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Mission Impossible? <br />To travel the world and give you all a run down of adventures, experiences, things to see and the best bars in town! I may even stop here and there and earn a few bob...but after this who would have me...

Asia, part VI: Myanmar

Richard Rosss
2006-04-03 13:46:45

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Myanmar - 15/6

Upon arrival at the grandiose airport you realise that things are not quite right. We are forced to change 200 bucks into useless monopoly FEC's, but we can change less if we give the folks "presents"!

Over the next 2 days I was in Yangon. I checked out Shew Dagon - a huge temple with 100m stupa which is said to contain Budda's hair, teeth, underpants and cigar case. The whole place was amazing - over 88 building, each containing Budda or multiple buddas and all were finely decorated. Here I met some locals whom were keen to practise English - they obviously had heard of me! So I chatted with a few folks until I got bored of Manchester United/Myanmar food or my travels as subjects. I also checked out Sula Paya - another temple in the centre. Traders hotel VIP room provided me with access to newspapers and smashing views of the city. There is not much to do there but look at the dirty colonial buildings - they miss the Brits, I know it! The British Embassy was pukka though!
In the evenings I headed back to Motherland inn 2 for dinner and BBC/movies. The whole city seems to be a mkt - mostly fruit and veg, but others selling signs/clothes and VCd's.

I then caught a bus [19 hrs] to Lake Inle. Myanmar's biggest lake. The pick up to town was full of women going to mkt who just stared and laughed at me all the way. We had about 30 folk in the pick up - roof, sides and hanging off the back.The town there is nice and chilled and fairly geared for travellers. Pancake kingdom took a hammering, as all the other food places were yuck! Here i took a long boat out on the lake { seemingly I was the only tourist in town} and we visited some real local mkts where locals stared and laughed at the white freak. Mkt was good to watch people esp old women who always have a cherroot [cigar]dangling from their mouth. Next stop was some silver nad other cottage industries ...