alone in the streets of YANGON in search of the restaurant indicated by Mya ... and actually after a while 'is the speed and the test ... .. excellent crab flavor that is as as the price !
We also refresh with excellent fried donuts sold at the bar, three pieces $ 1!
We start the visit to YANGON, the first to visit the pagoda Chaukhtetgy, and begin to take off your shoes, here is a reclining Buddha 72 meters long was built with bricks and cement. Really a beautiful pair of feet ... Jacopo Buddha has said that the enamel at the foot of my own color!
This is followed by the Shwe Da Gon Pagoda, the most famous of the country due to its importance and his architectural drawings, someone said to be the most beautiful pagoda in the world, certainly the most magnificent! The visit was exciting, spectacular, many pilgrims and a few tourists, but in fairly crowded, but very relaxing atmosphere and is now infected by the spirituality of the place. The central stupa is about 100m high and the dome is covered with 700 kilograms of gold, a great tip on the diamond, all around small stupas, chapels, shrines dedicated to the days of the week, where everyone prays as the day it was born, Then visit the bell Singu, bell stolen by the English who tried to bring it to Calcutta, but during the trip fell into the river and were not able to retrieve. The Burmese are offersero to recover as long as was stated on the spot, thanks to them today is still on display in Burma!
We have also witnessed a kind of dance that formed a volunteer group of boys, equipped with rags and brush that under the management of a head is moved almost dancing to the cleaning of the floor was perfect! In a moment the sky had changed color and it came a quick but violent monsoon storm, shortly after we resumed the tour of the pagoda and we returned to the hotel where, after the first purchases of shirts and longuei (the classic Burmese skirts that are worn or by men that women) we enjoyed a buffet with ASIAN MENU really not bad!
This day is very long, never ends, we are all tired, but sleep is a beautiful restoration!

3 days - 7 August 2007 YANGON-BAGO-KYAIKHTIYO

We begin this day with a good breakfast, we took the necessary to spend the night in the mountains and we left the rest of the luggage, we need at least 5 hours of buses to arrive, the sky is overcast, the fear of monsoons lies! !
After two hours of beautiful green countryside, many huts, but many piles, come to BAGO, where we stop at a restaurant to the toilet, buying cream of the well-known that the Burmese used to put on the face, the woman that you are meeting and visit some of the kitchen

 

... restaurant. cleanest, these Burmese people that really cares about hygiene, despite the backwardness, then unanimously decided that we will stop here for lunch tomorrow!
Next stop for lunch in a restaurant with a little zoo .... And the rain begins to be felt, so that the visit to the animals was stopped.
After two more hours of coach we get to base camp Kinn Pun Camp village from where the trucks reach Kyaik-HTI-Yo. Here we accommodated in two means, strictly discovered, sitting on the planks, rather narrow, and the monsoon rain started again, abbardati of k-way, ponchos and umbrellas we dealt with the rising student spirit among the jokes and laughter the group. We took a lot a lot of water, but it was fun, we experienced a fantastic nature, and after about half an hour we came to a dirt yard where you must walk this rock of gold ... .. you must really earn it!
We delivered our backpacks in the panniers of children who have offered to take the hotel to 1000 kt ... and we started the climb, with lots of strong rain Burmese guys following us, someone is also equipped with litter, hoping that, given the Fatigue, someone gave way .... Philomena and in fact at one point decided to go in a litter, certainly much more comfortable!
Even Claudius wanted to try the litter for a while, but soon fell, maybe he did not feel at ease!
It 'was very tiring, but also very funny with the sympathy of all these guys that every meter is proposed with their litter, after an hour we arrived soaking wet as chicks Montain Top hotel ***, one of the two which is right at the entrance of the site ... after sipping a hot tea we made an excursion to the rock of gold now in the dark and always under torrential water ... but the view of the rock turned out to be really exciting!
See this huge rock, is about 11 meters high, the fog, including the ringing of bells around her constantly moved by the wind, illuminated with a light and always very particular in torrential rain will thrill hard to forget!
In return to the hotel there was a small incident, Filomena has slipped from his head and suffered a cut pretty obvious!
Excellent dinner after a hot shower, after dinner we chatted with the group of adventures in the world who was staying in our hotel ... and hearing costs incurred by them I must say that this year our trip was very very cheap!
First purchases at the hotel ... ... Burmese jade.
This trip I wanted myself, almost by force, Raphael had warned me that we could find the rain ... but I must say I am very happy to have done, is really a fantastic place, this huge boulder eleven meters high and placed in the balance , say that you keep a balance on the edge of a cliff with a hair of Buddha, he gave us all strong emotions.

4 days in August 2007 -8 KYAIKHTIYO-BAGO-YANGON
Breakfast very misery and people could not help but revisit the rock, without rain, the landscape clearer ... ... and it was still a great feeling!
Usual group of children with baskets that are also discussed to grab our backpacks and finally leave for the descent, the trail is also very challenging, going down is very steep, with the rain yesterday, we were aware of the many ornanti to u one another. Arrived at the dirt road we climbed back on the open trucks and this time with the sun we admired the beautiful view that was presented.
Upon arrival at base camp we stocked up on fruit that we have sold some beautiful girls.
After more than two hours by bus we arrived at the restaurant we had seen yesterday at BAGO, under a heavy rain again ... it was quite an adventure trying to order, but also to receive what we ordered ... James has waited in vain for his fried chicken!
From the window of the restaurant admire a group of boys playing football in a game the monsoon water and behind them we see a huge golden pagoda all ... ... .. a 'real image feature!
We begin to count the wounded: Filomena brings a striking bandage over the incident last night to return the rock of gold, Franco has bruised shoulder falling back from the mountain, Anna Maria has been stuck in coach with lumbago and there has even made to come down for lunch!
We decided not to make the visit to BAGO, for both the heavy rain that for the wounded on board.
Check after two hours at the hotel in YANGON, short break and enjoyable walk to Chinatown, full of fruit stands and any other kind.
Excellent dinner in the hotel this evening there was an international menu, but equally good, the evening ended with a bottle of rum and even shop in the hotel shops.

Five days in August 2007 YANGON-MANDALAY -9 AMARAPURA-Sagaing-

Wake up at 4 o'clock, breakfast always good at 4.30, 6.15 hour flight to Mandalay, Bagan and arrival airport at 8.05 ... .. this plane is like a bus, we got off at the second stop, but there was also a third to a Hero, fast service and great scenic flight because the plane never rises much above the ground. Finally the sun is shining and it's another thing! Baggage porters and collected directly from them end up back in the room, the perfect organization of this country is truly exceptional.
Start tour in Amarapura, the ancient capital of the Irrawaddy River on the east coast a few miles from Mandalay. Visit the largest monastery in Burma, Mahagandhayon home to more than a thousand monks, seeing the shower of a few young monks who wash festively and then we also visit the house including the kitchen where we find a young student struggling monaco a difficult translation. . at least according to our guide Mya.
Now is the time of the meal, the family has offered today is close to huge pots filled with rice and once you have created a never-ending row of monks with their own portapranzo will be served by members of the family donor. Particular situation, it seems touristy, but they say that every day of the year is repeated!
Soon after we head towards the long teak U Bein Bridge 2 km-long, wooden bridge is the longest in the world, 1086 column, we have almost two hours to walk on it.
It is very hot, but it is pleasant to walk along with monks, women, children and other tourists, we meet again the group of adventures in the world, the sun is really, but sometimes there are shaded where it stops selling souvenirs, fruit and there are even benches to rest. We arrived dall'altraparte pretty hot and many preferred to take the boat to return, but we are daring to walk back with the wonderful company of a boy who knew not only Totti and Ilary but it was a pleasure as well as fun , also teach the children's names.
Before ascending to coach some have preferred to eat the fly a good fried fish cooked for the. (Guido and Giuseppe Claudio) atria have preferred to buy the first dancers carved in wood. For lunch we stopped at a Chinese restaurant, but for those who have not wanted to eat was really a torture to wait for a hot crazy waiting ... .. and Peter wanted to sink down a fence and has seen well to throw down also a column! Continuation of visits, we headed to Sagaing, because there is a very winding road that goes up, we left our bus and we continued with two-pik up, up we see the many stupas and monasteries that fill up the hill!
We begin with a visit to the hot pony that contains 47 U Pagoda Buddha aligned ... ... ... truly a spectacular and scenic spot, the floor is really red-hot first group photo with Monaco! Traced on the pik-up we got to the pagoda Mohamuni Paya, one of the most revered temples, lively and full of pilgrims, in a very panoramic, from here you can see almost the entire Mandalay flooded, we realize what we have done this monsoon ' years, our guide tells us that Mya could not do the hike in Awa because of the rain there is the whole area was flooded.
We visit the Buddha covered with gold leaves entirely by the faithful, but only by faithful men, because women are not allowed, even women can not even get too close, in fact, a guardian, who perhaps was in love with Antoinette, presenting a necklace of fragrant flowers, has opened a path to better see the statue, but we women could not cross the line of flower pots! In the courtyard at the side we saw the Khmer bronze sculptures that were originally placed to guard the temple of Ankor in Cambodia. Large panels tell the story of Buddha dall'Arakan transfer to Amarapura. We enjoy long this wonderful scene, and then we head back to the bus that will take us to the hotel at last, today it was a very long day, beautiful and interesting.
Arrival in Mandalay City Hotel ***, which has a separate garage, but inside a lot better, a little bridge over a pond with goldfish leads directly to the reception, our bags are already used in the room, gracious accommodations, accompanied by functional and clean Burmese wood carvings! However, this hotel looks a little ... .. smile! At least compared to others. Dinner at the hotel a little low and very slow!

Six days in August 2007 Mandalay-Mingun -10

This morning after breakfast visit to the market Zegyo, very close to our hotel, just opposite the Clock Tower.
Purchases of materials in bulk and we also found several of the ladies on the third floor that by tomorrow morning we will sew blouses and dresses, someone has also made various sewing immediately longue just bought. Continue to Minguin, arrival to the landing where we take a boat and after 11 km will take us precisely to navigation Minguin, an ancient royal city, on the opposite bank of the river. To get ahead of the planks quite unstable and without support after an initial shock ... .. all on board we go!
After a little 'journey begins on board a small market and buying in bulk T-shirts, necklaces and more.
After an hour of browsing, where we could see glimpses of rural life along the river, we come to Mingun where we find the usual palanca to go down and a bunch of girls with whom we immediately started a sort of barter, we gave away their lipsticks , perfume and T-shirts in exchange for discounts on their merchandise, umbrellas, hats and bags!
Ancient capital of Mingun, today is a small village, where there are taxis pulled by oxen and very nice people, the Burmese people is really amazing, always smiling, approaching with curiosity and timidity, because we want them to look more deeply, it is a real pleasure to be with them, instill safety and serenity! Every day observing this country and these people seem to have stepped back in time 100 years ago, and the atmosphere is fantastic. Let's start with the visit a huge unfinished pagoda of brick red, but because 'it is noon the 137 steps are red hot and a group of kids working to put our feet in a bundle of fresh grass ... ... .. there are no words! Thanks to them we were able to get to the summit and enjoy the beautiful views!
Then we got to the colossal bronze bell, weighing 90 tons, which is considered the largest in the world and here Antonio, our official batter is expressed in all its cleverness, the chimes should always be three!

Continuing through the various stalls dotted Myatheindan we came to the pagoda, all white with 8 concentric terraces, built by King Bagyidaw in memory of one of his most beloved wife, very steep stairs, but thankfully not hot. Recent purchases, here are very beautiful watercolors of monks ... and some people are made to accompany the boat from the local taxi: cart pulled by oxen! The means of transportation in this country are endless!
Return by boat faster than the first leg, we took a shower, but on arrival the sun was shining again.
Stop for lunch at a Chinese restaurant, where as usual we could eat our things, the beautiful fruit on tables prepared at all points, this habit will accompany us throughout the trip, they all sit down, then someone orders a plate, some to drink, but all are served with a smile ... .... we are also clean and served the pineapple, bought at the market first, on a flat .... There are no words to describe their availability and always, always with a smile!
In addition are also available, with the help of our great Mya to make separate accounts for family, accounts always too cheap ... .... Are large, we can only learn from this patient and hospitable people!
We take the bus to return to Mandalay and go to visit what is left as the last witness to the splendor of the royal palace. The monastery Shwenandaw, all completely in teak, a very hard wood that has been able to resist the ravages of time, beautiful wood carvings, both inside and outside, the roof is particularly worked, a wonderful example of traditional art of Burma, is the only surviving building of the Royal Palace went all completely destroyed during the Second World War.
Visit to a pagoda with a very very loud music gold! Now, finally, we head up the hill to attend, we hope, at sunset!
Time to climb the hill to watch the sunset from Mandalay, we have yet another mode of transportation, we take two pik up the escalators that take us, we left the shoes on board our feet ... you can not watch!
At the top of the pagoda stands restored but the show is the view, after several photos taken in all directions with the cloudy sky, the sun appears fiery red just prior to dive .... Is a wonderful show!
Group photo of the female and return to the hotel at 19, 30.
These days are very intense, a little 'tiring, but definitely beautiful! This evening grand buffet with dancers who have joined with some of our group, Claudio, Antonio Franchino.

7 days -11 August 2007-Mandalay Pyin Oo iWin
Wake up early ... .. but delayed departure, because Simon, Mireille, Antoinette and Claudia have lost a lot of time on the market to try to get dressmaking and blouses retire tomorrow ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... and all the others are very angry ! But the spirit of the group is or should be: always a lot of tolerance!
Check after about two hours of coach in Pyin Oo Iwin also known as Maymyo, location in the hills very fresh and very beautiful, where the British were looking for the fresh.
Beautiful botanical garden walk, where we admired a lot of animals, birds, elephants, fountains, but also many plants including rare species. Lunch in a restaurant aboard a lovely pond full of colorful flowers, where James has tried to teach a butterfly that had landed on one hand and had no intention of going away.
One more stop at the waterfalls fall Well, crossing the bridge and visit the Tibetan disappointing the market in the country, we reached the shop also reported on the Indian guide, but very, very disappointing, too.
Large purchases by young people, but also by some not so young as Antoinette, Guido and Nazarene, Abercrombie t-shirt, jeans, Levis etc. priced Burmese.
Return to Mandalay, we have stormed a post office where we called in Italy at discounted rates by 50% compared to hotels. The phone is a problem, the phones do not work and phone calls from the hotels costs from 7 to 8 dollars a minute, luckily Raphael has provided us with a phone receiver from Italy on which some people call ... ... .. not everyone can , we say it is very difficult to take the line, but Diego succeeds almost every day, Dominic and Martha are in Mexico are often successful, even in the most unexpected hours, as it's not clear yet how it is I'm blessed time , and also often called Pius, like his father Yuri and Pearl.
Dinner at a Chinese restaurant, separate tables for women and young men .... We ate very well, duck and other delicious dishes on the table and at the end of the men there were a considerable number of beers!

8 days -12 August 2007-Mandalay-Monywa PHOWINTAUNG

This morning there was the usual visit to the nearby market of clothes, and unfortunately there was a mishap, blouses and dress that had led them to pick a hotel ... which is not ours and is very far from here . The promise is that we will deliver during the day, because now going to send back a person who will join us in motion ... ... .. will not be true, unfortunately, luckily Mya, and severe as a good woman, is made by hand 39000 kt seamstresses who had paid for the goods!
Stop at a store of silver government: dear! No one has bought anything!
Visit the Temple Thanbodhay very special, different from the pagodas visited so far.
A monaco built it from 1939 to 1952, creating a whole grand and kitsch at the same time, contains nearly 600,000 Buddhas of various sizes, every corner is full of a series, maybe a tiny statuettes and seems to increase every day, so that the faithful are used to buy to fill up the impossible!
As we near Monywa, in the distance we see a colossal under construction, will be the largest Buddha in the world!
Then we stopped at a market to buy fruit that will peel the government Moywa hotel to the restaurant where we stop for lunch!
Now we have an excursion to the shrine of the rock caves of Po Win Daung and for this we have to change trains once again: what will be a small bus, old, with narrow seats, and as all we get there, someone is looking forward to travel, like we saw many Burmese, on the roof!
When you arrive at your destination ahead of beautiful girls with wreaths of fragrant flowers that we can not help but buy.
Start your visit, the site is beautiful, there are nearly a thousand caves carved out by the most faithful, and converted into temples dedicated to Buddha, contain rock paintings, over 400,000 Buddha statues dedicated to some of them still covered with lacquer, a place beautiful but a total state of disrepair .... I wonder why these wonders are not restored at all!

Visit the company of monkeys and Burmese children who were always followed. We met an old woman who smoked a cigar Burma .... Huge!
We return with the same medium, then the group is still on the roof, we see the copper mines ... here is staggering ... working in the Middle Ages, all completely manual!
Win Unity arrival at the hotel ***, nice looking, nice houses with nice patio .... Shame about the service at the restaurant was not much in the middle of the shower and the lost power for over half an hour, but This happens very frequently in Burma, even so far there had never happened!
Guido has realized that he had forgotten his glasses on the roof of the bus .... And after a short spell of Burmese have suffered them returned to the hotel.

9 days in August 2007 -13 Monywa - Bagan
7.30 Wake up, we take the boat to Bagan Myinmu that will take us in 7-8 hours. The boat is only for us, and thank goodness because we have invaded the entire space of the holds for our many bags. On board catering, chefs are already working to prepare the meal, all dishes prepared lunch which will be great, the best meal of the trip!
It is a beautiful navigation, successive scenes of daily life that make us realize even more how it is backward, but a quiet life here in Burma. In the afternoon, around 16 will begin to see the dome of Bagan .... This place is truly magical! Bagan is the most fascinating of all Burma, one of the wonders of the world cultural heritage site by UNESCO. From the boat we were greeted nice girls who wanted to sell all, we immediately directed to the pagoda Mingalazedi where we watched the sunset, though the sky is very clear we have seen a thousand shades sunset, the view is breathtaking, the Comments are unanimous, all of the same tenor is truly spectacular 360-degree look at this site, see the plain dotted with numerous stupas that stand out in the green, really seems to be in a magical dimension! Arrival Bagan hotel **** hotel really amazing higher than those in which we stayed until now.
The rooms are very tastefully decorated with ornaments of Burmese lacquer, is in the bathroom where the tub with stairs, there is also the stone with the famous piece of wood from which we get the famous cream that all Burmese women to make moisturize the skin and ward off the sun, we found fruit and sweets, and before the night came to remove the pillows from the bed and strips, leaving the delicious tamarind candy.
Very very nice dinner in a particular context.


10 days in August 2007 -14 BAGAN

After a sumptuous breakfast, parking for approximately 2 hours and thirty-Nyaung oo.Qui the typical market have triggered purchases of the lakes and beyond, bags, scarves, statues, boxes, etc.. traced on the coach we noticed immediately that lacked Antoinette ... ... fortunately the search was short and we soon discovered. Shwezigon visit to the pagoda, which contains a copy of the frontal bone and a tooth of Buddha is located in Kandy, in the distance stands the impressive cylindrical stupa covered in gold, the main entrance into a room you can see the 37 Nat Pantheon of Burma, sumptuously attired. The nat are the spirits of local superstition, which Burmese people entrust their prayers.
Later we visit the temple Gubyaukgyi, full of frescoes depicting the story of Buddha where we also climbed to the first terrace.
Traced back to the coach will stop to visit the Ananda Pagoda, the most famous monuments of Old Bagan, and the most prestigious, unfortunately, here you can not climb to the top. Inside there are four niches containing Buddha 4 feet taller than 10 meters teak carved from a single block. It 'a wonderful example of the Sun, which describes the structure of a Greek cross.
Lunch in a beautiful riverside restaurant, beautifully prepared with petals scattered on the tablecloth. After some people have been reported in hotels because they had made an appointment for the famous Burmese massage, others wanted to follow them for a swim in the pool, while the rest of the group stopped to see a lacquer factory, where we could see the various workings of the lacquer, which are really fascinating. It really takes a lot of time to produce a quality product, and in this laboratory we have opened a room where there was air conditioning and where he kept the best bits ... ... $ 150 minimum price. Sometimes the most ordinary piece we bought and then we headed back to the market this morning, the bus left us and the appointment is to the pagoda at sunset Shwesandaw. Recent purchases of fast lacquers and bags in the market that will be the cheapest and full of various items of the whole trip and then we made the appointment to accompany the rest of the group by two carriages ... ... this also means is used, it is perhaps more suited to cross the narrow streets of the plain of Bagan.
The climb to the pagoda is more challenging than others, because the stairs are very steep and high, the terrace is full of people, but the view from up there is always spectacular! Try to impress in the eye and especially in my heart what is around us, then we hope that the photos will help us to stay alive this memory.
Dinner at a restaurant with a puppet show including Nanda, dinner served on the beautiful lakes, which is a shame to eat in! The show is rather disappointing, perhaps the most fascinating music that are made by a group of live musicians.

11 days -15 August 2007-Bagan-Kalaw MOUNT POPA

Good mid-August, up at 5.30, we have a long day of transfer. First stop to observe the processing of palm sugar, we have seen how it is processed with the help of the buffalo, then the liquid is boiled to make sugar, we have also seen a guy who has fast climbed up a palm tree high. Purchases of liquor from their product, which then turned out not too good. We drove down a road and we stopped in a village, where we visited the poor houses, even the poor stilts where there is nothing! It 'amazing to think that even today there are people who live like this ... but always with a smile! Next visit to a school where you really can let your heart! Dozens of children from very small to 10 12 years, all in their seats with the teacher and the poor booklets on the bench, when they saw us they immediately got up, sang for us, had a great time to see the pictures of them ... ... .. a truly memorable meeting, we left crayons, colored pencils and candy. On the way back to the bus we met many people who live in this village, all intent on their work, but all very curious to observe these strange tourists .... You might not come along every day!
Next stop in a hotel Popa Mountain Resort, from the terrace of which there is a view of the sanctuary of Mount Popa, shame that is completely enveloped by the fog ... ... ... .. after a little fortunately opens and we see this very special show! Mount Popa is called the Olympus of the nats, which are the local gods of superstition.
Climbed back on the bus, we still have several hours to reach Kalaw, then embark on large card tournaments, with the participation of Lina. Arrival at 17.30 in Kalaw, at 1500 meters high and you feel fresh!
Pine Hill Resort Hotel ***, nice hotel, the villas are scattered in a colorful garden full of beautiful plants.
Heaven! By maidens dressed in clothing typical of the area that we have never seen, have colorful hats. Indian Dinner in a poorly lit, but very tasty. Rooms in wood, a little damp but decent. After dinner calls for the dearest wishes for the August holiday in Italy.

12 days Kalaw-Pindaya -16 August 2007-INLE

Wake up at 7.30 in this scented garden and colorful species of flowers and plants are very numerous, as large is the staff that follows you all the time. There are some very nice ladies who wear hats with colorful pom-poms. After breakfast we depart from this hotel, and the whole staff has deployed ever-smiling to greet us ... it's really exciting to see the natural behavior of the people of Burma have, we only learn from them.
Stop to buy fruit at the market very nice, maybe needed a little more time to enjoy it fully.
After a couple of hours of bus arrive in Pindaya, this is considered the most beautiful cave in Burma. Here are some 9000 Buddha kept of all sizes and features, wood, marble, jade, gold, coated with lacquer ... ... .. I'm really an infinite number, you can not see them all, the show is unique, not can you help but try to photograph as much as possible, there is the cave of meditation, a small cave where you log on with an input of just 60 cm,
must enter all fours!
The place is truly magical and someone proposed the adoption of a Buddha ... .. so you have to always sign in as few statues still free, but this proposal was not accepted by the group, sin was a nice idea!
Really lovely place, shame that they built a huge lift from the base to arrive at the entrance of the cave that just ruins the view, although it is very easy and fast! To go down the stairs and we preferred to enjoy the magnificent view over the area, lots of white and golden pinnacles that stand out in the green ... .... Very nice!
Stop at the paper factory shan, which is a home-laboratory, where they showed us the simple process to create this beautiful paper, with which many items are originals, of all the umbrellas, but also lamps, fans, gift wrap, booklets, etc.. Blessed are you in love with a beautiful girl, with tiny eyes beautiful!
Lunch in a restaurant on the beautiful lake ... someone wanted to try the carbonara .... But anyway!
Anna has forgotten a bag in the restaurant! A guide we bring it back tomorrow on Inle Lake .... Here we do not lose anything .... Only our dresses and blouses who knows what's happened!
Resuming the trip to Inle Lake, the road is long and very bad, but they are always beautiful scenarios, there are always scenes of daily life to be observed, the mirrors on trucks bound always bunches of flowers, people have always, always the 'ever-present smile and always give off a lot of serenity, even if they have nothing!
At 19.00 arrival at the hotel Hupin Khaung Daing **** with a very warm welcome and deafening welcome!
Great hotel with rooms-stilts on the lake! Excellent dinner in a restaurant very large with many tourists!

13 days INLE -17 August 2007

Awakening on the wonderful lake, the sounds of the boats, nature (animals there) ... .. spectacular, out on the veranda of the room and enjoy the spectacle of the lake in front with all the fishing boats already at work is truly unforgettable!
They are already preparing our boats, with which we will visit the lake, are seven to greet us, four or five people on each, each seat comes with a pillow, jacket and umbrella ... .. (although we will not always had the sun ).
The peace that reigns here is truly magical, indescribable. Our stilts surrounded by lotus flowers and other beautiful plants.
Great Breakfast and departure at 8.45, the crews are formed rapidly and crosses the exit of the hotel towards the open lake.
The show that presents itself is great: many fishermen rowing boat with their (the way they have of moving a leg on the oar rowing is unique!) Farmers who pull out of the water of algae huge load their boats, which will then do the basics of floating gardens, which will be equipped with a small layer of earth, everything will be anchored to the bottom of the lake with long bamboo poles, so they can start their vegetable crops that will last for three years and then will ... start over, it's really an incredible job, but they do so always with the usual serenity of Burma!
This lake is a world in motion, its inhabitants are doing a great deal of effort, work, fishing, accompanying their children to school, go grocery shopping, wash .... All of this lake in a setting almost unreal!
We walk to the edge of a side channel which you can see lots of white pagodas and we are hooked by some fast boats that we harpoon ... .. trying to sell their wares, everything is very funny.
Nan Ran resale market, buying used, we have seen the so-called giraffe women ... .... But honestly, more than one ethnicity particular seem almost a freak ... you do not understand why they were put there, surely only a matter tourism and I personally do a lot of sadness!
Let's visit a weaving workshop where we can see for the first time a lady who explains the technique of pulling on the wires that are contained in the stems of lotus flowers ... quite extraordinary ... a process that requires high precision and so much time, the actual cost (70 euros per gram) is truly justified! Visit the adjoining shop, but hardly anyone buys.
Take your place in the boats, these boats are really comfortable and the spectacle presented to us is always beautiful, you go through poor villages on stilts, but nearly all homes have flowers hanging, the Burmese have their own worship of flowers.
Next stop in Seingaung in the workshop of a blacksmith, also here the manufacturing is done in a very old-fashioned, old cars recovered the knife, as we did it 60 years ago, and everything by hand, with fire and lots and lots force able to forge very beautiful objects.
For lunch we stop at Kite Kitchen restaurant, where we find Italian cuisine! Pizza, pasta fabulous ... our group is refreshed and the taste is really what Italian!
Next visit to the laboratory where some of cigars girls show us how they are packaged, have an incredible speed, make the interior very little tobacco with honey, corn and many other concoctions ... .. wrap it all with a leaf I do not remember what, and we give each one immediately!
We can not help but buy one pack, they cost very little, little more than a penny each, and we make it to put in a nice box of lacquer.
Behind dugouts visit a laboratory, where they can not fabricate the more than thirty years and are all made by hand and teak. Here we just buy small models of canoes to be used for incense, also sold cribs Burmese details.
Shown here at last we saw some girls who were beating the rice .... Clear everything by hand, was a bit 'of days that we wondered how it happened the final processing of rice.
The navigation on the lake again, this place is great, you meet people of the lake: the farmers who take care of their gardens, the fishermen with their traps, families who take their children to school, women who do their shopping, there canoes are also overloaded with bamboo!
Last stop at Nga Phe Chaung Monastery, the Monastery of jumping cats ... but I have to say anything in particular, in addition to cats and numerous stalls for additional purchases.
More meetings with children from the beautiful eyes that will steal your heart, always smiling.
Return to hotel at around eighteen and Burmese ... these do not stop to amaze us for their capillary organization! In fact, once we find the landing a little man with the keys of our rooms, this means that we can go immediately to room without having to make a long, steep staircase that separates our stilts from the main part of which is on land!
Delicious dinner at the hotel, served on special objects of lacquer!

14 days INLE -18 August 2007

Begins the second day of this wonderful place .... It's great, this morning the dawn is even more spectacular with the sun, the fish jumping and the usual quiet fishermen fish!
First stop at a market very nice, do not just sell souvenirs, but plenty of fruit and lots of flowers, the Burmese have their own worship of flowers, there was also a barber in possession of the tools of the trade including the chair, who cut his hair needed it!
Visit the Pagoto Phaung Daw Oo Kyaung, where we have some women honored at the entrance of beautiful necklaces made from the stems of flowers. This contains 5 pagada golden Buddha, that really forced to continue to put sheets of gold are more like 5 hours mushrooms!
These heavy Buddha are carried in procession on the lake on a beautiful golden canoe, moored off during a great festival held in October, when the lake in canoes down long on which 60 people paddling their way, with one leg, while wearing Orange robes, which is the typical color of Burma: who knows what a show of colors!
Next stop for lunch at the restaurant Paramaunt, here we accept the usual giraffe women, tasty lunch and we peeked a very open room furnished with taste, a visit to the tower to enjoy the panoramic view from that height .... Unforgettable !
Finally, you depart for the excursion in the interior of the village in Dein, who always arrive by boat up the river, this is always a show navigation, the sides of the river scenes of peasant life one after another, carrying firewood, lightning arresters, children and guys who wash their things to the edge of the river.
Off the boat and go through a great forest of bamboo, tall trees and huge, arrived at the archaeological site remain amazed by the beauty and bewildered by the situation of neglect that we see, the exhibition guide says that is because it is closed to the public many years and only a few have reopened! Mha .... Is really absurd! This was followed by a more beautiful than the pagodas, with very special decorations on the outside and inside wood and glass mosaics even more beautiful ... too bad that everything is being destroyed irreversibly!
Nice nice nice .... The way back is a long parade of stalls, on which also purchase the mosaics ... .... And I can not think what might have been the source!
Quick Return to the hotel for the sky threatened rain ... .... But it went very well succeed this time we escaped, after all we were very lucky, we only took the monsoon rain of gold to the Rock!
Dinner with the dignity of the lake fish specialties.

14 days in August 2007 -19 INLE HEHO-YANGON-

As usual also to 'Heho airport, our guide Mya has thought of everything, we have limited ourselves to get on the plane to take us back to YANGON, ... ... .. we are very sorry to leave this magical place, but we are the' organization of this people is unique, perfectly able to accommodate your luggage without your knowledge and find towels in the room with no effort and no problem! However we are very sorry to leave this fantastic place, but we know we carry with us forever the emotions that has given us!
Arrival in YANGON and Mya, to make us a courtesy, took us to a shop recommended by the guide Routard ... .. some French manages it, but we made a hole in the water, is by no means as described!
Around the old colonial YANGON where we admired the various embassies and we have also seen the construction of the U.S. ... that once completed will be the largest of all the East!
Scott's next visit to the market, recent purchases in a very very chaotic and messy where they sell everything, but at higher prices across the country, purchases should get them from country to country, even from market to market!
Visit the hotel Strand, dear one, who knows who can afford $ 500 a room per night !!!!! fine example of colonial English architecture ... but it's all very obvious.
Arrival at the hotel last Summit prkView that now looks like a familiar place, is the third time we get there and it's really very very comfortable.
This evening dress all in Burma to go to dinner in the best restaurant in YANGON, where we also see a Burmese dance show, the restaurant is all lit up on a boat on the lake, has a typical Burmese furniture and here we are waiting with his wife and Raphael we can not help but thank him for the excellent organization that has allowed us to make a wonderful trip in every respect, but perfect for the organization, spending very very limited (we spent less than 600 euros person for these great 15 days!).
This country is truly unique in the world for its natural beauty, architectural, archaeological sites for, but these are nothing compared to the emotions you feel coming into contact with this people friendly, clear, pure and always smiling, even if there time seems to stand still at least 100 years ago, all this surely we can call the Land of Smiles and silence.
It 'still can not really describe the emotions, the wonder, the curiosity to find out people different from themselves, their respect and above all the many many smiles that we have always followed and that we will always in my heart!
Go to Burma they need all our trips and maybe even a little will enrich 'the regime, but leave the people the awareness that there are people very different from them, certainly not the best, but certainly more free!
And we hope that there is a better future for them soon ... ... ...

Mirella
September 2007