I thought given the nature and location of this trip a map would be appropriate. (I did try and rotate this but the Google rotate key decided not to cooperate.)
The ship often up anchored at 6:00 so that
we were at a fresh site to visit by 9:00. We moored at Gwe Chaung fort just
downstream of Minhla. Here the oxen were being washed (in some cases
reluctantly) prior to hitching up and taking water from the river to the
village some 5 Km's away.
The fort was a short climb and with a great
view but was built in the hillside so it was all but invisible to any travelling
upstream. Further up on the West bank was a second fort. These were built by
the Italians and French as a defence to the British during the 1885 war. The
idea was that the attackers would not notice the first fort, sail straight past
and then get ambushed from behind. However the Brits found out about the first
fort and had a second following fleet to take this out!
The fort was a substantial garrison and
included a special tunnel to house the elephants.
In the afternoon we arrived at Magwa and
explored the town by Trishaws. The peliton was quite large and like "Le
Tour" generated much positive interest from bystanders with constant waves
and the occasional high five.
We
travelled up to the Myathalon Pagoda and had a great view of the sunset. "Le Tour" effort was not exactly shared around...
The view of the pagoda from the river on
the following day gives an idea of its size and magnificent location. Close up the sun made some of the details glow.
The
bells may all be rung by anyone (well really its hitting with a stick!)
Our bike ride back was very exciting as my
driver decided to race the others. In the half light with headlights beaming
towards us overtaking and bouncing around (he had springs to his seat but my
side car did not!) again underscored why insurance was compulsory. It got the
adrenalin running but it was good to see the ship calmly waiting for us.
The day was rounded off nicely by yet
another great dinner on board. This one had a significant difference as it was
Helen's birthday (8 Nov) and the crew had arranged for a cake and their quite
different version of Happy Birthday.
The following day saw us back on the West
bank at a village called Salay at the base of the Tan Kyi Taung mountain. A cement barge was
being offloaded in the background.
We travelled by "WW11" jeeps (a
bit of imaginative sales talk given the range of Hyundai vehicles) up the
mountain to a wonderful hill top Pagoda some 1000 foot above the river. The
view went for miles with the winding river underpinning the leisurely pace of the. On the far bank can be seen the area of Bagan
where we would spend two days. Here there were over 4000 Stupas, Pagodas and temples (it's a size thing) however many have been lost to earthquakes so numbers are down to some (2500). (There was an earthquake during our visit but we new nothing of this until later (see https://www.google.com.au/search?q=burma+earthquake+2012&hl=en&tbo=u&qscrl=1&rlz=1T4ADRA_enAU480AU480&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ei=GKixUOf8KO-YmQXNqoHgCA&sqi=2&ved=0CDwQsAQ&biw=1366&bih=641 for some pictures by others).
The Stupa on the top was glorious in the
late afternoon sun.
Back at Salay the local
villagers treated us to an elephant dance which included table top dancing. The
dancers were clearly very athletic, as watching in the evening heat was
exhausting enough.
The following morning as we crossed back to
the East bank we awoke to a completely unexpected site, 7 hot air balloons
drifting over a myriad of Stupas and Pagodas. This was Bagen, the Burmese
tourist equivalent of Mecca. It would have been quite a sight from the
balloons, however they are heavily booked well in advance.
The next day and half was all about
"shoes off please" as we visited a range of temples. This one was
only viewed from afar and was not maintained. Called the Dhamma-yan it was
built by a King who was killed in the Pagoda. As a result no one wants to go
near it in case they suffer the same fate. By comparison others (many of which
were much less spectacular) are restored as funds are available (it is the way
to Nirvana).
The Shwe-zi-gon Pagoda is well maintained
and has some wonderful side attractions in addition to the main Stupa.
Samui vecation villas are well established in Thailand and good for the tourists to come and to stay in this peaceful stay of Thailand.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.koh-samui-hotels-booking.com/