Myanmar | A photo report of an authentic and versatile country

The continuation of our Myanmar tour…

After us previous travel report the journey continues from Mandalay, . A short flight (25 minutes) took us to Heho. This flight took us into the Shan state and the landscape changed completely. This state is known for its agriculture, something we immediately noticed upon arrival, because there is activity everywhere on the land.

Pindaya

We drove along the fields Pindaya which is known for its cave. This cave contains more than 8500 Buddha statues. During the war, people came to place their Buddha statue(s) in the cave so that they would not die during the fighting. After the war, people decided to leave their statues and even expand them with new Buddha statues.

The cave is now full and no more statues are allowed to be placed there. The Burmese would like to do this because they believe that by donating a Buddha statue they show their good will towards Buddha and that can only bring them prosperity.

Kalaw,

Our next destination was Kalaw, where we made a trekking for 4 days. We walked past fields, through villages and through the rolling hills with a patchwork of farmland below us. In some fields people were working picking chili peppers, digging ginger or planting garlic.

The Inle lake

Finally, after walking more than 80 miles, we reached it Inle Lake, Myanmar's most famous lake. Inle Lake is known for its villages built on stilts, floating gardens and leg rowers. The latter have their own way of rowing. To do this, they stand on the boat and hold their oar with one arm and one leg. They then make a backward movement with the leg.

At Inle Lake we were picked up by boat and we sailed through narrow canals where people were working at the floating gardens on either side. These gardens are created by tying down a layer of soil with marsh plants. This keeps the earth floating and allows them to grow different crops. It is a joy to sail through these floating gardens.

There is activity and local people sailing all around us. We thoroughly enjoy the beautiful things we see. This category certainly also includes traditional fishermen, what photogenic pictures they produce!

Sailing a little further, past Inle Lake and further into the canals, there are several temples and pagodas that are worth a visit. Because many tourists do not go further than the lake itself, it is very quiet here and you will encounter few other tourists.

Also read: Itinerary Myanmar 2 to 4 weeks | Hints and Highlights

Loyalty

Our last destination in Myanmar is the area around Loyalty. This area is known for the various tribes that live here, including the Long Necks (Kayan), the Kayah and the Ka Yaw. The tribes also go here, just like in Mindat (see the previous blog), are slowly dying out because the traditions of these population groups are no longer adopted by everyone in subsequent generations.

Among the Longnecks, women wear bronze rings around their necks to extend their length. There are various stories about the reason for this, but no one knows exactly what happens. They also do not know when this tradition started. According to our guide, girls get their first rings at a young age, but compared to older women, they can be taken off. Very useful when they want to go to sleep, it is a lot more comfortable than wearing such rings.

In all tribes we notice that the women do not just want to be photographed. They want to look their Easter best and therefore wash thoroughly beforehand and also do their hair or headscarf properly. Finally, all jewelry must be put on neatly and then they are finally ready.

Facts about Myanmar

• Many people chew packets of betel nuts and tobacco, which causes their teeth to turn red.
• A local guide regularly had to accompany us to communicate with the population, who all speak their own dialect and do not understand official Burmese.
• There is litter everywhere.
• The people are poor and therefore very community-oriented. There is a great sense of solidarity.
• Just like everywhere in Asia, there is always noise around you.
• Almost all the work is done by hand, there are actually no machines.
• The country has been slowly supplied with electricity for a few years now, and approximately 50% of the country now has electricity (2020).
• Most people do not yet have running water.
• The people of Myanmar hardly speak English. If they do speak English, they learned it in writing, not by speaking it.
• They work everywhere on the road. Here too, they do everything by hand, except leveling. For example, people are chipping large blocks of stone into small pieces and then placing them neatly by hand on the new road surface to be formed, after which large barrels of pitch are then poured over them by hand.
• The Asians are always friendly, but the Burmese take the cake. You are always welcome at their home where they serve tea or wine with local snacks.

Conclusion

For us, Myanmar is the most authentic and beautiful country in Asia and definitely worth a visit! Unfortunately, the country cannot be visited at the moment due to the current unstable political situation, but when the country opens up again we would definitely visit again.