28 April - Yangon - Mawlamyine

We've been on the road to Mandalay for just on two hours having left Hotel 51 after brekky and a cup of refreshing Twinings lemon and ginger tea at 7.30 am. I was aroused from a deep sleep by a man calling out, over and over again.  He was clearly on the move, as his voice was loud, under our hotel window then became more and more faint as he moved on.  After similar callings in Tibet, I was sure he was on a pilgrimage prostrating along the ground to the monastery - but no, after listening to my video our guide tells me he was selling "steaming beans".  Not nearly so romantic.

Toot, toot, toot is our constant companion as cars, trucks, and buses push in, merge, cut off our driver.  At home the horns would be blasted, here the drivers just toot, toot to let you know they're cutting in.  Toot, toot, I'm passing. Toot toot, move over please. My hands cover my eyes at various stages but although it seems quite manic, it works. There are five million people in Yangon, and so many of them are moving about selling produce or cooked food or trying to get to work early in the morning.  People are absolutely crammed onto the local buses; they jump on and off as they start to take off, hanging precariously onto the hand rails with feet barely touching the running boards.

Here in Burma, as in Thailand, the billboards large and small - in fact most advertising - shows the locals with nearly white complexions. The darker your skin the lower down the caste ladder you're considered to be. There is even one milk wash that will, "make your skin white".  Advertising!
 

 

There's not a lot of infrastructure here and certainly no rubbish collection: garbage litters the roadsides and people drop litter without any thought it seems.

As we drive along, we can see that the soil looks to be quite rich and fertile with green fields and rice paddies, and buffalo help the farmers plough the soil. Stupas are dotted throughout the land, hidden by rubber plantations, tall and smaller palm trees and eucalypts. Smoke tendrils waft up from burning litter or burning fields. Bamboo is a well used commodity; used for scaffolds, huts and as a means to carry goods.  It drags along behind the back of a motorbike, too long for the pillion to hold it - it drags along on the ground sending up clouds of dirty brown dust.

There are lots of corrugated tin huts along the roadsides, some with newer tin, although much of it is rusted.

 

We headed 40 kms towards Mandalay before turning south off the main road towards Mawlamyine (Moulmein).  Lunch was at a tourist bus destination - large covered buildings with row after row of aluminium tables and chairs and we were the only "white people" there.  Political correctness in the way people are described hasn't come here - you're described exactly how you are - white people - "white man", "white woman". And people are so keen to have their picture taken with the white man, or white woman!

 

Young girls at the street market keen to talk with us and have their photos taken with us!

Young girls learning English were very keen to talk with the 'white man and woman'

What's on offer for lunch?  Local river catfish, fried chicken, rice, Myanmar curry veggie and peanut soup, "chicken insides" ie liver and gizzards, catfish, and Myanmar beer! 

 

The bill for lunch 12,500 kyat ~ $12.50 (without "chicken insides"!)  And yes our wallets are HUGE - if only the kyat had the equivalent value to the AUD or USD!