Day 1 Rangoon (Yangon)
Your guide will meet you at the airport and you'll be whisked off to your hotel in comfort, a cool towel and chilled mineral water in hand. The drive through the city will whet your appetite, and we will not delay you—once you have checked in, freshened up, and had some lunch, you'll be off to begin your adventure. Despite its size, Yangon seems full of greenery and shade, with shimmering stupas floating above its treetops. Take a stroll to get a sense of the city—not just its wide boulevards and British colonial architecture—but the small alleys and byways lined with shops and stalls. Stop to greet the vendors and let them introduce you to their wares—some familiar, some exotic. At the betel nut stand observe the elaborate preparation as the proprietor mixes bits of areca nut with the appropriate amounts of lime paste and wraps it all in a glossy green betel leaf for your pleasure. Try it—it's all part of the experience.
Yangon strives for modernity, but the growing numbers of highrises still seem somewhat out of place amidst the remains of her past grandeur. Observe the influences of other cultures in the region as you drive through Chinatown and the Indian quarter. Begin your introduction to temples with visits to the Sule and Botathaung pagodas, and learn about the gentle ways of Buddhism and its vision of a world where all living things are deserving of our respect. In the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, one strives to gain merit to enhance future lives by doing good deeds. Release a caged bird—and watch while it flies away, your heart soaring along with it. Stop for photos of the Royal Lake, and the immense reclining Buddha at the Kyaukhtatgyi Temple. The road to Mandalay is a river, the Irrawaddy - born in the foothills of the Himalayas, that great mother of holy rivers. Along with its tributaries and fertile delta, it is the lifeblood of the country's economy, and the heart and soul of its culture.
Observe the busy Yangon river traffic and note how daily life goes on all around it. Today we will make certain you are properly introduced, as the relationship is sure to deepen as you travel around the country. Nothing will prepare you for Shwedagon Pagoda, with its glittering gold stupa that Kipling called "a golden mystery…a beautiful winking wonder." This sacred monument is surrounded by hundreds of pavilions and shrines of all shapes and sizes, and populated by Burmese from all walks of life, performing their devotions, meeting friends and associates, or sitting quietly and enjoying the atmosphere. Join them, and be sure to walk clockwise as you circumnavigate the main stupa. If you have a need stop at the "wonder working Buddha image" which is said to be able to fulfill wishes and work miracles. Or perhaps just being here is wonder enough for you.
Day 2 Rangoon - Golden Rock
Leave the city behind and take a drive to Kyaiktiyo, famous for its Golden Rock Pagoda. The name is a literal description—it is indeed a boulder covered in gold and balanced atop a cliff—looking like it could crash down the mountainside at any moment. It hasn't yet, and legend says that it was placed there in the 11th century. It doesn't fall because the little pagoda on its top enshrines a hair from the Buddha's head, and that great presence keeps it in place. It is now possible to drive up the mountain, and avoid a five-hour climb over the thousand-year-old path through an almost impenetrable bamboo jungle. Pilgrims do walk, and gain merit in the process. An overnight in this revered region may earn you some as well.
Day 3 Golden Rock - Moulmein
Continue by car to Moulmein, once British Burma's administrative center. It is an attractive tropical town bordered by a ridge of hills topped with stupas on one side, and the sea on the other. When Kipling writes, "by the old Moulmein Pagoda, looking lazy at the sea…" he probably means the Kyaikthanlan Pagoda, set on a hilltop, with surrounding terraces that offer fabulous views of the city and harbor below. And a busy harbor it is, for this is a center for the export of rice and teak. You will also see many beautiful temples and stupas, and the huge wooden building that is the Yadanar Bon-Myint Monastery.
Day 4 Moulmein - Bago - Rangoon
On your way back to Yangon stop to visit Bago, a provincial capital filled with open-air markets selling goods made locally by factories run on a cooperative basis. They produce household items such as wine goblets, most of them hand carved from teak. There are, of course, many fine religious monuments—including the Shwemawdaw Pagoda, which can be seen from as far away as 6 miles outside the city. The stupa enshrines relics of Gautama Buddha, including hairs and teeth, and the main terrace is reached by covered stairways guarded by large white chinthe (half lion, half griffin), each with a sitting Buddha in its mouth. Revered throughout the country as the most beautiful reclining Buddha, the Shwethalyaung statue is 180 feet long and 52 feet high. Originally built in 994, the figure was most recently renovated in 1948, when it was re-gilded and painted. Its lovely face and enigmatic smile are very pleasing to the eye. Return to Yangon, and savor a special evening with dinner at the elegant Strand Grill. A grand old hotel, once one of the glorious outposts of the British Empire, The Strand was originally constructed in 1896, and has been restored with no expense spared, and none of its atmosphere lost. Sip your drinks and dine on house specialties—it is not unlikely that the ghosts of Maugham and Kipling will join you in a toast.
Day 5 Rangoon - Bagan
The city awakens as you head to the airport for an early morning flight to Bagan, a once great and populous capital, and one of Asia's most awesome and mystic spectacles. Gaze out over the vast plain, at relics of all sizes which dot the horizon. Small crumbling stupas and glorious soaring temples cover the landscape, too numerous to count. Some have names, some only numbers. Fascinating legends surround many; others are anonymous. You will visit a variety of the most beautiful and interesting, and begin to develop an understanding of what Burma is all about. The skills required to adorn so many magnificent temples fueled a blossoming of the decorative arts, which continued to flourish even after the building stopped. Visit a lacquerware workshop to see this discipline at its finest. Then its back to everyday life, as you visit a local village, where you'll be warmly welcomed, scrutinized, giggled at, and probably followed by an entourage of curious children. As the day draws to a close sit quietly atop one of the taller structures to watch the sunset. The sky is aglow with warmth and color as the stupas turn to silhouettes and all finally fades to black. As the temple bells chime a feeling of the utmost peace descends.
Day 6 Bagan - Mt. Popa
Travel to Mt. Popa, sacred home of the nats, a collection of deities including the spirits of hills, trees, rivers, and other natural features, as well as certain ancestors and historic personages. There are even village nats—the guardians of specific communities. These spirits have the power to protect or harm humans, and their home is an important pilgrimage site. A lush volcanic peak, Popa rises from the middle of the dry Myingyan Plain. Atop its rocky summit is a picturesque complex of monasteries, stupas and shrines, frequented by monkeys as well as by the spirits, who can be quite mischievous themselves. The panorama from the top is magnificent.
Day 7 Mt. Popa - Mandalay
This morning it will be not a road, but a flight to Mandalay. Your explorations include a famous Buddhist monastery and a 200-year-old teak bridge that is still in use. Beautiful monuments abound, not only in Mandalay, but also in the surrounding district. While many of the ancient Burmese capitals are now primarily magnificent, but deserted, outdoor museums, Sagaing is the living center of Burma's Buddhist faith. With its liberal sprinkling of pagodas, it is one of the most impressive shows in the country, set to the music of cymbals, gongs and temple bells. Sagaing is famous for its silversmiths, who still use the time-honored methods their ancestors did, and Mandalay itself is a major crafts center, whose artisan guilds carve alabaster, marble and sandalwood, cast bronze, weave tapestries, and produce the gold leaf which devotees apply to countless Buddha images all over the country.
Visit some workshops to see the incredible skill that goes into the creation of these exquisite works. You'll develop an eye that will enable you to make unforgettable purchases for your own collection. We will happily arrange shipping! The Shwe Nandaw Monastery, famous for its intricate woodcarvings, was once the king's place of private meditation, later given as a gift to the monks. The nearby Kuthodaw has one central pagoda surrounded by 729 smaller ones, each of which houses one of the marble tablets upon which are inscribed the entire Tipitaka, or Buddhist holy book. In fact the complex itself is known as the "world's largest book." Mandalay's most important religious building is the Mahamuni Pagoda, covered with a thick layer of gold leaf. Legend has it that the Gautama Buddha himself taught here. Tonight's sunset spectacular is viewed from the top of Mandalay Hill, reached by covered stairways lined at intervals with small temples.
Day 8 Mandalay - The Irrawaddy - Mandalay
You cannot leave this enchanting country without getting to know its heart and soul—the magical Irrawaddy River. Set sail early this morning for a journey not fixed in any particular time. Past hillsides colorful and fragrant, and temples bright and beautiful—some now familiar, such as those on the mist-shrouded hills of Sagaing. On the river and its banks life goes on as it always has. Ferries, rafts, and small boats barely afloat ply these waters, while on shore bodies are bathed, clothes laundered, water jugs filled, and the air is filled with the shouts of children splashing with gay abandon. Your destination is the village of Mingun, home of the largest intact bell in the world (90 tons), as well as an unfinished pagoda that is sometimes given similar superlative status as the largest pile of bricks on the planet.
Day 9 Mandalay - Inle Lake
Your flight today is to Heho, the closest airport to your destination of Inle Lake. Drink in the tranquility of this serene body of water and its floating gardens. Tribal villages, monasteries and stupas line the shores of a lake surrounded by spectacular mountain scenery. Explore colorful local markets, where the shops come to you in the form of canoes laden with produce. The hard working Intha are famous for their eccentric method of rowing their flat-bottomed boats with their legs, as they plot a path through the floating islands and water hyacinths. They literally live and work on the water, growing their crops on fertile masses of marsh grass and soil that are anchored to the lake bottom with bamboo poles. In addition to life on the lake, the sights you'll see include the imposing Phaung Daw U Pagoda, which houses five Buddha images so loved that the gold leaf applied by the faithful has distorted their shapes, making them almost indistinct balls of gold. You'll also stop by the Nga Phe Kyaung, better known as the Jumping Cat Monastery, so named because the monks have trained their feline followers to literally jump through hoops.
Day 10 Inle Lake - Kalaw
Visit the Indein village, a recently opened archaeological site. Then it's off to the Pindaya Cave, filled with more than 9,000 Buddha images made from alabaster, teak, marble, brick, lacquer and cement, which have been placed there over the centuries. Many are hundreds of years old, but new ones have been added over the years, and now almost every nook and cranny has been filled. The most famous is a pagoda built by King Sridama Sawka more than 2000 years ago, with tiny gold Buddhas, each in its own little niche. Later in the day drive to Kalaw, a British hill station and once a favorite hot season retreat for officials and their families. They also appreciated the setting, and left behind half-timbered colonial houses amidst the pine trees and bamboo groves.
Day 11 Kalaw - Rangoon
You'll get an introduction to life in this small town. This afternoon catch a flight back to Yangon.
Days 12 and 13 Rangoon - Ngapali Beach
A visit to Burma is rich in history and culture for your mind, beauty for your senses, and balm for your soul. It also provides the perfect setting to rest your body, and let it all sink in. So today you fly to Thandwe and drive to Ngapali Beach. Here you will find broad beaches of soft white sand, casuarina and palm trees swaying in the breeze, and turquoise waters in which to bathe. If you can't sit still you can hire a bicycle and meander around the fishing villages that line the coast.
Day 14 Ngapali Beach
From Thandwe Airport fly back to Yangon.
Day 15 Rangoon - departure
This morning visit the National Museum with its collection of royal regalia—everything studded with gems, from swords to serving dishes, and of course jewelry of the wearable kind. The centerpiece is the striking Lion Throne from the Mandalay Palace, made of carved wood, inlaid with gold and precious stones. For your last minute shopping you will love Scott's Market, where you will find a wonderful array of Burmese handicrafts—wood carvings, textiles, lacquerware, silver and brassware, masks and puppets, and musical instruments. Or at your request, we will arrange for a private showing of exquisite ruby and sapphire jewelry and gems at our exclusive dealer. At the appropriate time your guide will accompany you to the airport for your outbound flight. A journey along the legendary Irrawaddy is a voyage of a lifetime. From this mighty river, which runs the length of the country, all of Burma's treasures, for so long hidden from the world's gaze, can be admired.
The elegant river cruiser Road to Mandalay provides the ultimate vantage point from which to absorb Burma's serene beauty, taking in its golden-spired pagodas, ancient temples, sleepy riverside settlements and saffron-clad monks. Operated by Orient Express, the Road to Mandalay provides an international standard of luxury and service previously unknown in this part of the world. Old Burma Tour & Trading is delighted to offer this exclusive cruise product to our guests. The Road to Mandalay is the most elegant and gracious way to see the magical land of Myanmar from this vantage point which is the heart and soul of the country…the Irrawaddy River. More extensive itineraries on board the Road to Mandalay are also available, including seasonal extended cruises to Bhamo in the north and Prome in the south.
For those who are a bit more budget conscious, I suggest a similar voyage aboard the very comfortable cruiser RV Pandaw. This vessel was built to the same specifications as the original Irrawaddy Flotilla Company steamers, once the largest privately owned fleet of ships in the world. She has been designed to recreate the atmosphere of the first class deck of a colonial river steamer, making excellent use of teak and other local hardwoods.
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