Myanmar Trip 2013 - Day Five

The next morning started early for Ben, Vannessa and me. After taking a light breakfast (with some extra-sweet tea) at a local coffee shop, we took a short stroll to the banks of Salween River (Thanlwin to locals). Here, we paid a fisherman 1000 kyat/person to take us across the river to the foothills of Hpan-Pu Mountain.

Foreground: 'Bennessa'; Background: Hpan-Pu

A trip with Ben is never complete without a good hike, so the three of us decided to take a morning walk up the distinctly-shaped mountain. From the little quay on the other side of the river, we walked past a little village before arriving at the ascending pathway leading up the mountain. All through the hike, we were treated to some incredible views of Hpa-an and it's neighbouring cities. After going past a monastery and a couple of deceiving false peaks, we finally reached the peak of Hpan-Pu.

One of them falsies. Certainly wasn't deceiving the hovering eagle above

Goddess Durga?

The view from atop was quite special - the peak was towering enough above its surroundings that our view stretched far and wide on every side of the mountain; yet it was low enough for the details to be clearly visible. The tireless fishermen rowing their boats across the mighty Salween; the innocent kids diving into the river from the aforementioned quay; cattle grazing the lush, green plains; serenity under the morning sun. It was a sight to behold, and perhaps the most lasting memory of my Myanmar trip.

View of Hpa'an town from the peak of Hpan-Pu

Troubling signs of industrialization spring from afar

Shorty thereafter we left the Soe Brothers' guesthouse and bade goodbye to Hpa'an for the last time. We caught a bus back to Mawlamyine (i.e. Moulmein - I just like to use the names interchangeably). Upon reaching Mawlamyine, we decided to head back to Breeze Guest House. It was unfortunate that we didn't have much time to spend in Mawlamyine this time around as we had to depart for Yangon that night. Khan Ruey and I, having already taken the train ride from Yangon to Mawlamyine, decided to take the bus back. Ben and Vanessa on the other hand were keen on experiencing the bumpy rail ride and were to depart to Yangon by train. I recalled Raju mentioning the Chitra Pournami celebration, and how he would have loved to take us there to show me how the Burmese Hindus celebrated it. When we reached the guest house, we asked for Raju at the front desk. Within 10 minutes, a smiling Raju was at the doorstep with his tuk-tuk, ready to take us all for a quick trip to a few attractions. I informed Raju of the situation, and how we didn't have too much time in our hands. He simply smiled, and assured me he'll manage to take us to the festival (including the Chithra Pournami celebration) and dinner before directly dropping us off at the train and bus stations accordingly.

Soon enough, we arrived at the Murugan temple - Moulmein's very own Batu Caves. Hundreds of stairs lined the path to the temple at the top of the cave, and with the hordes of people walking around the temple the experience was almost reminiscent of Batu Caves during Thaipusam. Raju informed me that Hindus and non-Hindus from all over Myanmar come to the temple every year during the three-day festival. It was only the first day though, and Raju humbly declared the crowds will really grow over the next couple of days. As we walked up towards the temple, we came across a group of Burmese Tamils who were over-the-moon at the sight of a fellow Tamil boy from outside Myanmar visiting their temple. We excitedly exchanged pleasantries in Tamil, as they explained to me about their celebrations as well as the Hindu community in Myanmar as a whole. They were quick to note that their celebrations cannot compare to the Thaipusam celebrations in Batu Caves or Penang, yet they take a lot of pride in putting together a joyous celebration every year for the community in Myanmar. I still found it amazing that I was actually conversing Tamil in this trip, having been totally unaware of the existence of Tamil communities in Myanmar; let alone them passing-on our language and culture down from generation to generation.

The entrance to the temple

Ben, Vanessa and Khan Ruey with the welcoming Burmese Tamil folks at the temple (on the way up)

The reverse - yours truly with a group of curious onlooking kids. Photo credit to Ben.

Ben, Vanessa and Khan Ruey with the same folks who were overjoyed at the sight of Malaysians (on the way down)

Once we were back downstairs, Raju invited us to have some temple food served for free at the common hall. I understood what it meant to him for us to join them. I truly wished I could have sat down with the local Tamils and ate with them. It's a joy to see our Indian culture carried-on and practiced with such pride and verve, that I felt compelled to join them. But alas, time was of the essence and Ben, Vanessa and Khan Ruey weren't too keen on the idea - so I decided to gulp down a couple of 'vadais' with Raju before we proceeded to the same briyani shop Khan Ruey and I had dinner at three nights prior. Raju proceeded to drop us off at our respective stations, where I literally hugged him and thanked him profusely for all he had done for us. I had never expected to come across another Tamil-speaker during my Myanmar trip.. but how he immediately took me as he would his brother and went out of his way for us was incredible. For some reason, I was elated and proud at the thought of people like him existing in Myanmar and upholding our subtle Tamil virtues.

It was midnight by the time we reached Yangon, and Khan Ruey and I proceeded to check-in at Sunflower Hotel - another Lonely Planet guide recommendation for cheap accommodations in Yangon. Heh. This was, in many ways a pivotal point in the trip. The point where I looked back at our quaint adventures in Moulmein and Hpa-an and wondered if I'll ever get the chance to return to those wonderful towns - and looked forward to the many splendors that lied within Yangon.

Myanmar Trip 2013 - Day Four

The following morning was an early start. With our group finally assembled in one place, we decided to embark on a tour of Hpa'an's famed caves on the recommendation of the friendly Mr. Soe (who runs our accommodation in Hpa'an). For a meagre 5000 kyats/person, our guide took us on a bumpy tuk-tuk ride across the countryside to a number of Hpa'an's cave temples. The quiet villages and lush greeneries we traversed was a sight to behold - and unfortunately one that is rapidly disappearing in Malaysia.

The highlight of the tour was to be Saddan Cave, a massive cavern encroaching a placid lake. After a half-kilometre walk through the dark, damp pathways of the cave - we finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel (in a literal sense of course). Ben and Vanessa decided to take a short trip across the lake, to which a smiling old man readily obliged to take them on his boat for 500 kyats. The highlight of our experience however lied somewhere between Kyaukka Latt Paya and Lumbini Gardens. After gulping down some fresh sugarcane juice at a roadside hawker's stall, our tuk-tuk carried us from the grounds of the wonderful Kyaukka Latt Paya to the relatively underwhelming Kawgoon cave (especially considering this was the only attraction where we had to pay a 3000 kyat fee for admission). At the end of this ride, Ben realised something was amiss. It didn't take him long to recognise the absence of his camera bag (which of course included his camera, tripod along with other peripherals). We helplessly communicated this to our guide, and proceeded to continue onto the steps of Kawgoon cave. As we returned to the tuk-tuk, our guide smiled and informed us that the camera bag had fallen-off during the ride, and was found by some local villagers who were going to bring it to our next destination. To say that the look of relief on Ben's face was apparent, would be an understatement. After completing our walk through Lumbini Gardens, Ben was happily reunited with his camera bag. The whole incident was quite surreal. The honesty of the villagers, and the lengths they're willing to go for total strangers like us - I began to wonder how many places in the world still had such communities. Or perhaps, it was all simply.. divine intervention?

Kyaukkanlatt Pagoda - perched upon a limestone karst tower at the center of a lake

Entrance to Yathebyan Cave

Seated Buddha inside Kawgoon Cave

The lake surrounded by the caverns of Saddan Cave

For dinner, we decided to return to San Ma Tau restaurant. My stomach was recovering well from the shady-toddy experience two days earlier. That night, back at the Soe Brother's motel I pondered the events of the trip thus far, and what it had in store for us in the coming days. I was, after all; at the halfway point of my trip.

Myanmar Trip 2013 - Day Three

After a good night's sleep at the Breeze Guest House, we packed our bags the next morning and left on foot in search of the bus stop from where to board a bus to Hpa'an. Expecting it to be some sort of a local landmark, we went about asking locals for directions to the bus stop, yet different people gave us conflicting instructions on how to get there - some even assuring us it wasn't within walking distance. Khan Ruey and I decided to keep our faith in the Lonely Planet guidebook and continued walking along the city streets. As we fumbled over the map trying to get our bearings right, we met a Malay-speaking Burmese man who identified himself as Ismail. After a short yet interesting chat in Malay, he left us with proper directions to the bus stop.

Not long after we noticed a bus pulling to a halt in front of a little hut. After confirming that the bus was headed to Hpa'an and purchasing our tickets for a nominal fee from the hut, we finally left Moulmein with a large group of Burmese locals headed in the same direction. I managed to catch some sleep along the ride, amidst the friendly chatter of the locals. Soon enough we were in the sleepy town of Hpa'an, stopping right in front of a restaurant with a sign that read San Ma Tau - the name rang a bell. I quickly flipped through the Lonely Planet guidebook, and realized that it was the top-recommended eatery in Hpa'an. What is more - it was lunch time! Now given that I was still suffering from the aftermath of the toddy from the previous night, I was forced to limit my food choices - a real pity given Khan Ruey's glowing testimony of the food after our meal.

From the cheap options listed on the guidebook, we decided to go with Soe Brothers Guesthouse for our accommodation in Hpa'an. After checking-in, we simply waited for nightfall, especially since my diarrhoea wasn't getting any better. Regardless, we were all set for the rendenvous with Ben and Vanessa at the clock tower later that night. Just then we heard a knock on our door. Ben and Vanessa had found us! At that point I could only wonder if Hpa'an was really that small a city, or if Khan Ruey and I were that predictable. So no dramatic rendezvous then. We were all assembled in Hpa'an as planned. Vanessa, being the designated first-aider for the trip supplied me with some loperamides to ease my bowels and some paracetamol to bring down the fever I developed over the day. For dinner, we ended up at San Ma Tau - again.

The iconic Hpa'an Clock Tower - our supposed rendezvous point in the city

In retrospect, this was perhaps the least eventful day of our trip in terms of sightseeing. Perhaps it served as an essential break for me to hasten my recovery process. That damn toddy.