Caves Buddhas & Mountain Stupas

In the countryside surrounding Hpa-an, we took a tour by tuk tuk with three other foreigners. We visited several holy caves and stupas and also a local swim spot.

First cave temple...

You could walk all the way through the poorly lit cave to pop out at this gorgeous vista below.

This cave had an entrance fee but was full of super old (they said 7th century..) Buddha carvings in the cave wall. All these beautiful cliffs in Myanmar and not a climbing route to be seen...

  

Below is the precariously perched 'chokolat' stupa, surrounded by water on all sides.

This field had over 1100 Buddha statues. If you look closely, you can see a stupa on top of the left side of the mountain..Amazingly, almost every ridge in the countryside had a golden stupa on it. 

Local swimming hole. In the rainy season there is a waterfall here too. These boys are novice monks. They've tied their robes up and tucked it between their legs for a swim.

Golden stupa, top of right side ridge...

The biggest cave we walked through was extremely dark (and true to form, there was a power outage while we were inside, so the few lights there were, went out). Our driver came with us and brought flashlights. We walked on floors slippery with bat guano and heard thousands of bats above us. We passed this little stupa towards the end.

And then we popped out here.

We loaded into these little boats to go through a small cave and some rice fields on our way back to the tuk tuk.

We had the tiniest captain! The guy on the bottom was singing in the cave as he fished.

It was beautiful out there! After Hpa-an we continued to travel with our new friends, Kristen and Sean from Seattle. More on that later.

xx ELM

Mt. Kyaiktiyo

We headed south on a bumpy and hot 5hr bus ride to a small village and joined locals making their pilgrimage to the top of this mountain. 

This sign on the top left is for Grandma Jean, some pilgrim perks! Top right, many locals spend the night on top of the mountain and you can pay a guy with a homemade backpack to carry your stuff. We also saw throne like chairs where four men will carry you to the rock if you're unable to walk. The truck ride to the top was wild. It was us, a German girl and around 40 of our closest local friends crammed into the benches on the back of the truck for a crazy, winding, bumpy, & steep 7 mile climb up the mountain. As we were loading up you think, well we have got to be full now. Surely we can't fit any more people. And then a guy comes and tells you to move over and you've got another person squeezed on to your bench. This happened maybe 3 times before we finally started the climb!

Here's the golden rock stupa, of course with Buddha hairs enshrined inside.

Below: Matt with the guys by the boulder and stupa containing the Buddha hairs. Unfortunately only men are allowed to cross the bridge to the boulder. This angle also shows just how precariously the boulder sits perched on the edge of the rock.

Clockwise from left: gold on Matt's hand, Matt reguilding, meditation below the Buddha hairs

Liz poses with the locals eager to take a photo with her, it really takes some faith to sit under that rock

Some other good shots of the Boulder seemingly defying gravity

Clockwise from Left: the most beautiful woman in the world, another stupa'd boulder, Matt's sandals proudly looking well worn and rusty, Myanmar choral singers below the precarious boulder

Below, every climber's worst nightmare - a mason fills in a crack with cement...

Matt in the back of this pick-up which we would take to Hpa An, soon packed with about 15 people plus 3 on the roof. Our butts were a little sore by the time we arrived, but it was really a fun ride with lots of laughs with the locals and there were several cute babies too.

More soon! :)

xx Elm & Mrp

Myanmar Magic

Land of countless gilded gold pagodas, friendly faces, & power outtages. Their history is brutal, but the people here have been nothing but friendly, warm, and welcoming to us as we explore different areas of the country. Our very first night we met a friend from Couch Surfing and went out for dinner. Hsu introduced us to Myanmar food and taught us a bunch of useful words and phrases! We had a great evening over some delicious food and tea with her. Hsu was a great ambassador to this fantastic culture. Note serious photobomb in back corner.

For the first couple days we were introduced to the culture in Yangon, where we explored parks and temples, and roamed the bustling streets.

Treehouse in the park..

This famous 325ft tall stupa, Shwedagon Paya, is encrusted in thousands of precious gems and is said to be the original site where two of Buddhas eight hair relics were placed when merchants brought them back from India. Interestingly, we later learned that nearly every pagoda in Myanmar boasts a Buddha hair... 

Below: top right- Meditators inside by a giant bell (one person was meditating inside the bell, which seemed like a good, albeit risky, spot for meditation). Right center - first time barefoot on an escalator (no shoes allowed and its a long way up to the temple.)

The massive stupa was being re-gilded when we visited, but it was still an impressive sight. The scaffolding was really well done. The worker below is barely visible but the shot gives you a better idea of its scale..

Top left; Devotees pour water over the Buddha statue that marks their birth day. Right; a second, smaller gold pagoda in the same complex. Bottom left; the many people that gather on a weekday.

Inside this temple were many temples with intricate designs and decorations as seen below.

Myanmar actually has good beer, it costs 60-80 cents, and it's even on tap! Below Liz sits in a local Beer Station where we were the only foreigners and Liz was one of 2 women. *Noteable: People make a loud kissy sound to get the waiter's attention, which, if anyone did to a waitress or waiter in the US, would probably earn them a slap.

Fish drying on the street:

So many birds on this power line:

More temples around Yangon.

Ever seen an overweight turtle before? 

Copper Buddha below, hadn't seen one of those before.

This is the inside view of the pagoda above - even the inside was gilded in gold and there was the (obligatory) Buddha hair enshrined inside. People threw money through a slot towards the shrine like this little girl is in the top picture. 

 We didn't see many foreigners here so people have tendency of staring and either asking or trying to secretly take photos of us. Usually we offer to take a photo with them and then ask to take one ourselves. It works out well for both of us! Notice the face paint that everyone wears, called thenakka, made from a tree bark. These little girls grabbed hold of my arm and walked with me at the market afterwards. They were talking to me the whole time in their language and poking my arm like 'what's up with your skin?!'

Some British colonial architecture from around Yangon.

If you look closely you can see the construction workers up on this part of the pagoda.

Next we headed south, so there will be a post on this shortly.

Lots of love! Elm&Mrp

Ko Chang, Ko Mak, Ko Samet

We visited three islands with our fave Cape Cod girl (she had to see the beaches before heading back to Boston snow). They were Ko Chang, Ko Mak, and Ko Samet. These three were so different from each other: one backpacker party island, one preserved & quiet island and one Thai vacation island. Ko Chang was a familiar scene to Matt and I, but the other two were really new & different.

Ko Chang: Not very quality pictures, but we had fun the 2 nights we were here. 

Just a guy and his pet lamb, Anna. In a bar. On an island. When we asked him where he got it, he looked surprised and then said 'bangkok' as in, where else would I have gotten it, silly farangs?

There are some pics missing here that are on Em's camera. If I can get them from her I'll post an update! We saw a pretty good sunset and swam in a crystal clear mountain waterfall too.

Ko Mak

We headed next by 2 hr ferry to Ko Mak. This was Matt & I's favorite island by far. It's well preserved, regulated to prevent it from being overdeveloped, and there is a different energy to the place. It's not a place to go only to party, and the locals here like that. That's not to say there isn't trash on the beach. Of course there is. But less. And instead of bars, restaurants and hostels packed in layer upon layer, it has only a set number of resorts (around 13), maintains its few small fishing villages, rubber tree & palm plantations, and some eco friendly dive schools. I think it's one of the first places in Thailand (besides Chiang Mai) where we've heard the word 'sustainability.' There are numerous off island trips available also.. If I went back I would go to the pearl farm. Emalie did a snorkel tour that she liked and Matt & I enjoyed a half day exploring the island by motorbike. 

Our first bungalow, Banana Sunset was about $25/night. No beach to walk to but friendly staff, a cool restuarant and bar and we rented motorbike from them to get around. 

When we stopped to make a snorkeling res for Em, this cutie kept putting on our shoes. Emalie has a better pic but this will do for now!

On our motorbike tour, we stopped for a drink and a little chess...  .... Ha! Found a sweet three person swing and a brightly colored road too. 

The next day on our scooter tour...First we moved into our new digs, 10 meters from the beach and only $15 for a bungalow. Did some laundry Thai style.

Saw a rubber tree farm. I'm sure you can imagine how bad it smelled..

Nearby was a fishing village.

Apparently this is how pineapples grow, but it's difficult to believe. They look ridiculous.

Our last stop was a far flung resort with a private, 1000ft pier. 

 

We hung out at our new bungalow until Em returned. Explored our beach, had dinner and enjoyed a nice sunset.

Next we were off to Ko Samet.

Ko Samet

This island is different in that it's a Thai vacation spot. As the closest island to Bangkok, it sees many Thais especially on holiday weekends. We're were there over the King's birthday, a huge deal there, national holiday as well as the official Father's Day. 

We did awhile lot of glorious nothing on Ko Samet - soaked in the sun (& the sunsets), swam, partied, met some great people (and some crazy ones), & saw way too many speedos before heading back to Bangkok!

If you were wondering what Matt would look like as a monk...

Emalie isn't upset she is smiling with her eyes..

An island trip complete with body paint!

Back to Bangkok for our second stay in a Hilton! Complete with freebies in the executive lounge. The brie was so good. 

A wonderful visit with Miss Emalie J Gainey. Matt & I are currently in Myanmar where he Internet situation is...interesting. We love it here already and will try to post when we can!