We are in Vietnam and we finally got a super internet connection so have a look to our new video about our stay in Khao Lak and the Similans Islands, Southern Thailand. Do not forget to see it in high quality: 720p!
Perhaps, the best part was when we reached Inle Lake. We arrived in the South and had to reach the north. So we took a long tail boat and crossed the Lake from South to North. It gave us the possibility to discover the fishermen and their famous paddling technic using only one leg. It was another magic moment. We spent a night only on the shores of the lake but one could have easily stayed another night and spent more time visiting the surroundings. However, we had to be back to Yangon for our last day. There, we visited the Shwedagon Pagoda, a very impressive golden pagoda. Certainly the major landmark in Yangon. It was good way to end up our stay in Myanmar. After two weeks in this amazing country, we were ready to fly back to Thailand. We will remember Myanmar forever. People were so nice, their smiles were so beautiful, it's so beautiful, it's so hard to describe with words... We only hope this country will never change and remains as authentic as possible. As it stands, it is magical period. After such a great time, we made our way to Kalaw, a tiny village not to far away from Inle Lake. From there, we arranged a 3 day trek and we made sure that this trek would take us outside the beaten path as we didn't want to spend our days with other tourists. And we did well! Overall, we hiked 60 kilometers, had lunch in a monastery, slept at two local's houses, directly on the floor, visited a small countryside market, etc. it was a very good time in our journey in Myanmar. Bagan, that was to be the highlight of our trip and it certainly didn't disappoint. What a magical moment indeed! Upon arrival, we checked in early and slept a few hours... After a quick breakfast, we were ready to rent bicycles and visit the place. Bagan is not that big but the sand paths make it difficult to visit, especially during the warmest hours when it is literally burning hot! Anyway. We had a fantastic time visiting many pagodas and temples. But the best time of the show was definitely the sunset. We went to the most popular pagoda, making sure to arrive early enough to secure the best spot from where we would enjoy the sunset show. We took so many pictures.... So worth it! Fantastic! We were tired after the horrible night in the bus, but this sunset motivated us to wake up very early the day after to enjoy the sunrise... So we took our bikes at 5:30 and after 45 minutes, we reached our favorite pagoda. Many people were already there waiting... And for a good reason! The sunrise was even more magical than the sunrise. Bagan is simply fantastic and definitely worth a trip from Europe!!! Starring at the temples with the hot air balloons taking off in the background, on the skyline, this can hardly be described and pictures certainly promote it best. Bagan is a must-do in everyone's life! In Mandalay, we used the services of a taxi driver who would spend the whole day with us showing us around, to the major landmarks of the region. It was an opportunity to discover the "lunch ceremonial" in a monastery with hundreds of monks. Then we visited the three former royal cities located outside Mandalay (NAMES) and we ended up our day staring at the famous U-Bein bridge during sunset. What a moment! Despite the crowds, it was a very pleasant end to our busy day. However, we were a bit "annoyed" by the number of tourists everywhere we went to. If one had any doubts, tourism is definitely exploding in Myanmar and the country will certainly change over the next few years, quickly adapting to our modern world. It was already impossible to imagine that the country was just done with one of the worst dictatorships in the world. |