Golden Rock

Friday 11 February: Mr Tun Tun is true to his word and I change pick-ups twice before reaching Kinpun, each driver paying the next one my fare (the total for the 4-hour trip is 4,000 kyats, about fifty-pence). Sea Sar Guesthouse is hunky-dory and I book-in, have lunch and jump on the back of a tipper-truck (79th mode of transport) laden with excited pilgrims for the steep ride up to Golden Rock, the Burmese Buddhist's 'Mecca'. From the truck stop it's a half-hours uphill walk to the summit. The rich and infirm are carried some of the up in sedan chairs. The devout and the fit walk - it's a great walk. Golden Rock balances precariously on a rocky outcrop and is believed to be held in place by a single strand of Buddha's hair that stops it tumbling down into the valley below. It's highly revered and only men can approach it.
Saturday 12: I've heard that elections are being held so feel less guilty taking a pick-up truck to Kyaikhto's little train station for an upper-class seat on express train 36 to Yangon's ornate central station.
Golden Rock photos.

Bago

Thursday 10 February: Staying at the Emperor Hotel I aim to avoid government fees by taking Mr Tun Tun's motorcycle tour of the town's sights and, with his son is driving, we set off early before the ticket offices open. Most of Bago's Buddhist buildings are new, large and well loved. Kyaikpun Pagoda is a huge square pillar with four back-to-back sitting Buddhas towering above you. At Shwethayaung Pagoda a massive reclining Buddha, with 10ft long fingers, rests on a pillow of jewels. Here we meet up with Mr Tun Tun for breakfast (he's checking I'm happy with his son's tour) then we stroll around a placid pond to a new reclining Buddha. The small birds perching on his neck are dwarfed by his very serene face and massive ears.

Whitewashed Mahazedi Paya has an unusual feature, a tunnel flanked with golden Buddhas runs around the outside wall. From here it's a long ride north-east to see monk's at lunch - we are late so just catch them leaving the dining hall - an old one stops for a brief chat and to wish me well. Nearby is Snake Monastery where a large well-fed anaconda, believed to be the reincarnation of a famous monk, is lavished by 1,000 kyat note donations. We break for lunch.

Late in the afternoon Mr Tun Tun's son picks me up at the hotel to see the town's crowning jewel - Shwemawdaw Pagoda. It's taller than the one in Yangon and only slightly less impressive - glittering gold about to be protected from the sun by a basket-weave of wooden scaffolding wrapped in a swathe of orange cloth.

Back at the hotel I pay Mr Tun Tun US$10 (exactly the price of the government fees I've avoided) which he gives to his son (I'm only his second tourist pillion rider and his eyes gleam). They will meet me tomorrow morning, buy me breakfast and hail me, at local prices, a pick-up truck to Kinpun, Kyaikhto and Golden Rock. Nice man.

Photos of Bago.

Bagan

Sunday 6 February: A pony-and-trap ride from the boat jetty takes me to May Kha Lar guesthouse in the centre of the bustling town of Ngaung U, where most independent travellers hang their backpacks. The US$10 government entrance fee to the temple area is unavoidable here as it's collected at hotel registration. Your glossy Bagan Archaeological Zone pass is then issued, but never subsequently checked.
Monday 7: Hiring a bike I take the 2-mile ride to the main temple sites at Old Bagan. Despite the military junta ignoring original architectural styles and haphazardly restoring buildings using modern materials the temple fields at Bagan are just wonderful. Ananda Phaya is splendid with an elegant golden stupa and four standing Buddhas with fingers in a circle (similar to the okay sign), the posture of imparting fearlessness. The older stumpier Thatbyinnya Phaya is next, where hawkers sell their wares of fine artwork and local laquerware. Bupaya's small single stupa, on the river bank, is said to be the oldest but now looks new, completely restored military junta fashion.
Cycling a mile or so further south I reach Manuhar Paya with statues of bell carrying monks and a wonderfully oversized reclining Buddha cramped in a small hall. Back towards Old Bagan is the tall Shwe San Taw Paya with great views across the temple fields, there are thousands of stupas and structures.
At lunch I meet up again with Sharon and Alex, an Irish-Italian couple (who I sailed down the Irrawaddy with yesterday) and we spend the afternoon cycling, mostly on dirt roads, to some of the more remote sites - Dhammayangyi Paya is the largest with delightful twin Buddhas, fingertips touching the ground the in the posture of linking with earth or calling the earth to witness - Sulamani Guphaya is next inside gated walls, then Thabeik Hmauk where we climb to the upper terraces relaxing for a spell amid the templescape. As the stupa shadows grow tall I head back in the dim light of dusk leaving Alex and Sharon to enjoy the sunset.
Tuesday 8: Guarded by white lions Shwezigon Paya, in Nyuang U, is a glimmering golden stupa-topped pyrimid, a wonderful working monastery of red-robed monks and pink-gowned nuns. After lunch I take a pony-and-trap, out of town, to Htilominlo Guphaya-gyi on the main road then walk through fields to Bu-le-thi to catch the sunset.
Wednesday 9: Overnight bus south, to Yangon, then north again for a couple of hours to Bago.
Photos of Bagan.

Pyin U Lwin (Maymyo)

Thursday 3 February: From Mandalay I'm heading north on a shared pick-up truck to the old British hill station of Maymyo (now called Pyin U Lwin). The town's Purcell Tower was a gift from Queen Victoria and the clock chimes are said to match those of London's Big Ben. I wander to the outscirts of town to see the stately colonial mansion of the Candacraig Hotel, made famous in Paul Theroux's Great Railway Bazaar, but at US$36 a night it's slightly over my budget. Walking back to town I climb the six-storey Pagoda of Chan Tak Buddhist temple with views down to the temple's ornate gardens.
In the evening, after a few glasses of strawberry wine, I have a fitfull sleep, the Purcell Tower's chimes, just opposite my bedroom window, do match Big Ben's in frequency if, not quite, in volume.
Friday 4: Pick-up truck to Mandalay, local bus to overnight at Monya with sunset the river.
Saturday 5: Bus to overnight at Pakokku for downstream ferry to the temples of Bagan.
Photos of Pyin U Lwin.

Saging Hill and U Bein's Bridge

Wednesday 2 February: Hiring a bike in Mandalay I peddle south to for a couple of hours and across the the old British bridge to Saging Hill for great, if hazy, views back over the Irrawaddy river and surrounding plains. On the way back through pretty countryside I take a detour to U Bein's Bridge, the longest teak bridge in the world. It's lovely to stroll across above the lake and engoy the slow pase of rural and monastic life.
Pictures of Saging Hill and U Bein's Bridge.

Mandalay

Monday 31 January: The brown dust of the country roads is replaced by the exhaust fumes that hang over the city. In just one day the colour of my shirt collar matches my snot - black. The old walled and moated Royal Palace is spectacular with Mandalay Hill and the foremost temples at it's northeast corner. It takes me an hour to walk around the palace and another half-hour for the barefoot climb to the top of the hill. Two large lions guard the entrance to the hill and the shaded ascent has pleasant resting places and good view across the temples, palace and hazy city rooftops.
Tuesday 1 February: A long morning stroll south takes me to In Bin Kyaung, a beautiful teak temple, on a bend in the river. Walking back I drop into the Moustache Brother's home and have a chat with Lu Maw, brother number two, of this famous Mandalay comedy troupe. They have always included anti-government material in their act and two of the brothers have been imprisoned for it - five years hard labour each, but their performance continued. Lu Maw invites me to this to see them perform in their front room in the evening and I promise I'll return.
The Golden Palace Monastery is a more touristy teak temple with government admission fee. I give it a miss and locals usher me into Maha Lokamarazein Kuthodaw Pagoda through a side gateway. The temple holds the world's biggest book. It's inscribed on 729 marble tablets each with a small temple erected over it - what a wonderful creation.
The Moustache Brothers are restricted to performing within their own home in English only and are under scrutiny from the secret police, so no Burmese are in the audience. It's a delightful evening, the best show I've ever seen in a living room. My donation for the performance is US$10 which is exactly the fee I saved by not visiting the palace which was rebuilt using forced convict labour.
Photos of Mandalay.

Mingun

Sunday 30 January: Arriving in Mandalay in the early morning darkness I have time, after a hot shower and a boiled-egg breakfast, to catch the 9:00am boat to Mingun. We board the tiny wooden ferry with a captain and one crewman, a wiry old man who's job is to constantly bale out water from the leaky skiff which is filling up only slightly quicker than he can bale.
The main sight is the massive unfinished stupa of Mingun Paya, earthquake cracked and crumbling. The government charge a three dollar 'renovation fee' to climb it. I do not believe this fee goes towards any renovation at all so, for a small donation, I climb the nearby whitewashed Mya Thein Dan Pagoda instead for similar hazy views over the Irrawaddy river.
The largest intact bell in the world (the larger bell in Moscow is cracked), intended for Mingun Paya, hangs in a simple building next door. Both monks and tourists duck inside the bell to feel the full effects of its tone. Back in Mandalay my foot is still painful so I take a cycle trishaw (78th mode of transport) back to the hotel for an early night.
Pictures of Mingun.

Burma: Yangon (Rangoon)

Thursday 27 January: Motherland Inn, north of the city centre, is an easy choice - they have a free courtesy bus from the airport - the taxi fare is 10US$, the same price as a single room. Three weeks later for my return trip the room rate (including airport transfer) is increasing to 13US$ - the curse of Lonely Planet.
Most of the city's colonial buildings are unloved, decaying and crumbling. This is a poor country made poorer by its military dictatorship. I thought long and hard before deciding to visit Burma (called Myanmar by the ruling junta) but my style of travel puts much needed money in people's hands and very little in the greedy paws of the generals. I'm staying in family run guesthouses, eating in local restaurants and travelling mostly by private transport (sadly, the state operated railways levy a heavy 'tax' for foreigners), this will be an interesting trip.
Friday 28: A gentle stroll along Kandawgyi Lake leads me to the magnificent Shwedagon Paya (temple), Burma's finest. When early British explorers reported 'mountains of gold' this is what they saw. Sixty-tons of gold plate covering the upper stupa make it gleam brightly in the sun, but that's not all. Above the cone is wind vane encrusted with jewels which is topped by a single sparkling diamond.
Spending most of the day here relaxing and reading I'm approached by Yen-Suyata, a young monk from the Mon area (a monk must speak to you first, not the other way round), and for several hours we discuss the virtues of Buddhist thought. He's been studying for only a year and is impressed by my knowledge and that I've been to Bodhgaya in modern day India, the place of Buddha's enlightenment. He explains, as only a novice can, the difficulties and rewards of meditation, something I must try. We leave mid-afternoon before the tourist hoards arrive for sunset.
Saturday 29: Changing large sums of money, illegally, on the black market is always tense, but as the exchange rate is so much better than the bank rate (and it circumvents the government) I feel I must try. Everything goes surprisingly smoothly in a dimly lit corner of the central market and I've swapped a crisp one-hundred dollar bill for 85,000 Kyats (pronounced chats) in one-thousand Kyats notes, quite a bundle. When I get fifteen pages photocopied from my guide book it costs 100 Kyats (about 10 pence in total) but they can't change my 1,000 Kyats note, the country's largest bill. This is an inexpensive and trustworthy country to travel in. Next, I reserve a seat on the night bus to Mandalay. Following a busy morning I enjoy lunch at Monsoon restaurant set in a colonial style house then relax near the river in Botahtaung Paya before catching the night bus to Mandalay.
Photos of Yangon (Rangoon).