WARNING - EXTREME TRAVELLING

I've sat on chicken buses for hours, been in freezing temperatures on a bus through the Andes and been stopped on the Argentina border with drug smugglers on a bus......but this is Burma and this is traveling to the Max.

Amarapura 1

Our first bus from Yangon to the former Royal capital of Mandalay was one of three we took in the country and at the time we did not realize probably the best. 15 hours of hell with no proper leg room, DVT on the way. No sleep due to hourly checkpoints or food stops. The service station was in a field, everyone pissing in the buses and the music....Music on Asian buses consists of karaoke, Myanmar extreme karaoke....old eighties classics sung in Burmese....at on point I recognized a song...it was a cover of the Flintstones theme tune. This place is so bizarre!!!!

Amarapura 2

At Mandalay bus station we were approach by someone to take us on a tour for the day, at 10 dollars cash it seemed a deal as they took us through the back entrances on pagodas, therefore the government made no money of us and these locals boys got it instead...seemed fair and turned out to be a good day, although tiring after no sleep.

As I have said earlier, no many white folk come here and we must look very bizarre. While sitting in a restaurant drinking our instant tea, Chris put in his contacts.....the whole of the restaurant stopped what they were doing and watched, of course they haven't seen contact lenses before.

The day consisted of visiting sites around the old palace, stupas, golden Buddhas and Mandalay Hill with its great views across the city. The tour was going great we visited places not mentioned in the lonely planet, old monasteries, silk factories and ended the day at the ancient Amarapura, with its gorgeous teak bridge. There we were treated to monks playing football, ducks (1000,s) being herded in the lake and fishermen going about there business.

Amarapura 3

Sounds all great, which it was...but remember we had no sleep and were driven around in a tuk tuk like car all day, pretty hard core traveling. We finished the day having a Burmese shower. Dressing in tradition Burmese skirts and trowing water over us from a tank in the back of the guides house. It ended a good day so we gave him 20 dollars tip, not bad as this is about 2 weeks normal work for a Burmese person.

On with the traveling a to the bus station for the trip to Bagan....our bus delayed for 1 hour, was even worst. The local had decided to pack the bus with the contents of a lorry, god knows why they didn't drive it themselves to Bagan...the bus was therefore crammed on top and in the isles with rice, drink and all sorts of other things. The road disappeared into a dirt track after an hour. The bus started getting filled with dust and we slept for the 8 hour ride on the rice packs....what a journey..we just had to laugh. Although we had got to Bagan, the highlight of Myanmar for us and we were ready for serious temple gazing.....

Amarapura 4

Amarapura 5

Amarapura 6

Amarapura 7

Amarapura 8

Amarapura 9

Kyaunktawgyi Paya 1

Kyaunktawgyi Paya 2

Kyaunktawgyi Paya 3

Kyaunktawgyi Paya 4

Mahamuni Paya 1

Mahamuni Paya 2

Mahamuni Paya 3

Mahamuni Paya 4

Manadalay Hill 1

Manadalay Hill 2

Manadalay Hill 3

Manadalay Hill 4

Manadalay Hill 5

Mandalay Hill 6

Sandamani Paya 1

Sandamani Paya 2

Sandamani Paya 3

Sandamani Paya 4

Sandamani Paya 5

Shwe In Bin Kyaung 1

Shwe In Bin Kyaung 2

Shwe In Bin Kyaung 3

Shwe In Bin Kyaung 4

Shwe In Bin Kyaung 5

Shwe In Bin Kyaung 6

Silk Factory 1

Silk Factory 2

Silk Factory 3