January 5-7 - After cruising downriver, we overnighted at Magwe. The next morning, we took a city tour by tri-shaw, which is really a bicycle with a side seat attached (hence the 3rd wheel). I asked Roger if he would attach one for me on his bike when we returned home.
Magwe is a pretty little town with remnants of British colonial buildings and a small market. We didn't see any tourist here. But we were certainly the entertainment for the locals.
That afternoon, we sailed further downstream, ending at the riverside town of Thayet Myo. In the morning, we took horse carts around the city ending at the oldest golf course in Myanmar, built by the British in 1887. Affiliatd with the famous Royal St. Andrews Golf Course in Scotland, members of the Thayet Golf Club are treated as honorary guests at St. Andrews. Roger sat in front with the driver and I sat facing back. The city is home to several universities and the medical school.
In the afternoon we had an excursion to Pyay (Prome) and Sri Ksetra. The Pyu Empire controlled this area between 5th and 9th centuries until they were conquered by the Burmese. They built a huge walled area (maybe 7 miles on a side) that included villages, farmlands, and royal structures to protect themselves against invasion. The museum held Pyu artifacts that have been unearthed in recent times. This is now considered the first empire in the country, rather than Pagan.
The next stop on the afternoon excursion was the Shwesandaw Pagoda complex, one of the most important and revered Buddhist sites in Myanmar. Our guide was a native of Pyay and shared many tales of the area. Pyay boomed along with the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company in the 1890s and is now an important trading post for goods traveling between northern and southern Myanmar.
Our cruise ended after breakfast the next morning with a 6 hour bus trip to Yangon (Rangoon). There has got to be a better way of ending such a wonderful river trip.
No comments:
Post a Comment