Indo Trip 2016

Well left Pyay yesterday evening at 7 pm for another slow bus to Mandalay,distance around 260km time 9.5 hours with very little sleep on the bus I grabbed a taxi to to new bed for the next 3 nights the "Hotel 8" in down town Mandalay,got there about 5am and thinking there is no way they are going to let me check in this early it like 9 hours early but not a problem and room upgrade to boot not bad for for $25 a night I reckon.

So grabbed some sleep and back about 1030 and starving so checked it TripAdvisor and found a place near Mandalay Hill which is one the spots I wanted to visit so grabbed a taxi of to lunch I went.

So after lunch asked the cafe bloke to order my me another taxi and was asked what and where I planning to do and next thing I got a taxi lined up for the afternoon to take me sightseeing with a driver that speak English ,we'll sort of bit best of the drivers so far and cost $20, so me and my new mate Bo Bo,yes like the bear went and visited the Mandalay Hill which has sweeping views and another Padgoda,the monsoon has been quite vigorous of late which means there has been some localised flooding after that it was off to the Royal Palace which is walled and is where the military love but has a reconstruction of the Royal palace

Well me and Bo Bo are off exploring again tomorrow and I am about to do some on my own and find a beer,temperature is about 34 but the humidity is still up in the high 80's so it feels 44

Well there must be lots of chickens around as there were more for breakfast which okay cause it is good way to start the day off-toast,eggs,fried tomatoes and some weird pork sausages very sweet but nice

Rained all last nite and didn't let up till around 10am but is the monsoon season so I guess that is to be expected,which was when I was picked up by my taxi,a little 125cc scooter and the local bloke (very little English)who was to be my guide and show me the local sites insisted I was the passenger and I was to wear a helmet ,which was cool travel insurance box ticked,for what ever reason there are no cars as taxis some trucks but if in Rome .....

First stop was a world heritage site just outside town which dates back to 500bc to around 750ad and has been excavated at various time was quite interesting and is a large site so took a couple hours to get around even on the scooter and here I am thinking that I had to around it!!

Then lunch at new place which looked pretty flash pepper steak,some noddles and a drink $4:50 got to be happy with that,then into town to look at another Padgoda this being larger than the one in Yangon and is quite prestigious apparently

Then it was back to the digs around 2:00pm and just before the rain started again,so dodged another soggy experience,well I am off to Mandalay tomorrow but the bus service is an overnight service so probably won't blog any thing tomorrow,now just need to sort some cheap digs in Mandalay for for a few days

Well after another hearty breakfast I had to catch a taxi to the bus station to get the VIP express bus to Pyay about 250km whichever leaving 1030 am and it did so that's a good start some 6.5 hours we arrive in Pyay!! The normal bus cost $5.50 but I paid $7.50 hate to think how long the cheaper bus takes,but the bus had A/C and was very comfortable but as was wet and stormy most of the way travelling today was okay

The view of the land was interesting once out of Yangon,the city turned to rice paddys and small towns ,pulled up about half way for a toilet/food break it was interesting to note that some villages we impeccably clean with know rubbish whilst others were the complete opposite, likewise with buildings the large majority were thatched or timber with corrugated roofs but the were quite a few new buildings like in the photo ,so somebody is making money.

All in all a easy day on the bus listening to its air horns which were blown constantly to warn motor scooters/pedestrians/animals just about anything it caught upto got a blast to get out the way,seriously I reckon out of the 6.5 hours we we on the road the horn was going for 2 of them

Well it was a pretty easygoing day,after a breakfast of fruit,toast and eggs plus a few coffees at Wai Wais B&B it was time organise transport and accommodation at my next destination

Which is Pyay about 250 km from Yangon and that was the morning done transport easy took about 5 minutes with the host of the B&B organising everything including a transfer to the bus station,finding accommodation at a reasonable price proved much harder so after fighting with Google for a few hours had success and am booked into a new hotel I think called Polestar no reviews to be found anywhere so will what happens, what could go wrong!!

So with travel and a bed I think sorted I grabbed a taxi to the train station and spent 20 cents to go around Yangon on the circular train which takes about 3.5 hours and is used by the locals,it open you eyes to the poverty that still exists along with astounding amounts of rubbish,so didn't take any pictures didn't feel right ,but was worth doing to realise how well off most Australians are
Photo of looking up the street from balcony of Wai Wais and the overpass at the train station

Well after a wet night the rain and storms have continued for most of the day but still got the chance to do some sight seeing,my accommodation organised a local taxi for day to drive me around for $50 compared to an organised tour who wanted to charge me $150 and I reckon I got to see more as there was only me and not a group to slow everything down but on the downside the driver could only speak about 2 words of English but not to worry just lots of sign language between both of us and pointing at the map !!

Mainly visited lots of Buddhist Padgodas all with intricate wood carving and decorated in gold,saw more gold to day than I have ever seen before also visited the National Musem which was okay but it was really raining then so it was a good choice to hide !! The Declining Buddha was pretty cool
Along with people's park with the view upto the Padgoda ,well once again it has come time to venture out and find some tea of all things there is wood fired pizza just around the corner which will suit me fine after a few cheap Myanmar Lagers