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 13th Street and after checking, the chap
at the reception informed that while they didn’t have a vacant room, the other
Agga Guesthouse at 12th 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.
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