Saigon Weekend

I was planning my trips in 2014 and searching the MAS website when I found that a return trip to Ho Chi Minh City was only RM405 (around the same amount my sister paid for her trip way back when) so after gauging that my trip would not fall within the school holidays, without much ado, I proceeded to buy the ticket (I quickly bought another ticket a few days later when ZS agreed to join me before the fare rose again). I then quickly contacted the guesthouse I stayed at on my last trip and booked our accommodation. Then it was a matter of waiting and, in my case, monitoring the direction of the greenback.

Thursday, 20 March 2014

I headed to KL Sentral this morning and dropped off my bag at the KL City Air Terminal. My flight was in the afternoon and I didn’t want to drop off my bag at the airport as the bag drop-off queue at KLIA has been long of late. I obtained permission to leave early, caught the 1252 Komuter train to KL Sentral and then the 1320 KLIA Express to KLIA. I reached the airport just before 2 and still had time to perform prayers (there were many people about to depart for Umrah at the prayer room).

We went in about 20 minutes before ETA and boarded the plane shortly after. However, we only took off after 1530 as three passengers who had earlier checked in didn’t show up and the airline had to remove their bags from the plane.

We landed at Tan Son Nhat Airport at 1615 and quickly made our way to immigration. A good thing too as there were only two counters opened. Two!

After getting our bags and a check at the money exchange booths, we rushed out to catch the bus no. 152 to the city. The fare is now VND5K but you must pay double if you have luggage. VND20K for two people with bags amount to less than a dollar so it’s a great bargain. I happened to have some change from my last trip so we weren’t too worried yet about not having changed money.

We joined the evening rush hour and arrived at the bus terminal opposite Cho Ben Thanh at 1710. It took another fifteen minutes’ walk to the guesthouse in Pham Ngu Lao. After checking in, we left and went to find dinner. Dinner was had at An Lac Chay, the vegetarian resto at a small lane off Pham Ngu Lao. After dinner, we ventured to the night market outside Cho Ben Thanh and stumbled upon Nguyen An Ninh street with its many halal restaurants and shops selling Muslim attire. It was like being in KL! We didn’t linger long here, just long enough to browse around. After that, we walked along Le Loi to the City Hall to say hi to Uncle Ho and Opera House. We returned back to the guesthouse after 9 pm.

Friday, 21 March 2014

We set off before 9 (it was already getting warm although the morning was somewhat overcast) and went to the tourist sites: City Hall, Opera House, Notre Dame Cathedral and General Post Office. After that, we walked to the Reunification Palace before walking to Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theatre. The lady at the ticket office was on the phone but pointed us to a paper stating that the evening’s shows were all fully booked. Are the next evening’s shows full too? She nodded yes. We thanked her and left and agreed we’d check with Ms Vy back at the guesthouse.

We returned to the guesthouse and rested. We also arranged with Ms Vy for tickets to the 5 pm puppet show (it cost VND160K each). I left after prayers and went to have lunch before meeting ZS at Sheraton Hotel. We walked down to the Saigon River and sat there watching the afternoon river activity (not much, heh) before leaving after being accosted by an old man trying to sell counterfeit sunglasses.

We separated after that and met again at Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theatre at 1645. After exchanging our receipt for payment, we got our tickets and went in. We got good seats and pretty soon, the theatre filled up. The show lasted 45 minutes and was thoroughly enjoyable. After the show, we walked to Nguyen An Ninh street and I ended up buying a dozen prayer attire, some t-shirts and baju kurung Pahang for Akak, my niece and myself.

Saturday, 22 March 2014

This morning, we left and walked in the less ventured parts of the city. We ended our walk at Cho Ben Thanh and after buying some souvenirs and coffee, went to have lunch at Thien Duyen Ben Thanh, a vegetarian resto at 159 Calmette (near the bus terminal). The food was good and very well presented. I even had a brief moment of doubt when the beef pho I ordered came looking exactly like beef pho – it looked and smelled like the real thing.

After lunch, we headed back to the guesthouse. It was a hot afternoon and after prayers, I had a siesta. No dinner tonight; instead we stayed in and had instant noodles. There was no match shown and a good thing too because we lost spectacularly. Damn you, Arsenal.

Sunday, 23 March 2014

This morning, we left at 0815 and walked to the city bus terminal. We were in luck as the airport bus pulled up just as we reached the terminal. We reached the airport at 9 and went to drop off our bags (a long process, not sure why the passengers ahead of us took so long). We decided to go through immigration immediately and it was a good thing too as the queue was long. Then we had to join the long security queue. So yeah, it was a good thing we didn’t saunter off to Parkson near the airport (not that I wanted to. I don’t like Parkson).

We took off just after 11 and landed at almost 2. Went to perform prayers first and although the prayer room was at the opposite end of our carousel, we still had to wait for our bags to emerge. I got my bags at 1434 and half ran half walked to the KLIA Express platform. The F1 crew were already starting to arrive; we saw some of them in our rush to the platform. I boarded the train with literally seconds to spare. Phew!

So that was our trip to Saigon. And yes, I would want to return. It’s one of my few favourite Asian cities after all.

Giza Gazing

Some pictures of the pyramids and the Sphinx of Giza, January 2013.

My Burmese Days

Pre-Departure

(i) Visa

You need visa to enter Myanmar even if you’re a citizen of an ASEAN country. For my first trip, I paid a travel agent to help secure visa for me; I found that not all travel agents were prepared to do so though. Over the past few months, I had noticed a sign offering visa services to Myanmar at one of the shop blocks near Masjid Jamek LRT station so in early January, I decided to check it out. I had browsed the web and came armed with my passport, two passport-sized photos, my flight itinerary and money. The agency is Ever Fine Travel & Tour and it’s on the same block as Burger King, two doors away from 7-11. I went during lunch and was shocked to see so many people there – Myanma nationals and foreigners and a few Malaysians. I requested for a form, took my number and filled the visa application form as I sat down to wait. There were about 70 people ahead of me (!) and I became agitated and worried should I be unable to submit my application before lunchtime was over. Only two people were there to receive our forms. Fortunately, quite a few people had decided to give up their turn and left (not enough though) and my number was finally called at a quarter to 2. I was surprised to learn that I had to pay RM140 (I brought just enough with a few Ringgit left for change!). Turned out the fee was RM110 but the processing fee was RM30. Hefty, but nowhere as bad as the American or Russian visas. I was told to return the next evening to collect my passport. I returned the next evening and braved the torrential downpour.

The visa was valid for three months from the application date so if you’re not in a hurry, you may want to do it as close to your departure date as possible. The form asks for your address in Myanmar so it would be a good idea to know an address.

(ii) Airline

From Kuala Lumpur, you can fly MAS, AirAsia or Myanmar Airways International to Yangon. I bought my MAS ticket in end-July 2013 for a bargain.

(ii) Accommodation

I had enquired on some accommodation at Nyaung Shwe but ended up staying at May Guesthouse after getting the contact from Aud. The guesthouse was good and my only complaint is the paper-thin wall. You can practically hear your neighbour yawning! I didn’t book any accommodation in Mrauk U and relied on the boat owner’s recommendation (stay at Lay Myoe River Guesthouse at your own risk!). I had earlier booked and paid for a room in Agga Guesthouse in Yangon via Agoda.

(iv) Money, Money, Money

Bring brand new crisp USD notes. You can change at the airport upon arrival. Funnily enough, you can only change up to USD100 per person so if you want to change more, you’ll need to visit two or more booths. And some moneychangers charge different rates for different denominations. Bigger denomination notes have more favourable exchange rates compared to smaller notes of course. Some moneychangers made a fuss over my USD notes but some others didn’t even blink. I found it annoying when they examined those notes which I received as change from Air Mandalay and Agga Guesthouse (for my impromptu first night’s stay) and told them so. So you could give me old notes but I must give you new notes? And I would have problems changing your old creased folded notes. Stupid.

Exchange rate is roughly MMK980 for every USD100. At some places which accept USD, they may round it up to MMK1000 to every USD100.

(v) When To Go

The best time to go is in the ‘winter’ from November to February. The hottest months are April and May. Avoid going there then! My parents went to Yangon in May a few years ago and they told me the heat was simply unbearable. It was so hot and sweltering that they ended up seeking refuge in the air-conditioned bus as long as they could. The monsoon season is from mid-May to end-October.

(vi) Where To Go and Getting Around

There are many places in Myanmar worth checking out; however, you would need to take the plane and boat getting to places like Sittwe and then on to Mrauk U. I know there are buses, I’d read about that there is a bus from Mrauk U back to Sittwe and even my guide told me about it but foreigners are just not allowed to take this bus. For most other places opened to foreigners, you can take a bus from Yangon or Mandalay to get there. It will take some time and it’s fine if you have the time. You can also take the train to some cities. Trains are slow but if you have the time, why not? I had checked out the routes and noted the fares quoted by some airlines. I then emailed some of the airlines but only Air Mandalay bothered to reply. However, I think it’s fine if you decide to only buy ticket at the airport as not all flights seemed to be full and for popular destinations like Heho (for Inle Lake), Bagan and Mandalay, all airlines fly there from Yangon so even if one airline is full, you can move on to the next airline. It is a huge country and flying does help save time if you’re hard pressed for it like me.

Mrauk U was closed to foreigners for two years and only reopened in early 2013 due to the volatility (even now, there’s some unrest in Sittwe). Take note that the government boat leaves at 7 am from Sittwe to Mrauk U and also at 7 am from Mrauk U back to Sittwe. It doesn’t run every day though.

(vii) Food

The locals have hardy stomachs and they can eat at stalls along the streets. If you have a weak sensitive tummy like I do, find a restaurant. I did eat at a stall in Nyaung Shwe and was alright but got violently ill after eating dinner in Mrauk U (I got sick 20 hours later). It’s quite difficult to find vegetarian restaurants, the locals like to eat meat a lot and I avoided those that serve pork (I came across a restaurant serving frog curry in Mrauk U. Euuuwww!). I saw a Tandoori restaurant in Nyaung Shwe and in Yangon, it’s much easier to find halal food.

Some Observations

We had to sail up to Mrauk U for a few hours in the dark and although there was no moon (it being the beginning of the new month and Chinese New Year), there were thousands of stars above. It was still chilly (I don’t know if it would be cold outside the winter months) and I didn’t even pack a jacket. It was very cold going downstream back to Sittwe from Mrauk U (we did sail off at 7 am after all) but it gradually got warmer. It was even somewhat cold taking the boat on Inle Lake due to the breeze and morning temperature.

Yangon is now a busy thriving city compared to when I was first there in October 2009. There are more modern new vehicles on the road compared to the dilapidated vehicles then, the roads are better and clogged too. There is this vibrant feeling in the atmosphere which I didn’t feel before. Of course they just hosted SEA Games in December 2013.

There are hardly any more blackouts. I did experience two very brief episodes lasting less than five minutes each time.

I had phone reception in Yangon but lost it in Nyaung Shwe. Somehow I regained it in Mrauk U and back in Yangon. However, the texts were delayed and I only found out about footie scores hours after the match (thanks anyway, ZS). Previously, I was cut off from the world altogether.

There are many foreigners flocking to Myanmar now. Asian tourists are fewer and Malaysians? I didn’t come across any. I was the only Malay on the flight bound for Myanmar save for another Malay family. The Chinese travellers may have business in Yangon.

I didn’t encounter any children begging for money or running after me eager to sell their trinkets in Mrauk U, unlike in Bagan where I was swarmed and surrounded.

Is it safe to travel there? Yes, very much. Do keep up-to-date on news in highly volatile areas though. Drink only bottled water and keep safe. And enjoy the country!

My Burmese Days: Days 5, 6 and 7

Tuesday, 4 February 2014

Woke up at 5:15 this morning but the electricity was out. It was switched on only at 5:30 so I dragged myself to the bathroom. I finished packing up after morning prayers and went out. Meor arrived shortly after. I was feeling a little feverish so Meor went to wake one of the guesthouse staff and she whipped up a quick breakfast for me. The boat was scheduled to leave at 7 am and passengers were supposed to board by 6:30 am (such an ungodly hour!) but Meor assured me we would still make the boat. We left at 6:40 and reached the jetty a couple of seconds later. There were so many people already there with their luggage and things to transport (crops, livestock etc) and thank God Meor was there to help me carry my suitcase across the planks! He went to enquire and then told me foreigners were to sit at the upper deck so we made our way up. The stairs to the upper deck were steep at 70 degree angle – I kid you not – and we had to watch that we didn’t bang our heads too. I found a seat next to a Taiwanese chap and settled in.

It was a somewhat chilly ride for the first 3.5 hours and it only got warm close to 11 am. We docked at Sittwe at 1130 (*only* 4.5 hours going downstream! This compared to 7.5 hours on Sunday!) and having agreed to share a tuk tuk with the Taiwanese and a couple of Americans, their toddler and adult brother, we negotiated the fare with a few tuk tuk drivers who had already climbed aboard before agreeing on 3K kyat with one of them. He also helped carry my suitcase down to the lower deck, across the stupid planks and to his tuk tuk, thank God.

We rode to the airport and Tony the Taiwanese and I went to the Air Mandalay counter, he to pay for his flight and me to change my flight. I had a ticket for the following afternoon but as I’d managed to get to Mrauk U on Sunday, do my temple tour on Monday and return to Sittwe a day earlier, I wanted to fly back to Yangon immediately instead of spending a night in Sittwe. It cost me USD10 to have my ticket changed but that was OK. We had to go through an immigration check and another check before entering the boarding gate though. Tony didn’t fly with me in the end though; his boarding card had a different flight number on it and he rushed back in to enquire. I kept looking back but he never returned so I suppose his was the next flight out. I had started feeling strange and didn’t even manage to finish my cheese-stuffed croissant.

We landed in the hot Yangon afternoon and I paid for a taxi to my hotel while waiting for my bag. It cost 7K kyat (at the international terminal, a cab to the city cost only 7K kyat – I know because I took a picture of the taxi counter - so why the difference?!) and settled in gratefully in my seat. I was last in Yangon back in October 2009 and was impressed with how different the city now looked. There were more vehicles and better-looking ones too on the road (fewer old barely road-worthy as was the case in my first trip). I told the cabbie to bring me to Agga Guesthouse in Lanmadaw Township. I’d paid for a room for the following night and was praying that they would have a vacant room for me that night.

We got to Agga Guesthouse at 13^th Street and after checking, the chap at the reception informed that while they didn’t have a vacant room, the other Agga Guesthouse at 12^th Street had one, also at USD25. He showed me the way and even asked if I was alright. I smiled weakly at him and said I needed a lie-down. Which I promptly did right after paying and checking into my room at the fifth floor (thank God for the elevator!). The room was en-suite, had AC and a TV. I kicked off my shoes and crawled into bed and remained there for the rest of evening, getting up a few times to use the bathroom. I was purging the whole evening and through to the following morning. At one point, I also forced myself to freshen myself up and force down two slices of bread – I was too weak and couldn’t contemplate the thought of venturing out to find dinner.

Wednesday, 5 February 2014

I got up feeling weak but better than the evening before. I suspected it was the dinner at Mrauk U which caused the purging. After breakfast at sixth floor, I read a bit before checking out. A chap helped to bring my bag over to the Agga Guesthouse at 13 Street and I deposited my bag there before venturing out to explore the city. I stopped at the first supermarket I saw and bought water and some anti-diarrhoea pills and a medium-sized sachet of ORS from an adjoining pharmacy. The pills and ORS sachet only cost 250 kyat (less than RM1) and I thought that probably explained why the locals could be adventurous with their eating habits. They happily ate from mobile stalls set up by the roads and my tummy turned when I saw this even though a part of me wished I could sample some of the street food. But it being the morning after the night before, no, I steered clear away from those street stalls.

I walked through Chinatown and even stumbled upon a lion dance. I walked on and on, I walked blocks and I even stepped into side streets to take pictures especially of the few old colonial buildings that still exist in the city. The demography slowly changed as I walked nearer to Sule Pagoda, from the Chinese Burmese to Indian Burmese. I also came across a few mosques near Sule Pagoda. There are quite a few beautiful buildings near Sule Pagoda Roundabout.

I had read about Yangon Circular Train and made my way to the Railway Station. It was already past 1 pm then (in Chinatown, I was surprised to note it was already past noon. Where did the time fly?). I then came upon Rasa Rasa Restaurant, a Malaysian-owned restaurant selling halal food and as it was already lunchtime, I stopped to have lunch there. I continued on after lunch and finally reached the station, perspiring. A few people showed me directions to the platform and I paid for my ticket (1,200 kyat. My guidebook said the fare was supposed to cost USD1. Perhaps I should have paid in USD instead but the station may not accept it) and as I’d just missed the 1425 train, I had to wait for the next train at 1530. It was a three-hour trip rattling through the 39-station loop network on its 45.9-km journey. It’s a great way to see the Yangon metropolitan life. I reached the Yangon station around 6:30 pm and made my way to Bogyoke Aung San Market. Unfortunately, the market was already deserted, boarded up and closed for the day. So no souvenirs for anyone then. Anyway, I had bought souvenirs for my colleagues on my first trip. There’s a new-looking Parkson very near the market and I went in even though I hate the Parkson stores back home.

I walked back to the guesthouse, dropping by City Supermarket to get some groceries and some buns from a bakery. I had to change some USD into kyat (the moneychanger near the bakery and across the road from Chatime, round the corner from the supermarket offered quite good rates). I had to climb up steep stairs to my room at this Agga Guesthouse (no elevator here!). Met two Japanese women and when I attempted to converse them in my limited Japanese, they gave me a Japanese souvenir in the form of bookmark. How kind and thoughtful!

Thursday, 6 February 2014

I woke up early today – the Japanese women were not the quiet type – and after shower and finishing up my packing, I went out for a short walk to the market. I wanted to take some more pictures of old colonial buildings. There are some colonial buildings still standing in the city but they are mainly unrestored, left to deteriorate and in dilapidated state. What a shame.

I returned to the guesthouse at 9:10 and had a quick breakfast. I had arranged for a taxi to the airport (also at 8K kyat) and the taxi was supposed to arrive at 9:45 am. Unfortunately, it only arrived at 10:20 am. I was not best pleased and had contemplated demanding my money back – after all, I could hail one down the street. There really is no point in arranging for a taxi and fixing the time you want it if failed to arrive on time. 35 minutes late, I mean, come on! Needless to say, the ride to the airport was a frosty one.

I reached the airport at 9:55 am and dropped off my bag. I was lucky the queue was short. I then went through immigration (no security check except for when you entered the check-in area) and then went to browse the stores near the boarding gates. I finally bought a star ruby stone from one of the stalls and that was the only thing I bought on this trip. I went to the gate 5 minutes before it closed and was the last to board the plane.

We landed at KLIA on schedule and I was home two hours later.

My Burmese Days: Days 3 and 4

Sunday, 2 February 2014

I was woken up by the sound of the guesthouse staff talking (and I was worried if I’d sleep through my alarm!). I got up reluctantly and showered. After prayers, I got ready to check out. The cabbie was already waiting despite me requesting him to come at 0710 instead of 0700. I told him to wait a bit (not sure if he understood me) and had a hurried breakfast. We left at 0711 and reached the airport at 0755. No, he didn’t exceed 40 km/hour at all.

I immediately checked in and went into the boarding area. There were so many Caucasians there and I wondered why I only saw less than that in Nyaung Shwe. Perhaps they went trekking and didn’t stay in Nyaung Shwe. We took off at 0930 (ETD was actually at 9) and flew over the dramatic landscape of the country before landing at Thandwe Airport at 1040. We had to go through an immigration process at this airport too and it was then when I found that the airport was right next to the sea. After collecting my bag, I lingered for a while and a good thing too as the check-in counter for my next flight out was opened shortly after. After checking in my bag, I went for a stroll down to the beach before exploring the neighbourhood. I returned to the airport 35 minutes later.

We took off on time at 1225 and landed at Sittway Airport at 1315. Yes, there was another immigration process. I was approached by a chap who asked if I wanted to join a private boat. See, I wanted to go to Mrauk U (also spelt as Mrauk Oo) and to get there you need to take a five- to six-hour boat ride, There is a daily morning boat service at 7 am but all the travel fora I read advised against staying in Sittway (also spelt as Sittwe). The boat costs $20 but a private boat costs $120 one way (I had emailed a Mrauk U guide to enquire). $20/person is a fair price and I wouldn’t need to wait until the next morning, thus saving me half a day. I agreed as it’d not only save me half a day (meaning I could start my sightseeing the very next morning), but I would also not need to overnight in Sittwe. The local chap managed to persuade two Italian couples to come along too so the five of us boarded a tuk tuk to the river (quite far, about 15 minutes’ ride away). The boat was smaller than I had thought but spacious enough for us. So we settled in our seats, sat back and enjoyed the ride.

Unfortunately, half-way through the journey (three hours into it to be precise as I happened to look at my watch then), the engine went kaput. We floated about before the crew anchored the boat. Luckily for us, another boat came along 20 minutes later and we were able to join the two Italian ladies in it. I was outnumbered alright. Hot afternoon turned to dusk to twilight and night had fallen for some time before we finally reached Mrauk U. There was only a small fluorescent tube lighting our sitting area and it was dim, so dim you couldn’t read in it at all.

Now, you have two choices if you want to go to Mrauk U: 1) take the morning boat and reach Mrauk U in the afternoon. This would mean spending a night at Sittwe (as I mentioned before, not recommended) and wasting half a day. Plus, you need to be at the jetty before 7 am the next morning to catch the boat; or 2) taking a private boat which could cost up to $120 one way or sharing it with others. The downside is that you would reach Mrauk U at night when it’s dark and if you haven’t arranged for any accommodation (I didn’t as I didn’t know beforehand if I would be able to take the boat on the afternoon of my arrival or not) or pick-up, it could be tricky. The advantage is that you save half a day because you arrive at Sittwe in the early afternoon anyway and use the rest of the day to travel up to Mrauk U instead of waiting until the next morning. The chap who approached me recommended me a guesthouse for $10 for a single room ($15 for a double room but the Italians didn’t want to confirm). As I didn’t want to be looking for accommodation in the dark, I told him I’d stay at the guesthouse for one night first and test it out. It was a good thing I did that because we only docked at Mrauk U at exactly 10 that night. The guesthouse had pick-up waiting and the two Italian couples agreed to come along. We drove through the night through the small village town before arriving at our guesthouse. I was appalled when I saw it and even more disgusted when I saw my room. And guess what, there was no light switch in the room or bathroom. The lights are centrally-controlled. So I went to bed with the light blazing over me. Actually, I was a bit afraid to sleep in the bed, in case there were bedbugs so I spread my sarong on the bed sheet and curled up, too afraid to touch the part of bed not covered by the sarong (a futile attempt because bedbugs cab crawl anyway) while at the same time, trying to shield my eyes because I cannot sleep with the lights on at all.

Monday, 3 February 2014

I slept poorly. All through the night, I heard the disgusting sounds of someone clearing his phlegm alternating with loud voices. I finally got up after 5. It was dark and the lights came on at about 6 am. I left the guesthouse and went for a walk. The guesthouse was in an area which kept making me think ‘What a dump!’. I’d look to my right and thought, ‘God, what a dump!’ and when I looked to the right, thought ‘What a miserable place!’ I walked up until I hit a T-junction before turning back. I walked to the main road and walked along it back to the bridge (a metal one was under construction) all the way until I reached Royal City Guesthouse which I spotted the night before en route to the guesthouse from the jetty. I had made up my mind to check out of the dump I was staying at so I went to the reception to ask. There was no one manning the reception at first and after a few minutes, a cute guy came along. He told me a room would be available after 9 am. I went to take a look and agreed to take it. It was much smaller than the room at the dump-y guesthouse and the bathroom is separate but it was a dozen times cleaner. I also asked the eye candy if he could find me a guide to bring me around and he said he would have the guide arrive soon. He immediately began trying to call his guide friend.

I told him I’d return in five minutes and walked all the way to the jetty before turning back. I returned to Royal City Guesthouse and the cutie pie said his guide friend would come shortly. I told him that he needn’t hurry as I would return after 9. I needed to return to my guesthouse, have breakfast, check out and make my way over.

I returned to my guesthouse and waited a while for breakfast to be served. I went up to say goodbye to the Italians before breakfast. I had to pay for my room in kyat (10,000 kyat) but I couldn’t wait to leave. I made my way back across the village town. I did consider hiring a rickshaw but the couple of rickshaw pullers that I saw didn’t offer me any ride so I walked on. It wasn’t far but it was a rather dusty walk. I reached Royal City Guesthouse less than ten minutes later and checked in. The guide was already there, waiting. I went to my room and deposited my bag, changed footwear (I’d be entering temples today so I might as well wear my Crocs) and went out again. When I went back to the reception, there was another bloke there. Turned out that the cute guy had called him when he found out that I was a Malaysian (this bloke used to work in Malaysia and could speak Malay). I spent the whole day talking in Malay, much more so than on an average day in KL! The guy asked me to call him Meor.

We left at 9 am and went to a lake/reservoir before visiting some temples. The roads in this suburbia were so bad that I kept hurting myself when I bumped against the tuk tuk railings. It was a bumpy ride throughout except for very few roads. We met a few other tourists... I also saw one Caucasian girl cycling and wondered how she navigated her way around. There were hardly any signboards so how does one know where to go? We also saw a young couple with their toddler strapped onto the mother cycling around. We saw some police at the temples and then we learnt that the Vice President would be arriving soon for a visit. We stopped for lunch at Moe Cherry Restaurant before returning to the guesthouse for rest. It was already too hot then.

We resumed at 1440 and drove to a few more temples. There was more police presence then and we couldn’t enter a temple as the police didn’t want to risk having us there when the VP arrived. So we went to another temple. The afternoon was spent more leisurely and at 5, we went to one of the two sunset viewing points. We climbed up and chatted while waiting for sunset. Then Meor sent me back to my guesthouse. I paid Meor (20K kyat for his service and 20K kyat for the tuk tuk, yes they were priced separately) and paid for my room and the government ferry the next morning (USD10 each) before venturing out again looking for dinner and finally had some rice with fish and vegetable soup at a roadside stall.

I had been nursing a headache, no thanks to the early morning and hot day so I retired early.

To be continued

My Burmese Days: Days 1 and 2

I had been planning  a return trip to Myanmar for some time now but hadn’t managed to do it earlier due to a number of reasons: the airfare, timing, instability in the country and particularly the harsh treatment towards the minority Rohingyas leading to the closure of one site that I wanted to visit had also deterred me from making a much earlier return. After perusing the travel fora and looking up the airfares, I finally took the plunge and on the last day of July 2013, I bought the ticket - after working out how many days I would potentially need of course and searching the public holidays to avail of them. After the ticket purchase, I set about trying to find accommodation and air routes or alternative ground arrangement. Finally the day arrived.

Friday, 31 January 2014

It was an early start today and I left shortly after 7. Abah sent me to the Ampang Park LRT station from where I made my way to KL Sentral. I decided to check in my bag at KL Sentral as I suspected there would be a long, long queue at KLIA. A wise choice - there was hardly a queue at KL Sentral but KLIA was full of travellers. The queues were long everywhere from the check-in counters to the bag drop counters to immigration and autogate and of course security. I chose to go through the traditional immigration check and it was so much faster. Technology is fast and automation helps but ultimately it’s the people who slow down the autogate process as they struggle to clear it.

Our departure was delayed close to an hour but finally we were off. We landed at 1215 and after clearing immigration, I went to collect my bag. I decided to change some money at the airport. The Ringgit has taken a severe beating against most major currencies including the greenback. If anything, we performed the worst against the greenback. Now most moneychangers in Myanmar are fussy fussy fussy and they only want brand new crisp USD notes. I had obtained some hardly new notes with clear line in the middle (the moneychanger in KL assured me that they would be accepted in Myanmar even though I protested and requested for brand new notes). True enough, the first moneychanger refused my note (we could only change USD100 per passenger, how strange) but directed me to a bank’s bereau de change. Thankfully, the bank accepted my note - although it gave me the local currency in 1,000 notes. So you can imagine the thick wad of cash that I had to carry with me! I decided to change a further USD100 and went to another moneychanger, this time asking if he had bigger denominations. He had 5,000 kyat notes. Guess that was better than 1,000 kyat notes huh.

Money changing business done, I took my bag and walked to the domestic terminal about 5 minutes away. I had contemplated taking the bus too but it takes at least 11.5 hours and I would only arrive at my destination at 3 am or so. Err, no thanks. Myanmar is a huge huge country and while air travel is not cheap, it’s definitely a much faster alternative. Besides, I had read that while some destinations are serviced by buses, foreigners are not allowed to take them. See, the government wants to restrict the movement of foreigners and they don’t want us to see what we shouldn’t. You must stick to the government-approved destinations and for some destinations, the only option available to the foreigner is the plane or boat. Locals can travel by buses though but you won’t know who to ask and not all locals can speak English anyway.

I had emailed Air Mandalay asking for quotations (and another airline which didn’t bother to respond) and had arranged to collect my tickets at the airline office at the domestic terminal. The office was quite hidden and I walked past it before asking for directions. I paid for my tickets in USD and the airport taxes of 1,000 kyat/airport in kyat. Then I sat down and waited for the check- in counter to open. The counter opened an hour before departure and after checking-in, I went in to the boarding area. There were many Caucasians with only a handful Asians there.

We took off slightly later than scheduled and landed at Heho Airport 70 minutes later. Strangely enough, we all had to go through the local immigration where the immigration officers took note of our visa number and particulars. I had arranged for my guesthouse to provide an airport pick-up (18K kyat). It took us 50 minutes to reach Nyaung Shwe from Heho Airport but then again, the cabbie wasn’t speeding. I doubt he ever exceeded 50 km/hour at all. We stopped briefly at a monastery before continuing on and stopped at the entrance. I had to pay USD10 for the entrance (or 10K kyat if you want to pay in the local currency, or €10 which I thought was ridiculous. As expensive as USD is, it's still cheaper than Euro and USD10 is definitely not equivalent to €10!).

We reached the guesthouse at 6 and I checked in. After performing prayers, I went out to look for dinner. I walked around getting my bearings and after walking up and down the main street including a detour to the night market, I had my dinner at a small roadside stall. I joined a Taiwanese girl who was also travelling alone and we chatted. After dinner, I went to check out the Aung Puppet Show near Nandawunn Hotel but the door of the show house was already closed and the show was already underway. I returned back to the guesthouse to rest. It had been a long day.

Saturday, 1 February 2014

After breakfast, I hurried to the jetty. The guesthouse manager had advised me to go to the jetty and see if I could share a boat with someone. I reached the jetty after ten minutes and waited and waited, looking around but everyone else had already made prior arrangement and finally I accepted an offer by a chap to take me for 15K kyat. We left at 0815 and after an hour, we reached a village, stopping at a silver factory and showroom and then the floating market. I spent an hour there walking around the market. The stalls sell similar items: souvenirs and trinkets, t-shirts, scarves, jewellery, statues of Buddha, prayer items etc. There were also sections selling vegetables, fish, local food and stalls selling ready-to-eat food.

Our next stop was a lotus showroom where I was shown how fibres of the lotus stalks are turned into scarves. I was told that lotus-fibre scarves are more expensive than silk scarves and later, I was surprised to see how expensive it was. $120-$160 for a piece of silk scarf! Maybe the shop sells them at inflated prices but I had better use for my money, thank you very much.

We then went to a cigar-making factory and then a blacksmith before an early lunch. I had rice mashed with potato and surprisingly, it tasted quite good. After lunch, we went to a temple but I didn’t feel like taking my shoes off then and so we left. We retraced our route back across the gigantic Inle Lake and passed the floating garden, where the locals plant flowers for sale before stopping at Nga Phe Kyaung Monastery (aka Jumping Cat Monastery). We were already back by 1415 and I walked in the blazing heat back to my room. It was so hot that my socks were dry within a couple of hours of laundering!

WiFi was down in the afternoon after I got up from siesta. After evening prayers, I went to the reception to pay for my room ($20/night or 18K kyat) then went to arrange a cab to the airport for the next day (I found one company offering me a cab for 14K kyat) before walking to the puppet showhouse. I was the only person for the 7 pm show though and the owner asked if I could come back for the 8:30 pm show instead. I went to have dinner at the stall I went to the evening before. After dinner, I returned to my room before walking out again to the puppet showhouse. I joined a couple making it three in the audience. The owner told me earlier that there were five in the audience for the 6 pm show. I enjoyed the show but clearly it’s a dying art. What a shame. The owner told us he’s the fourth generation to maintain the tradition but support has been on the decline. The locals don’t care for it and even the number of foreigners has been declining. If you are in Nyaung Shwe, do check out Aung Puppet Show. The shows are at 6 pm, 7 pm and 8:30 pm. It only costs 3K kyat and you’ll be learning something about the local culture.

I returned to my room and read a bit before calling it a day.

To be continued

A Weekend In Kota Kinabalu

This trip was planned with my old girlfriend, C, since July last year. Tickets were bought (I had some problems while buying our tickets online and had to spend 30 minutes calling MAS 40 hours before departure), hotel reservation was made and all we had to do was to wait for the departure date. Unfortunately, C found out in December that her husband would have to travel outstation on the day we were returning so she had to buy a single ticket back a day earlier.

The day before departure, we were both feeling poorly. I felt a slight fever coming up and had trouble swallowing. C had a bad tummy upset and hardly slept. What a fine couple of travellers we made! I made sure I drank lots of water, didn’t eat any chocolates and had an effervescent tablet of vitamin C the night before our departure. Oh and I tried to turn in early too.

I arrived at KL Sentral on Thursday morning to find C already waiting for me. I had dropped by McD earlier to get some chicken porridge for C as I was worried she was deliberately avoiding food because of her purging. I dropped off our bags at the City Air Terminal and we lingered a bit before taking the train to KLIA (no point arriving too early, I pointed out to C). She finally bought some carbon pills at Guardian Pharmacy and had that. It helped somewhat, thank God.

Our flight took off on time but I couldn’t sleep so I ended up watching a German movie instead (the title was in German and I can’t recall it now). It was a good fun movie. We landed at 1515 and were among the first ones out of the plane and clearing the immigration. Our bags came out early too.

We saw adverts of an airport shuttle so we headed to the counter to enquire. The bus leaves Terminal 1 on an hourly basis and it will stop by Terminal 2 en route to the city. We were told it only takes 20 minutes to the city and we could get down at any of the three stops (Centre Point and another two more which I can’t recall. Sorry). We got to chatting with the driver who enquired where we were staying. When we told him, he actually made a detour and dropped us at the hotel lobby! Amazing!

We checked in and after enquiring the shuttle times to the city (it costs RM3 return trip per person now; it used to be a complimentary service. Boo hoo), went to our room to perform prayers and rest. We took the 1810 shuttle (it was late though) to the city, got down at Plaza KK and went to find dinner. We had dinner at the night stalls by the waterfront and after that dropped by the dried seafood market as I wanted to buy anchovies. We had a slight problem with the shuttle going back to the hotel as it was full save for the tour operator assistant seat (I sat there) and I had to ask a lady from China if she wouldn’t mind having her little son sit on her lap.

On Friday morning, we had a late and long leisurely breakfast. Well, what this means is that I ate a lot and C had to wait for me. We were waiting for the shuttle when *pom* the electricity went out. It turned out that the whole of KK had the electricity supply cut (and it lasted about four hours). We got down at Centre Point and walked to SEDCO where we were meeting SK, our old schoolmate, for lunch. SK took us for lunch at Hyatt as it had a generator working. Lunch was slowly served but it didn’t really matter as we had to time to catch up with each other.

We bade goodbye to SK who had to return to office, blackout notwithstanding. After performing prayers at Hyatt, we walked to the various markets (including SAFMA, the local wet market, the seafood market and the Filipino Market). We spent close to an hour at the Filipino Market before checking out the stalls (C bought some grilled seafood for dinner, I was still full) and then returning to the dried seafood market for me to buy dried prawns. We then walked to Centre Point to catch the shuttle back to the hotel.

Back at the hotel, we had some problems with our lights which we later found out was due to a trip. Electricity was finally restored and we spent the evening resting and relaxing.

On Saturday, we had another late and long leisurely breakfast (correction: I had a long breakfast, C waited for me patiently). We left at 1130, C having arranged for one of the hotel staff to drive her to the seafood market and then to the airport. In the end, C bought frozen prawns from SAFMA – easier as it was already packed. You can buy it from the seafood market but you would also need to buy the ice and the Styrofoam pack to pack your purchase in. It would take some time for sure.

After bidding goodbye to each other, I walked to Wisma Merdeka where I did blood cupping. There was a new shop that offered it at RM200 with massage thrown in before and after the cupping. Brilliant! I didn’t need to go for a separate massage session then. The Kadazan-Dusun shop I visited previously charged RM260 and no massage thrown in. I also bought some USD at Wisma Merdeka. The best thing is they have a few moneychangers who sell small denominations of USD notes ($1, $5, $10 and $20) at a different rate compared to the larger notes ($50 and $100).

After that, I walked to the Filipino Market and I spent long enough time to buy some souvenirs for my officemates. I then walked to Centre Point and traipsed around while waiting for the shuttle back to the hotel. The shuttle was late and I only got back to my room after 7 pm. I spent the night packing, reading and watching a bit of TV and football (fell asleep after our two goals).

On Sunday, I went for an early breakfast for a change. I checked out at 0830 (I needed two trips to lug my purchases) and was in a cab heading to the airport within 3 minutes. I reached the airport at 0845 and dropped off my bag and two boxes. An hour is enough at an airport for me.

We took off on time and I watched a French movie this time. We landed at 1215 but the bag and boxes took a while to emerge and I was only able to take the 1300 KLIA Express train back to KL Sentral. Thank you to the porter who helped me carry my boxes onto the train!

So that was my sixth trip to KK. I wouldn’t mind another return trip or two.