Sunday 8 October 2017

On to Myitkyina

Events of Thursday 5th October 2017

It was raining again when I got up. Google insisted on telling me the outside temperature (though I hadn’t asked). Only two trains passed below me as I took breakfast in the Horizon Club Lounge, then I returned to my room to work on the computer and complete my final packing. Having checked-out, I was picked up on time for my transfer to the smart new domestic terminal at Mingalardon Airport.

All luggage and possessions have to be X-Rayed and passengers have to pass through a Metal Detector Arch and are then scanned by a hand-held ‘wand’. There are two low boxes on the floor which you are asked to stand on, one for men, one for women. A lady officer checks the female passengers, a man the male passengers. You are asked to hold your arms out sideways, so that they can check underarms. On my little podium, I felt like an orchestra conductor about to launch the music. But the Burmese are always so polite and smiling, it’s the one place I don’t get ‘rattled’ by security. KBZ, the airline I was flying with to Myitkyina, have introduced a Common Check-in for all flights where you can wait in any queue you choose. I chose what looked like the shortest queue but got it wrong. A young Western couple ahead of me with two young children who, as I waited in the queue, proved to be rather disobedient had brought an amazing amount of luggage which kept appearing a case at a time. Their check-in required the attention of about six airline staff. I don’t know whether they really were moving house, but they could have been. Then my queue was down to one innocent looking young Burmese girl who suddenly flashed seven passports. With horror, I realised that she was the guide with a group of seven European tourists I’d spotted nonchalantly chatting a little way off. Eventually, it was my turn and check-in was completed with the customary smiling courtesy. An escalator took me to the departure hall where, since my last trip, they have introduced a second security station to X-ray carry-on baggage and repeat the passenger checks, just like at the entrance to the building. There are now glossy shops for pastry, various cafĂ© options (including a KFC!) and up-market watches.


Yangon, flying to Myitkyina.

My flight was called and I hurried to Boarding Gate 32. As I expected, the rather smart Airbridge discharged us onto metal stairs leading to a transfer bus. Fortunately, the stairs had been provided with a roof, for it was still raining hard. Although the bus had parked close to the exit from the stairs, a smiling man from the airline was ready with a large umbrella to protect passengers from the rain and this process was repeated when we reached the aircraft and had to board the ATR 72-500/600 via its ‘Airstairs’. We did some high speed taxiing and were airborne just after 1.00 p.m., climbing to 18,000 feet for our journey of about an hour and a quarter to our first stop at Mandalay International Airport. Mandalay passengers were collected by a transfer bus whilst a large fuel bowser topped up our fuel.


Yangon-Myitkyina: As we re-fuel at Mandalay, the ground crew shelter from the sun in the wing's shadow.

I knew that my lady guide from Mandalay would board the flight and I spotted her as soon as she came on board and introductions were quickly made. Her name is July Win. The flight was not full so she was able to sit next to me for the Mandalay to Myitkyina ‘leg’.

On arrival at Myitkyina, the local Agent had also turned up to make sure everything had worked out. Immigration logged my entry into Kachin state whilst we waited for my checked bag to arrive, then I met the local driver and the Mitsubishi 4x4 'Pajero' provided for the trip.

First we went to the Reclining Buddha Image. On the second day of the holiday, it was crowded with pilgrims and volunteers were handing out plastic glasses of orange juice containing small pieces of black jelly.


Myitkyina Reclining Buddha: Volunteers were handing out plastic glasses of orange juice containing small pieces of black jelly.

We then walked across to the associated pagoda, undergoing repairs, where more volunteers were laying out 1,000 clay candle holders for the Festival of Light Ceremony that evening. We next looked an astrology stall, where the result is already written in cards laid on a table. The correct card is selected from tossing seven small shells combined with your Birth Sign (there are 8 in Myanmar Astrology). Whilst we waited for our car to pick us up, I tried rice cakes, fried over a fire of wooden sticks.

Myitkyina is the capital of Kachin State which is home, I think, to 25 ethnic minorities so we visited the National Playground where ethnic ceremonies are performed.


Kachin State National Playground, Myitkyina.

By the time we reached the Palm Spring Resort Hotel, it was dark. I’d been given room 2001 on the first floor at the head of a very grand wooden staircase.


Palm Springs Resort, Myitkyina.

The room was very well-appointed and, although there was supposed to be Wi-Fi, I didn’t succeed in connecting to either of the routers my computer detected. I explored the grounds in the dark, found the dining room but decided I’d enough food with me for the evening so returned to my room, worked on the computer a little and then slept well in the large bed although the mattress was rather hard.

Related posts on this website

This is one of a series of posts describing my 12th visit to Myanmar. The post Starting out is the first post in the series.

Clicking on the 'Next report' link displays the post describing the next events. In this way, you may read about the trip in sequence.
Next report on this trip.

Alternately, clicking on the 'All my Burma-2017(2) reports' link displays all the posts on this trip in reverse date-of-posting order.
All my Burma-2017(2) reports.

My photograph albums

Where necessary, clicking on an image above will display an 'uncropped' view or, alternately, pictures may be selected, viewed or downloaded, in various sizes, from the albums listed:-

Yangon around and about.
Sule Shangri-La Hotel, Yangon.
Yangon Airport (This and earlier trips).
Yangon to Myitkyina by Air.
Myitkyina, around and about.
Palm Springs Resort, Myitkyina.

[Links to albums added, 16-Oct-2017: Pictures added 4-Jan-2018]

By Road to the Delta

Events of Wednesday, 4th October 2017

During the night of Tuesday/Wednesday, I was woken by a bright, flashing light. I realised that the sky was full of sheet lightning and I could hear subdued thunder. Yangon was receiving torrential, tropical rain. After a while, the thunderstorm ceased but the heavy rain continued and I found it difficult to return to sleep afterwards.

My friend Myo Lwin had arranged that we would visit Zalun Pyidawpyan Pagoda near Daunggyi in the Delta region on Wednesday. I'd never been anywhere in the Ayeyarwaddy Delta area before and I'd only made one return crossing of the Yangon River when, in 2009, I took the ferry to Dalla (that trip is described here).

I had to get up at 4.00 a.m. to allow us to set off at 5.00 a.m. Google advised me that the distance by road from my hotel to the pagoda was 144 k.m. and that, in normal conditions, it would take just over three hours.

However, the day of our journey was the first of three consecutive days of official Public Holidays to mark the Full Moon Day of Thadingyut (End of Buddhist Lent), so road conditions were not normal. Myo Lwin had suggested we set off at five o'clock in the hope of avoiding the worst of the traffic. My hotel had provided me with a comprehensive 'Breakfast Box' to take with me and we set off on time, in heavy rain.

The roads were already crowded as we made our way north through the city towards Insein. Before reaching Insein, we turned west onto Thamine Train Station Road and then crossed the Yangon River on a multi-span steel girder truss bridge which, I later discovered, was the Bayint Naung Bridge 2. Another bridge a few yards downsteam carrying traffic into the city was barely visible through the rain and the darkness. Our route took us generally north-west through an industrial area. Traffic slowed to a crawl and, as we approached a large traffic-light controlled junction, we stopped and remained stopped. White-coated traffic police could do little to resolve the tangle of vehicles.


White-coated traffic police could do little to resolve the tangle of vehicles.

With agonising slowless, we inched forward every so often. Eventually, we traversed that junction but, very soon, had another congested junction to negotiate. It was some hours before we were moving fairly freely and decided to stop for breakfast at a large roadside restaurant offering a Chinese-style menu.


Breakfast at a large, roadside restaurant.

Near Nyaungdon, we crossed the Ayeyarwaddy River on a multi-span steel girder truss bridge carrying both road and a single railway line.


Crossing the Ayeyarwaddy River.

It took us almost 8 hours to reach the pagoda. There was no rain and it was pleasant to walk in the pagoda compound.


Zalun Pyidawpyan Pagoda, applying gold leaf to the Buddha image.

We set off on our return journey and the nearby town of Daunggyi was thronged with people, many of them making their way to or from the local pagoda.


By Road to the Delta 4-Oct-2017: Daunggyi.

We decided to visit the pagoda, crowded with pilgrims and with a very jolly holiday atmosphere. The pagoda was under restoration so parts from the Hti which tops the spire had been brought down for restoration and were on display. I found it interesting and enjoyable.


Daunggyi, pagoda under restoration

For dinner, we stopped at the same roadside restaurant as on the outward journey - they'd been so busy during the day, the menu was becoming severely limited. Our journey back, partly in darkness, was much quicker than the outward trip but I still wasn't back in the hotel until after 8.00 p.m., tired but happy.

Related posts on this website

This is one of a series of posts describing my 12th visit to Myanmar. The post Starting out is the first post in the series.

Clicking on the 'Next report' link displays the post describing the next events. In this way, you may read about the trip in sequence.
Next report on this trip.

Alternately, clicking on the 'All my Burma-2017(2) reports' link displays all the posts on this trip in reverse date-of-posting order.
All my Burma-2017(2) reports.

My photograph albums

Where necessary, clicking on an image above will display an 'uncropped' view or, alternately, pictures may be selected, viewed or downloaded, in various sizes, from the albums listed:-

Yangon around and about.
Sule Shangri-La Hotel, Yangon.
By Road to the Delta.

[Text and pictures added, 21-Oct-2017]