South of Mawlamyine, Burma

Sunday, 9th September 2012

I had a decent breakfast before being picked up by Min and the driver in the ‘HiAce’. We were to head south on the main road. Even though parts of the route were toll roads, both directions of traffic shared a single carriageway and, despite passing a few ‘patching teams’ repairing potholes (on the Sabbath) the ride was quite hard (‘though nowhere near as bad as the previous day’s rail trip).

Our first stop was the ‘World’s Largest Reclining Buddha’ built a few years ago. In a pretty valley with a stream cascading through it, a huge Buddha in the reclining position has been created on one side of the valley. To support this massive monument, the statue is built on a huge reinforced concrete structure. We entered, to see a labyrinth of bare rooms on different levels interconnected by concrete stairs. I haven’t got the statistics but there are over 500 rooms within the supporting structure! No attempt has been made to finish inside which remains bare concrete. Water has penetrated the structure so parts of the inside are wet or moss-covered already. This has been the project of a single, now-elderly monk. Amazingly, on the opposite side of the valley, a second reclining Buddha is being built. Builders were busy forming ‘rebar’ (reinforcing bars) into the necessary shape ready for concrete to be poured into shuttering. At this stage, the work in progress on the second Buddha looked as if it might be a new tourist hotel taking shape.

This view of the robes and feet of the Reclining Buddha being examined by a coachload of tourists gives an idea of the scale of the construction.

We continued south through the large town of Mudon, eventually reaching the small town of Thanbyuzayat, named after the ‘tin shelter’ forming its town centre ‘feature’. Most towns have a ‘feature’ – clocktower, decorative pillar or, in the case of Thanbyuzayat, what looks like a Victorian bandstand with a distinctive roof. The town was at the Burmese end of the Burma – Siam ‘Death Railway’ built by prisoners of the Japanese during the second World War. Near the town centre, the first locomotive to run on that tragic line has been plinthed – a Japanese-built 2-6-0. Not far away is Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery with 3,771 graves of Allied prisoners of war. It’s a thought-provoking place, particularly since the 3,771 graves represent only a fraction of the overall death toll. Up to 100,000 conscripted labourers from various Asian countries may have perished during the project.

A drive of about 9 km took us to Khaikhami Yele Paya, an important Buddhist Shrine built over the sea. The original wooden bridge leading from the shore has now been supplemented by a covered, concrete structure, incomplete but already in use. The elaborate decorative metalwork which adorns the roofs of Burmese shrines was in course of erection. Being the Sabbath, the place was quite busy with Myanmar people, either worshipping or having a day out (or both). At one spot, numerous silver-coloured Carp had gathered as visitors threw coloured treats to them.

Khaikhami Yele Paya, looking back towards the land, showing the new, covered concrete bridge. The original, wooden bridge is just visible to the left of the concrete bridge.

At last I’d seen the Andaman Sea from the shore, rather than from an aircraft! We stopped for lunch at a local café just outside the Buddhist Shrine before back-tracking towards Thanbyuzayat. Before we reached the town, we turned off a drove to Setse which has a long, sandy beach with lots of local-area visitors. There was plenty of room for everyone, so I joined the paddlers. The beach area was served by a clutch of snack bars and shops.

We drove back to Thanbyuzayat and (surprise, surprise) I had a quick look at the small station. There were lots of people waiting so, presumably, a train was due.

We then made the long journey on the indifferent roads back to Mawlamyine. On the way, I saw many memorable images you can't capture with a camera. Some of these I'll remember and many I’ll just forget. One sight I did photograph was working elephants being transported with their handlers, each on the back of an open lorry. We saw seven such lorries all told. They were from an elephant sanctuary, Min said, and were presumably off on a working contract.

We saw a group of seven working elephants being moved south.

Before dropping me at my hotel, we drove to a view point overlooking the city and the water before climbing a little higher to a monastery complex offering both views of the city side and the land side.

Viewed from the hills to the east of the town, the new rail and road bridge across the Thanlwin River drastically improved communication to the north.

Photographs:

The World's Largest Reclining Buddha.
Thanbyuzayat Area.
Khaikhami Yele Paya.
Mawlamyine.

[Revised 27-Sep-2012}