BURMA 2012

TOWN INFORMATION: includes details of where we stayed and other useful information.
SUMMARY STATISTIC: lists all the nights with costs and distance ridden, elevation gain. It also has a summary of the costs.
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These selected 35 photos are not the best shots but give an idea of what we saw and did over the 4 weeks in Burma or Myanmar.
Unpacking our bike at “Bike World Explore Myanmar” (BWEM) in Mandalay on 20th November: Day 1 The Yangon Pagoda on the first night. A long ride south of Yangon River to Delta Area on backroads through rural scenery. A visit to the Golden Pagoda in Yangon. People watching around the pagoda. A visit to the city (Yangon) at night with Jeff and Soe Soe from BWEM. Sunday morning ride with the BWEM group to the countryside North of Yangon. The large moated Palace area at Mandalay with Mandalay Hill in the background. Sunset over the Irrawaddy Valley from Mandalay Hill. Sunset, and a Myanmar beer at U Bein’s bridge after a ride south from Mandalay. Ferry trip down Irrawaddy River from Mandalay and past Saging to Bagan. Bagan at sunset…. this is actually the full moon rising behind a pagoda. Bagan must have been a massive city 1000 years ago. What remains is impressive! A larger pagoda at Bagan, one of thousands of pagodas and stupas. Most larger pagodas had at least one and usually 4 seated buddhas. Street markets, this one in Kalaw was one of many we visited. Gary trying some delicious distilled palm sugar spirits right at the distillery. Eating and trying the local food was a big part of our trip, here a street stall in Meiktila cooking samosas. Trekking, on our bike through small villages and getting to visit some homes. Our lunch stop here. This was where we slept, the main room in a small village house on trek from Kalaw to Inle Lake. We saw many villagers going about there business, mostly hard manual work. At Inle Lake. The stilt villages built in the shallow Inle Lake. Eating was a big part of the experience. Here a Burmese style traditional feast with many small dishes Buying local food using pointing and gestures only. Rural work was hard, labour intensive and rarely mechanised. Bullock carts were the norm. Buddhism is the national religion and it was everywhere. Here a cave with thousands of buddhas. A near disaster averted by this friendly motorcyclist who ferried me into Mandalay to find bike tyres. The bumpy ordinary class train where anything could be carried on board, even our bike. Crossing the 110 year old Gokteik Viaduct at a snails pace to avoid stressing the old bridge. Picturesque Rural scenery everywhere. The Shan or Tai area New Year festivities. Bike riding made it possible to see so much more. The way to go! Street scenery and people watching was great. Here traditionally dressed villagers at the market. The riding was often interesting. Here a traffic jam in a market in Mandalay on our last day in Burma.