Exiting Yangon to Bago, Golden Rock, and Hpa-an

Bring crisp, new $100 bills, were the instructions. We had heard Myanmar was essentially a cash economy but the idea of travelling third world with lots of cash was not appealing. Bob and MaryLynn affirmed the guidebook recommendation so we went to the bank in search of 30 new $100 bills.

Unlike much of Southeast Asia lodging in Myanmar is limited and often expensive. Many travelers do package tours where lodging and transport are built into the price and paid in advance by credit card. We were winging it.

We had some ideas of places we’d like to visit. Conversations with school staff added additional destinations to our list while giving us a reality check on logistics. Making a plan that flowed was a challenge. Fortunately MaryLynn’s former teaching assistant, Lay Lay had a husband in the travel industry. He had connections including the man who had been his main teacher for his travel guide certifications. It was through this fortunate set of circumstances that we got to meet Lay Lay and teacher Cho Cho.

When Kat and I first met with them we expected some ideas on locations and logistics. We got much more. Over an hour long discussion we identified a general plan for our travels for the next two weeks. Lay Lay and Cho Cho said they’d have an itinerary for us within two days.

While we were sweating on the bike ride they were working. We had a draft itinerary waiting for us on when we arrived back at Bob’s and MaryLynn’s apartment. Along with it came the word that we needed to commit immediately to get reservations confirmed. The $3,000 price tag was substantial for folks who are usually economy travelers. The near deal breaker was when we learned that it had to be in cash.

There are times when you make a leap of faith and hand over $3,000 in cash in a paper bag to a women you just met. Doing this required borrowing some money from Bob and MaryLynn. Both Kat and I liked Lay Lay and she had the confidence of MaryLynn so we crossed our fingers and leaped. I’ll let my journal pick up the story.

The morning started early with a 7 am pick up by Thura and Khan. The car they were driving was a limo like, black Kia. They both were dressed in crisp white shirts and looked very official. Thura was an English teacher and translator and spoke excellent English. Khan was a very competent driver. Our first stop was in Bago where we visited the Shwemawdaw Paya , the Palace and a few other pagodas. Lots and lots of Buddha’s, some seated, some reclining. Thura told us the story of the Buddha and his transformation from prince to enlightenment. It was fun and informative to have someone to help us understand how the culture worked. 

We were surprised when the couple above asked us if they could take our photo. I guess westerners were rare enough that Kat and I became photo worthy. We of course wanted one of them as well. I’ve always been a bit shy about shooting pictures of people when traveling so this was great. Below is the list of do's and don'ts for Pagoda visits and a picture of Kat honoring her zodiac animal, a guinea pig  (based on the day of the week she was born). Mine is a white elephant.  

Leaving Bago we drove to the Golden Rock. Here we left our vehicle to board a truck which carried nearly 30 passengers up a very steep road to the small community of Kyaikhtiyo and the Golden Rock. Golden Rock is one of Buddhism’s most important pilgrimage sites.  The site perched on top of a mountain was beautiful. We spent the night at the Mountain Top Hotel. One of the European tourists we ran into wondered how many months ago we booked the hotel. They had tried to get a reservation 8 months back without luck. I didn't have the heart to tell him two days ago. 

From Golden Rock we drove to the small community of Hpa-an. Here we explored Kawgun Cave and Yathaypyan Cave which had some amazing carvings of the Buddha plastered all over the walls and roof of the caves. The artwork dates back to the seventh century. 

After lunch at a Thai restaurant we visited Thura's family. His uncle was a principal and his cousins were all educated. Their home was sparsely furnished but well constructed.  One of the cousins spoke some English. He joined us for the afternoon trip to Kyauk Kalap, a finger like rock in the middle of a lake. From there we went to Hotel Gabbana and a comfortable bed for the night.

The following morning we drove out to Saddan Cave. The limestone cave came complete with dozens of buddha statues, stalactites, crystals, bats and a return to the entrance by  boat . Very cool. I knew I was in the right place when my birth day animal showed up. 

We were off to a good start. The following day would take us back to Yangon for a down day prior to flying to Bagan with the Barnwell's. The fun had just begun.