Myanmar was one of the countries I was most excited to revisit when we originally planned this trip. Myanmar is not very popular on the Southeast Asia circuit, especially when compared to places like Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia.
We arrived in the capital city of Yangon on March 3. Our hostel was in the downtown area, close to many other hostels/hotels and restaurants. However, it was seldom we saw another tourist. It was not uncommon for us to be walking down the street and be completely and utterly stared down by the locals. It was never in a rude way, but more in a curious way. We looked and dressed very different from anything they were used to, I am sure we looked quite out of place. (We wondered how they would react to my sister, Ellery, with her red hair!)
On our first day in Yangon we explored the National Museum. This museum had everything, from traditional clothing to prehistoric fossils to paintings. There were 5 floors of exhibits that gave us the history of everything Myanmar!
The next day was what I had been looking forward to the most. The Yangon Circular Train. In my opinion, it has been one of the most authentic experiences we have had in Asia. It is a 3 hour train ride around the city. The locals use the train to get to work, transport goods, or simply travel through the city. We arrived to the central train station and were immediately lost. There are many different tracks and most of the signs were in Burmese. However, there were signs everywhere that said “Warmly Welcome and Take Care of Tourists”. Locals would go out of their way to check on us and see if we needed any help. People quickly guided us in the right direction at the train station. We are so thankful for the kindness of the Burmese people!
We payed approximately 25 cents for this three hour train ride. We sat on hard bench seats with no air conditioning in a train car packed with locals. It was definitely not the most glamorous day of our trip, but it was quite the experience. Vendors walk up and down the train cars selling water, fruit, and hard boiled quail eggs. As the train chugged along we caught glimpses of local life, children playing volleyball, farmers tending to their crops, and friends meeting at a makeshift restaurant. There were so many sights, smells, and sounds, Reid and I felt a little bit overstimulated. However, we loved the opportunity to immerse ourselves in the local life and culture!
On our last day in Yangon we explored the pagodas (A pagoda is just a different type of temple). We explored the Sule Pagoda which is right in the downtown area, they have even built a rotary around it. We also saw the Shwedagon Pagoda, which is over 300 feet tall and contains 22,000 gold bars!!!! With the sun shining on it, it was so bright that is hurt my eyes!!
That night we made our way to the bus station to head to Bagan. The bus station was 11 miles away from our hostel, but took 2 hours to drive there!! 
Yangon traffic is next level! We were very thankful that we made it on time! We got on the bus, each took a benadryl, and did our best to sleep the next 10 hours. Our very last night bus trip went quite smoothly. Even better though, our hotel in Bagan let us check in at 7am! We were able to get a few more hours of sleep which was awesome!
Bagan is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that we were very excited to visit. The area once contained over 4,000 temples, now there are about 2,000 left. The temples were built approximately 900 years ago, so time, weather, and earthquakes have taken their toll on these beautiful treasures. The most common way to explore these temples is by e-bike. E-bikes are very similar to motorbikes, except they are electric and do not go as fast.
For a day and a half we were able to explore the ancient city of Bagan with our e-bike. We drove down dirt roads with no plan other than to see a cool looking temple in the distance and try to find a road to take us there. We did our best to stay off the paved roads and away from the busy temples and tour buses full of people. The only part of Bagan that we did not like was the 100° weather in the afternoon!! (Thank goodness for AC!)
After leaving Bagan, we took a bus through winding mountain roads to Inle Lake. We had two fun filled days in this small town!
The first day we went horseback riding! I was so excited about this. We discovered Inle Horse Club on a map when we were searching for a hostel to stay at. So of course we had to go for a ride! We road two Abyssinian horses. Mine was ‘Thit Sar’ and Reid’s was ‘Thu Da Nu’. Our guide was riding a spunky three year old horse, so I ended up leading most of the ride, how fun! We are counting down the days until we are back at RTR!!
The second day we went to Red Mountain Estate Winery and Vineyard. It took us about 20 minutes to bike there from our hostel. We were treated with the most spectacular views on our bike ride and at the vineyard!! It was a great end to all of our activities in Myanmar!
Reid and I each got a few glasses of wine and a late lunch. Neither of us know much of anything about wine, but we still had a great time. I still don’t quite understand how they grow grapes at Inle Lake, it is so hot, it feels like we are cooking in an oven!!
We are so happy to be able to have explored Myanmar, but now we are on to Bali!!! Indonesia is our final country of this trip, we will be here for 25 days before coming back to the United States!! It’s the home stretch!!!
Stay Tuned,
Love,
Sorrell
P.S. Don’t worry everyone, we are staying safe from Coronavirus. Currently the United States has about 40 times the amount of cases that Indonesia does. Also, the travel restrictions are not affecting any of our flights so far!
“And do not forget to do good and to share with, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” -Hebrews 13:16
Wandering Heart, Wondering Spirit 