Day 17 - Kalaw
Having seen all that we wanted to see but by no means all the sites in Bagan, we decided that with our new found passion for early mornings we would catch the 3.30am bus to Kalaw. Ok, it was the only bus and we had no other options but we thought we could manage it none the less. Much of the town was already buzzing with people working and tea shops open and serving snacks. The reason we were up was because as we had learnt it’s cooler earlier in the morning and the bus we were going to be travelling on was old, very old, built in a time way before A/C and before soft padded seats too apparently. We had hoped to catch some sleep on the bus but soon realised that there was no chance of this, although a couple of bags of rice in the aisle way did look inviting.
Unfortunately the bus wasn’t the worst of it, the road conditions were the worst we have experienced, so much so i started to have fond memories of the 4x4 track we had taken to Bagan. This road did have a tarmac strip and many years ago it was probably a decent road, but now it is in such a state of disrepair we were travelling through large potholes and cracks in the road for 10 hours. The road was only wide enough for 1 bus so spent a lot of time in the dust by the side of the road and because we had to have the windows open to move the hot air around by the time we arrived in Kalaw everyone was covered in a think layer of dust.
I’m still not sure how we made it, there is no way that bus should have been able to make that journey, but yet it does it all the time. One of the enjoyable aspects of the ride was that we got managed to see some interesting locals at work along the route.
News of swine flu hadn't reached Burma yet!
In the evening we watched a precession for Buddhas birthday, with the 28 floats to represent all the Buddha images.
Day 18 - Kalaw
The main reason for coming to Kalaw is to go trekking, some come to Kalaw to do day treks while others come to take the 3 day, 60km trek to Inle Lake. We decided that we would try a day trek before committing ourselves to anything else, and 16km would give us a good idea of our limits. Our guide was very knowledgeable of all the local flora and had us trying fruits and wild vegetables along the way, as well as showing and having us smell herbs and telling us there medicinal purposes. He even climbed a tree to pick us some wild figs to eat.
As for the fauna there really isn’t much left for him to show us, 75% of Burma animals are now extinct, there are no large animals left, no elephants, no tigers, no bears nothing that you would expect to see in a country of this size. The reason is because the government let the people do as they like with the land, as long as they stood by all other orders imposed on them. As well as being an expert in Flora he was also an expert in peoples and the region in which we were trekking, speaking 6 languages, having lived there his whole life. He took us to visit an indigenous hill tribe, the Taryaw, where we got to try some of there main source of income, tea, which dries on the village paths waiting to be taken to the Kalaw market held every 5 days. If we'd have visited 20 years earlier we'd have been trying Opium!
In the Taryaw village we also saw the school which along with all places of education in the country will close at the end of the year for the elections, not so votes can be cast there, but to prevent people gathering and protesting. The guide was one of the few people that we have met that had a positive outlook for the future and believes that the 2010 elections will affect change in his country. He suggested that the global credit crisis has forced the generals hand due to less trade with China and India and they will have to abide by the election results. He also explained why electricity is so intermittent around the country, apparently the generals switch it off, so that they can have 100% power for themselves, their military bases and their factories to meet export deadlines.
Day 19 - Kalaw
At breakfast we had an interesting conversation with a Slovakian who didn't believe there wouldn’t be any ATMs in Burma, so had arrived for her 5 week stay with very little money and no access to it. You have to bring enough money with you into the country to cover your stay, so we hope she didn't run out. After breakfast we headed to the market held every 5 days, in which the hill tribes come down to sell their produce. We had seen a lot of it being picked in preparation on our trek the previous day. Like most of the markets we have seen in Burma they were filled with both vibrant colours and smells. It was a shame that we had no way of cooking the food otherwise we would have bought some.
One seller displaying sandlewood used for the thanaka make up
People come to market to buy their staples, rice!
It was interesting to see how people transport their goods both to and from the market. We saw lots of women balancing baskets and other objects on there heads both coming to the market and leaving for home at the end of a long day, and also carrying a basket on their backs with the strap positioned around their forehead
For lunch we overloaded on Indian cakes and sweets at a traditional Burmese teashop, before heading off on a self guided trek to the 'bamboo Buddha', only to find that the house in which the Buddha was enclosed was made of bamboo not the Buddha itself! The trek was enjoyable and along the way Jo was presented with many flowers by the local children, which was funded on her part with the distribution of ‘candy’! One child would offer a flower and get candy and others would see the reward and swarm her with different flowers. We returned back to the guesthouse before dark to book our onward journey, having decided that a 3 day trek was probably a bit too much in the heat.
Day 20 - Kalaw to Inle Lake
Our next destination was the two hour journey to Shwenyaung. On the bus no space was left unaccounted for, with fold down seats for the aisles people hanging out of the doors. We were like sardines in a can, with us on the backseat which had a person more than normal, so we were thankful it was only a short journey. Another thing to be thankful was that the bus that had left half an hour before ours had broken down on route so we were glad we decided on a lay in!
Upon arriving at Shwenyaung, we disembarked to collect another form of transport to our actual destination of Nyaungshwe, which is on the mouth of Inle lake. After refusing an expensive taxi, we opted for a ride in a pick up truck. Like with the bus journey no space left untouched with people on the roof and hanging from the back for the 13km journey. We spent the rest of the day chilling out before going to see the lake the next day.
Ryan and Jo
Photos at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dojo77/sets/72157618607492086/
