It was nice to walk right
out of the hotel with pack upon back and join a group of 4 others and local
guide without having to think about a bus, taxi, etc. The next three days would
take us on a walk over hills and through villages upon mixed paths of
narrow trail and rural road. At the end of the walk we would hop a long tail
boat up a river and across Inle lake to the town of Nyuangshwe.
I originally expected our guide to be the Sikh who owned the guest house that I had arranged the trek with. By the morning of the walk the group had grown to eleven. So, true to his word, the Sikh by the name of Robin, had said he did not like to walk with groups of more than five or six. He thus broke the group in two and hired another guide whose group I walked with. This arrangement proved to work out very well. In the evening we met up with Robins group for dinner and lodging.
Lodging was very basic. A pad with blanket. The first night was on the floor of the second story in a two story building. The second night was on a elevated platform made of Bamboo on the ground floor of a two story building. Each night we had a cook who cooked over open fire as they have done forever.
Our route did well to keep us up on higher ridges after crossing or skirting valleys. Our guide spoke good English and regularly showed us local plants and such. Since he knew many of the people in the villages there was a lot of interaction with locals. We would stop to talk with people harvesting crops and took a couple of breaks at a village monastery to have tea with a monk.
The hill people are agricultural and very poor but they seem to have what they basically need. For the most part they appear to be happy. Although life is hard I can’t say it’s complicated like it is in more developed countries. It’s quite simple. Food, shelter, and the help of family and friends is all you really need but physically it’s hard.
Just about all of the farming is done by hand or cow drawn plow. I only saw one farmer using a gas operated machine to till soil. All of the harvesting of rice, ginger, red pepper, etc. was being done hunched over and by hand. The monetary end result is a pittance considering all of the labor. One thing that has really made an impression on me during this trip is hard work and how it’s defined.
I work hard at what I do in the States but it’s by no means the same as what you see in developing countries. My work is not literal back breaking work. I do ok with what I make as a single person but by American standards it’s not a lot. However, I can still afford to hop on a plane and travel to places like Myanmar where I can live like a rich man staying in nice hotels for $25 or $30, if I so choose, without a problem. Or, I can join a guide with a small group for an all inclusive three day trek through the hills for around $40 USD. In Myanmar I just happen to be wealthy by relative terms because of the country I come from. They say that ten percent of the world’s population holds ninety percent of the world’s wealth. Well, as modest as my life and income may be in the states I think it’s obvious that I’m am very lucky to be a part of the 10%. No matter how hard someone works in a developing country it’s extremely difficult to get ahead and nearly impossible if they don’t have an education and/or cannot speak English.
The walking/hiking was nice with rolling and varied terrain. Plenty of views filled with the day to day life of rural Myanmar culture. Although the villages remain quite primitive and basic by today’s standards the level of sanitation has improved thanks to non-government organizations. Our guide said that in the past people just used the toilet in the forest or pretty much anywhere. Now, they have properly designated squat toilet pits that everyone seems to be good about using. Also, each town has what is supposed to be a good well for water but I wouldn’t recommend drinking any untreated water in Myanmar. Myanmar has proven to be a country where you need to be careful about the food and water. It seems like just about everyone new to the country gets something. Usually travelers diarrhea.
By the end of the third day I was ready to be done. Although the level of sanitation has improved in the hill villages it did not prevent a cold bug from going around our group. During the evening it was a group of eleven. At the start of the trek the Swiss man who I had booked the trek with showed up with a cold. By the end of the walk five or six had the cold including myself. I think it was exacerbated by wood smoke from cooking. All of the cooking is done over a wood fire indoors with the only venting being open doors or windows.
Fortunately, the cold is not the kind that knocks you out. It’s the kind that just makes you a little tired and unmotivated. Luckily, I didn’t come down with it until the second day and it didn’t detract from the overall experience too much.
At the end of the trek we had lunch and boarded long tail boats for about an hour ride up river to Inle Lake and Nyaungshwe. Upon arrival Robin led us to a hotel where our extra gear, that wasn’t needed for the trek, had been shuttled. I took a look at aroom that was available for $15. It was ok but not particularly clean. With a wide arrange of hotels I figured I’d look elsewhere, however, I wasn’t feeling great with a runny nose.
As I walked on I saw a large nice looking five story hotel rising above the dust, noise, and speeding motor scooters. I rounded a corner past a fat dead rat laying in an ally. A little further I wandered in to take a look. They had a single on the top floor with a view for $35. I offered $30 and they readily accepted. Probably should have offered $25. Anyway, $30 gets me a very nice and clean room with an included east meets west breakfast buffet. The view is of town, the lake in the distance, and a pagoda with lights that flash like a disco at night. Just a few extra dollars and the standard can really go up, however, for Southeast Asia I still think Myanmar is kind of expensive. Most of all my room is super quiet which isn’t always easy to find Asia.
I don’t know if it’s just because I'm getting older but I don’t mind paying a little extra for something nicer as long as it’s a good value. I figure I’m going to rough it plenty enough without trying and no feel compelled to pinch my pennies and suffer like a twenty year old college student. I don’t have to. It’s just not necessary if it’s not necessary. At fifty one I think it’s safe to say I’ve graduated.
The town of Nyaungshwe is quite pleasant and well set up for tourism. The main attraction is Inle lake which is really quite beautiful and set up in a broad mountain valley. The mornings are quite cold and can get down to freezing at night with the daytime temps being just about perfect. What’s also nice about the lake and area I hiked through is that it’s above the Malaria and Dengue which is more of a problem during the rainy season. Not so much during the dry season which it is now. Since it’s a flat valley it’s good for biking. You can rent a bike for a dollar a day.
As for me it’s two nights in Nyaungshwe then a night bus back to Yangon to catch a flight to Bangkok. Two week is too little time for Myanmar. I could easily go another week but the beaches and islands of Southern Thailand are calling.I originally expected our guide to be the Sikh who owned the guest house that I had arranged the trek with. By the morning of the walk the group had grown to eleven. So, true to his word, the Sikh by the name of Robin, had said he did not like to walk with groups of more than five or six. He thus broke the group in two and hired another guide whose group I walked with. This arrangement proved to work out very well. In the evening we met up with Robins group for dinner and lodging.
Lodging was very basic. A pad with blanket. The first night was on the floor of the second story in a two story building. The second night was on a elevated platform made of Bamboo on the ground floor of a two story building. Each night we had a cook who cooked over open fire as they have done forever.
Our route did well to keep us up on higher ridges after crossing or skirting valleys. Our guide spoke good English and regularly showed us local plants and such. Since he knew many of the people in the villages there was a lot of interaction with locals. We would stop to talk with people harvesting crops and took a couple of breaks at a village monastery to have tea with a monk.
The hill people are agricultural and very poor but they seem to have what they basically need. For the most part they appear to be happy. Although life is hard I can’t say it’s complicated like it is in more developed countries. It’s quite simple. Food, shelter, and the help of family and friends is all you really need but physically it’s hard.
Just about all of the farming is done by hand or cow drawn plow. I only saw one farmer using a gas operated machine to till soil. All of the harvesting of rice, ginger, red pepper, etc. was being done hunched over and by hand. The monetary end result is a pittance considering all of the labor. One thing that has really made an impression on me during this trip is hard work and how it’s defined.
I work hard at what I do in the States but it’s by no means the same as what you see in developing countries. My work is not literal back breaking work. I do ok with what I make as a single person but by American standards it’s not a lot. However, I can still afford to hop on a plane and travel to places like Myanmar where I can live like a rich man staying in nice hotels for $25 or $30, if I so choose, without a problem. Or, I can join a guide with a small group for an all inclusive three day trek through the hills for around $40 USD. In Myanmar I just happen to be wealthy by relative terms because of the country I come from. They say that ten percent of the world’s population holds ninety percent of the world’s wealth. Well, as modest as my life and income may be in the states I think it’s obvious that I’m am very lucky to be a part of the 10%. No matter how hard someone works in a developing country it’s extremely difficult to get ahead and nearly impossible if they don’t have an education and/or cannot speak English.
The walking/hiking was nice with rolling and varied terrain. Plenty of views filled with the day to day life of rural Myanmar culture. Although the villages remain quite primitive and basic by today’s standards the level of sanitation has improved thanks to non-government organizations. Our guide said that in the past people just used the toilet in the forest or pretty much anywhere. Now, they have properly designated squat toilet pits that everyone seems to be good about using. Also, each town has what is supposed to be a good well for water but I wouldn’t recommend drinking any untreated water in Myanmar. Myanmar has proven to be a country where you need to be careful about the food and water. It seems like just about everyone new to the country gets something. Usually travelers diarrhea.
By the end of the third day I was ready to be done. Although the level of sanitation has improved in the hill villages it did not prevent a cold bug from going around our group. During the evening it was a group of eleven. At the start of the trek the Swiss man who I had booked the trek with showed up with a cold. By the end of the walk five or six had the cold including myself. I think it was exacerbated by wood smoke from cooking. All of the cooking is done over a wood fire indoors with the only venting being open doors or windows.
Fortunately, the cold is not the kind that knocks you out. It’s the kind that just makes you a little tired and unmotivated. Luckily, I didn’t come down with it until the second day and it didn’t detract from the overall experience too much.
At the end of the trek we had lunch and boarded long tail boats for about an hour ride up river to Inle Lake and Nyaungshwe. Upon arrival Robin led us to a hotel where our extra gear, that wasn’t needed for the trek, had been shuttled. I took a look at aroom that was available for $15. It was ok but not particularly clean. With a wide arrange of hotels I figured I’d look elsewhere, however, I wasn’t feeling great with a runny nose.
As I walked on I saw a large nice looking five story hotel rising above the dust, noise, and speeding motor scooters. I rounded a corner past a fat dead rat laying in an ally. A little further I wandered in to take a look. They had a single on the top floor with a view for $35. I offered $30 and they readily accepted. Probably should have offered $25. Anyway, $30 gets me a very nice and clean room with an included east meets west breakfast buffet. The view is of town, the lake in the distance, and a pagoda with lights that flash like a disco at night. Just a few extra dollars and the standard can really go up, however, for Southeast Asia I still think Myanmar is kind of expensive. Most of all my room is super quiet which isn’t always easy to find Asia.
I don’t know if it’s just because I'm getting older but I don’t mind paying a little extra for something nicer as long as it’s a good value. I figure I’m going to rough it plenty enough without trying and no feel compelled to pinch my pennies and suffer like a twenty year old college student. I don’t have to. It’s just not necessary if it’s not necessary. At fifty one I think it’s safe to say I’ve graduated.
The town of Nyaungshwe is quite pleasant and well set up for tourism. The main attraction is Inle lake which is really quite beautiful and set up in a broad mountain valley. The mornings are quite cold and can get down to freezing at night with the daytime temps being just about perfect. What’s also nice about the lake and area I hiked through is that it’s above the Malaria and Dengue which is more of a problem during the rainy season. Not so much during the dry season which it is now. Since it’s a flat valley it’s good for biking. You can rent a bike for a dollar a day.
No comments:
Post a Comment