Myanmar Map

 

 

            Map of Southeast Asia

latest picture: January 16, 2016

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166  At the Northern edge of the 13½ miles

[22km] long and 6¼ miles [10km] wide Inle

Lake sits Nyaungshwe, a small relaxed little

town, 7¾ miles [12½km] south of the railway

station Shwenyaung, which is the base

for the boat trips …..

167  ….. despite its rather laid-back character,

there is a sign also here showing the distances

to different other Myanmar locations …..

168  ….. side by side are the charming houses

and the imposing Myazaydi Pagoda along

‘Yone Gyi’ Street

169  During the day the street life of

Nyaungshwe is constantly changing: In

the late afternoon children are cycling

home from school …..

170  ..... in the morning horse-drawn

carriages and motorbikes drive along

the dusty road .….

171  ….. and at noon, Buddhist nuns

are walking along with their bowls and

ask for alms from door to door

172  The two clay pots along the road

are filled with cool drinking water – during

the heat of the day a welcome refreshment

173  Emil at our favorite restaurant ‘Inle Palace’

next to the ‘Golden Dream Hotel’ overlooking

the main street ‘Yone Gyi’. Pizza, Spaghetti

and other delicious Italian dishes keep us happy

174  Not everybody has running water

in their house in Nyaungshwe. A mother

gives her boy a wash at a little pool

175  Sorting out vegetables is a common

sight along the streets of Nyaungshwe

176  Waiting for tourists, moored boats

are bobbing up and down gently at

Nyaungshwe’s jetty

177  A speedboat approaches Nyaungshwe’s

jetty. Boat travels are part of daily life for

people living in the stilt villages around Inle Lake

178  A peaceful mood on the shallow Inle

Lake (45mi² [116km²], ø-depth 5 ft. [1½m]),

the second largest freshwater lake in Myanmar

179  His cellular pressed against his ear,

the boatman of the ‘Intha’ tribe (= sons

of the lake) is sailing in his wooden cargo

boat to the weekly market

180  The ‘Ann Heritage Lodge’ on the

western shore of Inle Lake is an upper class

hotel – one of the (too) many around the lake

181  Inpawkhon is one of the 17 stilt

villages at Inle Lake – the housing of

predominantly people of the

‘Intha’ tribe

182  Our boatman guides us through a

narrow canal where we are admiring the

floating gardens. The long poles act as

anchors (Fare: 5½ hours US$18 =2 people)

183  The life of the ‘Intha’ people living in the

stilt villages, is concentrated totally on the lake

184  Approx. 70‘000 people live on and

around Inle Lake. Their income is generated

mainly by growing vegetables on floating gardens

185  A lovely wooden two-storey stilt house

along one of the many waterways in Inle Lake

186  A tourist boat is moving slowly

towards a golden stupa

187  An art in itself: One of the fishermen is

using the traditional technique of rowing the boat

with one leg while using both hands for fishing

188  A fisherman is carrying his conical

fyke net on the calm waters of Inle Lake

189  It looks like a ballet, when

the fisherman casts his throw net

190  Mooring tourist longboats

at a jetty of a souvenir factory

191  An Inle Lake resident is selling on

her boat flowers and bananas to tourists

192  It is a joy speeding through the narrow

and windy river with its tree-lined shore from

Inle Lake to the ‘Shwe Indein’-Pagoda

193  The huge multistory building, completely

built on stilts, hosts the souvenir workshop

‘Ngwe Sin Tun’ and looks almost like a temple.

There are a lot of those places, which are

preferred targets by tourist boatsmen

194  The old tradition of craftsmanship is

widely practiced at Inle Lake’s floating

villages. At such a silversmith near

Nampang we are able to watch the

manufacturing of jewellery …..

195  ….. the traditional handwork is

not only carried out by females,

but also by men

196  The ‘Intha’ tribe living in these stilt

houses are fishermen and farmers …..

197  ….. they grow vegetables, fruits and

flowers on the floating gardens. The gardens are

a mix of marsh, soil and water hyacinths that are

fixed with bamboo sticks on the lake’s ground

198  Very scenic: Golden stupas

northeast of Shwe Indein (Nyaung Ohak)

greet from a hilltop

199  Young women of the village of Inthein

(known also as Shwe Indein) are on the tourist

catch at the ruins of Nyaung Ohak …..

200  ….. they show off their “longyis“,

the traditional sari, worn by men

and women across Myanmar …..

201  …..one of the young girls with her

decorative headdress smiles for a picture

202  The dusty village of Inthein

203  The ruins of Inthein’s ‘Nyaung Ohak’

(what means group of Banyan trees) spread

a peculiar mood. They are reclaimed more

and more by the jungle …..

204  ….. with their crumpling and over-

grown state they look quite picturesque

205  Despite its overgrown state, the

stucco carvings at the ruins of ‘Nyaung

Ohak’ in Inthein are still partly visible …..

206  ….. also a faded Buddha statue

carved into a rock shelter survived …..

207  ….. a special proof of the power of

nature is that the tree was able to lift even

the “Hti“ (the umbrella of the stupa)

208

209

210

At the Shwe Indein pagoda – located about 850 yards [<800m] on a hill southwest of Inthein – tower 1’054 weather beaten

ancient stupas of the 17th and 18th century, as well as some recent golden ones. They are in all states of preservation

211  The golden (more recent?) stupas

of the Shwe Indein pagoda are arranged

around the central shrine

212  There is a richly ornamented ancient

stone figurine on the plinth of a stupa at the

Shwe Indein pagoda, which draws the attention

213  It is an overwhelming feeling being

surrounded by the golden stupas of the Shwe

Indein pagoda. Liliana fully enjoys it

214  Buddha image at the shrine

of the Shwe Indein pagoda

215  The teak wood monastery ‘Nga Phe

Kyaung’ built on stilts is also called ‘The

Monastery of the jumping cats’, because cats

were trained by monks to jump through hoops.

It lies 1.86 miles [3km] beeline NNE of Ywama

216  The portrait of a monk at the

‘Jumping Cat Monastery’ that is said

to be the oldest and biggest

Monastery in the Inle Lake area

217

218

219

Richly adorned antique Buddha images in the style of the Shan and Bagan areas enrich the collection at the ‘Jumping Cat Monastery’

220  Everything fits! Emil makes himself

comfortable on our boat. He is ready

for the next ride

221  We glide through a canal that

is engulfed by tall reed belts

222  A local walks his bicycle along

the seashore home to his village

223  Emil is having a little chat with other

passengers at the lunch stop with the minibus

from Nyaungshwe at Inle Lake to Mandalay

at the Irrawaddy River of Myanmar. The 106

miles [170km] long drive took totally 8 hours

and cost US$12.30 pp

224  The carefully piled up oranges

into pyramids at a road stall

are catching our eyes

225  It needs little to make Emil look happy!

At lunch time at ‘J & J BBQ & Beer

Restaurant’ at 26th street in Mandalay

(C. 21.98406°/96.06637°)

226

227

228

A road in Mandalay, the second largest town of Myanmar with about 1.1m people on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River

is crammed with parked motorbikes. Motorbike taxis are popular. We also used them. It’s one of the means of transport –

besides the helplessly overcrowded busses – that Burmese people can also still afford

229  On the wide brown Irrawaddy River

rather antique boats are moored. The river

is a lifeline for the people, but nowadays

also a tourist attraction

230  Also almost a museum piece?

An archaic vehicle at the Irrawaddy

River transporting goods

231  People are carrying heavy bags on

their heads to or from a ship. A scene from

the Irrawaddy river bank in Mandalay

232  The many washing lines of the people

living in very simple shacks and conditions

along the Irrawaddy river bank make for

a colorful picture

233  A foursquare pagoda along ‘Thinga

Yazar Channel’ glows in the evening light

of Mandalay. Mandalay is known to be the

last capital of the Burmese Kingdom

234  A father is watching life on the streets

of Mandalay with his cute little daughter

235  The pedestrial U Bein Bridge in

Amarapura, about 7 miles [11km] south

of Central Mandalay, is stretching 3'967 ft.

[1'209m] across Lake Taungthaman. It is

the world’s longest teak bridge …..

236  ….. the shallow Lake Taungthaman

measures nearly 2 miles [3km]. In the

background north of the lake glows the

‘Pahtodawgyi-Pagode’ in the evening light …..

237  …..it offers a lovely view to the bridge

with its more than thousand posts, built in

1849. Some of the wooden pillars have

been replaced by concrete poles

238

239

240

An uninterrupted line of locals but also some tourists walk across the U Bein bridge when the sun sets as a red ball on January 14th, 2017

241  Perfect idyll at the lovely manicured

‘National Kandawgyi Garden’ in Pyin Oo

Lwin (formerly Maymyo; 255’000 pop.) –

a hill resort and popular recreational park at

3’538 ft., 42 miles [67km] east of Mandalay

242  A lovely little golden pagoda shines

on a small island in the Kandawgyi Lake

243  The Kandawgyi Lake is home to

white swans and ducks. The lovely and

peaceful former botanical garden has

become a popular picnic spot for

locals and an attraction for tourists

244

245

246

The beautifully arranged flowerbeds around the peaceful lake at the ‘National Kandawgyi Garden’ in Pyin Oo Lwin,

fascinate in their variety of flowers and their vibrancy of colors

247  The 12-storey Nan Myint Tower in

the ‘National Kandawgyi Garden’ is reflecting

in the calm water. Unfortunately its viewing

deck is currently closed for visitors

248  Nostalgic horse-drawn carriages are still

a popular and attractive mean of transport in

Pyin Oo Lwin, the summer residence of the

former British colonial government. Burma –

today Myanmar – belonged to British India

249  Emil is waiting on a bench at the railway

station of Pyin Oo Lwin for the delayed train

direction Lashio. We intend to drive during

5½ hours over the Goitek viaduct until

Kyaukme – fare US$1.75 pp

250  The time table board at the

Pyin Oo Lwin train station to Mandalay,

Kyaukme and Lashio

251  Liliana is looking out of the train window.

Our „Upper Class“ wagon of train „№ 131up“

is solely occupied by tourists. All have the

same goal: The 335 ft. [102m] high famous

‘Goteik’ trestle viaduct

252  Liliana is making herself comfortable

in the train to Kyaukme, 65 miles [105km]

northeast of Pyin Oo Lwin

The scenery rolling past is diverse – pagodas and all kinds of agriculture

253  An impressing Buddhist temple

in the countryside

254  Women are tilling their fields, wearing

broad-rimmed straw hats to protect them

from the scorching sun

255  Buffalos are roaming on harvested fields

256  The train slows down and descends

to the main attraction, the 335 ft. [102m] high

and 2‘260 ft. [689m] long trestle viaduct

of Goteik in Nawnghkio. It was built by

American engineers, commissioned by the

British colonial government in 1901 …..

257  ….. view into the dizzying

depth of the Goteik Gorge …..

258  ….. and the most exciting moment

when the diesel train „crawls“ in walking

speed over the trestle viaduct without any

rails. Will the old steel construction from

1901 also continue to hold for us?

259  The view downwards

catches the subtropical treetops

260  Towards the bottom of the gorge

we spot other rails: Due to strategic reasons

a diversionary route deeper downwards

was built 1976, in case the main bridge was

sabotaged. It was decommissioned in 2002

261  The highlight – the Goteik viaduct – is

over. We continue our journey for another two

hours past a landscape dotted with flowers until

Kyaukme, from where we return by share taxi

the next day to Mandalay: Fare pp US$12.35

/110 miles [177km]/4 hours

More websites from Myanmar:

Myanmar (Burma) Part 1 – from Yangon (Rangoon) to the 'Golden Rock' of Kyaiktiyo

Myanmar (Burma) Part 2 – Bago (Pegu) - Shwenyaung at Inle Lake

Myanmar (Burma) Part 4 – from Mandalay to Bagan by ship and back to Yangon (Rangoon)

The African trip 2013-16:

CapeVerde: Santiago/Praia part 1 – November18th to December 13th, 2013

CapeVerde: Fogo – Dezember13th to 23rd, 2013

CapeVerde: Brava – December 23rd to 26th, 2013

Cape Verde: Santiago/Praia part 2 – December 26th, 2013 to February 28th, 2014

Cape Verde: São Nicolau – February 28th to March 13th, 2014

Cape Verde: São Vicente/Mindelo part 1 – March 13th to 20th, 2014

Cape Verde: Santo Antão/Eastern side part 1 – March 20th to April 7th, 2014

Cape Verde: Santo Antão/Western side part 2 – April 7th to 10th, 2014

Cape Verde: São Vicente/Mindelo part 2 – April 10th to 29th, 2014

Namibia Part 1 – from Walvis Bay to Windhoek

Angola Part 1 – September 26th to October 4th, 2014

Angola Part 2 – October 4th to 22nd, 2014

Namibia Part 2 – from Windhoek to the Angolan border, back again and on to South Africa

South Africa Part 1 – from Namibia border to Capetown – January 22nd to February 23rd, 2015

3rd Major Repair of our LandCruiser FJ60 - 1982  (due to two broken sideshafts)

South Africa Part 2 – from Capetown to Tsitsikamma National Park – February 24th to March 13th, 2015

South Africa Part 3 – from Addo National Park to the Lesotho border – March 13th to April 7th, 2015

Lesotho – April 7th to 15th, 2015

South Africa Part 4 – from the Lesotho to the Swaziland border – April 15th to 23rd, 2015

Swaziland – April 23rd to 28th, 2015

South Africa Part 5 – from the Swaziland to the Botswana border  – April 28th to May 15th, 2015

Botswana

Zimbabwe

Mozambique

Malawi

Armed Robbery in Malawi on July 31st/August 1st, 2015

Tanzania

Kenya

Ethiopia Part 1 – from Kenya to Djibouti – October 25th to November 18th, 2015

Djibouti – October 18th to 27th, 2015

Ethiopia Part 2 –  from Djibouti to Sudan – November 27th to December 9th, 2015

Sudan – December 9th, 2015 to January 8th, 2016