to Taungoo and Kyaikto: two days on the bus; experiencing a backpackers way of travel

January 7, 2017

We need to move quickly to get to the border prior to our visa expiring. So the next two days we will travel by bus to get to Kyaikto, then we will cycle two days to get to Thaton then Hpa-an, and have one day left on our visa. We get a feel for what it is like to be a backpacker. The distance to Taungoo is about 300km, it takes us 9 hours. The distance the next day to Kyaitko is again about 300km and takes 6 hours.

Day one to Taungoo: "Do you need to take a dramamine?" Rachel asks. "No, I just need to look straight ahead" Patrick replies. The road is very, very, very curvy.

An early morning ride, just at dawn, to the bus station. We find the mini-bus and the guys there are extremely helpful, quickly the bikes and gear are secured on the rooftop rack. Then in 2 hours we are back to the junction almost to Pinlaung and what took us all day yesterday to cycle.

We see how efficient this bus company runs. We have an "on time" departure of 7am. When coming to an official checkpoint, the bus slows, the conductor hangs out the open door to pass off money to pay for tolls, or hops out and runs to show papers to an official then hops back on. They have a list of passengers and a copy of our passport and visa that needs showing at some checkpoints.

About every two to three hours there is a break. When we reach the outskirts of the major town, we are instructed to use our seat belts. We arrive in Taungoo at 4pm. The bus stops at the main entry to the town, there are dozens of men waiting to help with any passenger's luggage or rides. This would be a closer stop for us for the hotel, but with the crowd we continue on to the bus station, so we will know where it is for tomorrow. But the bus doesn't stop at a station, but at an office in an alley. The unloading and reloading the bikes goes much easier with only a few people watching.

We ride about 4-5 km straight through the middle of town to the Pathi Hotel. What a bargain this place is! We are greeted with a welcome juice, the staff help with shuttling gear up to the road, the security guard helps with the bikes, the lady in charge speaks excellent English, and best of all there is a restaurant next door with draft beer.

Myanmar has figured out hospitality and providing cold glasses for drinking beer. The lady helps with organizing our bus ticket to Kyaikto for tomorrow. She arranged for a motorcycle ride with Patrick to the bus station to buy the ticket. Patrick also can see where we need to be and judge how long it might take us to get there.

At dinner, Patrick asked "Can I buy two Myanmar beer glasses?" Holding up two fingers. The man says the glasses are not for sale, but he wants to give Patrick two beer glasses as a gift. After some photos the glasses are carefully wrapped in newspaper.

Bus from Loikaw to Taungoo. All our bags are wrapped in a large tarp and secured to the roof rack. The bikes are tied to the top of that. The bus is not quite as comfortable as the larger versions, but the driver is sensible and we make good progress, all things considered.

Girl making little packets with the bettel nut inside that people here love to chew. It gives them that vampire look with red teeth and gums.

Railroad crossing. A woman manually closes the wooden gates and opens them again after the train has passed. Trains are all narrow gauge in Burma and are extremely slow.

Towels at the Pathi Hotel in Taungoo. One of the nicest places we stayed at in Myanmar, very friendly and helpful, top notch facility and service and not expensive (for Myanmar).

With the bar manager that gives me the Myanmar beer glasses.

Day two to Kyaikto: Another early ride at dawn to catch the 7am bus for Kyaikto. We experience the inefficency of the government run "Myanmar Economic Holding" bus company. The bus doesn't arrive until 8:30am.

"Get rid of the chicken" we think the bus driver said to the conductor. One of the passengers left a basket with a live chicken next to the drivers seat. We are listening to what sounds like Burmese country music.

We were up early and loaded bikes by 6am, the lady manager had coffee for us. She also gave us breakfast packages to take since breakfast is included in the room price but not served until later. The ride to the bus station goes smoothly. We get the bikes ready for loading onto the bus by removing the front wheels, bags off. We wait. And wait. And wait. Finally the bus arrives, plenty of help to load the bikes and bags in the back of the bus. The driver indicates for us to take the two front seats.

Throughout the day we find out why the bus was so late. We constantly stop to try and pick-up more passengers. Anyone standing alongside the road just looking like they might need a ride is good enough reason to hit the brakes. The door opens, the conductor hangs out and gestures or talks with the potential customer. Sometimes a new passenger gets on, sometimes not..... We also seem to be delivering goods at several stops. There are checkpoints, tollgates and weigh bridges. The going is also slow because of narrow road and lots of slower traficc. When we are getting oh so close, only 30 km from Kyaitko, we take a half hour break for a meal stop......

The bus arrives in Kyaitko at 2:30pm, and the driver and conductor seem surprised when we want to get off. The bikes are unloaded through the center aisle and our gear is passed out the back window.

The Happy Guesthouse is only about 500 meters away, we get checked into a room for 20,000 kyat, and quickly go to get a ride up to the Golden Rock. The Guesthouse is located almost at the junction to the road up.

This was about 20 minutes up to the town, then finding the area for the ride up to the rock. And what a ride! Another 30 minutes or so up steep road winding up the hill. We see a few tourist groups and individual tourist but most people are Burmese pilgrims. And what a zoo! As foreigners, we check in, pay 6000 kyat each and given a badge. It's now after 4pm and there is a sign that the last bus back down to Kyaitko leaves at 6pm. This explains why the lonely planet recommendation is to stay at the more expensive hotels on top of the mountain in order to see the sunrise and sunset.

It is too crazy, we decide to head back down to Kyaitko ahead of the crowd. At the tourist town at the foot of the mountain we have what can be labeled our worst meal in Myanmar, and get another truck ride to our hotel. There is a nice restaurant next door where we drink a couple more beers and enjoy the cool evening.

A guy tries out Rachels bike in Taungoo.

Monk doing his morning rounds to collect food and alms.

Woman with a large tray of goodies she tries to sell to bus passengers.

For the ride from Taungoo to Kyaikto our bikes are stuffed in the rear of the bus.

Arrived in Kyaikto. The panniers are handed down through the window.

Like so many cyclists before us we stay at the Happy Guesthouse in Kyaikto. Good location to do a run up to the "Golden rock".

First we take a small truck to the base of the mountain. 500kyat each. No fuss having to negotiate, muzungus pay the same as the locals.

At the foot of the mountain is Kin Pun Sakhan, a town crammed with tourist shops, restaurants and hotels. There are a million pilgrims and a couple of bus loads of tourists. To get from here to the mountain costs 2000 kyat each, for which you get crammed into the back of a small truck, 6 people to a bench, 7 deep. The truck grinds up the incredibly steep road shaking and beating the passengers up. What a ride.

At the summit are a thousand more tourist shops, a couple of very expensive hotels and thousands of pilgrims who will spent the night in the open to see both sunset and sunrise.

And here she is, a giant potato, no a balancing rock, covered in gold. We have not done our homework and are not sure why it is such a draw for pilgrims, but the locals sure have cashed-in on this one.

The crowds are so thick we decide not to try and get to the foot of the rock, nor wait for the sunset. We pay our "muzungu-fee" of 6000 kyat each, walk this far and turn back. We are not impressed. You want to see some real balanced rocks go check out Utah or Arizona.

Today's ride: 11 km (7 miles)
Total: 27,016 km (16,777 miles)

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