The Golden Land

- Our trip lasted 16 days. We bought a discounted flight with Singapore Airlines, an extraordinary airline in terms of service, and for the tour we relied on Tin Aung Soe, known as Sonny, a very good Burmese guide whom we contacted online, who speaks Italian correctly and whom we recommend to everyone. We travelled 9 of us with a 20-seat minibus: very comfortable! SATURDAY 29/01 We arrive at the Summit View hotel, right in front of the Golden Pagoda, which we visited in the hours of sunset and evening: as evocative as can be! SUNDAY 30/01 We leave Yangon with a backpack for the 2-day excursion in the Mon plateau: just outside the city the panorama is very beautiful, we cross rice fields and farmland. In Bago we visit a pagoda with an enormous golden Buddha, another temple with 4 seated Buddhas and a reclining Buddha 50 m long.

Arriving at Kinpun we climb onto one of the pilgrim trucks for the Golden Rock: 40 minutes of thrills on a narrow and steep road through the forest at crazy speed! We arrive at the base of the mountain, leave the trucks and do an hour of a very steep climb on foot towards the summit of the mount: wonderful both the panorama and the slice of life we encounter! We sleep at the Kyaik-Tho hotel, 5 minutes on foot from the rock, very convenient for reaching the temple at night and at dawn (by the way: do not stay at the Golden Rock Hotel, so praised by tour operators, because it is almost an hour on foot from the Golden Rock, which thus becomes unreachable at night and at dawn, unmissable moments for a visit!) MONDAY 31/01 We return to Yangon, stopping in wonderful and very interesting villages and places. In the evening we visit Chinatown, chaotic and crowded; to tell the truth not much.

TUESDAY 01/02 In the morning flight to Heho with the propeller plane Air Bagan. At Nyaungshwe we board the canoes for the Inle Resort hotel, French-run, wonderful. We set down our luggage and continue towards the centre of the lake to see the fishermen who row with one leg, the monastery of the jumping cats, in a unique position in the world, right in the centre of the floating gardens, rich in vegetables and flowers: an unreal environment, absolutely incredible. The day ends with a spectacular sunset. WEDNESDAY 02/02 Sailing on the lake: visit to the villages of the weavers, the blacksmiths, the boat builders, the cigar makers, visit to the great Daw O Paya pagoda and its market, where people of different ethnic groups come to buy and barter goods. We go up the Inthein canal to reach an unforgettable place: a series of ruined pagodas in the jungle with an irresistible charm.

THURSDAY 03/02 We return to the port of Nyaungshwe and set off by bus for the Shan mountains: we visit a beautiful teak convent, a typical market, an orange grove, we witness the wheat harvest, we reach Pindaya and visit the caves of the 8,000 Buddhas: an absolute marvel! After some wonderful stops that Sonny has in store for us and that we will not reveal to you, we arrive at Kalaw (pronounced Kalò): it is cold, we sleep at the Dream Villa hotel with the duvet. FRIDAY 04/02 We begin the long descent towards the plain amid lush nature, stopping in unforgettable places. We arrive before sunset at the U-Bein teak bridge in Amarapura, take a boat and witness the most beautiful sunset of our lives.

We stay overnight in Mandalay (pronounced Mandalè) at the Swan hotel, of medium category (being near the moat of the royal palace, there are many mosquitoes!) SATURDAY 05/02 Boarding at the port for Mingun. Visit to the Settawya paya, to the unfinished pagoda, from the top of which you enjoy a splendid panorama over the Ayeyawaddy, to the Mingun bell and to the wonderful Sinbyume paya. Return to the city and visit to a gold leaf workshop, to a teak monastery, to the largest book in the world and climb to Mandalay Hill for the panorama and sunset. SUNDAY 06/02 We visit the Mahamuni paya, one of the most sacred temples of Burma, then some statue and tapestry workshops; in Amarapura we witness the meal of 2000 monks (the only moment that is too touristy and also a bit embarrassing!).

In the afternoon climb to the Sagaing hills to see the pagoda of the 60 Buddhas and have encounters that we will not reveal to you, but that only Sonny knows and that will remain forever in our hearts. MONDAY 07/02 We stop at the temple of the snakes, we arrive at Mount Popa where we climb a tiring long staircase to enjoy the wonderful panorama from the top. We arrive in Bagan in time to see the first sunset over the plain of the 4000 pagodas. We stay at the Thande Hotel, very beautiful, with an extraordinary view over the river: you eat outdoors under centuries-old acacias. TUESDAY 08/02 We visit by bus the Shwezigon, second in beauty only to the pagoda of Yangon, the Ananda patho, other wonderful pagodas, a lacquer workshop. We have the fortune to witness a costume festival for the entry of a little girl into a monastery.

WEDNESDAY 09/02 Unforgettable day: morning by bicycle among the pagodas, and in the afternoon sailing the Ayeyawady up to a fishing village of Sonny's friends with whom we spend magical moments, with a sunset as the grand finale. THURSDAY 10/02 In the morning flight to Yangon, visit to the reclining Buddha, to the pagoda of the Golden Buddha, to the Bogyoke market, then well-deserved relaxation in the hotel pool. FRIDAY 11/02 In the morning we return to the Shwedagon and discover that it is fantastic at every hour of the day. In the afternoon, unfortunately, we leave this wonderful land: flight to Singapore and connection to Italy. USEFUL INFORMATION EXCHANGE: 1000 kyat are worth about 1 euro, it is advisable to bring dollars: euros are well accepted but are exchanged 1 dollar = 1 euro!!!!.

MEALS: we ate in very poor places and others refined: on average for a meal you go from 2 euros to about 14 euros, drinks included. ROADS: they are uneven, especially the mountain ones; some stretches are asphalted only in the centre, but the Burmese are cautious and the traffic is scarce. As means we tried everything: horse carts, trucks, trishaws, bicycles, pick-ups etc... CLIMATE: cold in Kalaw, in the morning at Inle lake and at the Golden Rock, in Bagan during the day it hits 30 degrees. COMMUNICATIONS: The internet works intermittently and the connection is sometimes very slow. Calling from the hotels is very expensive. GIFTS: bring notebooks, pencils, small little toys and little children's clothes; there will be no lack of occasion to give them.

IN CONCLUSION: please go to Myanmar! The Burmese need tourism, but not that of the tour operators who take tourists to government hotels that only fatten the generals: buy a flight and then rely on the Burmese guides, in particular we recommend Sonny again, who is honest, reliable, a great connoisseur of his land, who every day reserved for us surprises that made this trip an indelible experience: perhaps the most beautiful trip of our lives!!