Yangon, Myanmar...Riding the train

We are now in our fifth county, Myanmar arriving here from Bangkok on a short flight on our favourite low cost carrier, Air Asia. Interestingly enough they did not warn us about drugs, the death penalty or stealing the life vests on this flight!

We are planning to stay in this country for about two weeks and needed to fly into Yangon Airport as one of the few entry point for foreigners. We had applied for our visas online,printed them off in Bangkok and were good to go!

Yangon is the former capital city of Mynamar with a population of over 5 million people making it the largest and most important city in the country and we have two days to see some of the sights.

We are fortunate to be staying right in the middle of the city so can walk to most places. We are staying in a eight story apartment building with no elevator and we are on the eighth floor. They have encouraging signs on each level as we are puffing our way up...

The guest house is owned by a family and is well run and clean. On the outside it looks quite old, even though it was only built 30 years ago, however these eight story buildings are quite common in downtown Yangon as they provide inexpensive housing for the residents.

As we got in late we rested for awhile and then headed out to find something to eat and drink. We ended up at a large sidewalk place and ordered our first Mynamar refreshment...

A large bottle cost 1.50 and it was tasty! 

Our first order of business the next morning was finding the train station and buying our ticket to our next destination. After walking around in the heat we finally found it...

Don buying our tickets, 16 dollars for two for a very long train ride...

By this time the heat was getting to us so we found a coffee shop for a cold drink. It was fancy for here as well as expensive, so the majority of customers were foreigners.

Though we had a great conversation with a young university student who was very interested in our lives and wanted us to know about the hope of his people that the new government of Aung San Suu Kyi will be able to establish a democracy. Accordingly to him the new government will officially take office on April 1, 2016 but the country's constitution will not allow her to become President as she married a non Burmese. However for the people of Mynamar she is definitely seen as their leader, more about the politics in another post.

 And after all that talk we have a new Facebook friend!

We had heard about the Yangon Circular Train that goes 50 Kms around the city and to the outlying areas that serves as a major transportation vehicle for the local population, such that over 150,000 people ride it every day. So we thought it would be a good way to see some of the local way of life and we were glad we did as it was quite entertaining...

The car we hopped on was filled with flower sellers taking their product to market...

We sat on long benches on the sides and the middle floor was filled with things to buy and sell.

And as the train stopped more people arrived with other products...

This guy sold cigarettes as so many people smoke here!

This guy was rolling up leaves with lime, tobacco and betel nuts in them which many of the people chew. They turn to red liquid and then they spit it everywhere...

A lot of people had bags of plastics that I think may be headed for recycling which is good to see given the amount of garbage everywhere...

Also lots of vegetables...

There was time to eat...

And chat as this older lady was giving the younger one lots of advice!

 

And a time to sleep...

Many of the people had their faces coated with thanaka, a creamy paste made from wood bark. Myanmarese women have been using this for over 2000 years. Besides being used for cosmetic beauty it also has a cooling sensation and protection from sunburn.

A couple of more pictures of the beautiful people inside the train...

 

As the train travelled outside the city we saw lots of small farms. Rice is the largest crop produced here in Mynamar with farming being a big part of the economy. 

The station stops had lots to see as well...

People selling lots of produce...

The houses along the way ranged from very poor...

Here they are drying their clothes in the ground near the track.

To very grand, with high fences and razor wire...

The train was quite old and operating on a narrow gauge track which made for a slow and pleasurable journey...

It also made for great people watching...

This nun was counting her money...

 

This monk was studying...

And this one asking for money...

Children were playing...

These guys looked to be playing marbles, a game I haven't seen since I was a child...

These boys were on the train with their mother but had sold all their wares and got off at this station with their empty container...

Taking a rest...

Keeping the sun away...

Keeping busy, these people never stop working...

So many images of a wonderful afternoon in a simple and peaceful country!

Heading North

After being picked up by another mini van at our hotel we began our 20 hour trip to Bangkok by minivan, ferry, bus, train and tuk tuk!

It was an overcast day so we got comfortable inside the ferry and Don did what lots of the locals were doing and that was eating noodles...

I spent my time knitting which seems a little weird in 30 plus weather but it passes the time!

We got dropped off at the train station in Surat Thani and had to wait a couple of hours to catch our overnight train to Bangkok. The station was fairly busy with a lot of tourists around and by the time the train arrived all the seats were full and people standing.

And like everywhere there are large photos of the Royal Family...

Our first class accommodation was a small cabin with bunk beds and a wash basin...let's say it had seen better days but we both slept through most of the trip to Bangkok which took 12 hours....

We made good time but as we came closer to the city the train slowed down to a crawl. I was able to get a few pictures through the train window to give a sense of the environment, but they are not great.

From the outskirts of the city until almost inside there was a lot of construction along the track and it seemed they were expanding their overhead rail system that exists in the city. There were lots of workers and their accommodations alongside the tracks...

On the outside of the city these are typical houses...

 Also lots of temples...

Early morning commuters...

As the train got closer to the Center these are the houses alongside the tracks...

And unfortunately this is the garbage...

We also got our first ride in a tuk tuk, first price 400, second price 250...

 

This sign made us hold on our luggage a little tighter...

Our accommodation in Bangkok is in a small guest house located in a quiet neighbourhood except for the rooster, we were given earplugs when we checked in! It is a lovely little spot operated by an American with a lovely Thai manager...

Not bad for 38 dollars a night!

We arrived early in the morning so rested most of the day, did laundry, got my shorts sewn up by the tailor around the corner and met some lovely young people from around the world. We are by far the oldest people here!

And of course had our daily Chang, mine with ice!

We also set out to look for some US dollars to take with us to Myanmar, but after six attempts at different banks we gave up! There are conflicting reports about money in Mynamar, some saying you need crisp US bills, others saying the local currency will do. Our friends who just got back said no one would take their US money as it wasn't brand new and they got by so hopefully we will as well.

As we were walking we saw lots of pagodas...

Some female monks...

 Lots of little shops, I liked the contrast of color and shapes in this one...

In the evening we walked to a nearby market but on the way through one of the alleyways we passed some great looking food...

We ended up at an upscale night market called Asiantique which was recently built on the river and is huge...over 1500 shops, 40 restaurants, an aquarium and entertainment Center. It was quite fancy and pricey but we enjoyed a drink and some wings.

The entrance...

Street performers asking for donations for their scholarship fund...

The largest Ferris wheel in Thailand...

Great art work throughout the place.

We only had one full day in Bangkok as we are only passing through on our way to Mynamar so decided to visit the number one attraction according to Trip Advisor which was Wat Pho, the Temple of the Reclining Budda.

We walked towards the Chao Phraya River which runs through the middle of the city and is a major transportation artery. We were looking for a river ferry which makes numerous stops along the river  and are used by locals and tourists alike.

The entrance to the stop we found was through a temple...

And it was full of random things like big gongs, used toilets and a sacred pig so said the monk, but no pictures of it allowed!

There are many types of river ferries...

Wat Pho is a 1st class temple which was started in 1688 and then refurbished by King Rama 1 when he moved the capital to Bangkok and built the Royal Palace next door. It has been in a constant state of repair since then.

It is a large compound consisting of various temples and over 1000 Buddas, the largest being the Reclining Budda which is over 46m long and covered in gold leaf. Before I entered I needed to be more clothed so got myself a bright green robe...

To give a sense of the size of the Buddha...

Also some beautiful details...

The head resting on mosaic glass blocks

One hand resting the head. 

There were many interesting and beautiful things to see throughout the complex...

The main temple called Phra Ubosot is the most sacred and is used for many of the Buddist ceremonies.

There were many places to pray...

The Buddhas were beautiful...

Many of them are sitting on beautiful stands that are covered in cut glass, this lady was doing some restoration work...

These pagodas are filled with the remains of the Royal Family...

Each King over the years build a temple so they are different colours, such intricate work....

My favourite was the blue one!

And here are the two travellers with a room full of Buddhas!

 So ended our quick trip to Bangkok for now, off to Mynamar tomorrow.