To round off our time in Myanmar we spent a couple of days in Mandalay, the country’s second biggest city. Despite Yangon being larger, Mandalay had much more of a big city vibe, although it wasn’t so bustling when we arrived at 3:30am (ahead of schedule) from our night bus. Sleep deprived and in need of a real bed, we trudged towards our hotel in the hopes that our room would be ready for early check in at this ridiculous hour. In fact, the night porter went one better and didn’t even charge us for the privilege, despite the fact that we woke him up!
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Inle Lake
Another UNESCO site, Inle Lake is the second largest lake in Myanmar, home to the Intha people who live in ‘floating’ houses on stilts. As well as being a beautifully scenic area with various endemic species, part of the lake’s appeal comes from the Intha themselves and their unique boating style: local fisherman use their legs to row while standing up for better visibility through the reeds.
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Bagan
The largest archaeological site in the world, in July 2019 Bagan finally became a UNESCO world heritage site 24 years after it was first put forward for the title. According to a 2017 architectural survey, Bagan is home to 3,822 Buddhist monuments (temples, monasteries, pagodas and such), the majority of which date back to the 11th to 13th centuries. All this set over 100 square kilometres of dust roads, palm trees and sand. It’s not an exaggeration to say that stepping foot in Bagan is like stepping foot on another planet.
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Ngapali Beach
Arriving at Thandwe airport, we could tell that Ngapali Beach was going to be a secluded getaway. Housing only an immigration counter, a pull along luggage cart and a small WC, the airport arrivals hall was about the cosiest we’ve seen. A few kilometres down the road, we reached our hotel on the beachfront. Spending three days at the beach gave us the chance to unwind after our first week and a half of hopping between cities. From first impressions, Ngapali Beach was one of the most idyllic, unspoilt beach resorts we’ve had the pleasure of visiting.
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Yangon
Yangon served as our introduction to Myanmar, a truly unique country rich in culture. There were many local customs we had never come across anywhere else before, such as the longyi (wrap around sheet trousers worn by the majority of local men, resembling a long skirt) and Betel chewing as a substitute for smoking (which in itself isn’t too unusual, but once finished the user would spit out a large glob, permanently staining the streets a deep red).
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