The Plight Of The Rohingya - Travelers' Blindness In Myanmar

When I first started working with, and hearing the stories, of people who identify as Rohingyan, I naively and boldly talked about visiting Myanmar in a hope to work on rapport building and story sharing. I had been to Myanmar, and surely my travels could help me relate, right?

I'll admit, I knew nothing of the Rohingya people when I first started working with asylum seekers. They are a Muslim minority in Myanmar, and Bangladesh, Saudia Arabia and Malaysia (also in Pakistan and Thailand). They are some of the most extremely persecuted people in the world, and tell the most harrowing, trauma-filled stories of their experiences I have ever come across in all my time working in mental health, PTSD, trauma, and international development.

But as many of my clients pointed out, the Myanmar I saw when I traveled, and anyone on the fairly recently opened-to-the-world tourism circuit around this South-East Asian country, was very, very different to the one they know.

The Rakhine state, and Maungdaw is certainly not on the loop which includes Yangon and Bagan for the new wave of tourists.

The origins of the Rohingya people are even disputed in this politicised lawlessness against them, with some believing they are indigenous to the state of Rakhine, the government of Myanmar arguing that they are Bengali. They are a people from very basic villages, and primarily live off farming. They do not have a written language, and thus, one of the cultural groups around the world who rely on oral history.

They live in a state of Statelessness - meaning they are not recognised by the very country they were born in, and should have basic rights in. The right to have official identification papers, the right to having their education acknowledged formally, the right to having their marriages or land ownership documented. None of that.

Attacked by the radical Buddhist minority in Myanmar, with an increase in violence which has included the burning of villages since 2012. Rohingyans are prevented from attending school, and threatened when going to work. Men and boys are being arrested, held, without charge, and often without their families knowing of their whereabouts. The Rohingyans were asked to register as Bengali in the country of Myanmar by the government in March this year, disallowing them the opportunity to participate in the country's first census. Further restrictions are being placed on them even now, and the world just don't seem to know, or pay attention, about it all.

The buzz about Myanmar, and the hopes for democracy and change and the upcoming national election in 2015, with the golden hope of Aung San Suu Kyi becoming leader, will not help the Rohingya. She has a battle on her hands getting elected, and has seemed to think standing up for this minority too dangerous to her own plight.

The UN has just launched a Campaign to End Statelessness, perhaps another new angle of hope in this dire struggle for recognition, safety and a life without the fear of persecution.

I continue to learn so much from my clients, and this small window into their plight has been such an eye-opener - travel gave me none of this insight. As an Australian, it's hard to comprehend the experiences of Statelessness and ongoing and pervasive experiences of persecution.

*This post is part of a series joining my travels with the lessons and stories I have come across in my work. Much of my travel has helped me understand different issues faced by my client group, and then many of my client's stories and experiences now shape my understanding of the world as I move through it. I wanted to share some of these points, to help others start to get this insight. These points are by no means a comprehensive thesis about the issues for each cultural group discussed - merely a starting point of thought and hopefully an antecedent to further reading and research, to gain an understanding for readers.

These photos were taken on my trek through the hillside villages to Kalaw - maybe as rural and basic, albeit Buddhist, as a tourist usually sees when traveling to Myanmar.

Yangon

My last stop in Burma was Yangon, which is the most developed and happening of the places in the country I managed to visit. A big, bustling city, with hints of Westernisation, ghosts of colonial days, and a vibrant feel of energy.

After an overnight bus from Kalaw, and finally finding a suitable place to sleep for the next 2 nights (and after a much needed nap!), I set off on foot to explore the city sights.

Staying near Sule Paya, I walked towards the gold stupa shining in the sunlight, to reach the intersection with the beautiful colonical City Hall on one side and the Mahabandoola Garden on the other side. In this garden stands the Independence Monument, an obelisk which is now the marker of the pro-democracy monk uprising - Burma's Tiananmen Square, perhaps.

I walked up the busy and nearing-modern Sule Paya Road, passing young couples walking along together in matching shirts and a more business clad crowd, before I passed the Railway Station, and walked past the soccer stadium, Aung San Stadium.

After visiting The General's Home, I walked around the streets and markets around Shwedagon Pagoda - the large gold, and very important temple of Burma.

As the sun was fading, I reached Kandawgyi Lake. This Royal Lake and surrounding parkland in the middle of the city, seemed to attract locals out for a walk, joggers and tourists alike, as a tranquil break from the chaos outside in peak traffic. The sun set, allowing the colour of Shwedagon to reflect into the lake - a shimmer of gold.

That night I treated myself to dinner at The Strand - a famous hotel of the British Empire days, and one of the most beautiful buildings facing the river.

The next day I reserved to take in Shwedagon Pagoda. I entered the temple complex via one of the long stairway lined with stores selling buddhist prayer wares, and having removed my shoes as instructed, felt the heat of the tiles all around the gold stupa!

The Shwedagon complex, whilst set around the solid and important stupa, is more a collection of smaller temples all around the base, in contrast to most of the temples we visited in Bagan.

Huge and impressive, the temple featured many of the aspects of the temples we had seen around Burma, culminating in this one very important prayer place for so many Burmese.

I finished my visit to Yangon, and indeed Burma, with a visit to the Bogyoke Aung San Market for some gifts and goodies, before needing to leave for my flight.

A most incredible place, Burma has definitely become a place that has gotten under my skin, and one I would love to return to!

The General's House

One of the first places I was keen to visit when I got to Yangon at the end of my 10 days in Burma was the Bogyoke Aung San Museum, or the General and his family’s home. It was Aung San’s last home before his assassination, and is now a free exhibit about his background and steps to becoming such a figurehead in Burmese history. It also shows his simple family life, and gives a glimpse into the man himself.

According to Wikipedia, is has just been reopened in March 2012, which explains why the Lonely Planet had said it is closed. The Martyr’s Mausoleum on the other hand, the place of the General's assassination just near Shwedagon Pagoda, is closed all but the anniversary day of Aung San’s death, being July 19. I couldn’t really see anything from the gates, so unless you are there for that day, I wouldn’t worry about trying to find it.

I checked in my bag at the free lockers provided at the bottom of the front steps, and then walked up to the front door. Taking in the verandah and the view, I then walked inside and took in the living space of this iconic family to Burma.

The fresh and young face of The General is on display, along with his journey from growing up in rural Burma, to becoming The General. It steps you through his life from the Rangoon University's Student Union, to the Burma Independence Army, and then his role in the nation's politics to have him deemed the Founding Father of Burma.

You are not permitted to take any photos inside, but walking through the two story home, you get a sense of this young family, and their simple life here. Bedrooms of Aung San and his wife, and the children’s next door, are decked out upstairs, as well as the library with an array of books on all sorts of topics, and the room with a view where meetings were held.

The General's car is still out in the shed in the back, coated in dust, and a bronze statue of him doing the gardening is in the yard.

A reverent visit, walking through the home of such a man, and the place of Aung San Suu Kyi's early childhood - the tragic truth that The General was killed at just 32 years of age is only trumped by the gravity of walking down into the garden and past the pool where you learn is the site of The General's second son drowning.

Valentine's Day In Yangon

I happened to be in Yangon on Valentine's Day - which I had no idea about until the penny dropped about all the young, cute couples walking along one of the main central streets of the biggest city of Burma, each wearing matching t-shirt sets. I mean complementary, like when part of a message is on one, and the rest of the message is on the other. Where half a heart is on hers, and the rest is on his.

This couple really captured that day for me, sitting watching the sun set over Shwedagon Pagoda reflecting into Kandawgyi Lake - such a vibe of young love, and young hope and enthusiasm floating around the city that day. So vibrant and alive!

Current Travel Tips For Burma

With the borders reluctantly officially more open to tourism than ever, I was in Burma for 10 days in February, and after doing loads of reading and research online for the latest information, I thought I would post and collate my knowledge and experience to help anyone else about to visit.

Burma is a place that I fell in love with - the people are the gem of the country, with their kind-hearted nature and friendliness. There is so much to see, and I really only touched the surface, but felt like I got a great look at Mandalay and surrounds, Bagan, Inle Lake and the hillside villages of Kalaw, before finishing off with a couple of nights in Yangon.

To start off, you can get your visa on the same day, whilst in Bangkok. Follow the directions I have linked to over in this post from when I went to get mine, and you can't miss. Finding the Embassy is a little tricky, but those links are spot on - I wouldn't have found it without them! If you have a flight booked, or are insistent about why you need it on the same day - I was heading to Chiang Mai the next day, and so had no time before my flight to return to pick up my all important little blue book with it's new sticker - but many people needed a print out of a flight booking for this.

I got a flight into Mandalay from Bangkok, avoiding the need to complete the loop between Yangon and the central destinations. But it's also not possible to cross the border overland from Thailand, so this was the best option I found.

Be prepared for the overnight buses. It seems to be the easiest way to get from place to place. I did look at the train from Kalaw to Yangon, but given that it takes all day and a night, I ran out of time after my trek. The buses are comfortable enough, and stop a couple of times for a rest break, although the karaoke or music video obsession of bus companies and SE Asia is alive and well here too. Be warned!

There were no ATMs for foreign cards that we saw anywhere in Burma, although there were a couple reportedly in Yangon in construction or advertised as coming soon. This means you need to carry the amount of money you need for your stay in with you, in crisp US dollars. Even airline offices do not have credit card facilities, so you need to think about what you might be doing, and how you could be getting around, and how much you may want or need to spend on accommodation.  Change the US dollars into kyat (pronounced “chat”) when you can, because the locals have trouble exchange them. Hotels may take US dollars, but smaller notes would be better for them. Any note in bad condition, even an edge folded, makes things difficult for a local to move it on, so keep them in good condition or you may be stuck with currency you will not be able to use.

I budgeted on $100US per day, and actually did not spend that much in the 10 days I was there. In the bigger towns like Yangon accommodation was more expensive, unless your standards are very, very low. Mine are at times, but the cheap options in Yangon that I saw were just not ok for a girl on her own, nor did they smell very good!

We paid $30 per night for the nicest place we stayed in, which was on the water at Inle Lake, and away from the crowds and tour groups. It was perfect to have this place as a resting point at this stage of our travels, and felt so authentic as the family running the guesthouse lived in the adjoining house, and cooked and served us in their restaurant on their decking.

I paid $60 for my room in Yangon, the most I paid, which was a pretty new hotel near Sule Pagoda.

Food is cheap, and transport around town is too – the quoted price from a taxi/horse cart/rickshaw driver is usually spot on, so try not to be too aggressive with any bartering. It's not actually needed.
The fermented tea salad, as a snack, is so yum!

One of the best things I noticed when travelling around was the Burmese's ability to be two steps ahead of you in terms of what you need. When we grabbed a cart down to the river in Bagan, our driver guessed what we were up to, and talked to a moto driver along the way, who took off down to the river and set up a boat with chairs and a guide for us. The keenness to help and ensure you have a great trip, and also the anticipation of your needs, is all part of the Burmese charm. I hope they don't lose that with the avalanche of tourism on it's way!

We had read that there was no internet, but there is some, more in Yangon, but many of the guesthouses offer it, if you really need it. It was kinda nice, thou
gh, to travel like we all used to, with research and interacting with people for recommendations and advice.

It's safe! I mean, if anything happens to you as a tourist there are rumoured to be heavy penalties to the locals from the government - the throw back of the military rule and their quest not to make the international news for any more bad reasons, I am sure. But even without that, I never had any bad feelings wandering around when I was travelling on my own, taking the usual precautions of course. And it's an easy place to travel. We spotted families with young children getting around Bagan, all riding bikes to explore the temples - it's perfect for that! What an amazing experience as a youngster! Archaeologists in the making, surely!

Lastly, now, there are so few tourists there right now. In many places, we were only a handful of foreigners around. So go now and enjoy this new but old destination, before all this changes!

Trekking To Kalaw

I received so many recommendations to go trekking through the hillside villages of Kalaw in Burma - and I must say, it's one of the most amazing travel experience I have had. An up close and authentic glimpse into rural, village life in Burma, and a chance to interact with locals like no

I left our guesthouse on Inle Lake, waving to my travel companions of the last few weeks, on a longboat with just a driver and a guide - I remember looking back ominously, wondering what I had just gotten myself into. As our boat stopped for directions on the Lake, and then I was dropped off at a nondescript spot, I was even more wary.

But here I met my bubbly Burmese guide, his younger brother who carried all of our food supplies for the next few days, and my Korean co-walker, and before I knew it, we were off on foot into the rural fields behind the Lake.

We started by following a track through a dry rice paddy, out to an old dirt road we shared with oxen and cart, and men working on the land on either side.

Before long, though, we started a climb that my guide assured me would be the worst climb. He clearly had his doubts about whether I would make it, as did I, whilst he told me of a story of an English traveller who only made it as far as the main road - and then grabbed a pick-up truck for the rest of the way. Determined not to be like that Pom, I powered on.

The next moment of doubt happened whilst on this first climb, when I discovered that the 2 days trek I thought I had signed up for was actually 3 days - 2 nights. Struggling with my lack of fitness, and wondering what on earth I thought I was doing signing up for such a crazy idea, this revelation almost had me curling up in a ball and calling it quits. 3 days of this!!?? Surely I won't make it!

Somehow, I did not have a heart attack on that hill, and made it to the top and the nearby village planned for lunch. Our boys set about cooking a noodle soup, while my Korean companion and I were led to a family's house and centre room for a rest. He proceeded to tell me in very limited English that he was very surprised that I made it up that hill - not as surprised as I was, I wanted to tell him!

The rest of the afternoon was filled with walking - flatter terrain this time - chatting and joking along with my Burmese guide, and taking in the countryside - we walked through paddocks, through forgotten paths, over roads dodging other traffic like motorbikes and more carts being pulled by oxen, work groups returning from their day in the fields, and people on foot commuting to other villages.

Each time we passed anyone, the locals were curious about these two Foreigners walking through their land, and a conversation about where we were from ensued. Smiles and laughs between us all were the norm, as the warm-hearted nature of the Burmese was ever-present in these areas.

We reached our stop for the first night before the sun sunk in the sky, and we arrived at our first homestay. The whole village seemed to stop their evening chores to check out their visitors, as we settled into the main room of an elderly man who hosted us. Our guides again set about cooking dinner, as my Korean companion and I soon wandered around the small village to see the work at the end of the day being done. The monastery lent us blankets for the night, and given that there was no electricity in the village, our night was an early one to bed, all 4 trekkers laid out in the main room, sharing with our host.

Setting off after a cooked breakfast, and a blessing from our homestay host, we dropped into the monastery to thank the head monk for the blankets and make a donation. The morning saw more walking, through fields, rice paddys, and seldom used roads, up and down the hills of the Kyauth Taone villages.

More smiles and moments between passing Pa-O people working the land, and coming up to inquire about us as we passed through. Our guide Mygu was so impressive with his knowledge of the local languages, as we passed through different areas and tribal regions, and therefore dialects. He managed to be our bridge with the locals we passed, and added to the fleeting connections made.

Being poles apart on fitness level, I certainly held back my superfit Korean trekking partner, however I helped him with the language gap and his English skills with our guides, and the need for a break led to some amazing experience with the locals.

At one point in this middle day I caught up to where he and Mgyu's brother were, to discover them sitting in front of a stilted home in a village. When Mgyu and I caught up, Mgyu relayed that the family watching us from their veranda were keen to invite us inside for green tea, and to join them in their celebration of the graduation from high school of their youngest daughter.

This tea stop was such a special time, as sweets and the delicious Burmese fermented tea salad and tea, were laid out, inside. We all took a spot on the mats of the family's main room, and translated conversations bounced around. Our graduate and her family were so proud - she is the first to have completed schooling this far, which is the equivalent of Year 9 back home. Smiles and laughs all round, as we congratulated her and talked of her future plans.


Back on the trail after our afternoon tea, we continued on the up and down slopes to reach our second night stop - a homestay with a family. When we arrived many of the village were still returning from their work, and I watched from the veranda as the animals were brought into the yard, feed and watered, and prepared to settle in for the night.

At this stop I was desperate for a shower, and despite our guide suggesting that surely I had one before I left for the trek, he managed to borrow a longyi from one of the women of the house, and I set out to the water well on the property to figure out how to shower in the open. With most of the family watching from the balcony, I managed to have a cursory wash without flashing too much flesh, and felt heaps better and ready for the final day.

Our night featured a bottle of local lemon vodka being shared by the man of the house, and much laughter and jokes between us all, with the help of our guides as interpreters. The house next to our family's had the only generator in the village, so we could see light and hear power being made next door, but again with no electricity, chats were held around candlelight before another early night.

Our last couple of hours of the trek from the village to reach the first glimpses of Kalaw was a morning filled with discussions about the final hill, and whether I wanted to take the pick-up truck option. Hell no, I had made it this far - I was determined to finish! I was assured that the hill was not as strenuous as the first one, and this held true.

One of the great moments of this final morning was coming across a group of villagers heading our way, on the way to the market in Kalaw - I shared some oranges I had in my pack with them, and so they sat and joined us for a rest stop. Such special interactions, these, in the middle of our walk and theirs.

I must say, spotting Kalaw below us when it showed itself through the trees, I was excited to reach the end of the 3 days walk - and yet this trek was so incredible. Such a rich cultural experience, mixing with the locals in their villages, their homes, and walking among their work fields. Seeing this side of Burma only enhanced my love of this country, and it's people; one of the best travel experiences I have had!

Inle Lake

We were unprepared for an overnight bus. We thought it was just a few hours, and we would find accommodation for the night at the other end. We had asked as we bought the bus ticket, and got an answer we had thought we had understood correctly. But as the bus pulled out of Bagan, and the at sight of our fellow busmates all settling in for the night, the joke was on us! The answer of 9 at our guesthouse which we took as 9pm arrival must have been 9 hours, as in length of time for travel! Oops!

So we arrived into Nyaungshwe in the wee hours of the night, into the unexpected cold air, and nowhere to stay. A team of cyclos met the bus and the deposited foreigners, and after a lap of the deserted streets, and guesthouse door after guesthouse door showing a sign saying no vacancy, we ended up sleeping on a floor in the communal longhouse of a monastery.

What felt like a silly travel mistake actually turned out to be just fine - the fact that there was no accommodation in Nyaungshwe meant that we found a place to stay out on the lake, and we were soon longboating out on the water to the Golden Lion, a guesthouse of just 5 rooms, on stilts on Inle Lake. Away from the tour group hordes, which gave us some peace and some amazing views.

Taking in the view from water level, we saw fishermen and their famous leg-rowing techniques unique to the area, as well as families traveling back to town, all surrounded by mountains on either side of the lake.

After a bit of a nap, and a much needed shower, we were met by our longboat again for a tour around the sights of the middle region of the spectacular lake. The sight of villages on stilts was so novel, the water laneways between houses, and everyday life being carried out several meters above water level.

We visited the Paung Daw Oo Pagoda, featuring small Buddhas coated with gold leaf offerings to the point of being unrecognisable. We also stopped in at the disappointing 'jumping cat' monastery, which is really on the tourist trail for an old gimmick that the monks have clearly grown tired of!

Far more interesting for us was the floating gardens, with flowers and vegetables being grown on plots on the water, and the women moving past selling their wares of flowers for offerings, and fruit and veggies.

A pretty relaxed and visually stunning place along our Burma travels, Inle Lake was a much appreciated slower pace for recharging our travel batteries, and seeing a much different way of life. 

Boating Along The Ayeywarady

Our last morning in Bagan, we decided to head to the river and take a boat to see a couple of the temples along the water. Our horse and cart driver soon figured out what we wanted to do after picking us up from the roadside of our guesthouse, and he called out to a man on a bike, who must have headed off and arranged a boat for us. As we arrived, chairs were being carted down to the boat for the three of us, and away we were.

Sailing out from Nyaung U we passed fishing villages and fishermen at work. We could see the transient community all along the water, washing clothes, herding cows, and carting water back to their homes.

Our first stop was a very remote temple, where our guide called on the key holder via a string from the gate to a couple of cans in the trees. Here, we took in the views across the river, and also explored the start of the 50 meters tunnels underneath the temple, reportedly running back to Bagan from wartimes.

At our last stop we checked out some well preserved frescos in an earthquake damaged temple, and then I chose to sit and stay out of the sun at the monastery while the others climbed a hill to see one more temple. This actually led to one of those most special travel moments, after I asked a monk if it was ok that I sit where I did. He then sat with me, and soon offered me some green tea. He brought it over, with peanuts and a sweet treat too on the tray, and we sat and had tea together. Through very limited English we talked about where I was from, how many monks live in this hillside monastery, where I have travelled to and where I will head next there in Burma. Such a special few moments.

Sunsets At Bagan

Our first night we watched the sun disappear over the mountains across from the Ayeywarady River, with beers in hand – perfect!

At the end of our second day in Bagan we were taken to temple number 394 on the map, for a serious incredible view of the sun setting over the plains of temples as far as the eye could see.

This was one of the few temples with access to the top level, and a climb up the stairs found us a spot to sit and watch the colours change in the sky above and in the temples all around.

Old Bagan

I had read about Bagan in Burma, and that it was a plain of temples and stupas for as far as you can see. I had even seen photos from the area, of exactly that. But until you see it, I don’t think you really have a concept that there really are temples and stupas EVERYWHERE. I certainly didn’t. So, so many of them! Everywhere you look.

The last count is apparently around 3000 temples still standing, over a 40 square kilometre area – is it any wonder that these inhabitants building these religious monuments for some two and a half centuries are an ancient civilisation – they were clearly not focusing on developing anything but building these temples!

We spent a day and a half exploring the temples of Old Bagan and the outer area of Bagan, and saw just a handful of them. The first day we wandered through the tracks of Old Bagan itself, and then the second day we hired 2 horse and carts, with a great guide, who showed us some of the most amazing ones in a pretty well thought out circuit – including a prime spot for sunset at the end of the day, away from the throngs of tourists trying for the same photo.

From our guesthouse we grabbed a horse and cart to the Tharaba Gate to walk into Old Bagan, and then explored the first two temples on our left, being Shwegugyi and Thatbyrinhyn Temples, which were close to each other. In the first I had a local girl show me some of the features of the temple, as she practiced her English, and hoped I would buy something from her shop at the end. We then wandered along the dirt paths of Old Bagan, checking out some of the smaller temples, before getting to Gawdawpalin for sunset. The white of the temple gave us some gorgeous colours, but alas we could not get to the second level for our shot of the plain in that light.

Instead, we had a couple of beers watching the colours fade on the bank of the Ayerwadday River, at one of the bigger hotels for the view.

The next day we rode around in the back of horse and cart to see about 12 temples, starting with the Shewezigon Pagoda. There are 37 nats, or spirits, and also 9 wonders. Things like the myth or fact that when papers that hold the gold foil that are placed on the Buddha at the centre, are dropping from the height of the pagoda they never fall outside of the temple precinct. Or that when it rains or floods, no water remains inside the compound, and also that when a big drum is beaten on one corner of the walls, it cannot be heard on the other side. So a sign inside told me!

Our day included the most famous of the Bagan temples, being the Ananda, which was indeed very impressive. I think the story of Dhammayangyi was the one that most stood out for me, and again we had a local girl walk along with us and tell us the story of the temple.  The design is like a bigger version of Ananda, built later by the most cruellest of rulers – this king demanded that the brickwork be placed so close together that he could not even pass a pin through it – mortarless, they state, although this baffles me as to how it has stayed in place for this long. The story goes that any of those working on the construction failed to manage the super thin space between brick layers, the king cut off his arm – and there are stones where such amputations were completed to be seen.  When this king died, the story continues that those slaves made to build the temple filled in the inner pathways in revenge, and now all visitors can only see one of the four openings to Buddha – one for the archaeologists of the future to discover the secrets and treasures within and on the upper and lower floors.

Many of the temples we visited featured well preserved frescos inside, for which you needed a torch to see. Each temple also had a different presentation of Buddha, in terms of hand posture, how he was sitting, and of course, how many there actually were inside. Even the more rural temples were elaborate and ornate inside, as we found when we wandered into temple number 744 on the map, just before we got to our sunset spot for the day.

A seriously impressive and mind-blowing place to visit, we could easily have spent much longer there. Although to be fair, I am happy with our visit and what we did manage to fit it - very wary of the old backpacker issue of being "templed-out". I never thought that state was really possible, but Burma definitely challenges that idea!

Scenes Around U Bein Bridge

Taking in the sights around the U Bein teak bridge across the lake in ancient Burma city of Amarapura outside of Mandalay was the perfect end to a day of exploring - watching the local families, groups of monks, and tourists alike navigate the platform so high above the water, as the light began to fade...

The boats took the tourists out onto the water for the actual sunset, or picked them up after they completed the crossing of the bridge and landed on the other side of the lake.

Many of the locals were just going about their usual day, heading across the bridge for prayer at the temple, or fishing and fossicking for shellfish on the bottom of the lake.

The movement in the water, from boats and people, made the water iridescent, adding to the stunning scenes playing out as the light faded, from our vantage point on the bank. What a special little pocket of the world! Burma has so much that is surprising and so amazing.

Cities Of Ancient Mandalay

There are three ancient cities around Mandalay, that at one point served as the nations capital, and we managed to visit at least a key point of each one in a day trip.

Our first city was Sagaing, and the climb to Soon U Ponya Shin Paya. This gave us great views across stupa-dotted Sagaing hills and the Ayeyarwady (or Irrawaddy) River - and the Ava and Irrawaddy Bridges.

The paya itself has impressive mosaic terraces, mirrored mosaic spaces, and the bemusing neon additions to the major buddhas of the temple.

At Inwa, or Ava in the old language, we left the car for a longboat across the river, to then take a horse and cart to explore the sights on this side. This city was the capital for 400 years, with an earthquake ending it's reign to Amarapura. What remains is the city walls, outside of which many villages have developed.

After our driver took us to the temple closest to his home, we visited the teak monastery, or Bagaya Kyaung. The building is supported by 267 teak posts, and is a working monastery, with lessons set up inside, and an older monk presiding over a younger monk's learning as I wandered through.

The most interesting sight on Inwa was the leaning and rickety Nanmyin watch tower - albeit from the roadside. A closer look lost the magic of the precarious structure, severely damaged in the 1838 earthquake, and seemingly has had no repairs since!

Riding in the back, or up the front of the cart with the driver, gave us each an ample view of the village life going on around us. A very rural and basic setting, we saw children coming from school, groups of woman working in the fields, and men driving bullock carts along the roads. Kids out doing their chores were always keen to say hello to the sight of three foreigners, and maybe even be brave enough to test any other English words they have been learning.

Getting to Amarapura, which is considered The Southern City to Mandalay's northern city. The main attraction our guide was keen to time correctly was to be at the U Bein Bridge for the sunset colours.

The bridge spans 1.2kms and is made of teak, crossing the Taungthaman Lake you will reach Taungthaman village and pass a monastery which is the home to thousands of monks.

After wandering along a portion of the bridge, we then spent this time people watching, on the bank of the lake with a few beers, which was the perfect end to an amazing day of ancient ruling capitals.