LocationsYangon I
Shwedagon I
Ayeyarwaddy I
Bagan I
Kyaung Dawyar and YangonMyanmar’s capital and home to 4 million people was developed primarily while the country was under British rule. Although a few tall buildings are now rising, the city’s skyline is little changed from the days of the British Raj. Wide tree-lined boulevards, geometrically aligned streets and magnificent colonial buildings lend an old world charm. Yangon has been a thriving port since the 19th century, and the city’s streets bustle with activity where noisy street vendors, rickshaws and colourful 1950’s Chevrolet buses mix with modern day traffic. It’s people are derived of every culture in the land and the city is adorned with their religious monuments – glittering Buddhist Pagodas, brightly colored Chinese and Hindu temples, red brick churches, and white-washed mosques. Bright and colourful festivals go year round too – Chinese New year, Hindu Fire-walking Festivals, Water Festival and other Myanmar traditional ceremonies all taking place on dates set by the lunar calendar. The people of the city still adhere to long established traditions; all wear sarongs and sandals and believe that a girl with long black hair wearing traditional makeup is the most beautiful and glorious site to see.
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Shwedagon Pagoda Shwedagon Pagoda is visible from most of the city of Yangon and is the country’s most important religious shrine. It is said that the pagoda’s main stupa stands at the very center of the universe and it is high; dominating the city. A place of great peace and tranquility. The main stupa gilded from base to spire, carries more than 60 tons of gold plate and rises elegantly 326 vertical feet above its marbled platform. A golden umbrella at the top is hung with gold and silver bells that tinkle in the breeze, and its weather vane is decorated with 1000’s of rubies, diamonds and other perfect gems. The pagoda’s origins are shrouded in legend and it may have been started as early as during the era of the Gautama Buddha. In the massive gilded stupa are enshrined 8 hair relics of Gautama and 3 other relics of previous Buddhas, from whence the pagoda derives its spiritual power. Certainly it was well established by the 11th century when King Anawratha of Bagan paid homage there. The present form was shaped under the direction of Queen Shinsawpu and her successor King Dhammazedi in the 15th century. Today in addition to its religious purpose, the platform serves as a meeting place and center for social interaction. Students read books, families play and chat while others sit on the sun warmed tiles and soak up the atmosphere.
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The Ayeyarwaddy By the old Moulmein Pagoda, lookin’ lazy by the sea, The Road to Mandalay of Rudyard Kipling’s famous poem is the Ayeyarwaddy River. Arising deep in Myanmar’s Himalayas the river tumbles through forested mountain gorges and fertile farmland, across dry and dusty plains to the many mouths of an expansive delta from which it spills into the Andaman Sea. Running 1,350 miles right down through the center of the country the river is entirely Myanmar from its source all the way to the Bay of Bengal. It is Myanmar’s main trading route and gateway to the interior, and its waters irrigate expansive paddy in the delta making one of the great rice bowls of Asia. The first kingdoms of Central Myanmar were established on its banks and their glittering monuments still line the river’s shore. Today the river’s fertile floodplain supports the majority of Myanmar’s population and as always the river is an inextricable part of their daily lives. To feel the rhythm of this wonderful river is to touch the hearts of its gentle smiling people.
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BaganBagan is Myanmar’s most stunning archaeological spectacle – thousands of religious monuments are scattered across a dry and dusty plain on the banks of the Ayeyarwaddy River. The 5,000 or so temples that remain vary from small stupas to exalted soaring temples, and a massive crumbling brick wall that surrounded the king’s palace. All recall a former age of greatness, when this was a vast and populous city ruled over by numerous kings in two separate dynasties. King Anawrahta 42nd ruler of Bagan was the city’s most influential ruler. In 1057 his forces captured Thaton – capital of the coastal Mon Kingdom, and established the first Myanmar Empire centered on Bagan. From Thaton he returned to Bagan with a large number of monks bearing TherInwada Buddhist scriptures in Pali. He declared TherInwada Buddhism the national religion, and – with the help of Thaton’s architects and craftmen – started a golden age of architecture that was to last 200 years. Most of Bagan’s construction happened during this period. Finally coming to an abrupt end with the abandonment of the city in the face Kublai Khan Mongol hordes in 1287. Like other royal cities, only the major religious buildings were made of permanent materials – even the palaces were made of wood – so the magnificence that remains is only a shadow of Bagan at its peak. But its magic has not diminished, and time spent here is something to treasure. In the early morning mist the pagodas seem to "loom huge, remote and mysterious, like the vague recollections of a fantastic dream", as Somerset Maugham wrote in 1930.
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Kyaung Dawyar - ShwesetdawThe most magical way to explore the culture of the Myanmar people and their deep devotion to teachings of the Lord Gautama Buddha, is to follow their most important pilgrimage routes. During their lives most Myanmar people will pay homage at least once at the shrines of Kyaung Dawyar and at the Buddha’s footprints at Shwesetdaw. Legend tells us Kyaung Dawyar was visited by the Lord Gautama Buddha himself. He is said to have stayed at Kyaung Dawyar for a week teaching the local people he found there about his lives and Dhamma (Buddhist teachings). The pagoda standing on the banks of the Mon River was built in the memory of His stay. On His return journey to northern India, he stopped at Shwesetdaw on the bank of the Man river in the domain of the ruthless hunter Bandaka. Bandaka is said to have listened to the lectures of the Buddha and become a monk, and requested that the Buddha leave his footprint to remind people of his passing, and as a gift for the King of Naga. Kyaung Dawyar pagoda is visited not only by the human pilgrims, but also by fish pilgrims! The giant river catfishes appear in the Mon river during the Buddhist's lent - July to September - for 3 months. People believe that the fishes come to pay homage to the Buddha. They appear on the full moon day of Waso (4th month of Myanmar calendar) and disappear after the full moon day of Thidinkyut (the 7th month of the Myanmar calendar). Human pilgrims feed them the pop-corn, rice cake and dried bread. Located between Mon creek and the Ayeyarwaddy river 180 km south of Bagan, Kyaung Dawyar is greener than other parts of the central Myanmar and an important rice growing area. The magnificent wooden monasteries of the18th and 19th centuries found there are still run by honorable monks. Shwesetdaw Pagoda is about 3 hours drive from Kyaungdawyar deep in the Chin Hills. The area is located in the middle of the habitat of a rare species deer and a wildlife park is maintained there. Shwesetdaw festival time is during February and March. Strangely enough, there are many fossils in the mountain range around Shwesetdaw.
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MandalayMandalay, a bustling market town built in 1857 and Myanmar’s second largest city, lost its royal glory to British colonial rule when the country’s last kings was sent into exile in 1885. In spite of all the upheInwal, Mandalay has remained the center of Myanmar culture and can only be described as a city of superlatives : it has the best curries, the purist form of the Myanmar language and the most exquisite workmanship on wood, marble, silk, fabric and bronze made in the grand tradition of the royal regalia of the last king. The major transport of 2 million Mandalay population is the bicycle, and at rush hour there are hundreds of bicycles in the city's geometric patterns of streets. After sunset in the cool evening air, men sit on stools in open-air teashops, chatting (often presuming to have very important conversation on world affairs) and sipping hot green tea or rich Myanmar coffee. You hardly see any girls sitting in these shops. This is not because of a social differentiation between the sexes but because of our traditional culture. And we love to keep it. Although Mandalay itself is a modern bustling town, it is surrounded by tranquil and religious places in every direction. In less than hour’s drive there is the old royal city of Amarapura – home to the Mahagandayon Monastery, and the famous 200 years old U Bein Bridge made of teak and spanning the waters of Taung Thaman lake. Just another half hour’s ride brings one to either the ancient city of Inwa (the seat of Kings directly prior to the last and final Mandalay era), and across The River is the deeply religious center of Sagaing who’s monastery covered hills ring with the sound of bells and Buddhist incantations. All are surrounded by farmland and deeply rural communities.
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Bago, Kyaikhtiyo and MawlamyaingThe Mon peoples are the first group who migrated to Myanmar from central Asia. Instead of the Ayeyarwaddy, they are thought to have ventured down the Thanlwin river and settled along the coast from present-day Malaysia to the Ayeyarwaddy River’s expansive delta. Living by the sea they had close ties with India from where they received Buddhism. Bago was their last royal capital until 1757 when King Alaungpaya of Inwa occupied lower Myanmar. The other important Mon capital is Thaton, a flourishing port in ancient times. There are many monuments still standing in solemn witness to the glory that once belonged to these capitals. Mawlamyaing is the present capital of Mon state, a charming town on the Martaban gulf. 110 km south of Mawlamyaing the famous Death Railway starts from the town called Thanphyu Zeyet. One of the most celebrated shrines in this region is the Kyaikhtiyo Pagoda situated 166km north east of Yangon at 1100 meter sea level. The small pagoda, just 6 meter high, is erected on a 15 meter circumference boulder which rests precariously on a projecting tabular rock which itself is separated several feet from the mountain by a deep chasm. It is said to have been built during the life-time of the Buddha Gautama over a hair relic obtained by a hermit who kept in his hair-knot until he found a boulder resembling his head on which he could build a pagoda to enshrine the sacred hair. The shrine came into the public eye in 1823 when found by the governor of the Sittang region while hunting in the forests that cover the surrounding mountains. This pagoda is well known as Golden Rock Pagoda because the whole rock is now covered by thick gold leaf from devoted pilgrims.
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Western Shan State - Mogok Legend says that three Shan hunters in the year 1217 stumbled across a land high and cool – and rich in rubies. The hunters told the tale of this magical place to the Shan Prince of Moe Meik – and so the town of Mine Kart (Cold Town) was founded. This is today’s town of Mogok lying just 200km north of Mandalay nestled amongst steep forested valleys. It is of course famous for its glittering rubies, and surrounding natural beauty. Alluvial limestone gravels are the chief source of the deep red gemstones and deposits are exploited by means of pit-digging and panning. Deposits also occur in bed limestone and tunnels are driven deep into the mountain sides along narrow seams. Alluvial gold is also panned along rocky gorges, and diamonds have recently be found nearby. The people of Mogok are drawn from every culture to have inhabited the country of Myanmar – every local ethnic minority and visitors from India, Nepal and China. Every persons’ life is dependent on the vital gemstone trade and glittering stones are sold in thriving auctions – displayed almost like beans in a market.
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Southern Shan State - Inle Lake The picturesque Inle Lake is a narrow expanse of water and reeds twenty-two kilometer long surrounded by hazy mountains. Its cool clear waters are thick with dancing weeds, and the calm surface of the lake dotted with drifting vegetation, fishing canoes and floating gardens. The Intha people who inhabit the lake live out their lives on the water rarely having to step ashore. Numerous lake-bound villages are of multiple story wooden houses on long stilts, with great monasteries with expansive hardwood floors on artificial islands. They grow their crops on fertile masses of floating marsh grass and soil that are cut into long strips and anchored to the bottom of the lake with long bamboo poles. Due to the thick weed on the open lake the fishermen use a rigid cone shaped trap. Watching the surface of the lake carefully for signs of movement, then they quickly thrust the trap into the weeds and with a harpoon chase into the net any fish that swim into the space created inside the cone as descents amongst the weeds. It is the floating gardens and leg rowing fishermen that are symbols of the lake. However, the lakeshore too is a magical place inhabited by many hilltribes each with their own distinctive dress and thriving markets. PaO, Danu, Shan and Palaung tribes each occupy different parts of the lakeshore and surrounding mountains.
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Pindaya and KalawJust a few hours drive from Inle Lake on a narrow single lane road across the fertile Shan Plateau lies the town of Pindaya. The plateau’s small hand tilled fields form a mosaic of brown and rust-red squares against gently rolling hills. Pindaya is most famous for its limestone caves filled with hundreds of Buddha Images accumulated therein down the centuries, and its excellent Shan cuisine of fish from the lake, and myriad vegetables found in the local 5-day market. Nearby on the road to Mandalay is the former British Hill-Station of Kalaw with it quaint colonial architecture and thriving daily market. The hills surrounding both Kalaw and Pindaya are filled with hilltribes, and it is a great day out to climb into the hills to drink tea and puff on a cheroot with the ever-charming PaO villagers.
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NE Shan State - Kyaingtong (Kengtung) Hidden deep amongst mountains and near the borders of Thailand and China lies the capital of the Golden Triangle, Kyaingtong. The city has been walled for over 500 years and is the historic center for Shan State’s Khun society who are said to be derived from the ancient Chiang Mai lineage – Lanna Thai or Million Rice Fields Dynasty. Other peoples in the city include Thai Shan, Lahu and representatives of a myriad of hilltribes from the surrounding mountains. Its strategic important lies in the city’s close proximity to China, Laos and Thailand and is a crucial military stronghold amongst the shifting seas of Shan and Wa insurgency. It has at times been a city of great wealth as shown by architecture and numerous monasteries and pagodas, and its central lake. Today the town itself and its history are reason enough to visit, but its main attraction is as a jumping off point for treks to hilltribe villages in the surrounding mountains. During the course of a single day it is possible to reach traditional Wa, Akha, Akhu, Palaung, Kwe and Ang villages, and the areas thriving 5 day markets are a delight to explore.
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Rakhine State - Mrauk U and SittweRakhine State lies along the north coast of the Bay of Bengal near the border with Bangladesh. The ease of sea communications brought not only Buddhism, but also Islam and the Hindu faiths to long thin strip of coast. The Rakhine State is also exposed to the hill tribes to the north who’s animist beliefs have further enhanced the character of the coastal Rakhine people. It is clear too that the mixed origins of the Rakhine have made the world’s most beautiful people. The first Rakhine Kingdom was established in 146AD and numerous dynasties have ruled since in several capitals. The famous Mahamuni image was forged in the kingdom nearly 2,000 years ago. The last and greatest Rakhine capital lay at Mrauk U on the rocky plain intersected by ranges of low hills and numerous canals between the estuaries of the Laymyo and Kaladan Rivers, inland from the current coastal port of Sittwe. Mrauk U was ruled by powerful warlike kings who influence extended as far as the Ayeyarwaddy Delta in the east and India to the west. Like the kings of Bagan, they were enthusiastic builders and most of Mrauk U’s remaining temples were built in hewn stone during the 15th and 16th centuries. The style of the these temples is unlike the rest of Myanmar, and display a powerful character more like that of the magnificent temples of Angkor in Cambodia. This is because they were strongly built of stone which lends a sense of permanence, and because they served the dual purpose of religious homage and defense. To this day, beautiful stone sculptures fill the temple interiors, and candles brought by pilgrims lend a magical atmosphere to otherwise long dark passages. Villages of Mro, Khumi and Laythu peoples are all members of the Chin ethnic group and can be visited while travelling by boat on the Laymyo River just out of Mrauk U. The textiles of these people are both visually dynamic and technically well made. The current Rakhine capital of Sittwe was founded on an island off the Kaladan River estuary, by General Morisson in 1826 at the close of the 1st Anglo-Myanmar War. It is now a thriving seaport and the town’s untidy harbour is always busy with the coming and going of fishing boats, and barges hauling in the harvest from the estuary.
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Kachin State - Myitkyina and PutaoThe Kachin tribes make up part of Myanmar’s Tibeto-Myanmar groups. They are mountain peoples and natural shifting cultivators, so when pressured to leave the Tibetan plateau preferred to travel along mountain ridges rather than along river valleys. Thus they entered their current homeland via the rugged mountains of northern Kachin State. Some, on migrating into the May Kha valley not more than 4 centuries ago from eastern Tibet, found a fertile floodplain with rich soils surrounded by lush forested mountains, and saw no reason to leave. Others entered the mountains and to this day can be found living peacefully in high passes amongst snow capped peaks. Myitkyina is the capital of Kachin State, and lies on a rich floodplain of the Ayeyarwaddy River, and just south of the confluence of the May Kha and Mali Kha rivers. It is remote and isolated but also one of Myanmar’s most cosmopolitan of cities – inhabited by all the peoples of the land, Chinese from across the border and all the remnants of the colonial forces – Gurkhas, Indians and until recently a few elder English gentlemen. The highest peak in the country, Mount Khakaborazi (5,880 meter) lies 112 km and 25 days walk north of Putao – a little town built in 1918 which was called Fort Hertz during colonial times after its founder. It is the nearest town to the rugged and snow capped mountain ranges of northern Kachin State, and Myanmar most furthest north. Its people are wild and like most rural folk, extremely friendly. The mountains are famous among naturalists and climbers, and new species of mammal continue to be discovered here. High forested paths, crystal clear streams and rattan suspension bridges, fresh cool air and the innocent and simple lives of the mountain people, all make ones feel the stunning beauty of one of Asia’s last great forest wilderness. Kachin is a general term for a people embracing the Gyingphaw, Lisu, Lashi, Maru, Atsi, and Rawan tribes. Their lives are full of myths and most are animist. Lisu are born hunters and Rawan cultivate steep mountain slopes. Gyingphaw are the dominant group among them and grow paddy in the river valleys. Although parts of them have converted to Christianity all still hold onto animist beliefs, and a traditional festival called Manaw. During the Manaw Festival colorful wooden spirits pillars are erected (like may-poles) for girls and boys dance around, and rice-toddy is served from big bamboo jars. A buffalo or two is sacrificed during the festival to appease the spirits, and as food for merry-makers.
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Alaung Daw Kattapa National ParkWhen Marco Polo visited Myanmar in the 13th century, he wrote not just of glittering pagodas, but also of ‘vast jungles teeming with elephants, unicorns and other wild beasts’. Today large areas of pristine wilderness do remain in Myanmar even with former tiger and elephant populations severely reduced, but they are difficult to visit. Insurgent tribes, no infrastructure and a general lack of understanding amongst the current authorities being the principle reasons. The one national park that is accessible from Mandalay and Bagan and with basic amenities for tourism is Alaung Daw Kattapa National Park. It lies just 4 hours drive west of Mandalay in a range of mountains in Sagaing Division near the border with Bangladesh. The area of the park is just 1,605 square kilometers, but it is mountainous and thickly forested and home to tiger (just a handful today), elephant (including the famous matriarch Silver Moon), leopard, gaur, sambar, wild pig, banteng, muntjak, clouded leopard, Himalayan sunbears, black giant squirrels plus numerous monkeys, gibbons and other animals and birds. In a single walk one can see 3 species of trongo and 5 of barbet and many others depending on the time of year. Access over the last 20 kilometers is by elephant, and the accommodation basic forest houses. Walks in the deeply forested mountains are done direct from the base camp either by elephant or on foot, and returning each night for dinner and overnight. There is no road access to the centre of the park. Also contained with the park lies an important Buddhist shrine from whence the park derives its name. This shrine to a saintly figure called Kattapa sees up to 30,000 pilgrims a year.
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Ngwesaung BeachAt the edge of the Rakhine mountain range, the Ngwe Saung beach and its drowsy fishing village has been lying by the Bay of Bengal graciously and quietly for centuries. It lies just a 5 hours drive west of Yangon through the maze of streams and creeks in the healthy paddy field carpet. The villagers of the Ngwe Saung beach had never expected to have luxury bungalows besides their rustic huts, as they had never dreamed of running a restaurant or a souvenir shop. In the same way, no tourists have ever suspected the existence of this hidden paradise. However, very recently the modern hotels with fully amenities, but which blend into the nature, have appeared along the beach, just beside the village. The villagers have rapidly opened very simple but clean, fresh, delicious and friendly seafood restaurants. Swaying coconut palms offer the village a thick blanket of green. The silver sand bank stretches out for miles with mountain range as backdrop. Brilliant sunshine glazes the swelling surface of the sea while the sea and the sky compete in their beauty of crystal blue. The white crested waves run back and forth as if greeting and welcoming all visitors. A melodious fresh breeze caresses everything it passes by. The swallows fly round and round to hunt their prey by singing while the sparrows twitter and titter. Hundreds of reddish crabs run in a flurry while the hermit crabs leave their tracks on the wet sand bank of the beach. |
Alaung Daw Kattapa Elephant