Myanmar – Mandalay, 16 – 18 December 2017

Posted on Monday, 18-December-2017 by Chris Desmond

Mandalay – second largest city in Myanmar after Yangon and the last capital of the country, population 1.2 million.

The train journey from Yangon to Mandalay was one of the highlights of my trip to Myanmar, literally a step back in time. Apparently nothing has changed since the days of the British Raj. The carriage rocks from side to side, bounces up and down while swaying, all at the same time hahaha, you actually get bounced completely off your seat and get airborne. How on earth it stayed on the tracks is beyond me. I took the day train for the view, there is a night sleeper train but that would be a waste of time because you would miss the view, not get a wink of sleep and would finish the journey bruised and battered from getting bounced out of your bunk :-). The seats are narrow with more than enough legroom and the carriage was half empty. The travel agent booked my ticket which cost $10. We departed at 0600 on the dot and arrived at 2120, journey tine of 15:20 hours, distance 650km, average speed 40-50 kph. The train stops frequently and there is a constant stream of hawkers parading through the train, selling food, snacks, beer, water, etc. The noise is deafening with the rattling, banging, clattering of the carriage combined with hawkers shouting and most of the windows open letting in noise and dust. My ticket got checked 4 times, every time a new conductor got on the train I think, so keep it handy.

First stop today was a hand loom workshop, next to the Mahagandhayon Monastery which has 1400 monks, they parade along the street in the morning with bowls and tourists who are lined up on either side of the street put food and gifts into them. Next drove to the U Bein Bridge, a very long footbridge across the river, walked across it and back, lots of people out and about it being Sunday the one holiday of the week. Next to a wood carving workshop and then to a place that makes gold leaf the old fashioned way by beating it with a hammer. Lunch at a restaurant that stunk of cat pee really bad, did not want to upset anyone so sat down hoping I would get used to the smell, ordered Pork Mango Pickle and it only had one piece of meat the rest was fat, never order pork in an Asian country unless you like pork fat. After lunch was an unscheduled surprise we went to a Wedding reception, the drivers friends son/daughter. Next to the Palace, here you have to buy a 10,000 kyat Mandalay Zone Pass which gives you access to 5 sites. Wandered around the palace, the grounds are huge with a wall and moat around them, the military has barracks inside. Next to the Shwenandaw Kyaung Temple carved out of wood then the Kuthodaw Pagoda which has 700 something smaller pagodas around it.   Last stop for the day was sunset from the top of Mandalay Hill, parked and then an escalator to the top 1000 kyat fee, lots of Buddha’s, mirrors and lights, waited for an hour until sunset, many foreign tourists. You have to wait for the escalator to reverse direction to get back down.

Day 2 in Mandalay I was woken at 0500 by the Muslim call to prayer so there must be a mosque in the area, this place has a Muslim population of various ethnicities. The day started with a drive to Mingun across the Irrawaddy river. There is a 5000 kyat zone fee, they gave me a sticker and a map but no ticket did not think of this until later, capitalism at work. First stop a huge brick monolith Pa Hto Taw Gyi, walked around it then kept going to Molmi Paya an abandoned Pagoda, next the Mingun Bell, after that another Pagoda and then the White Pagoda. This is a tourist area both local and foreign. Street lined with shops and stray dogs. With the new Government of Aung Sun See schools are now free, seatbelts are compulsory and many roads have been resurfaced. From Mingun we drove to Sagaing where there are a number of Monasteries, Meditation Centres, Pagodas and a convent or two. Pink robes everywhere, that’s what the nuns wear, looked fairly young but hard to even tell their gender with shaven heads. Drove to the top of the hill, a pagoda with a view and a pagoda built by the Japanese. Next stop the river for lunch at a local restaurant very good. After that I took a 5 minute ferry across the river to Inwa or Ava, about 50 “Horse Carts” as they call them waiting to take the tourists for a ride at 10,000 each, I declined and walked on. Small villages, very primitive, still using bullock carts and making everything by hand including cloth and houses with walls and doors made of palm leaves. Ruined pagodas, Museum closed, walked through the fields using Maps Me to navigate, back to the boat after 5.5km and 1.5 hrs.

 

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Myanmar – Yangon, 13 – 15 December 2017

Posted on Friday, 15-December-2017 by Chris Desmond

Dhaka to Yangon on Biman Air the Bangladesh Airline, short (1:50hrs) and expensive flight, there are very few options on this route. I got an Uber to Dhaka Airport, traffic was the usual chaos, a policeman offered to bypass the queue at the Airport Entrance for a fee, I declined. Chris Gayle after successfully winning the Premier league cricket final the previous day was also on his way out of the country.

Yangon formerly Rangoon, population 7 million was the old capital of Myanmar formerly Burma.

Landing in Yangon from Dhaka was like arriving on another planet, clean and traffic actually staying in lanes and they drive on the right unlike the surrounding countries which all drive on the left. Apparently this change from left to right happened overnight in 1970 due to the whim of the reigning dictator but most of the cars and busses still have the steering wheel on the right and many of the road signs have not changed either hahaha.

I booked a car and driver (no guide) for 2 days in each of the cities I visited Yangon, Mandalay and Bagan in advance through a travel agency (Hue Nguyen, https://myanmartravel.com/). They also booked my train ticket from Yangon to Mandalay and bus ticket from Bagan to Yangon.

First thing I did was get an MPT SIM card costs 1500 kyat ($1.50) and 2GB Data for 30 days 2999 kyat ($3), you have to give them a copy of your passport photo page. It started working straight away 4G and fast, amazing. Sightseeing for the day was Sule Pagoda, Independence Monument, High Court and the City Hall, Botahtaung Pagoda, Bogyoke Market, Shwedagon Pagoda, National Museum, St.Mary’s Cathedral, very big lying down  Buddha Paya Chaukhtatgyi Temple and huge sitting Buddha Ngahtatgyi Temple. This is the only country I have been to where you have to not only take your shoes off when entering a religious site but also your socks, a real nuisance.

Bago is a town 91 km north east of Yangon and it has the distinction of having the tallest pagoda in Myanmar, on the way is the Taukkyan War Cemetery, the most visited cemetery in Asia, mainly Indian and English soldiers. At the first site you visit in Bago you will be sold a ticket for 10,000 kyat which gives you access to a number of other places.

 

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Bangladesh – Dhaka, Sundarbans, 06 – 12 December 2017

Posted on Wednesday, 13-December-2017 by Chris Desmond

Bangladesh – has a complicated history, once a part of British India it next became East Pakistan, until it gained independence in 1971 and became Bangladesh. Predominantly Muslim with about 10% Hindu, Bangla is the national language and they have their own numerals. They are passionate about their culture and language and in 1952 when the Government in West Pakistan tried to impose Urdu on them as the National language there was a protest and a massacre by the police. Finally in 1956 Bengali or Bangla was granted official status and the day of the massacre 21 February 1952 was declared International Mother Language Day by UNESCO.

I flew from Paro, Bhutan to Dhaka. Visa on arrival was simple and quick, fill in a form, pay US$51 in cash and you are through. The Immigration Officer actually called my Tour Agency to check up on me because I could not give them a Hotel name, my first night was spent on a boat. So make sure you have the phone number and address of your hotel.

I was picked up from the airport by my guide from Bangladesh Expeditions. I booked a private tour because that is the only way you get to visit the Sundarbans. First day was a tour of Dhaka, it was like stepping back in time, cycle rickshaws rule the roads and due  to the narrow streets and congestion they are in most cases the quickest way to get around. Some of the rickshaws are battery powered. I bought a SIM card for 410 taka (US$5) with 200 taka credit of which 46 went towards 250Mb/7 days  for 3G Data, it started working immediately and the speed was reasonable.

At the end of the day we boarded the Rocket Steamer, an ancient boat which leaves Dhaka at 18:30, travels down river and arrives in Hularhat the following morning at 10:00. I met my companions for this part of the tour, Milu and Safiun, a retired Bangladeshi doctor who spent most of his life in the UK and partner and Ellie a young English girl who is now a professional travel blogger. Check out her website at https://soultravelblog.com/, it coincides with my travel philosophy and that of  Chief Seattle, a 19th century Native American Chief who famously said “take only memories, leave only footprints”. Conversations with them helped relieve the tedium of 3 days on the boat in the Sundarbans where for the most part we saw muddy riverbanks devoid of life.

Day 2 was a drive in a minivan from Hularhat Jetty to first a tomb and then the 60 dome mosque or Shaat Gombuj Mosque, wandered around, small museum and then on to Mongla for the night. Along the way we had to stop at a Police checkpoint where money changed hands and we were allowed to continue on, apparently you have to pay Baksheesh just to buy a 1st class ticket on the train or the Rocket steamer.

The next two nights were spent on a smaller boat following the river Pushkar and then the Sela towards the Bay of Bengal. It drizzled most of the time, we visited a couple of beaches and saw a few Kingfishers, Herron, Spotted deer and a single Otter and a Monkey. We were accompanied by a Guard with a rifle. After 3 days on the boat we returned to Mongla and drove to Khulna, from there I got a train back to Dhaka. The train left at 2030 and arrived in Dhaka the next morning 12 minutes late at 0642.

I met the third guide of the trip here Papon, he has his own Tour Agency and is a really nice guy http://www.pathfriend-bd.com/. We took a rickety old bus to Sonargon which was  the old Capital of this area, visited the Museum and Panam Nagar. Next onto the roof of a private boat at Boiddar Bazaar and travelled up the Meghna river for 3 hours. Off the boat at Gopaldi Bazaar and then a long rickshaw ride via Madhabdi where we stopped for lunch. Then on to Moktar where I spent the night at a homestay which happens to be the guide’s family home. A very interesting and enjoyable day.

Bangladesh is famous for its textile industry and I visited two factories today, one handloom and one with machines, watch the videos at the end. Next we visited my guide Papon’s old high school and Murapara College, another interesting day.

Bangladesh Textile Industry

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Bhutan – Thimpu, Punaka, Paro, 02 – 05 December 2017

Posted on Tuesday, 5-December-2017 by Chris Desmond

Bhutan – Population 800,000 was an absolute monarchy until 2008, it has never been colonised. The minimum fee for tourists that visit the country during peak season is US$250 per day and during off peak season US$200. This fee includes accommodation, food, car, driver and a guide. You have to book your tour and get your visa through an authorised travel agent. The only airlines that are allowed to fly into the country are Druk and Bhutan Airlines, both are significantly more expensive than other commercial airlines. As you would expect there are very few tourists. It is clean, the people are friendly and the views spectacular.

My marathon journey went from Perth to Kuala Lumpur to Dhaka to Paro by air. I was picked up from the airport and driven to Thimpu where I finally checked into my hotel after 19 hours of travel.

Thimpu – A big statue of Buddha, a Stupa, a Fortress and the National animal called Takin, which has the head of a goat and the body of a cow. No photographs allowed inside religious places. First day at 2,200 metres was breathless.

Punakha – From Thimpu we drove to Punakha passing the 108 Stupas then to Chimi Lhakhang Temple in honour of a crazy monk called the Divine madman who painted the town red wherever he went, his legacy being the Phallus symbol and after that the obligatory fortress.

Paro – From Punakha we drove back to Paro, after about 2 hours of driving the hotel I stayed at called to say they had put the wrong suitcase into our car’s boot, so we had to drive back to a meeting point and find a car going back and give them the wrong suitcase and then the hotel had to find a car coming our way to bring my suitcase to me. In the end it all worked out but until I got my suitcase that evening I was not too happy.

The main attraction at Punakha is the Tiger Monastery built into a cliff, I made it halfway before my tachycardia kicked in and I had to return. My knees thanked my heart as they were not looking forward to the hike hahaha.

 

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Israel, Acre, Haifa, Nazareth, Tiberias, 31 August – 06 September 2017

Posted on Thursday, 7-September-2017 by Chris Desmond

Bethlehem to Acre (Akko, Ako) is quite convoluted and requires multiple changes if you choose to make the whole journey by bus/train so I decided to take the easy way out. The easy way was to take a special taxi that is allowed to cross the border between Palestine and Israel without being stopped through a special border crossing, from my hotel directly to the Jerusalem train station. The taxi driver got very nervous when I took a picture of the border crossing from a distance saying that if I was seen they would delete all the pictures from my camera. Cost 120 shekels or US$34 for the 20 min journey. Ticket to Acre 50 shekels, with one change at Tel Aviv, left at 0915 and arrived in Acre at 1230, very easy and comfortable on the train. The train goes very slowly through the hills around Jerusalem and then speeds up for the last few kilometres to Tel Aviv, the rest of the journey is along the coast to Acre with views of the sea.

Walk to the Acre Promenade

The Citadel, this is quite a large complex which has been restored, you can buy a combined ticket to it and several other historic sites in Acre. Turkish Bath and Okashi Museum.

Treasures in the Fort Wall, Old Acre and a tunnel.

Haifa – The main attraction in this city is the Bahai Gardens which are very impressive, maintained by volunteers from around the world. The only way to see these gardens is on a free guided tour that starts at the top. You are allowed to take pictures from the bottom and then you take a bus to the top and join the tour walking down 700 steps to the half way point from where you exit the Gardens.

Nazareth – where Jesus grew up is mainly Arab and Christian.

Tiberias, very hot and humid. Sea of Galilee, where Jesus walked on water and performed many of his miracles.

Acre Prison, where Jewish and Arab rebels (freedom fighters) were held and executed by the British, now a museum.

 

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Israel, Bethlehem, 28 – 30 August 2017

Posted on Wednesday, 30-August-2017 by Chris Desmond

I travelled from Jerusalem to Bethlehem by bus. You have to take the 231 bus from the Damascus Gate Bus station or it is simpler to catch it at any of the stops along Hebron Road which is what I did. This is a Palestinian bus and runs 7 days a week, it is not one of the Sherut vans but a big modern bus. It follows a roundabout route to get around the wall and takes 40 min, cost 6.80 shekels, buy your ticket from the driver. Bethlehem is located in the West Bank which is administered by the Palestinian Authority and the people who live there have different passports to the people that live in Israel. They also cannot use Ben Gurion Airport, they have to travel to Amman in Jordan and fly out from there. Israeli’s that wish to enter the West Bank need a special permit, this is because of the risk of kidnapping, foreigners are free to travel to both regions. When you leave Israel for the West Bank you pass through a border check point but you do not have to stop, when coming back you have to go through a check similar to an Airport security check. The exception to this rule is if you hire a special taxi which has a separate checkpoint and does not always get stopped. I did this when returning from Bethlehem to Jerusalem and we drove straight through, because I had an early train to catch and did not want to have to change busses 3-4 times with a suitcase, cost 120 shekels.

Shepherds Field – where the angels gave the Shepherds the good news.

Milk Grotto – where Mary spilt some breast milk.

Church of the Nativity – where Jesus was born.

Rachel’s Tomb – mother of Joseph and Benjamin, revered by the Jews. The tomb is located right on the border on the Israeli side which means following a convoluted path and going through security to cross the border and get to the other side. Next I walked to the gate and was told that you can only enter in a vehicle, the guard very kindly flagged down a tour bus that was waiting and I jumped on board for the short ride through the security complex surrounding the tomb. The tomb as it was does not exist, it has been completely covered up for security reasons. Inside no photographs, crowded with Orthodox Jews swaying and praying, some quite loudly.

Jericho – this place is also in Palestine and I got a Sherut from the Bethlehem bus station direct to Jericho for 25 shekels. You get dropped off at the centre of the town and from there I walked to the cable car past the Zacchaeus tree. Cable car costs 60 shekels and takes you to the top of the Mount of Temptation where the devil tested Jesus. A monastery has been built along the cliff face and the stone where Jesus sat is inside.

 

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Israel, Jerusalem, 25 – 27 August 2017

Posted on Sunday, 27-August-2017 by Chris Desmond

I visited the Israel Museum, very good, unfortunately it closes at 2 pm (1400) hours on Friday due to the Sabbath. As a tourist this is very annoying and they are even stricter about Saturday opening hours in Jerusalem than Tel Aviv, nothing is open and no public transport either, some shops open at 9 pm (2100).

The City of David is an Archaelogical Park, basically ruins and some very long tunnels. Avoid the drainage tunnel, its about a kilometre long, uphill and slippery, if you are not claustrophobic at the beginning you will be by the time you get to the end. It is very narrow in parts, you have to turn sideways and low in parts where you have to bend to get through hahaha not for weight watchers.

 

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Israel, Masada, 24 August 2017

Posted on Thursday, 24-August-2017 by Chris Desmond

Masada – This is where the Jewish rebels made their last stand against the Roman army in 73 AD. When all was lost they all committed suicide, men, women and children rather than become Roman slaves.

I took a bus from Jerusalem, the bus leaves from the main bus station, either bus 444 express bus (1:15 hrs) or the 486 which is more frequent and stops to pick up passengers at Kibbutz’s along the way. I took the 486 which is more interesting and takes 1:45 hrs. Buy your ticket from the driver on the bus, its cheaper if you buy a return ticket and have a RAV KAV card. This route takes you through the West Bank and there are two IDF check points when you enter and when you leave.

When you get off the bus you feel an instant blast of heat but soon get used to it. There is a cable car and a walking path to the top. The path was closed due to the hot weather. Cable car return ticket is NIS 74. There are toilets and free water coolers at the top so you only need to bring a bottle. A spectacular location.

 

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Israel, Jerusalem, 21 – 23 August 2017

Posted on Wednesday, 23-August-2017 by Chris Desmond

Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the 405 bus leaves from the Central Bus Station every 20 minutes and takes about an hour to get to the Central Bus Station in Jerusalem. It leaves from the 6th floor of the Bus station, Gate 607, you buy your ticket from the driver, cost NIS 16. A soldier loads your luggage onto the bus and sits in the front for the whole journey. I have discovered its worth getting a RAV KAV card when you first enter Israel, it costs NIS 5 for the card and you can buy it from the bus driver, then you load various rides onto it as required, the bus driver will do this for you. If you load more than a single ride, for example a return ticket to another city or multiple city rides which cost NIS 5.90 each you get a discount. I loaded NIS 50 of local rides (5.90) and was credited with NIS 62.50 on my card. When going to Masada I bought a return ticket from the bus driver, paid cash which was loaded onto my card and instead of paying NIS 37.50 each way, I only paid NIS 30, so definitely worth getting.

Essential Apps

Moovit for Busses

Israel Railways for Trains

Gett for Taxis

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Jerusalem – the largest city in Israel, known by the locals as the “Holy City”, population 850,000, of which 200,000 are secular Jews, 350,000 Ultra-Orthodox Jews and 300,000 Palestinians. The Ultra-Orthodox Jews; men wear long black coats and black hats even in the 40c heat and the women are the baby factories of Israel hahaha. You could be forgiven for thinking this is the 51st state because all you hear are American accents, visitors and immigrants. Many of the locals do not speak English and the script is Hebrew which makes reading menus and signs impossible if there is no English version. The Old City which has existed since 2400 BC is packed with religious tourists of all denominations.

Church of the Holy Sepulchre – the site of the cross where Jesus was crucified.

The Western Wall

The Old City, Muslim Quarter

The Garden Tomb – where Jesus was buried

Jerusalem, outside the Old City

 

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Israel, Tel Aviv, 16 – 20 August 2017

Posted on Sunday, 20-August-2017 by Chris Desmond

I travelled from Hastings to Gatwick by train, there is a train station integrated into Gatwick making it very easy to move from one to another with your luggage. Gatwick to Riga and Riga to Tel Aviv on Air Baltic. This is one of those airlines that charges extra for everything 35 euro for a 20 kg suitcase, 12 euro for a meal and there is no entertainment system at all but there was plenty of legroom. At Tel Aviv immigration they did not stamp my passport but gave me a small card as a 3 month visa, it has to be carried with your passport and shown when you leave the country. There are a few ATM’s at the airport and you will need cash to buy your train or bus ticket. Do not buy a SIM card here, they are 3 times the price of an identical one you get in the city. There is a train station in the airport and the fare into the city is 13.50 shekels, all the machines speak English.

Tel Aviv – second largest city in Israel with a population of 435,000. It is a mix of Middle east and western cultures, some parts of the city are old and some new and modern. Jaffa is the original city and the Arab area, it is now part of Tel Aviv. The best part is the stretch of coast from the old Tel Aviv port area to Jaffa, a distance of about 5 km which has been developed with boardwalks, beaches and parks. The first shock you get is when you see the prices on a menu, this is an expensive city on par with or more expensive than most European cities. The sabbath starts at sundown on Friday and ends at sundown on Saturday, everything is closed including public transport, no trains or busses. SIM cards are quite reasonable NIS 100 on the “019” network for unlimited calls and SMS and 9 GB data, it started working immediately. 10 shekels is approximately $3.

 

 

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