Time Flies in Myanmar
Time passed so fast! We are in Myanmar two weeks already. And we really enjoy it (even if everything is not in bright colors sometimes).
Hpa-An: Caves and Monks
From our last update, we reached Hpa-An city. It's a place famous for caves — really huge ones — and temples inside them. Also, we hiked up Mt. Zwegabin for almost 2 hours. The sunset was really nice! We spent a few moments with very friendly monks.
The Golden Rock: Religion and Big Business
Then, before heading to Yangon, we did just a day in Kinpun to see the "famous" Kyaiktiyo Pagoda. For us it was the worst experience in the country so far. When religion means big business and foreigners' fees mean "only for people who don't look like an Asian", it's just sad…
Basically, in their book where people need to fill in their name, country, visa details and so on, we saw only people from Europe or the US. Despite that, there were people from Thailand or Malaysia inside as they were looking for pictures with us.
Yangon: Applying for Indian Visas and Walking
Next morning, after a very long 10-hour bus ride (one exploded tyre), we arrived in Yangon. We managed to apply for our Indian Visas at the Embassy and spent 3 days relaxing and walking in the city. It was enough for us, as we started to have troubles supporting the noises! Let's get back to the countryside.
Inle Lake
Our next destination was Inle Lake, one of the famous spots promoted by the government. For the first time we enjoyed a night bus (everything went smoothly finally). After paying the "not Asian people taxes", we discovered a really nice and tiny village. 1 day of rest and 1 day on a boat to explore life on the lake.
How to do silk or lotus materials, how to build a boat, how to make cigars, how to make silver jewellery… Very interesting and really nice sunrise on the lake!
Lots of pictures this time but it's worth to share it and to show some moments of local life.
And now hello from Bagan — time for some ancient temples!