Welcome to Myanmar!
by The Adventure People on 17th December 2018
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Welcome to Myanmar! Shouts the officer while he hands me back my passport with a brand new
shining visa to add to my collection.
From the moment I started thinking about cycling across Asia, Myanmar was always one of the
countries I wanted to visit and now, after about 4 months of cycling, I am finally here. I don't really
know why I was so attracted to this country but I believe it had a lot to do with the fact that there is
still quite a bit of mystery around it, considering that it only opened again its doors to tourists a few
years ago and it's still not part of the traditional backpacking route that crosses SE Asia.
From the moment I cross the “friendship bridge” (the bridge that links Thailand to Myanmar), it's like
stepping back in time: the road gets narrower and full of pot-holes, car and buses have definitely
seen better days and there are more pagodas that you can even imagine.
Feeling adventurous, I decide that, whenever possible, I will cycle off-road to avoid traffic: it turns
out that in Myanmar the general rule of the road is that the biggest, fastest and loudest vehicle will
prevail and for sure I don't fall in this category. My bike is not really designed for off-road cycling but
I seem to be enjoying it so much that even the mud (so thick that sometimes I have no other option
than pushing) and the occasional fall (turns out that breaking on a wet, slippery, muddy path will
send you flying!) can't break me! Moving away from the main roads also gives me a unique
opportunity to see an even more secret side of the daily life of this country: buffalos pulling huge
carts full of hay bales become the norm in terms of traffic and every turn brings more
surprises...so I find myself pushing my bike on a train bridge (no panic, I have just seen a train
pass by and, judging by the state of the railway, there won't be another one before a couple of hours) or looking around trying to find a bamboo bridge that will help me crossing a new torrent, a result of the last rainy season.
As much as I am amazed by what I see around me and the incredible sense of peace and quiet
that the countryside radiates, it is also highly amusing to see the surprised faces and looks that I
get by the locals: I am pretty sure they don't see many westerners here and even less going on a
bicycle. I wish we could somehow communicate better but, unfortunately, all I have learnt to say in
Burmese is “Mingalaba” (hello) and anyway most of the times that is sufficient to get a smile in
return and some fresh fruit as a welcome gift!
After a couple of weeks of cycling, including a break in the capital Yangon, I eventually reach
Bagan, the ancient capital of the Myanmar Kingdom. This is definitely the main tourist centre of the
country and for a good reason: in its old glory it was house to more than 10,000 between temples,
pagodas and monasteries of which about 2,000 still survive to the present day. Like many sites
(Angkor Wat in Cambodia is definitely another one) there is an issue with tourist overcrowding but
if you wake up early enough and do your research beforehand, you can still enjoy one of the most
beautiful sunrises you will ever experience in your life without too many people around you. And
while you walk around these buildings that date back to the 10th century, you can't help but feel like
a new Indiana Jones.
The last leg of my Myanmar adventure involves a 2 days trek from Kalaw to Inle lake and, for this section, I have decided to join an organized group with a local guide so that I can discover a
different side of this fascinating country. Kalaw is the trekking capital of Myanmar but most tourist
only use it for an overnight stop before starting their hikes. Instead I decide to stop one extra day
since there are some interesting sites to see and also the mountains I had to cross to get here
have taken a toll on my legs, so I can do with one extra rest day. Before hitting the bed though it is
time for a bit of celebration and “Hi Snacks and Drinks” bar seems to be the place to be in town
when it gets dark! It attracts a nice mixed crowd of locals and tourists, all chatting to each other
and sharing stories and playing live music, also thanks to a very friendly owner and a few rum
sours, their signature drink. It is so nice to be in a bar where locals and tourists hang out together,
instead of those typical backpackers dens, overpriced, offering western food, full of foreigners and
not a local insight.
For the night during the trek we will be staying in an old monastery; we arrive there in the late
afternoon but before dinner it's time for a football match with the young monks! The unifying power
of football never stops amazing me: give a group of boys a ball and a couple of stones and in less
than 5 minutes they will set up a football match! It doesn't matter that you can't speak the same
language, where you are from or what you do...football has the power to turn people of all sort of
age and culture into friends!
I spend my last day in Myanmar cycling around Inle lake; the town itself doesn't offer a lot too see
and it's a bit over touristy for my taste but the bike gives me the freedom to explore and discover
some more hidden gems.
One of my best memories of Myanmar will be the people: despite being still fairly shy and reserved
(there are still some restrictions in place to limit the interaction between locals and tourists, like for
example the fact that they are not allowed to host foreigners in their homes) they are some of the
most generous and kind people I have met during my trip: I didn't go a single day without being
offered something being fruit, a drink or maybe helping me fixing my bike without letting me pay
for it.
The few times that Myanmar comes up on our news, unfortunately, it mostly receives negative
coverage and, while for sure there are still very important issues that need to be solved and
addressed, I personally think that tourism has the potential to help to solve these problems. On the
never ending debate on whether it is ethical or not to visit Myanmar (or any other country with
similar unsolved issues) I tend to be on the “Yes” side: no good has ever come by keeping one
country in isolation and by not going you will be also depriving people that have done nothing bad
of the interaction with different cultures.
