Dr. Hla Tun had said he’s pick me up at 7.30 p.m. to go for dinner at his house. Because of my fragile state, I was reluctant to be too ambitious but I nibbled some food before the doctor, his son and I drove downtown to where our P.T.T. bus to Mawlamyine was due to leave at 9.00 p.m.
Apart from out personal luggage, we were taking various heavy cartons of some of the items to be distributed on our visits, which all had official ‘P.T.T.’ luggage labels attached.
The Coach.
The coach seating was 2+1 and we had a complete row with the doctor and his son on the left of the aisle and me on the right. We set off a few minutes after nine and made fairly slow progress leaving the city. The sky was completely dark but the lights on the almost continuous chain of houses, shops and tea houses lining our route illuminated the apparently innocuous night life of the city.
A Tea House on the road out of Yangon.
It was clear than we were following the road through Bago and Kyaikto to Mawlamyine, which I’d taken (in the opposite direction) returning from Mawlamyine on an earlier trip. Crossing a broad waterway, I looked immediately to my left and had a decent view of the Rolling Lift Bridge I’d commented on on my earlier trip (Bago to Kyaikto by Train).
After about four hours, we passed through Kyaikto and shortly the bus pulled into the car park of the large restaurant I’d seen on my earlier trip. At 1 o’clock in the morning, the place was thronged as there were already about four buses parked. My priority was a visit to the washroom then I had a cup of sweet tea with the Doctor and his Son, who were ready for more substantial food.
Our stop was less than half an hour and then we continued south. I think it was only around two hours later when we rumbled onto the long road and rail bridge which has transformed access to the south of Myanmar.
The bus took the main road through Mawlamyine furthest away from the sea and came to a stop at the brightly-lit bus office. We got off and retrieved our luggage, as did other passengers. By the time we were clear of the bus other passengers were boarding and, with a new driver, the bus departed but I didn’t find out the destination although I imagine it was further south.
We had a few minutes to wait in the oppressive heat of the night before the People Carrier which Dr. Hla Tun had arranged turned up. The we loaded everything aboard and set off inland towards to suburbs. The Doctor explained that the Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) Project organiser for Mon State had offered to let us sleep at her house for a few hours until morning. However, our driver had trouble finding the address despite the Doctor phoning the lady and seeking “better and further particulars”. We eventually arrived when the lady walked from her house to the nearest junction, to direct our wandering People Carrier. br>
The house was modern and brick built with the main room occupying the full width of the building approached from outside by a couple of steps (where footwear is discarded). There was a modern ceiling with a raised section featuring various electric light fittings and a polished parquet floor. A passage led towards the rear of the house, with partitioned sections left and right providing various bedrooms. This passage then opened out into a complex of kitchen, W.C. and Shower Room.
The intention had been to set out bedding (and mosquito nets) in the large main room for us all but they decided to set up two beds like this for the Doctor and his Son, giving me one of the bedrooms which I think involved turfing one of the daughters out of her room in the middle of the night. There was a simple raised bed with a mosquito net and the top of the small storage unit certainly contained a girl’s beauty products, including a large disk for Thanaka grinding. Thanaka is the white cream still applied by most girls and young boys intended as a sunscreen and beautifier. Personally, I find it rather astringent and uncomfortable.
I quickly collapsed into the bed but I only had a couple of hours before it was time to set off further south by car – Mawlamyine was only a ‘staging post’ to the parts of Mon State we were to visit, accompanied by the OVC Organiser.
This was to be my first visit to see for myself the work of the OVC Project, but there are earlier reports on the visits made by Dr. Hla Tun in 2013 here and in 2012 here.
My pictures
Mawlamyine - Yangon by Coach.
Rest Stop at Mawlamyine.
More
Next Post describing this trip.
