TRAVEL SCRAPBOOK
On a country road, I make my way past vast rice paddies that extend all the way to the horizon. Except for a few thatched-roof huts under the shade of a Mon-style golden pagoda, there is nothing else to interrupt the stunning view. It is close to harvest season and the fields are turning gold. Such impressive scenery reminds me of the word "Suvannabhumi", the golden land in Southeast Asia mentioned in records more than 2,500 years ago.
I am joining a group from Thailand to explore Myanmar by car. The self-drive journey crosses the border at Mae Sot in Tak province, and enters Myanmar at Myawaddy, a small town situated on the other side.
Myanmar allows foreigners to drive their own vehicles into the country, although it is not easy to get permission. Motorists need to hand in documents and make solid travel plans in advance. However, the effort is worthwhile as it allows us to escape from the conventional tour programme.
We can spend more time taking pictures of local people at work, having tea breaks with local roti, or shopping like crazy without worrying about transportation timing.
From Myawaddy, our group travels along a winding mountain road to a town called Kyaikto to pay homage to one of the most sacred places in Myanmar.
Situated on top of Mt Kyaiktiyo, the Kyaiktiyo Pagoda, also known as Golden Rock, is a well-known Buddhist pilgrimage site in Mon state. A small pagoda sits on the top of a huge granite boulder balancing on a cliff. According to legend, the pagoda stands on a strand of Lord Buddha's hair.
From the lush land in Mon, the group travels north to Shan state, which is situated on a plateau, and spends a peaceful night by the charming Inle Lake. Though it is not big, Inle Lake is attractive and features the unique Intha people whose houses are built on the water. Most Intha are fishermen and farmers, and the fishermen are known for their distinctive rowing style, which involves standing on one leg at the stern of the boat and wrapping their other leg around the oar. Standing provides them with a view beyond the reeds that block their sight when sitting down.
From Inle Lake, the convoy heads further north via the dry arid land to witness the greatness of Nay Pyi Taw, the new capital of Myanmar. The city has a spacious layout with eight-lane roads, which increase to 16 in front of the parliament buildings. New housing developments are mushrooming around the city.
Visitors to Nay Pyi Taw should not miss the gigantic Uppatasanti Pagoda, which is a similar shape and size to Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon. At its base is a pavilion that houses the special "white elephants". Although those who don't get to see the elephants may assume they have snow-white skin, it is more a reddish brown.
From the new capital, the group continues northwards on the excellent expressway to the old capital Mandalay, which remains charming with its heritage of art and culture. Driving in Mandalay is simple because the city has a grid layout, making it easy to navigate. An impressive place to visit is Mandalay Palace, situated inside a walled fort surrounded by a wide moat.
Although it was destroyed during World War II by allied bombing, the palace was rebuilt from the old plans to mirror the glory days of the Burmese monarchy, and it largely follows the traditional design.
At Mahamuni Buddha Temple we pay respects to the most sacred Buddha image in Myanmar, before heading to witness the stunning scenery of the pagodas of Bagan.
With our own vehicles, it is easy to get around to admire the remarkable ancient architecture and seek out good photo opportunities among the structures that scatter the vast plains.
Eventually, having taken it all in, we get back on the expressway and head back to Yangon, some 650km away. After visiting significant pagodas and temples there, we scoot out to see the Mon heritage in Bago. One of the most sacred places in town is the Shwemawdaw Pagoda, which holds the record for the tallest in the country. Towering at about 112.5m tall, the pagoda, which was built to house Lord Buddha's hair relics, can be dated back to the 10th century. It was destroyed several times due to earthquakes, and rubble from the destroyed versions remains at the site.
From Bago, we travel via Highway 8, passing lush landscape and crossing the vast Salween River to Mawlamyine. Serving as the demarcation line between Myanmar and Thailand at Mae Hong Son province, Salween seems just a small river, but by the time it reaches Mawlamyine, it is about 2km wide.
Mawlamyine itself is a picturesque port city. It was the first capital of British Burma during 1826-1852, and the city is a cultural melting pot where Buddhism, Christianity from Britain, Hindu culture from India and Mon culture meet.
We leave the beautiful town and get on Highway 8 again, heading back to Myawaddy, across the border and back into Thailand. The total distance of the entire journey was 2,700km.
No private cars are allowed to drive up Mt Khyaikhtiyo, except the shuttle trucks. Pilgrims ride these shuttles to the peak and pay homage to the sacred pagoda.
With the strong belief that the Mahamuni Buddha image, one of the most sacred items in Myanmar, is alive, a daily face-cleaning ritual is held at 4am, which attracts hundreds of pilgrims. Weighing 6.5 tons, gold leaf is applied to the bronze Buddha by hundreds of male devotees every day and consequently, the coating may be as thick as 15cm.
The road from Myawaddy to Kawkareik, on the way into Myanmar from Thailand, is a very narrow dirt affair snaking around the edge of a cliff — too dangerous for two-way traffic. The authority controlling this road allows traffic into Kawkareik one day, and outbound traffic the next. When fighting between the government and ethnic groups occur, the road is closed and it causes chaos.
A bridge spans the Salween River, which is around 2km wide, dividing Mottama and Mawlamyine. Mawlamyine is the fourthlargest city in Myanmar with a population of about 326,000. The city is approximately 150km from Mae Sot.
A tourist bus makes its way through the fields of pagodas in Bagan. During the kingdom's height between the 11th and 13th centuries, over 10,000 Buddhist temples, pagodas and monasteries were constructed in the plains. After the large earthquake in 1975, just 2,217 pagodas remain.
Nay Pyi Taw is the country's capital city. It is also famed for its spacious roads, so after driving along narrow roads for days, you may be overwhelmed when driving in this city — some roads have 16 lanes.
Most roads in Myanmar are rural winding roads, however, now the country has an excellent expressway linking Yangon and Mandalay. Completed in 2010, the expressway is about 700km long with a speed limit of 100kph.
TRAVEL INFO
- Foreign motorists who want to drive into Myanmar are required to hand documents to the Ministry of Hotels Tourism around one month in advance.
The required documents include two passport-size pictures of driver, a copy of the car's international transport permit, the driver's passport, any tourist visas needed, and details of two-way radios to be used between cars during the journey.
The fee is US$50 per car. The vehicle will get temporary registration for use within Myanmar.
Driving in Myanmar is sometimes easier than in Bangkok. Though most roads are not as good as those in Thailand, now they are in better shape with less traffic, so it is quite easy to drive around. It does, however, take time to get permission for a self-drive journey. Arrangement via a travel agent is recommended.
- Nature Tree (02-377-5370/2) and GMS Rally (081-513-3913) provide self-drive trips to Myanmar and many other countries in Asia.
Share this article
About the author
Writer: Peerawat JariyasombatPosition: Travel Reporter
Bangkok Post online classifieds
Try buying selling goods and properties 24/7 in our classifieds which has high purchasing power local expatriate audience from within Thailand and around the world.
Article source: http://www.thethailandlinks.com/2013/05/30/on-the-road-in-myanmar-5/
0 comments:
Post a Comment