Experience the joys of Myanmar from the 100-meter-high Shwedagon Pagoda to the sacred mountain

Graham sat in the back of the bus, just like the naughty schoolboy he had been nearly 70 years earlier.

He has the same wicked sense of humor and needs it to keep up with his ten female traveling companions.

The choice of destinations alone suggests that this small group of Saga solo travelers is a very adventurous bunch.

Myanmar – formerly known as Burma – has only recently opened up to tourism, and many areas are still closed to foreign tourists.

We were prepared for a power outage and were skeptical of the hotel’s 4 star rating on our 15 night trip.

Still, we were all amazed at the top-notch quality and service with a smile at the five hotels selected by Saga – and not a single blackout. While the trip isn’t cheap, it’s worth the money – starting with VIP transfers to UK airports, followed by a wide variety of breakfast, lunch, dinner and excursions, with your own fantastic Saga guide.

Every day we set out to explore Myanmar – known since 1989 – using a variety of transport, from internal flights, air-conditioned coaches and calm boat trips, to trains with no windows to let the breeze in, and bare feet Walking on the scorching earth.

If variety is the spice of life, then we’re hot, hot, hot.

Indeed, our travels have been an ever-changing delight – one day the 100-meter-high Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon is adorned with masses of gold, golden Buddha statues and a sphere encrusted with 4,000 diamonds, the next day , a simple lunch on the table under a giant tamarind tree.

It was cooked by a villager who was keen to let us see the local people’s bamboo huts and farming life. He’s chilled the spices, though, so let’s take it easy.

Several vegetable dishes, rice, chicken and goat made for an unforgettable tasty feast – plenty to choose from, even for the vegetables among us.

Afterwards, we wandered around the village and saw sun-dried plums, oxen pulling plows, and villagers taking a nap on bamboo platforms in the afternoon.

A Burmese lady was our guide on this trip. She wears a long traditional dress, tied at one side. Men wear it similarly, but tie it in the middle – if they tie it on the side, I’ll leave it to your imagination!

Our guide didn’t feel the need for constant commentary, which I consider a blessing.

Just looking at the sights every day — the agricultural lifestyle, the food vendors, the roadside stalls — is enough to get you excited.

We woke up early to go to the morning market, where the produce was piled up in piles of colorful goodies—a lot of stuff we were completely unaware of.

With the temperature hovering around 30 degrees Celsius, the fish and prawns were arranged with no ice in sight. Just fresh food, caught and bought.

Chickens and goats are also slaughtered – no smell, just fresh meat.

Near Bagan, where thousands of temples tower over the plains, we stopped to watch the sun climb over one such shrine and colorful hot air balloons take off. As the trip unfolded, it was fascinating how interesting it was to discover not only Myanmar, but my fellow travelers. All chose to travel alone, though for many different reasons.

We each have a double room and have the opportunity to take time out to enjoy our hotel facilities.

We do this instead of taking an overly strenuous jaunt up the sacred Mount Popa. Take the 900 barefoot steps to the mountaintop shrine – an animistic deity that is a key site of nature worship.

No, you really have to – despite our failures. Instead, I took a photo of all the steps leading up to the top.

my only regret?we failed to sing on the way to mandalay

carol beerfieldReviewers

Collectively, we were a very brave bunch – from sipping oddly concocted drinks by the side of the palm plantation, to climbing in a buggy and crossing the dusty plains to visit the Sunset Temple again. Take the train to the Gokteik Viaduct early in the morning and experience the magical life in the mountains.

The camera then pans to the most stunning section as we slowly cross the 300-meter-high bridge.

Arriving in the mid-day heat, we were ready for lunch before driving back to Mandalay, a series of hairpin turns, with China-bound monster trucks taking turns at every corner.

Graham in the backseat of us suggested a cover of “On the Road to Mandalay” – which sounded like a good idea, but he seemed to be the only one who knew the words.

The generally recognized highlight of the tour is Inle Lake. We love traveling in canoes with long motorized tails, coming in and out like taxis. Fishermen paddle with one foot while handling huge cone-shaped nets. Some of them were just posing for pictures, I imagine, but others were still fishing in their traditional ways.

Many people are digging up copious amounts of weed to create new floating islands – to grow fruit, vegetables and flowers. Farmers tend the islands from their canoes.

We relax in our canoes, umbrellas or big hats that shade us from the scorching sun while their noisy Chinese cars whizz by, and here and there, visit the golden pagodas, weaving workshops and over 1,000 weather-beaten shrines next to the Inthein market.

In one unforgettable experience, we passed the monochrome silhouettes of bamboo huts on stilts, fishing boats and floating islands.

my only regret? We didn’t get to sing on the way to Mandalay.