Day 3-4: Golden Rocks and Bats

Day 3 cont'd

We had a driver get us to the bes for Kaiyto. Buses are quite luxurious. Standard "greyhound" style bus with aircon. Ride was quite comfortable. Everyone got small plastic bags that I assumed were for garbage/ motion sickness. I looked over halfway through the trip to see our neighbour with his bag half full of some sort of red liquid. It turns out the bags are used by those chewing beetle nut (the red chewing tobacco stuff) to spit into. Quite disgusting, but at least it's contained! We got to some town and were shuffled off our bus into a taxi, not really knowing where we were or where we were going, but trusting the people guiding us. We ended up right at a hostel in Khaityo, so the trust was well founded. We grabbed some dinner with the other international folk at the hostel. It now felt like we were really travelling, and had left behind the regular comforts of home. In chatting with the others, it also became obvious that we were now on a well trodden, albeit narrow tourist path. Everyone was heading in generally the same direction and had the same plans. Funny how we chose Myanmar so as to travel "off the beaten path".

Day 4

We met a cool French guy called Mathew that we synced our schedules up with. We took a 6am open air truck up to the pagoda. It was an extreme ride. Crazy inclines, impressive speed and 7 people per row. Impressive how many people you can fit in to a small space when you really try.

The Golden rock was underwhelming. It was surrounded by the standard tourist city, some people selling things, some monasteries and hotels at the top of the mountain. I always forget that these picturesque places will not be found without the tourists and the tourist "stuff". When I imagine it in my mind before arriving it's just me and the place. A big part of the travelling is interacting with the other tourists, which isn't bad, just isn't expected.

We decided to stick with Matthew as he had plans to go to Hpa-an to see some bat caves. We left for the city almost immediately after seeing the Goldeb Rock. Bus ride was fairly uneventful, although it seems that the Burmese people are quite sensitive to motion and get sick easily.

We got to Hpa-an in some blistering heat. Confusion caused by heat and the speed with which we were ushered off quickly set in. We were guided to a great little hostel (Soe Brothers) that had the classic hostel set up. Hand drawn maps, guided tours, pictures of the places you will visit and most importantly, motorcycle rentals!

We went on a tour to the bat cave to watch the sunset and then see millions (billions??) of bats leave their cave to feed.

We went for some dinner afterwards with a couple girls from England and finally tried some traditional Burmese food (curry base and fermented). I opened up about my recovery and my story at dinner, and it stimulated some interesting conversation. This just reinforces the importance of sharing your vulnerabilities with people if you want to quickly build a significant relationship.

Day 5 and 6 coming your way shortly! Just arrived back in Yangon. So nice to be in our "safe" zone with our Myanmar Mom.