On this trip too much was happening and, at this point, I failed to keep the postings up-to-date so I didn't write the following report until I was safely back home.
Saturday 29th August 2009
It’s a fairly intensive schedule because on Saturday we were offered a whole day trip to Mount Popa by road. Of course, if they prefer, people could stay on the ship and sunbathe, swim, take a spa treatment, use the gym or just sit and read in the Observation Lounge. All the trips were so well organised that I was reluctant to miss any of them. Each trip showed a different aspect of this fascinating country.
The view of Taung Kalat from the Mount Popa Resort
So, around 9.00 a.m. we set off in the usual tour bus with the usual driver, driver's assistant and Mr. Win as our guide. A second bus travelled independently. Before we even joined the main road, our bus managed to 'snag' an overhead cable and bring it down. We stopped and, looking out of the back window of the bus, I could see a couple of cables caught on a spotlight mounted on the roof of the bus. A long bamboo pole appeared from somewhere and the cables were quickly disentangled. I couldn't follow what happened next but, within minutes, we continued on our journey. I was left wondering if the cables were live and who would re-instate them but I'm afraid I never found out.
Our journey took us over a reasonable road through flat, dry farmland with the occasional village or small town. Many of the houses we passed were just bamboo but I was puzzled that a number of them featured rectangular brick-built chimneys. When we stopped, the explanation became clear. We stopped at a 'Toddy Palm Plantation' where the sap of this particular palm provides the raw material for distilling a potent rum-type drink which Mr. Win referred to as 'daiquiri'. Although I knew the term 'Toddy', I'd no idea that this industry existed not only in Myanmar but in a number of countries. There's a Wikipedia Article on the topic.
We'd stopped near a collection of the Toddy Palms with a large open-sided bamboo 'shed' forming the production area. A one-bullock 'mill' was set up nearby. This is an overgrown pestle and mortar made from wood where the grinding power comes from a bullock which is harnessed to walk in a circle under the control of the miller who rides on a horizontal board. We were given the opportunity to have our photograph taken on this contraption and have a ride on the horizontal board. The bullock seemed perfectly content to perform for these strange visitors.
The productive trees had bamboo ladders tied to them so that the young lads who harvest them could quickly climb the palm, make thin slices using a sharp knife and collect the sap in a number of pots suspended from their belt before returning to the ground.
Moving inside the bamboo shed, we could see a number of crude stills, connected to the brick chimneys visible outside and other brick fireplaces where sugar was being boiled in metal pans. The sugar-boiling was being overseen by two ladies seated on the earth floor and making the most exquisite decorations and a whistle (!) from bamboo, pausing occasionally to add a few small pieces of bamboo to the fire. A large tray of brown sugar 'sweets' was drying in another part of the shed.
The distillation process involves the liquor being heated in a still until it vaporises. A large pan of cold water is placed on top of the still to condense the vapour which is allowed to run down a delivery tube into a waiting glass bottle.
We were given a sample of the 'Toddy' - it certainly seemed a fiery drink! We were also invited to try the 'sweets' which I found delicious. It was a very pleasant interlude with a lot of smiling. As we left we were presented with a small woven bamboo 'purse' containing the 'sweets', two of the decorations and one of the whistles. Pictures of the Toddy Palm Plantation.
As we continued towards Mount Popa, the road started to climb and the temperature dropped noticeably. By the time we arrived at the township of Mount Popa it was raining quite hard. We passed a monastery and parked in the main street near the entrance to the Taung Kalat temples.
Mount Popa is an extinct volcano which rises to almost 5,000 feet above sea level. It is the home of the 37 'Nats' or spirits which form an important part of the beliefs of most Burmese. The Taung Kalat temples are at the summit of a pillar of rock in the town reached by a climb of 777 steps. The steps are covered but open at the side so we still got fairly wet on the ascent. Many of the steps were tiled so they became quite slippery with the rainwater sluicing down but, with the aid of the handrails, it wasn't too bad. A large number of monkeys inhabit the mountain so we were carefully observed at every step. The monkeys have a reputation for being aggressive, but they seemed mainly curious. At the top, there are a number of temples and stunning views, muted somewhat by the appalling weather. On our way down, we paused to buy some sugar cane to feed to the monkeys who appreciated the gesture. Oh, and we made a contribution to the 'Temple Cleaners' who had solicited tips on the way up. This was also appreciated. Not all of our group had made the ascent but, despite the weather, I found it very worth-while. Pictures at Mount Popa.
Lunch had been arranged for us at the nearby Mount Popa Resort which is situated in a National Park and built on a wooded mountainside of Mount Popa itself, at an elevation of 2,618 feet. When we arrived, we found our other bus had already arrived with the rest of the guests on the trip together with the T.V. crew and the Ship's Doctor. Dampened spirits were revived by an excellent lunch. By the time we'd eaten, the rain had stopped and we could enjoy marvellous views of Mount Popa itself, before boarding the bus to return to the ship. Pictures at Mount Popa Resort.
Doctor Hla Tun explained that our route back to the ship would take us within a couple of miles of Ti Pu Village, where 'Road to Mandalay' guests had provided support for new school buildings. I was keen to see what had been achieved, so I discussed with my fellow guests the possibility of a detour. Everybody was happy to make the side trip so, when we set off, the Doctor travelled in the bus with us, in order to show us some of the work for the local people that 'Road to Mandalay' is doing. The side trip is described in a separate post here.
After the visit to Ti Pu, we carried on back to ship after a thoroughly enjoyable, if exhausting, day.
I didn't realise it back in August 2009, but I was to return to Mount Popa Resort and Ti-Pu.
