Part 1 https://th.readme.me/p/1848

Episode 2 @ Bagan https://th.readme.me/p/1864

Part 3 @ Inle https://th.readme.me/p/1871

Episode 4 @ Pyin Oo Lwin https://en.readme.me/p/1872

Episode 5 @ Mandalay-Mingun https://en.readme.me/p/1873

Episode 6 @ Bago-Kyaikh tiyo https://th.readme.me/p/1874

We can talk here https://www.facebook.com/NotesfromBackpacker/

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Located approximately 60 kilometers northeast of Mandalay, Pyin Oo Lwin, also known as Maymyo, is a serene mountain town perched at an altitude of around 1,070 meters. This town was once a prestigious summer retreat for British colonialists. After the fall of the Burmese monarchy in Mandalay, the British used Pyin Oo Lwin as a military base to suppress rebellions and resistance groups. The British troops, largely composed of Indian and Nepalese mercenaries, developed a strong attachment to Pyin Oo Lwin and chose to remain after Burma's independence. They married local Burmese women and established families, resulting in a population with distinct features reminiscent of Indian heritage, often described as "Burmese skin with Indian eyes." Pyin Oo Lwin enjoys a cool climate year-round. The town's architecture reflects its colonial past, with buildings showcasing the distinctive British colonial style. The high altitude also makes it ideal for cultivating a wide variety of flowers. Today, Pyin Oo Lwin has become a major center for flower production in Myanmar. Some of the most commonly grown flowers and economic crops include strawberries, pineapples, chrysanthemums, asters, and gladioli. Additionally, Pyin Oo Lwin is a hub for Myanmar's rapidly growing coffee industry.

Day 7: Mandalay - Pyin Oo Lwin

3:30 AM. Arrived at Mandalay bus station. I slept soundly until they had to wake me up. According to the plan, I had to take a bus to Pyin Oo Lwin. At first, I thought I had to wait for the bus station to open in the morning, so I went to sit in the building of the bus company I came from. During this time, I asked the staff about the bus schedule to Pyin Oo Lwin. As soon as I asked, I smiled broadly because
He told me to take my bag to another bus parked next to it because this bus would pass Pyin Oo Lwin and would leave within 10 minutes. That's good, so I don't have to wait around.

Mandalay Transport

This bus here came from somewhere else and stopped to drop people off at Mandalay bus station. The fare is 4,000 kyats (110 baht).

Inside the car, the seats are arranged in rows of four, but right now, I'd be comfortable sleeping even on the floor.

It only took 2 hours to reach the transport in Pyin Oo Lwin, which felt faster than what I had researched (2 hours by taxi, 3 hours by bus). As soon as I got off, it was very cold, 16 degrees. The moment my feet touched the ground, I was immediately approached by motorbike riders. I agreed on a price of 2,000 kyats to take me to the clock tower area. The motorbike ride through the fog and cold air made my face numb the whole way.

Pin Uville Transportation

6:30 AM Check in at Grace ll Hotel. It was a single room, but only a twin bedroom was available for 20 USD per night with breakfast. This was more expensive than the information I had found, which was 10 USD. They told me that today was some kind of balloon festival. Well, what a coincidence! It was twice as expensive, but that's okay. I consider myself lucky to have come across the festival. I'll have somewhere to go tonight.

The accommodation is less than 100 meters from the clock tower.

Room

During this time, I inquired about the prices of various tours with the staff and received the following information:

- Travel expenses in Pinulwin

The motorbike rental fee from the accommodation is 8,000 kyats per day. It is a 4-speed motorbike.

Bicycle rental costs 2,000 Jats per day.

-Cost of transportation from Pinlaung to Mandalay

Taxi The shared taxi fare is 6 USD per person.

Bus There are no buses from this city to Mandalay ???? I'm confused because I was planning to take the bus back.

The songthaew is a small two-row car that takes 3 hours to get to Mandalay. The fare is only 1,500. Walk 1 km to the right from your accommodation and there will be a parking spot.

Walking to the left hand side to have a hot coffee at Pinsi. There is free wifi but because there are a lot of people eating, there is also a lot of free wifi usage. The speed is like a snail. This meal I ordered hot coffee, samosas (2 pieces), naan with stir-fried beans. The damage was 1,050 kyats (30 baht). The naan with beans was not delicious at all. I ordered the wrong thing. At first I was going to get roti, thinking it was the same thing.

The bread was hard and bland, I didn't like it very much, but the samosas were delicious.

Can I have a menu please?

After that, I went back to the hotel to rest for the day. I didn't feel like doing much sightseeing, as my original plan was to just walk around the city and see what there was to see. My new plan was similar, except that I would be going to a hot air balloon festival in the evening. After taking a nap, I went out for a walk in the sun and enjoyed the warm weather and the views of the city.

A real city of horse-drawn carriages, it's really nice to sit in and dress up beautifully.

Hindu temple

The picture confirms that Burmese people are cute and adorable. 555

Walking towards the fresh market, I came across a Buddhist temple in this area.

Next to the Buddhist temple is the entrance to the market, which has the same atmosphere as the fresh markets you've seen before.

I'm very long.

The owner of the shop smiled for a picture.^^

The betel leaves are beautifully arranged.

Fresh coconuts here are braided with coconut leaves, making them look instantly more valuable.

This uncle came to say hello and when he knew I was Thai, he started speaking Thai to me.

There are no lottery booths here, only delivery services.

This is a lottery selling car.

And then walked out near the Purcell Clock Tower.

Purcell Tower This clock tower was built in 1934 by the English company Johnson and Gillete Limited to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of King George of the United Kingdom. From the picture, walk to the right to the accommodation.

Central Mosque

Walk back to the small songthaew stop to go to Mandalay. The first bus leaves at 7 am and departs every hour. The fare is 1,500 kyats.

We stopped for lunch at a local roadside restaurant under the trees. This meal was the cheapest we've had since arriving here, with each dish costing only 600 jats, so we ordered two.

During this time, I walked around asking for the price of a horse-drawn carriage to take me on a tour tomorrow. The main places I wanted to visit were the Kandawgyi Botanical Garden and the Pegu Falls. These two places are located in different directions, according to the information I found. If I hire a horse-drawn carriage, they will charge me 10 USD or about 13,000 kyats. However, when I inquired, the prices were 20,000-25,000 kyats. I found one that I could negotiate down to 15,000 kyats, but I haven't agreed yet. He said that if I decide to hire him, he will come back to the same place because his usual spot is here. I walked on and met a motorcycle, so I asked for the price to both places. The price I got was roughly 1,500 kyats for a one-way trip to the botanical garden and 5,000 kyats for a round trip to the Pegu Falls. I'm not going to take the horse-drawn carriage anymore. 555

4:30 PM. I walked to find a motorcycle to go to the balloon festival tonight. I heard that the activities will start at 5:00 PM. I walked to the Pinsi coffee shop and saw a motorcycle for hire parked there, so I took it to the event for 1,500 kyats. The motorcycle dropped me off at the entrance near the Maha Anthukanda Pagoda (I asked the locals for the name). When I paid the motorcycle taxi driver, I asked him the price for a car to visit the two places tomorrow. He gave me a price that was cheaper than the ones I had asked before. The price to go to the botanical garden is 1,500 kyats (one way only) and to go to the Pegu Falls is 3,000 kyats round trip. Actually, the way to the waterfall is the same way I came to the event today, only a few kilometers away, so he charged the same price as I came today, which is 1,500 kyats each way. But today I only came one way, and I will find a car to go back myself so that I don't have to wait for each other.
Then I walked up to the pagoda. On the way, I passed the entrance to the event. There were so many Burmese people there. I was so excited.

Entrance to the event where the car will be parked and dropped off

Maha Andhakantha Pagoda

Entrance and exit

It is the enshrinement of a Buddha statue that Thai people call "Phra Tan Jai", another form of Burmese. The history of this statue is extraordinary. It is said that a Chinese company hired Burmese people to carve a Buddha statue from white jade to be placed in China. However, the truck carrying the statue had an accident and fell down a cliff along the way. The workers tried to lift the statue back onto the truck, but they couldn't, even with a crane. In the end, they had to build a temple in this area to enshrine the white jade Buddha statue. They named it "Maha Anthukanta", which translates to "a sacred and miraculous thing that brings wealth and good luck to those who worship it".

After paying respects, I walked down to the event.

Hmm... what are you looking at? Are you looking for a snake?

So I took a look myself. It's the boxing ring.

Admission fee is 3,000 kyats.

The atmosphere is just like a temple fair in our country.

He stood watching the swing for a while until it stopped spinning. So he climbed up to add weight to make it start spinning and show off his acrobatics clearly.

You watch the coyote dance show in rounds.

Children from various schools are preparing to perform.

Children from various schools are preparing to perform.

Looking for something hot to eat

The sight of the betel nut cart makes me want to try chewing it right away.

Children peered through the fence to watch the show inside.

The horse-drawn carriage joined the show.

The fireworks display must have been over a hundred shots, the crowd cheered and the atmosphere was exciting throughout the event.

I stayed until half past nine, then the fireworks were over and I walked out again, as I couldn't stand the cold weather. In the afternoon, the sun was shining brightly, so I wore short sleeves and shorts to this place. But when it got dark, it was so cold that I hardly saw anyone wearing shorts. When I walked out, there were so many people that I had to squeeze and flow out with them.

Various snacks along the way out

Upon reaching the exit, I looked for a motorbike to take me back to my accommodation and was met with an outrageous price. The initial offer was 4,000 kip, which I managed to bargain down to 3,000 kip. This was twice as expensive as the ride there, but I was too cold and tired to continue searching for a better deal. I took the motorbike, had it dropped off at my accommodation, and then walked to a nearby restaurant for dinner.

The restaurant is located next to the accommodation, go to room 3 (if you face the next building, room 3 is on the right). Each dish costs 2,000 kyats. Order only one dish, the rest are free side dishes. This restaurant has a lot of fresh vegetables and delicious food.

9:00 PM Check in, take a shower and sleep to prepare for the next day.

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Day 8 : Pyin Oo Lwin

Wake up in time for breakfast before 9:00 AM. Breakfast here includes 1 cup of hot coffee and 1 serving of Mohinga.

After finishing our meal, we went upstairs to shower and then had to go out to find new accommodation in case we could get a cheaper price. We walked straight ahead to the left of the accommodation and continued walking until we reached the Queen Hotel, which cost 10 USD but did not include breakfast.

Accommodation

Lobby

Inside the room

After that, I walked out to find the motorcycle taxi driver from yesterday again. Today's program will only be to Pawekgok Waterfall and Kandawgyi Botanical Garden.

11:40 AM, arrived at Phawekok Waterfall. The entrance fee for foreigners is 500 kyats (13 baht). It takes less than an hour to visit. The driver will wait for us to return. I wanted to know his name so I could call him properly, but even after he told me, it was difficult to pronounce. He asked me to call him Uncle Robert, which is easier than his Burmese name.

Many restaurants nearby

Souvenir shops nearby

Oh my god, it hurts my eyes.

12.10 p.m. Travel back and let Uncle Robert drop you off at your accommodation. Pay him 3,000 kyats in advance and arrange for him to pick you up again at 1:30 p.m.

I ate at the same restaurant as last night and ordered the same pork curry dish. The only difference was that I added some side dishes this time. ^^

1:20 p.m. Uncle Robert picked us up to continue to the botanical garden. It took almost half an hour to get there. Along the way, we saw many beautiful houses in the area. The weather was cool and the trees were lush. For this place, foreigners pay an entrance fee of 5 USD per person.

Uncle Robert may look intimidating at first, but he's actually very kind. If you're visiting the area and need his services, just ask for him. His car is usually parked in front of the Pinsi restaurant. When you meet him, call him Robert. Don't be surprised if he seems confused, though. When he told me to call him by that name, he even smiled shyly. I suspect he just came up with it on the spot.

The entrance to the Kandawgyi Botanical Garden

The entrance is lined with restaurants, souvenir shops, and food carts.

Opening-closing time

As soon as you walk in, you'll see the ticket booth.

Ticket price

For foreigners (adults) 5 usd

4:10 PM. I walked out the same door and saw the opposite side looked like a tourist attraction, so I went in to inquire. This is the National Landmarks Garden, a tourist attraction that simulates important tourist attractions in Myanmar. It's like a miniature city in our country. The entrance fee for foreigners is 4 USD, but it was getting late and I wouldn't have time to enjoy it, so I decided to gather information for next time. Then I crossed the street to the same place to get on a motorbike at the small booth next to the entrance. The fare back to the hotel was 1,500 kyats.

I happened to be riding my motorbike past the market and decided to stop and walk around. I came across this shop called December Fresh milk food & Bakery, so I went in to sit down and find something refreshing to eat.

The Bluberry Yogert icecream menu costs 1,800 kyats per cup. It's delicious and smells of yogurt. This shop makes fresh yogurt on the spot.

After returning to my accommodation for a while, I went for a walk and found this restaurant, so I ordered this menu called Shan noodle soup for 1,000 kyats (28 baht). I didn't feel full, so I went to find something else to eat ^^

I stopped by Seven79Nine for a coffee. I ordered a hot coffee, a banana roti, and 2 samosas. The meal cost 1,100 jats, which is very cheap - less than 40 baht. When it was time to pay, I tried to make a "meow" sound like the table next to me, but it wasn't loud enough and they didn't hear me. It didn't work, so I had to call them normally. Haha. I sat there for a while, and then at 9:30 pm I went back to my accommodation. Now my feet are sore because it was so cold that my feet hurt. I also had to pack my things, take a shower, and go to bed. I have to wake up early tomorrow to catch the first bus.

Episode 5 @ Mandalay-Mingun https://th.readme.me/p/1873