Temples, locals, and hippies
Well I’m back in Yangon, but only for a few hours, since I have a flight to Bangkok today at 16:30. This morning I flew from Bagan to Yangon via Mandalay and Heho. Even with 2 stops, the 2.5-hour flight was a much better option than a 20-hour bus ride.
My last day in Bagan (yesterday) was another great day, spent touring some of the temples by bicycles and hanging out at the market (again) having more clothes made. It was Lori, Mirit, and I who spent the entire day together. I’ve so enjoyed their company over the last few days that I know I will miss them. It was so much fun so me to engage in some good girl talk! At the market I had another skirt made for $3, Mirit had a pair of pants made, and Lori bought 2 shirts and had them altered to fit better. The women at the market were very happy with us because in 2 days we had already brought them more business from other travellers who saw ours skirts and wanted one made too. I’m sure that in another few months every tailor in the market will be displaying skirts for sale just like our’s.
Yesterday evening the 3 of us rode our bicycles to one of the temples for sunset. On the way we got caught in the rain but it was so beautiful, sun on one side, rain on the other, temples everywhere, and even a rainbow in the sky, that we didn’t care. At the temple we ran into Robbie who had also cycled there, so the 4 of us sat around and watched the sun set together. We all went to dinner together and had a very fun evening filled with good conversation and laughs.
This morning I said goodbye to everyone and left the New Heaven Guesthouse for my flight to Yangon. It’s possible that I’ll see Robbie and maybe even Lori again in Bangkok because they’ll both be heading there in the next few days. The Israeli girls, Mirit and Hadas, are planning to go to Chiang Mai from Mandalay so I doubt if I will see them in Thailand but I hope very much to see them again someday.
So now I have exactly 3.5 more hours to sit around in the airport before my flight. Normally I don’t mind sitting in airports at all but this particular airport is, well, let’s just say that it could use a few renovations. Well, okay, maybe a whole new airport. There is just nothing here, except for one restaurant, which is ridiculously overpriced for foreigners and is filled with cigarette smoke from all the locals in there smoking. Could this be the only international airport left in the world where smoking is still allowed everywhere? Right, there must be 2, since Mandalay also has an international airport. Come on Myanmar, get with the program here. And this is even more unbelievable – the local people actually come here to watch the planes take off. While I was in the smoke-infested restaurant, about 100 people came in and crowded around the windows to look outside. I knew they weren’t travellers because they were all wearing flip-flops and just holding umbrellas or newspapers like all Burmese people do. Men, women, kids, the whole group of them stood around, watched the plane take off, and then all of them left. It was very, very bizarre. I have no idea if this is a daily occurrence here or what. Sometimes I can’t even believe that there are places in the world like Myanmar that are so incredibly behind the times. When I here things about Myanmar being 100 years behind Thailand and then I see something like locals going to the airport to have a chance to see a plane, well then I understand what being 100 years behind really means. More on those thoughts when I get back to Bangkok…
My flight leaves at 16:30 but I don’t arrive in Bangkok until 18:10 because Myanmar is 30 minutes behind Thailand. Why 30 minues and not one hour I couldn’t tell you. One of the many, many mysteries of this country I guess.
Later the same day…
Welcome back to Bangkok, ie Khoa San Road, ie Backpacker snobbery infestation, ie let’s all try to out-travel, out-bargain, out-cool, out-hippie dress, and out-diss everyone and everything in the world -each other.
The scene: On the airport bus into the city, and sitting next to me is a backpacker guy with a Good Morning Vietnam t-shirt on, looking at maps of Bangkok.
Me: Were you just in Vietnam?
Him: No, Lao. (Still looking at the map)
Me: Oh, how did you like Lao?
Him: (Making a bad face, still looking at the map)
Me: You didn’t like it?
Him: (Shaking his head, still looking at the map)
Me: Ok.
Conversation ends, him still looking at the map.
Where’s the LOVE I ask???????
You people don’t DESERVE to wear HIPPIE CLOTHES!!!!!!!!!!!
How do you describe a place as magical as this???
Girl power – me (USA), Lori (Canada), and Mirit (Israel), if only we ruled the world!
Sun, rain, clouds, blue sky, temples, rainbows and me, in Bagan
Add comment July 26th, 2002