Saturday, 8th September 2012
My Blackberry (used as an alarm clock) woke me at 5.40 a.m. after a good, if rather short, sleep. By the time I’d had a shower, my breakfast was at the door (two fried eggs sunnyside, fried tomatoes, two rounds of white toast and English Breakfast tea). Just time to eat it and get downstairs with my luggage for 6.30 a.m. My guide, Min, and the driver were already there so we were soon driving the short distance to Yangon Central Railway Station.
I’d been to the station before, on my first visit to Burma, when I took a clockwise Circle Line train. This time, we were at the Main Line side and a footbridge took us to our waiting train for the Mawlamyine line. We were to take the train as far as Kyaikto, where we would meet up with our SUV and driver again. No, I didn’t ask for the rail journey – it was part of the offered programme and I happily accepted it.
There was plenty of time before the 7.15 a.m. departure, so I busied myself taking photographs at the platform end. There was quite a bit of activity. I’ll put the technical comments in a separate post (Yangon to Kyaikto by Train with links to the railway pictures), just noting that this journey was awarded the accolade of the roughest rail journey I’ve had anywhere and I got off at Kyaikto exhausted with being thrown about.
We drove to a nearby Hill Resort for a simple lunch and then continued by road to Mawlamyine, arriving late afternoon. Until a few years ago, Mawlamyine was isolated from the north by a wide estuary and a vehicle ferry was necessary to reach the town. But now, a long bridge of numerous steel spans takes both road and rail effortlessly across the estuary.
I’m in a modern, fairly large hotel called the Mawlamyaing (their spelling) Strand Hotel, set on the road along the sea wall which has a wide pedestrian promenade. The splendid views are not of open sea but across the channel between the mainland and Bilu Island.
Somewhat restored by a shower, I determined to have a walk before it got dark. I followed the promenade south then cut across to the nearest parallel main shopping street and returned north, passing the staff entrance at the rear of my hotel. I carried on until I was underneath the new road/rail bridge across the river estuary we’d used to reach Mawlamyine earlier. I decided to have a simple meal at a hotel near my own which Min had recommended for food and they provided an excellent potato soup at the outdoor dining area on wooden decking overlooking the estuary. By the time I left for the short walk back to my hotel, it was completely dark.
Photographs
Mawlamyine.
Mawlamyaing Strand Hotel.
[Revised 27-Sep-2012]
