Myanmar: Be Enchanted

• Take bus to Kin Pun
• Take truck up to the Golden Rock Mountain 
• Take bus back to Yangon

To go to the Golden Rock Mountain, take the bus from Yangon to Kyaiktiyo (alternatively: Kyaikhto/Kyaikhtiyo/Kyaikto/Kyaik Htee Yoe), which will stop at Kin Pun. The whole ride takes around 3 hours. Then walk towards the truck station where you will take a truck that costs around 2,500 MMK one-way to the top of the mountain where the Golden Rock is. It’s quite a crazy rollercoaster ride zigzagging through steep roads while being crammed with many others for 30 minutes, so you better hold on tight!

Alternatively, you could hike up, which, according to Google Maps, takes over 4 hours with a distance of 8 miles or almost 12.9 kilometers.

Assuming you take the truck, once it stops at the KyaikHtiYoe Wildlife Sanctuary, you will have to walk about half a mile/kilometer to reach the golden rock, officially named as Kyaik Htee Yoe Pagoda.

NOTE: Women are not allowed near the rock, let alone touch it. So, unfortunately, ladies can only see it from a distance.

Other than the rock, there are some buddhist displays and nice views of the green hills all around from an altitude of 3600ft/1100m above sea level. To go back down, walk back to the sanctuary where you got off, pay the fee and enjoy the ride back down to the same place. Walk back to the bus terminal and head back to Yangon.

This was how I went. However, if you prefer comfort and a peace of mind with everything including meals covered, you can book a day tour as well. 

• Take bus to Bagan 
• Check in or drop your bag at your hotel
• Rent an e-bike or bicycle
• See the sunrise by the lake 
• Go to different pagodas and temples
• Take a boat ride on Irrawaddy River
• Stay in Bagan

Take bus to Bagan (I took Aureindamam Aircon Express) for 15,000 MMK. It departs at 7pm, stops at Pioneer 115 Food Centre at around 10pm, and arrives at Bagan around 3am.

Upon entering Bagan, you will have to pay a Bagan Zone Fee of 25000 MMK as of 2020 which is valid for 3 days.

You should rest well during the bus ride as you’ll have the entire morning to explore the beauty and sunrise of Bagan. From where the bus stopped, I walked to the hotel and left my backpack at the reception at New Park Hotel in Nyaung-U and immediately rented an e-bike which costs around 6000-8000 MMK per day with a battery life of around 8 hours.

Be sure to rent an e-bike or bicycle rather than any form of transportation with a driver as they may only take you to typical attractions and you may miss out on hidden gems.

So, I headed to the vicinity of the Daditos Sunrise Temple known for being the perfect spot for taking sunrise photos with the Irrawaddy River on one side, and hot air balloons on the other, both of which feature the ancient structures. 

After that, I explored the different pagodas and temples around Bagan. 

Finally, around sunset, I took a boat ride along the Irrawaddy River. Just go to the river bank where some idle boat men hang around and Unfortunately, I did not sport any irrawaddy dolphins, they are also critically endangered with less than 250 remaining, according to RiverDolphins.org. 

After sunset, I went to Shwezigon Pagoda, another massive beautiful golden stupa.

After a night at a bus, it’s time to spend a restful night at a hotel in Bagan.

• Head to Mt. Popa via tour vehicle
• Stop by a sweets shop 
• Climb up to Mt. Popa
• Back to Bagan

If I remember correctly, I might have booked this day tour to Mount Popa at the hotel reception. However, you can also book a day tour to Mount Popa online.

I hopped on a vehicle along with other tourists and in about 1-1.5 hours we made our first stop at a local sweets manufacturer. My personal highlight at this place was this super cute but also pitiful Asian cow doing the hard work of grinding the peanuts to extract oil.

We also toured a bit inside where all the pots are used to ferment and prepare the sweets. They had quite a few varieties of them with different flavors which we received a sample of each. Some were sugary, others had sesame, etc. 

About 30 minutes later, we reached a village at the base of Mount Popa. We were free to go up at our own pace. Just be careful as there are many macaques. There are 777 steps to climb to the top and it was worth it despite having to go bare feet walking on the rather dirty floor because of the monkeys.

The 777 steps. I believe the signs are names and origins of donors with the amounts:

At the top, there’s a group of smaller golden stupas, pagodas housing buddhist statues, bells, a gong, and a breathtaking view of the surrounding green hills.

From arriving at the village to going up and down back to the village took me about 1.5 hours. I then went back to Bagan with the tour vehicle to catch the bus to Nyaungshwe. The hotel had their truck that transported people to the bus station.

• Take bus to Nyaungshwe
• Check in at hotel
• One-day boat tour
• Stay in Nyaungshwe

From Bagan, go to the bus station to take a bus to Nyaungshwe which in my case, departed around 8:30pm and stopped somewhere at 10pm for a toilet & snack break. During the break, I met a lovely French couple and talked to them a bit, it was nice to have a conversation with others when traveling solo.

Finally, the bus arrived at 3:30am. Upon arrival, I also had to pay 15,000 MMK to enter the Inle Zone. Even 3-4am, people started setting up their shops and businesses, and there was a group of boatment who came to the bus station to try to sell boat tours to us exhausted tourists who merely stepped foot on the ground. I vividly remember the French lady saying “I don’t want boat, I WANT BED!” lol.  

Thankfully, the bus stop was less than 2 kilometers away from Manaw Thu Kha Hotel, which I stayed at, so I simply walked there. I also want to note that I appreciate this hotel because in the ‘special request’ I ordered a bolster and indeed they put a bolster on my bed when I entered the room. Super awesome of them being detail-oriented and service-minded! Props to them! The hotel staff members were nice and friendly too, of course! 

After recharging as much as I could with those few hours of proper sleep, I took the one-day Inle Lake boat tour which showcased the natural beauty of Inle lake & its surroundings, local fishermen fishing in a unique style, stopped by a local market full of fresh produce and other non-food items, silver smith shops with accessories and jewelries, cheroot shops, textile shops, a local restaurant for lunch, and the Shwe Inn Dein Pagoda. A day very well spent!

At Hnin Thitsar Inle Traditional Restaurant, I had Crushed Rice with Fish which is an In Le traditional dish. It cost 30,000 MMK, which is not so cheap, in my opinion, but then it’s the tourists who got dropped off here, so no surprise.

I stayed a night at Nyaungshwe.

• Wine tasting at Myanmar Vineyard or Aythaya Vineyard
• Back to Nyaungshwe to take bus to Mandalay

Not too far from Nyaungshwe are some vineyards including the Red Mountain Estate Vineyards & Winery, and Myanmar Vineyard or Aythaya Vineyard. I had a winery tour and wine tasting in the latter as the former seemed to be closed when I got there. I did this tour independently by hiring a tuk tuk and giving directions. Unfortunately, I don’t remember how much the tuk-tuk cost. You can of course also book a formal tour including transportation there. Aythaya Vineyard’s entrance lies right at an uphill curve on the roadside. There’s a huge arc sign which you simply can’t miss. They farm a variety of grapes including Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Shiraz, Dornfelder, and Tempranillo. Of course their wines are also diverse with Sauvignon Blanc, white wine, rosé, red wine, and la Bodega red & white in their stock. I got to taste four of them! However, according to their website, “you will be given our 6 types of selected wines: three types of white wine, one rosé and two red. It only costs 6000 Ks (about 5 USD) per person”, maybe things have changed over the years.

They also have a restaurant where you can enjoy the wine with steak. I spent around two and a half hours there in total.

Once the belly’s full, head back to Nyaungshwe to relax a bit by enjoying the sunset there and later catch the bus to Mandalay. 

Next I took the bus to Mandalay which departed at 7:30pm. It was quite punctual. There was a 9pm stop at the food place/market, and another stop again at 1am. I arrived at 4am. Myanmar bus drivers really seem to enjoy dropping passengers off at 3-4am, lol!

• Arrive at Mandalay
• Sunrise at U-Bein bridge
• Sagaing Hill 
• Malls in Mandalay
• Back to Hotel

Upon arriving in Mandalay by bus from Nyaungshwe at around 4am, I don’t remember how I got to the hotel, but knowing that there’s a major bus station just half a mile or almost 1 kilometer from the hotel I stayed at which was Hotel Boss, I probably just walked there by myself.

As I was entering the hotel, I vividly remember how the receptionist, who was sleeping, had put an empty Coke can on the pair of door handles so that it would drop to make a screeching sound to wake them up when someone opens the door, and it worked lol.

I checked in, freshened up a bit and…. did not sleep. I rented a bike and went straight to U-Bein bridge which is the world’s longest teak bridge. I reached there just before 6:30am to catch the sunrise. Going during the sunrise is sooooo recommended for two main reasons:
– It’s beautiful
– It’s not crowded. It gets extremely crowded later on throughout the day. 

I parked the bike and walked on the bridge to the other side. I enjoyed not only the beautiful sunrise sky but also witnessing the local life. I saw some people paddling on their boats, a lady in the lake fishing, while there were monks walking on the bridge, some ladies chatting with each other, dogs chilling below the seats at resting spots that are available every few meters on the bridge – simply a very laid-back and slow lifestyle.

I had breakfast on the other side of the bridge. Then walked all the way back to ride my rented bike to Sagaing Hill which required crossing the huge Sagaing Bridge over the Irrawaddy River.

There were tons and tons of pagodas piercing the hilltops and I visited some of them. I also got lost and due to language barrier, I was a bit helpless but managed eventually. Overall, I felt that the stupas and pagodas were “same same but different”.

I crossed back to the Mandalay side but went west to the other side of the smaller Mytinge River to Inn Wa (Ava), which is a little village with lots of greenery and ancient landmarks.

I am not sure about now but I remember having to cross a small river with my bike on a boat.

Upon entering, you will have to pay 10,000 MMK for the Mandalay archaeological zone ticket.

Keep the ticket as you will need it to enter the museum without paying extra. Inn Wa is home to popular ancient landmarks such as but not limited to:
Yandana Sinme/Hsemee Pagoda Complex, which consists of pagoda & buddha statue relics that were restored after being damaged by 2 earthquakes around 600 years apart.

Nanmyint Palace Tower, which is a 30-meter/90-feet tall leaning masonry watch tower constructed in 1822 and damaged by an earthquake in 1838 & 2015. As of 2015, people were no longer allowed to climb up the tower for safety reasons.

Bagaya Monastery, built in 1593 is a buddhist initially made of teak wood, then was destroyed by a fire and rebuilt with bricks.

Maha Aung Mye Bonzan Monastery, also known as the Me Nu Brick Monastery built by Queen Nanmadaw Me Nu in 1818 serving as a of her religious preceptor which was then also damaged by the earthquake in 1838 and rebuilt by her daughter.

The Inn Wa Archaeological Museum displaying mostly 19th century marble buddha statues and historical photographs. 

They also provide horse cart ride services for 10,000 MMK (this was back in 2018, not sure about the price today) for two people going around the area to the aforementioned places.
However, since I got there by rental bike, I rode around independently.
I also had lunch there as there were some local eateries before I headed back to Mandalay.

Later in the evening, I did some sightseeing around Mandalay city and explored some shopping malls including the Mandalay Yatanar Mall and Diamond Plaza, which is among the biggest malls there. I was a bit disappointed on how empty, eerie, and quiet the malls are. I did not even go late, it was just past 6pm. I’d say that only half of the malls were occupied with shops, there was even a dog inside a mall playing with a kid lol.

I appreciated the fact they have a K-pop dance cover event for youngsters but it was so sad to see a lack of audience. Maybe this was just a rehearsal?

• Take boat to Min Kun 
• Mingun Pahtodawgyi
• Min Kun Bell 
• Hsinbyume Pagoda (Myatheindan Pagoda)
• Back to Mandalay by boat
• Mandalay – Pyin Oo Lwin Highway sunset viewpoint
• Dinner at MinGalaBar restaurant

After a proper good night’s sleep, I woke up to my last full day in Myanmar for the trip and possibly could not have missed Min Kun (or Mingun). So, I biked to the Mingun jetty, paid 5000 MMK for a return boat ticket which takes 1 hour one-way where people sat on wooden or plastic chairs simply placed on the floor, and paid an additional 5000 MMK to enter the archaeological site. All the sites are near each other within walkable distances. I spent around 2 hours exploring the below sites.

Mingun Jetty from the Mandalay side. Can you spot my cute rented bike? 😁

This is another such area not far away from Inn Wa affected by the notorious 1838 earthquake which is clearly evident at the Mingun Pahtodawgyi, a buddhist temple with massive cracks just 20 minutes walking distance from the Min Kun jetty. You can enter the temple but need to remove your shoes.

After a quick 5 to 10-minute walk, I reached the gigantic Mingun Bell that was made of bronze, completed in 1810 and weighing 90,718 kg. I, like pretty much any tourist there, went beneath it to see what it looked like underneath. Well, there were lots of writings, scratch marks, and graffiti. I just touched it, left no mark there. 🙂

Just another mere 5-minute walk is the beautiful white temple – Hsinbyume Pagoda (Myatheindan Pagoda). This is one of my favorite places in Myanmar. It’s massive, quite white, and on that day, the sky was so blue! I love the contrasty colors. Tourists were allowed to fully explore it so I went on different levels, in and out and around! There were also some street food vendors. It was so chill even though the weather was quite hot lol! 

On the way back, which is an approximate 30-minute walk back to the Min Kun jetty, you can also hang around the Giant Lions Stones just opposite Mingun Pahtodawgyi. The bathroom is also there and free of charge, if needed. 🙂

While the above trips along with the trip the day before around both Min Kun and Inn Wa can be done independently, if you prefer to have a peace of mind, you can also book a day tour to get both done efficiently in one day! 

Since I had tons of extra time as I reached the other side of the river by early afternoon. So I rode the bike to a completely random farm that I believed was the location of a waterfall but I was wrong and got lost. However, it was a blessing in disguise because as I made my way back, I got to witness the beautiful sunset from the Pyin Oo Lwin Highway View Point. The timing was perfect!

For dinner, I simply could not miss the famous award-winning MinGalaBar restaurant that offers truly authentic Burmese cuisine decorated with stunning Myanmar ambience and service. There were so many options and I wish I could try them all. Way to end the day!

• Mandalay Hill 
• Kuthodaw Pagoda
• Shwenandaw Buddhist Temple (Golden Palace Monastery)
• Atumashi Monastery
• Mandalay Palace 

On the final day of my trip, I had almost a full day to spend as my flight was in the evening. Being in Mandalay, of course I’d have to explore Mandalay Hill. To do so, I biked there and had to pay 10,000 MMK for the Mandalay archaeological zone. Again, keep this ticket as you will need it for the rest of the destinations.
Similarly to Sagaing Hill, Mandalay Hill boasts a myriad of pagodas and monasteries throughout the hill and you can enjoy a panoramic view over Mandalay from the top which is at 240, above sea level. It has been a major pilgrimage site for Burmese Buddhists for nearly two centuries.

There are some options to go to the summit:
1) Walk 1729 steps where there are masonry seats available every now and then. There are two entrances:
1.1) The southern stairway: This seems to be the main entrance between two giant chinthes/leogryphs, or half-lion, half-dragon guardian deities.

1.2) Southeastern stairway: A more rewarding route with beautiful views, but more strenuous.

2) A one-way motor road that saves time & energy, and makes it accessible for those who are unable to climb up the stairs, leading to an escalator and a lift to the pagoda at the summit. This makes Mandalay hill extremely accessible. 

I walked up using the southeastern stairway and walked down using the southern stairway. I went gradually so it was not at all tiring. The steps were not too steep and the views were indeed worth it. From the top at Su Taung Pyae Pagoda, you could see the sunset, the Irrawaddy River, Min Kun across the river, and a sweeping view of Mandalay. 

Next up, I headed to the Kuthodaw Pagoda which hosts a staggering 729 stupas, each one with buddhist stone inscriptions that make up the world’s largest book. It received the UNESCO plaque as part of a cultural heritage.

It’s also where I got my first thanaka paste beautifully crafted on my face. Thanaka paste originates from the Hesperethusa Crenulata tree and helps keeping you feel cool while also acting as an antiseptic, antifungal, anti-aging cosmetic, insect-repellant, and sun protection. I would say it’s one of the identities of Myanmar.

It’s also where you can make and get fresh thanaka by grinding the wood.

Nearby, just walking distance is the Sandamuni Pagoda but I skipped that one as it looks quite similar and I had limited time.

The next two places are walking distance from each other as well as from Kuthodaw Pagoda, one being the Shwenandaw Buddhist Temple (Golden Palace Monastery) and the other being Atumashi Monastery. 

The Shwenandaw Buddhist Temple was completed in 1880 and is a stunning piece of art work with intricate carved wood, paintings on poles, and the architecture itself.

As for the majestic Atumashi Monastery, I simply walked up the steps and entered the building as the door was wide open. It was quite hollow and empty aside from a buddha statue, and the bright golden and wooden ceiling caught my eyes. There was not much to do there. 

Finally, the highlight of Mandalay has got to be the Mandalay Palace! It was crowded with both local and foreign visitors but worth it. There were displays of wax sculptures, canons and other historical artifacts, beautiful artistic architecture including complex door and wall designs, and a large outdoor area where I could walk around freely. 

For all the above places on this day, you can either go independently like I did or book a half day tour or even a full day tour that includes some places I skipped around Mandalay.

And that’s it! I left for the Mandalay International Airport via taxi. congratulations, you’ve completed the trip!