When we arrived in Yangon for the first time in November 2012, instantly the heat made us decide to take a bus to Chaungtha Beach, the most popular beach among Burmese locals and the closest to Yangon.

There are some nice hotels in Chaungtha beach and we stayed at a simple guest house on the main road, just across the road from the sea. Here a small bungalow with private shower was just $24. We arrived at 4 am off the bus from Yangon, and although we had booked that night we didn’t have to pay for it! Yes, 4 am is when Burmese understand it is a good arrival time when they plan a night bus schedule ;)

In order to explore the area well, we rented a scooter from some local boys for $8 a day. We just approached a group of young guys who were hanging about on the street and asked them if any would be willing to rent us their bike. Within seconds we had several pushing their bikes towards us, each wanting us to take theirs. This was obviously going to be good money for them. This gave us the chance to really explore the area and get lost in the rural countryside on our way to deserted, palm-lined beaches, that we would not have reached if it weren’t for the bike.

Chaungtha itself is a relaxing place to be. There’s just one main street with a market at one end and plenty of restaurants serving delicious Burmese seafood and fish dishes, all at rock-bottom prices.

After spending a few days in Chaungtha Beach, we wanted to explore the next beach on our list, Ngwe Saung beach.

We could have gone by road, but this is a 70-kilometer loop around. When they explained to us the alternative route, along the coast, we didn’t think twice and went for it. We rented a couple of scooters with drivers for around $8 each and off we went.

The journey was an amazing experience. It involved crossing two rivers in a small wooden boat, scooters included, just as the locals do.

Half of the trip was driving along these narrow paths and surrounded by palm trees and countryside; the last part of the journey was along the beach with these amazing views.

It took us about half a day to get to Ngwe Saung Beach, but the experience was worth it and the beach is beautiful!

When we finally arrived in Ngwe Saung we had a bit of difficulty finding a hotel room. Here the options are more limited. Again, the beachfront was lined with luxury resort hotels and there were not many budget options. We managed to find a good option after looking for a while.

Despite the high prices of the rooms, we were surprised to see that the food on the hotel’s menu was reasonably priced. We dined on a tasty prawn and orange salad with moonlight shimmering over the ocean and the silhouette of the twin stupa rocks.

To help you and save you time, read the list I have put together with my favourite accommodation in Ngwe Saung Beach.

Guest post by my good friend Dani:

Taunggyi, the capital of Shan State, is known for its pleasant weather and for being one of the cleanest cities in Myanmar. However if Taunggyi is specially highlighted in the circuit that tours the country is for holding the Hot Air Balloons Festival every November during Tazaungmon, the 8^th full moon of the Buddhist calendar.

Tazaungdaing or the Festival of Lights is celebrated all over Myanmar. It’s when people offer new clothes to the Buddhist monks in a ceremony called Kahtain. During the night of the full moon, people light candles, lamps and lights. Weaving competitions are also held all around the country to provide new garments to the monks.

This tradition has grown to one of the greatest Myanmar festivals’ in Taunggyi. The capital city of Shan State makes itself more visible than ever for this occasion as it keeps on sending hot air balloons day and night during 9 days. It’s then when Myanmar people from all corners of the country and foreigners flock to the city by the thousands to witness the brightest, noisiest and most colourful festival of them all.

This year the festival started on the night of the 18^th of November. The opening night is one of the busiest but I realized this was just a starter of what it was still to come. That night after shows of colourful traditional local dances, we could see the mesmerizing view of hundreds of lanterns and three enormous hot air balloons decorated with candles airing to the sky at the same time. It was special and something I hadn’t seen elsewhere before even though the lanterns can also be seen in Chiang Mai, Thailand, for the same festival, but just the lanterns. This all made me feel like an enchanted kid, being the protagonist of a magic fairy tale. And I am about to turn 40!

After the opening ceremony the party goes on at food stalls, street shops, promotional kiosks from all possible brands, fair rides, games and attractions that surround the festival ground in an almost 24 hours non stop shift. It’s definitely a big thing!

During the day, smaller balloons made of paper called “Ayoke” with the shapes of animals like birds and fish are launched. Flaming torches kept under the balloons fill them up with hot air until they release themselves in a subtle flight accompanied by the cheers, shouts and jumps of the crowd congratulating themselves for the success. But this riotous scene can’t really be compare with the one that awaits at night.

It’s at night the moment of the big show. After 8 pm one by one the different groups line up to get into the festival ground. It’s a ceremonious preparation. Hundreds of people belonging to different groups will wait their turn to build up and launch their balloon. In the end the whole festival is a competition and there is good money as prizes at stake.

Some balloons are decorated with tons of candles and lanterns lit forming different designs. These ones are called “Sein Na Pan” and are similar to the three ones I saw launched in the first night during the opening ceremony. But those ones combine alternatively with others even more appealing which are loaded with fireworks.

The “Nyi Gyi Mee” balloons are the great draw of the festival and what attracts most of the crowd. They offer a breathtaking experience since while the balloons are leaving the ground, the fuses of the fireworks they included are lit. Once in the air an amusing rain of sparks falls from the balloon displaying different fireworks shapes. As the balloon rises up the show gains intensity.

It’s as hypnotic as dangerous. Sometimes the fireworks go off before than expected reaching the crowds around the festival ground. It’s exciting to get close to the balloons but incidents happen, more often than imagined. This year I saw the fireworks of some balloons going off just a few meters from the ground as well as other balloons failing to take off completely or falling down even from already a quite high altitude.

If the balloon succeeds to fly, the crowds buzz with excitement, something that can go on for long time. I saw balloons still sending fireworks a good half an hour after they took off what I guess it must make a good opponent for the contest.

Daniel Calderón aka Dodi Fod, a restless traveller and storyteller. As a journalist went to the 5 continents. Since March 2014 is collecting stories around Myanmar and South East Asia. Passionate about languages, different cultures, literature and cinema. Lately experimenting with making documentary films. See his work in his blog Dodi Fog and his Facebook page Traveling Flip Flops.

Guest post by my good friend Dani:

Since I moved to Yangon, Myanmar has been spoiling me. This country has treated me really well and I got the chance to discover really interesting corners out and about the country. Big time now, after having the chance to travel down South and visit the town of Myeik and the Southern region. I can’t really find words to express my gratitude. Though this story is a big thanks to it.

I will start thanking my friend Juan, he couldn’t join the trip offered by Asia Whale and asked me whether I could and wanted to go. I am specially attracted to remote and off the beaten track destinations so this was like a little dream coming true.

The whole country of Myanmar had been neglected during the bad times of the military junta, but imagine Thanintharyi region, the far south, considered as the last frontier. As soon as I arrived in Myeik I could discovered that that oblivion has paid its toll in two ways, a negative and a positive one. Myeik it’s not a pretty town, but hey, that was only the first impression. After discovering what the people have done here, I changed my mind.

Myeik people got themselves into the titanic endeavor of surviving by themselves during the dictatorship and that’s why the city has developed a witty little local industry. Today with this charming industry Myeik seduces the first tourists who venture to down here. It’s a place where things are still made the way they have always been. So after leaving the luggage at the hotel (Ein Taw Phyu, White Hotel, Kan Phyar Rd.) we go for sightseeing.

Myeik is the city where the Tenisserim river runs into the sea and in the middle of this merge, on the picturesque islands of Pahtaw-Pahtete, there is a well known soft shell crab farm. In a few minutes we crossed the last stretch of the river to learn how this rare delicatessen grow and taste… After the visit we had lunch at Yadanaoo, the restaurant of the island, where soft shell crab along with other seafood from the region is served.

On this banks of the island we can also see closely traditional shipyard works. There are two main shipyards in Myeik, being this one the biggest and more active one. I was able to mingle with carpenters, blacksmiths, turners, sailors and captains and discover the traditional but again booming industry of making ships the Myeik way. This might the only place on earth where you can see so close how ships are made. I was even allowed to go up to a ship on the making. Ok I did that totally at my own risk!

Those ships made in Myeik are the ones crossing back and forth to the city. Once again in the city the tour headed my steps to a lobsters farm where it’s possible to buy a huge lobster for a reasonable price and have it grilled for dinner at one of the popular Strand Road street restaurants.

Dinner was still a few hours away, so until then, time to stare at the swallows zigzagging the sky with their fast flights. Myeik is full of them and have offered another prosperous activity to the city. The best example is The Natural Edible Bird Nest House, also on the Strand Road. It’s a shop and a living museum. Here you can taste and buy swallow nests, that Chinese delicatessen that also pleases the Myanmar taste.

Walking distance from the birds nest house, it’s snack o’clock at the Myit Nge market! It’s also known as Dawei Su market and it’s the perfect place to sip one of those delicious Myanmar sweet cup of tea together with popular Myeik traditional snacks. I totally recommend “Ar Pone”, a kind of crêpe that once is almost baked they add a whisked egg with grated coconut. A total mouth watering experience!

As a city port, Myeik is also a big fishing town and they have a huge fish drying neighbourhood. In the afternoon of this first day trip I have the chance to witness the process of drying fish. It is an adventure, as interesting as smelly, that includes even the processing of huge manta rays.

To end the afternoon and before the sun sets, we head to a broom factory where I saw the skills of young women making tones of different kinds of brooms that are afterwards sent to the rest of the country and exported elsewhere.

For dinner, I recommend to go to the street restaurants that pop up at night in Strand road, right on the river front, a popular place for barbecue, specially during the dry season. They were happy to grill the lobster I had previously bought, adding up some local side dishes that the group I was with ordered. We all loved it!

Day 2

On the second day and before the sun rises, I am out again. First to the port and once on board, we navigated upriver to the old village of Thanintharyi. Breakfast was served on board while the sun was rising and brightening the horizon. The changing of colours in the sky at this time is a beautiful scene that continues every single morning during this time of the year in this region.

The dark purples getting lighter as the night fades and the intense yellows, pinks and oranges of the opposite side of the horizon contrast with the vivid green of the luxuriant vegetation that the shadows are unveiling as it gets brighter on both banks of the river.

By lunch time we’d arrived to Thanintharyi, the ancient capital of the region, where still a few signs from those glorious time remain. I was extremely lucky for having this trip planned during the full moon of Thadingyut, since during this festival popular dragon boat races are organized. It’s a unique show that happens only once a year.

A later walk around town showed the different style in which houses are built here. The visit ended getting to the suburbs where we could still see parts of the old walls that once surrounded the whole city.

Finally, on our way back, we made a well worth last stop at the Thanintharyi monastery, where a little museum displays coins, tools and different objects found at archaeological sites around the region.

Day 3 (part II of the trip, the Mergui archipelago)

Myeik and Thanintharyi were interesting enough to make the trip worth it, but they also keep an ace up their sleeve. Myeik is one of the two spring boards to the Mergui archipelago, a lost paradise of Myanmar, a group of around 800 beautiful islands and islets with gorgeous beaches and untapped potential for eco-tourism.

And while most of the tours to this region offer staying on board for the night while sailing around, most of the people come here to dive… But with our tour we stayed camping out in one of the islands. It was a great experience, far from luxury, but much more worth it than a 5 stars hotel. We stayed in portable tents and to warm up at night we lit a bonfire which we all gathered until the wee hours of the morning drinking, laughing and telling stories to wake up the following morning listening to bird songs.

Travelling is all about collecting memories, so for this reason on the way to the island we stopped at Pin Zin village to discover how local people live in a village of the mangrove area. Here we had the chance to witness how “ngapi” is made, the famous strong Myanmar fish paste, that rare delicacy that the country is proud to export.

After sneaking around tons of islands that made beautiful different postcards every time I clicked my camera, we finally got to Natthemee Yetwin, our destination for the following two nights where the magic of an astonishing sunset awaited. When completely dark, trillions of stars illuminate the sky as we cannot see in many other places. Late at night a walk along the beach unveiled the secret of the sand. For me it was a great surprise to see the sand glooming due to the plankton.

Day 4

If the sunset on the island was beautiful, dawn was breathtaking. I left the cover layer of my tent door open so I could peep through it the whole night. When morning arrived the changing colours as it gets brighter made me get stuck to the shuttle bottom of my camera while feeling still snoozing. A morning ride on the kayak awoke me completely to see the other side of the postcard: the camp on the beach with the beautiful green as a background. I just felt like Robinson Crusoe!

As the day enfolded the still and clear waters on the shores offer an early show. It’s breakfast time for the fish in the rift. It’s also the perfect moment to wear your goggles and stare discreetly at it. Hard and soft corals get close to the beach so I didn’t need to swim far! The colours of the fish underwater seemed to reflect those above in the sky.

Mergui is definitely a rediscovered paradise but still so virgin and deserted… and what a privilege visiting it at this time, where still not many tourists go. I’m sure as Myanmar develops, so it will this area and more and more infrastructure will settle the islands.

Along the day: swimming, diving, fun fishing, kayaking, island hopping, trekking inland or just relaxing under the sun or the trees make up for a perfect day. There was only one requirement: enjoy it big time, something not difficult here where time goes at a different pace and seems to extend everlasting!

Day 5

Most of the Mergui archipelago is uninhabited but the waters are home to the Moken people, also known as “sea gypsies”. Although they are a nomadic seafaring people most of the time, specially during the rainy season, they set up camps as shelter in some islands. On our last day we were welcomed to one of their camps and diving out of the water, we dived in their fascinating culture.

Dome island is a one of a kind of these camps where besides seeing from close their home-boats, we can explore their bearings on the ground. Here it was possible to mingle with up to four generations of the same family and play also with their unusual pets. Another big surprise for this enriching trip!

Dome island is also one of the few islands in the Mergui that has natural fresh water and the only one where this water floods to the sea jumping from a beautiful water fall. It’s a fantastic view and the best grand finale for our amazing collection of memories from Myeik and the Mergui archipelago region.

I was content and satisfied with all those memories but my belly never gets full. In my last evening I still had a last chance to fill it in with other local specialities. For dinner we headed to one of the most popular local restaurants in Myeik, Sakura Foods & Drinks, where mainly seafood is served. If you ever have the chance don’t ignore the prawn curry, let alone “ta nyin”, a tasty leafy vegetable you will only find in this region.

If you would like to organize a perfect trip to Myeik with Asia Whale, please contact them here:

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Daniel Calderón aka Dodi Fod, a restless traveller and storyteller. As a journalist went to the 5 continents. Since March 2014 is collecting stories around Myanmar and South East Asia. Passionate about languages, different cultures, literature and cinema. Lately experimenting with making documentary films. See his work in his blog Dodi Fog and his Facebook page Traveling Flip Flops.

Guest post by my sister Estrella Gallardo Osuna (Tilly).

Thank you to my brother Juan for a perfect organization for our family trip to Myanmar. I would not change a single minute of this incredible and unforgettable experience. I highly recommend to explore Myanmar and learn its traditions, taste its food and most importantly meet its true people.

Day 1 and 2: Yangon

Yangon is a very different city to all the ones I have visited before. It’s unique. From one hand, you can find crowded and vibrant Bogyoke Market where you can find anything from jewellery to decoration, fabrics and clothes. On the other hand you can find peaceful places such as Kandawgyi Park and impressive religious sights such as Shwedagon Pagoda. Yangon has  a different smell not very pleasant but soon you forget about it getting distracted watching people and sellers. Definitely it is worth to visit and stay at least two days. We stayed in Clover City Center Plus, which is really good value for money and can’t be better located downtown Yangon. If you like to taste local food, there are two good restaurants with delicious Burmese food that I really enjoyed, one is House of Memories and the second one is Shan Yoe Yar. House of Memories is more like entering into a family home than a restaurant. It is a more than 100 years old colonial villa with a lot of history behind its walls and very good food. Shan Yoe Yar is another beautiful Burmese restaurant worth to check out, with delicious Shan State food and very good service in downtown Yangon.

Day 3 and 4: Yangon – Kalaw (8 hours drive with 3 stops)

Travelling by car is a very good opportunity to see landscapes and different villages on the way to your destination. We decided to rent a 7 seater van with a driver that took us to all the places we wanted to see. It is very convenient and comfortable option really worth it for its price (around 200 US dollars per day). We were 7 people, which made it around 30 US dollar per person per day. Our first destination was Kalaw to go the next day and visit Green Hill Valley Elephant Camp. In Kalaw we stayed in Pine Breeze Hotel, a great 2-star mid-range hotel with good views of the town and mountains.
Green Hill Valley is an elephant camp just half an our drive from Kalaw which is focused on rescuing elephants from the timber industry and giving them their deserved retirement within a peaceful environment, lot of rest, medical treatment needed and most importantly love from their mahouts and tourists. We spent all morning feeding, bathing and interacting with the elephants and then had an amazing lunch just in the middle of the jungle. Unique and magical experience and nothing to do with the circus type elephant experience. By the way, don’t miss Seven Sisters Restaurant in Kalaw. Delicious food and amazing staff.

Day 5 and 6: Kalaw – Nyaung Shwe (Inle lake) (2 hours drive with one stop)

We drove to Nyaung Shwe, the main town by the lake, but if you have enough time in Myanmar, I recommend to do a 3 days (2 nights) trekking from Kalaw to Nyaung Shwe. It is fantastic! In Nyaung Shwe we stayed in a very nice hotel (Sandalwood hotel) just 1 minute walk to the main jetty. The next morning we walked to the jetty where we rented a boat (motorized canoe) to explore the lake. In the boat there is space for 6 people with seats and it just costs around 8 US dollars for all day. It is an incredible ride and the driver stops in really interesting workshops where Burmese craftspeople show you the process of making different arts and crafts after seen it you can buy some of their products. The most interesting workshops were: silver, Burmese parasols, lotus silk and cheroot (Burmese cigars). It is amazing how skilled they are making all these products. The lake is definitely a must-see because of its floating villages, floating gardens, beautiful views of the mountains and lake, and because of the fishermen using their unique style of one-leg paddling.

Day 7 and 8: Nyaung Shwe – Bagan (8 hours drive with 2 long stops)

On our 8 hour road trip we had an amazing time and met lovely people. We stop the van because of a long queue of women carrying flowers to a Monastery. They were so happy to meet us that invited us to the ceremony and wanted to take pictures with us, so did we.  Definitely worth to travel by land to see, experience and communicate with locals.

I was very impressed when we arrived to Bagan. It is an impressive city with more than 2,500 temples.

We rented electric bikes and went to visit the most important temples. I highly recommend to rent one of this bikes. They are everywhere, they are very cheap and it is a lot of fun! I love all the spontaneous and unexpected stories that happened to me in this country, such as stopping the bike and get invaded by three little angels that only wanted to play with me.

At five o’clock in the morning we were picked up from our hotel (Kaday Aung Hotel) to go on the balloon adventure! Flying over the temples of Bagan was an unforgettable experience from the beginning till the end. The flight lasted 1hr and 26 min and it was one of the highlight of the trip.

Day 9: Bagan – Yangon

This time we flew. Travelling by land one way and flying the way back I think it’s the perfect way to do it. You get to see the little villages and the scenery but it’s also nice and comfortable to just take a 1 hour flight back to Yangon.

Myanmar is a different world, full of new things to explore and discover. Thanaka make-up, longyis, monks, betel nut, very particular smells from fruits and vegetable,… all these are very common in Burmese daily routine.
From this magical experience I would highlight people’s kindness, hospitality and love. It is a place where you feel like at home and very safe.
I am aware that it will be difficult to have this once in a lifetime experience again but I can’t wait to go back to Myanmar and feel their happiness again.

This is a very special post from my little sister Tilly. I was extremely happy to have my family in Myanmar for a couple of weeks and show them the beauty of the country not only in pictures and stories, but in real life. Now they understand much better why I am living here and why I am in love with this country. My sister is an English teacher who loves travelling and exploring new cultures all over the world. Very proud of her and love her loads!

If you want to organize a similar trip let me know, I’m happy to help and connect you to my local friends who can book everything for you.

This cocktail was the favorite at the British private members club – Pegu Club, Burma – where else – and one that has travelled since the imperial times and is asked for around the world, according to Harry Craddock’s “The Savoy Cocktail Book” (circa 1930).

It is a fine blend of London Dry Gin and oranges. It is not a sour, it is not a blossom, it is however a real gentlemen’s cocktail.

Full Recipe:

1 Dash Angostura Bitters

1 Dash Orange Bitters

1 Teaspoonful Lime Juice

1/3 Curaçao. 2/3 Gin

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

The building itself was not so lucky.
The Pegu Club was built in 1882 and is located just off Pyay Road in Yangon.  It was a epitome of  colonialism and privilege, serving British army officers and civilian administrators. Above, the building in its heyday (1910’s photo uncredited).

Thant Myint-U, the chairman of Yangon Heritage Trust writes in his Financial Times article ‘Forgotten treasures’ (2 Dec 2011), “Rudyard Kipling stayed at Pegu Club in March 1889, on his way from Calcutta to San Francisco (…). He was served mutton and regaled with tales of war (“See that man over there. He was cut over the head the other day at Zoungloung-Goo!”)”. From what he heard that evening, Kipling would write his poem “Mandalay”.

Currently, the building is parcellated into small private quarters for families of policemen and civil servants, not accessible to the public. You can observe it longingly from the main gate imagining the faded splendour slowly eaten away by the termites and time.

Athough now the Pegu Club appears virtually abandoned.

This article is from my good friend Dora, who feels strongly about Myanmar, architecture and cocktails.

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The Parasol Project is a great idea from Robert Berg and Jalin Sama to raise money to support their project Better Burmese Health Care (BBHC).

BBHC’s mission:

To provide affordable healthcare for the Burmese poor who have minimal or no access to health care and to improve the education of the local professionals to promote long term self-sufficiency in health care delivery. Due to low wages, doctors are struggling from a lack of financial security. Our contributions help to offset these problems and allow the doctors to continue their essential work.

BBHC team in Myanmar are in the process of getting a local NGO status in the name of “Thway Thit” which translates to “new blood” and is having a fundraising event on the 26-27 of November 2016 at the cultural center of the Indonesian Embassy.

The Parasol Project

It is an exhibition and silent auction that started in 2014 and where you could take home a beautiful one of a kind parasol designed by top Burmese artists. Your purchase directly improved the lives of many and decorate your home with an unique parasol.

The second fundraiser was in February 2016 at Pansodan Art Gallery, where 37 local artists collaborated to produce 80 beautiful pieces of art in traditional Myanmar umbrellas.

Interview from The Myanmar Times:

Berg, a former chef who lives in Yangon part-time with his wife and fellow BBHC founder Jalin Sama, said the concept of art fundraisers is a fresh one for Myanmar people.

“It’s such a different thing for the Burmese to do fundraising outside of the monastery,” he said. “This is actually a lot of curveballs – first it’s art for health, which is unusual. Then its traditional with contemporary art, which is completely unusual. And then on top of that, I did a silent auction … I don’t think anyone’s done that.”

The pieces blend customary Myanmar parasol decoration with whatever the individual artists choose to create. Berg said he gives complete artistic freedom, a decision that allows immense variety. Some pieces depict real-life images of flood relief in the Burmese heartland, while others show abstract conceptions of musical instruments.

At a starting price of $200, each parasol has the lucrative potential of providing 20 months of diabetes medication to a Myanmar patient who visits one of the BBHC’s seven Yangon clinics. Two clinics offer daily services, while five are open once a month, attracting patients from as far away as Dala.

Artists include Nay Aung Shu, whose gallery in Bo Gyoke Market has attracted Berg and Sama over the years. He helped arrange many of the local artists, recruiting their talent to contribute to the project.Berg said he felt the parasols offer a portable aspect that typical canvas paintings do not.

I leave you here with an amazing gallery of these parasols and hope to see this exhibition happening every year!

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Untouched beaches and outstanding friendly locals in Dawei – Southern Myanmar

Guestpost by Andre Schneegass.

I first travelled to Myanmar in February 2013 and wherever I asked about the Deep South (Dawei – Myeik – Kawthaung), I was given the same answer, it has was closed for overland travel for foreign tourists. Later I found out that even Myanmar nationals needed a travel authorization to reach the South less than 10 years ago. The only way you could go there was flying during this time. Also you were not allowed to leave the city boundaries.

Somehow in May 2013 private bus companies allowed foreigners to buy tickets and travel onwards. When I ask the MTT (The official Myanmar Travel & Tours) at this time they answered “we never cleared the road”. So I came back October 2013 and travelled south by land.

On 28 August 2013, four land borders with Thailand did open for foreigners. Among others, Htee Khee / Phu Nam Ron, which is 146 km east of Dawei.

A Dutch friend and I started hitch-hiking in early October from Yangon via Kyaikto (near Golden Rock) to Mawlamyine. After Mawlamyine we took a bus to Ye and another bus to Dawei. The bus from Ye broke down half way and we were lucky to get a ride to Maung Ma Gan Beach (16 Kilometer west of Dawei).

At the beginning of the dry season, when there is no haze, you get the most colourful sunsets. That day the sunset was a real touchdown into the ocean with incredible orange colours.

Maung Ma Gan Beach

Maung Ma Gan Beach is a very long beach stretch with white sand on high tide. During low tide there is a lot of sediment from the rivers, which turns it silver grey. The beach is shallow, which is great for kids, and only busy with locals on Sundays and holidays. The locals are also the biggest problem of the beach as they litter everywhere. Over the past two years there has been several voluntary clean ups and it seems to change at least a bit. The big pine trees brought in by the English during colonial times (I assume) are giving good shades. The bamboo restaurants are great places hang out. The seafood options ranging from crab masala, BBQ Fish to special local seafood are very tasty. Try them all!

A day later we rented motorbikes and followed the recommendations from an expat who lives there, which was to visit a beach called San HLan. The roads to Loung Lone were more or less okay. Then to our surprise we had to show passports at the local immigration office. We had to wait for one hour before we got an okay to go. The roads at this point were not easy to ride and very steep and rocky. From the hilltop you had a great view into an untouched bay.

People were looking at us like we were Aliens. After a dip in the ocean we went for a bite. We tried to order fish, but the people did not understand us. We look into the curry pots and found only chicken and pork. This made us puzzled. We are here in a fishing village, but they serve no fish. Of course for fishermen who come home after eating fish for two weeks or more, they want meat or something different. Finally we drew a fish on a piece of paper and someone took us outside to the big drums full of ice, fish and squid. The neighbour table gave us some of their prawns and we ordered some fried fish. Until today (2016) this is one of my favourite places to eat, but don’t expect any service. After our late lunch we went for another wander and were invited to have a coconut with some villagers. We came back late, but this was just the beginning to get to know the Dawei Peninsula.

During those first few days, we went to explore Nabule Beach to the north of Maung Ma Gan. A dusty 1.5 hours ride rewards you with a beach stretch beyond expectations. Not a single soul on this beach. We could not imagine that one day this might be the biggest deep sea port in South East Asia. Japan, Thailand, Singapore and South Korea apparently are all interested, but no concrete plans are set yet.

South of Maung Ma Gan (about 45 min) you will find Myaw Yit Pagoda, where you can have a great squid salad on the restaurant right in front of the pagoda. The eateries are built on stilts overlooking the ocean, a peaceful and relaxing place after a great drive through tiny villages.

Heading further North along the Dawei Peninsula (April 2014)

In March 2014 I returned and was eager for more beaches. I decided to head north of the beautiful Nabule Beach, which looked on google maps like a countryside road, but turned out to be a donkey path. There were no donkeys, but a stranded WWII Japanese pickup truck full of pigs. The track went through some amazing small villages and right along the coastline, with a beautiful inlet. I planned to camp illegally at the beach, but I forgot to buy supplies along the way. I came to Zadi just before it was dark and had to continue to Kanbauk, where there was a local guesthouse. The unlicensed guesthouse, named Sincere, was bed bugs heaven at that time.

The same night a stranger invited me to his house to have a chat. The father of the friendly lady draws me a map of the surrounding villages and the way to the coast. On the way out I stopped at a factory that had something that looked like drill pipes. I worked in oil and gas logistics before and was asking myself drill pipes here in such a remote place… After my return I did search for Kanbauk on internet and quite a bit came up. Apparently a conglomerate of Myanmar, Thailand and French Oil Company Total built a pipeline to Thailand to sell the gas offshore. Unfortunately locals had to move out of villages and were forced to work on this pipeline. If you want to know more about this, there is a documentary called “Total Denial”.

Back to exploring beaches. I followed the map the old man gave me and arrived to another nice beach stretch. It was Sunday and quite a few people where catering in a few shacks and having some snacks like papaya and tea leaf salad. I had a nipple and some locals came up making photos and videos of me. One particular well-dressed man asked me in good English, “When do you go back to Dawei?” I was stunned I never met this guy before, but I knew back in the days the officials knew where every single foreigner stayed. And as I was the only one staying in an unlicensed guesthouse, I could imagine they had no trouble to find me. I assured him that I will be back in Dawei in the late afternoon. I drove off along the beach and had a look if he would follow me, but he was nowhere to be seen. When I returned to my hotel in Dawei in the evening the poor receptionist Mr Lin said, man you made me a lot of trouble. They have been calling since early morning for you. I saw he had been stressed and I did not ask any further who they are. The next day everything seemed to be forgotten.

Heading further South along the Dawei Peninsula

I came back straight away after I had my new tourist visa and found a few travellers exploring what today is known as Tizit Beach. Driving along with scooters during water festival is actually refreshing and fun, but also very slow as everywhere you will be stopped and kids will through buckets of water over your head. We passed Loung Lone again and the turn to San Hlan Beach. About 30 Minutes later we were on top of the hill overlooking the beach. The village in the forest was very beautiful, authentic and clean. After crossing a lagoon, you end up at a fishing village which is less beautiful and very dirty. From the fishing village you will need to walk only 1o minutes and you reach a heaven beach. Clear and turquoise water, a lot of shade from the trees and where no soul have been seen.

The kids from the village followed us and we played in the water with them for an hour. Back at the beach we bought some squid, which was still alive and constantly changing it patterns. We had no idea where to cook it, but we found a house where they had a stove and the lady made a delicious green sauce of chilies, lime, sugar, salt, fish sauce and peanuts. This was exactly what we were after a long day on the bike mouthwatering dip for the grilled squid.

A few days later my travel companions left town and I decided to drive to Shin Maw Pagoda at the bottom of the Peninsula also known as Dawei Point. After a hard 3,5 hours scooter ride, I reached Myin Kaw Aw Beach, another very beautiful beach about 4 kilometers long and only a few local houses on one end. There is a bit of coral on the far left, but you will have to swim over there for at least 20 Minutes.

Another 30 minutes further I finally arrived to the pagoda, which is overlooking the sea. I walked around by the rocks near the water and enjoyed the waves of the ocean while sitting under a tree. The only downside of this place was the rubbish management. Everything went down to the ocean and this destroys the beauty of this place. While I was at the pagoda the visiting monks came up to me for a photo, which is one of my favourite shots from this journey.

Later on, a local from the area came up to me and explained how to get to (in his opinion) another beautiful beach. I followed his recommendation and drove to the fishing village Nyaung Pyin. From there it was another 20 minutes along a small path to grandfather beach (Po Po Kyauk). Grandfather is a wide open beach with lush greenery. It is so long you will need to ride a motorbike all the way to the end. Another friendly local and his kids followed me all the way to the end, where a magnificent lagoon is located. I took some time to relax, but the sun in late April was a bit strong. I felt better after a swim.

I followed the local into the village to have a bite to eat as I planned to camp on the beach (once again this was illegal). The friendly local invited me in his house and I really tried not to stay, because you can make local people a lot of trouble with the authorities. He went to the major and made sure it was okay. While chatting with my new friend I spotted a light on top of the mountain. Of course it was a pagoda and my friend told me you can walk up there in the morning.

After a restless night of sleep I got served a good breakfast and started hiking up the mountain. It is an hour walk up steep hills, but the view from the top overlooking the village and Grandfather Beach was magnificent.

While I was walking around and through the bushes I saw another beautiful bay, perfectly shaped and with white sand.

I asked the locals how to get there and they said “you can’t, you will have to take a boat or walk”. So I decided to walk into this bay. I can’t describe how I felt walking through the jungle and hearing the ocean roaring. I could only see coconut trees and then finally I ended up at the beach. The sand was so fine that it made noises while walking along. The tree line was much closer to the water compare to other beaches I have seen around. It was just simple perfect place in the middle of nowhere.

Two and a half years later (Oct 2016), I help Myanmar Paradise Beach Bungalows with marketing and online reservations. Currently it is the one and only place that has establish so far at the Southern part of the peninsula. For more information feel free to visit the website or contact me through the form below.

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The post Undiscovered Beaches in Dawei Peninsula appeared first on Myanmar Travel Essentials.

The three main dishes I cooked were: Beef Curry with Potato, Long Bean Salad, the famous Shan Noodles and Shwe Kyi (Semolina Cake) as dessert. Find the recipes next.

They also have a class for Chicken Curry, Pickled Tea Leaf Salad, Coconut Noodles Soup and Faluda. Can’t wait to do this one too.

Beef Curry with Potato

Ingredients (4 people):
Beef (tender loin): 1 pound (400 g)
Potato: 6 medium
Onion: 4 small
Garlic: 1 whole garlic
Ginger: 1 Tbs
Chili powder: 1 Tbs
Cooking oil: 3 Tbs
Turmeric: ½ tsp
Salt: 1 tsp
Water: 4 cups

Instruction:
1. Combine the onion, garlic, turmeric and juice from the pounded ginger and marinate with beef and it is optional to keep for 15 or 30 minutes to let the flavors blend in with the meat.
2. Cut the potatoes top vertically into 4 pieces.
3. Heat the cooking oil on medium heat, once the oil is hot, put in the meat mix then add the chili powder and stir well turning the meat and cover with lid. When the meat is brown add 2 cups of water. After 10 minutes add potato pieces and then 2 cups of water to let the potatoes cook well.
4. Keep the heat on medium until the meat and potatoes are well cooked.

Long Bean Salad

Ingredients (4 people):
Long bean: 2 handful bunches
Crispy onion: 5 Tbs
Cashew nuts: 15 pieces
Onions: 4 medium
Pepper: ½ tsp
Salt: 2 tsp
Lime: 2

Preparations:
1. Boil water, dip the long beans into the hot water and boil for about five minutes until tender but still firm and not too cooked. Then strain the long beans. Cut the beans into one inch length.
2. Thinly slice the onions, soak them into cold water and strain.

Instructions:
1. Add the thinly sliced onions on top of the long beans, 4 Tbs of crispy onions, pounded cashew nuts, season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle lemon juice and toss. Sprinkle the last tablespoon of crispy onions to decorate on top.

Shan Noodles

Ingredients (4 people):
Shan noodles: half a pack of dried noodles
Chicken: 1 pound (400 g)
Garlic: 2 whole garlic
Onion: 4 medium
Ginger juice: 4 tsp
Tomatoes: 6 medium sized
Pepper: ¼ tsp
Shekawpakaw (5 spice powder: star anise, cloves, fennel, Sichuan pepper, cinnamon): 1 tsp
Cashew nuts: 15 pieces
Spring onions: 5 stems
Cooking oil: 2 Tbs
Turmeric: a pinch
Peanuts (optional): 2 Tbs
Water: the amount until it covers the noodles. 7 cups for the soup, 1 cup of water for chicken

Instructions:
1. Dice the chicken. Marinate the chicken with the juice you get from pounding the ginger, turmeric, salt, half of the pounded garlic, pepper. Keep aside.
2. Boil the tomatoes, peel and seed it after cooled. Then mince well.
3. Heat the stove on medium heat, then add cooking oil into the wok when it is hot. Add pounded onion and the other half of pounded garlic stir for 10 minutes. Pour the marinated chicken into the wok and stir well and keep for 5 minutes with lid on. Add the minced tomato, pounded
cashew nut and shekawpakaw. Then add a cup of water and boil till the chicken is well cooked. Keep aside.
4. If the noodle is in packs, it is dry so it needs to be soaked in water for 30 minutes before you boil it. Boil the noodles and strain.
5. In a bowl, pour one portion of noodles, and pour the tomato sauce with chicken mix on the noodles then sprinkle peanuts if desired. Enjoy it with the soup!

Soup:
Pour water into the pot, put the chicken bones in right away and add salt, boil for 30 minutes uncovered to avoid the color being darkened. Add pepper and spring onions when served.

Shwe Kyi (Semolina Cake)

Ingredients:
Semolina flour: 1 cup
Sugar: ½ cup
Salt: ¼ tsp
Butter: 1 cup
Coconut milk: 1 cup (250 ml)
Cashew nuts: ¼ cup
Raisins: ¼ cup
Poppy seed: 1 tsp

Instructions:
1. Roast the semolina flour in a pan and stir until brown. Then remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl. Add butter, sugar, coconut milk and salt into the pan and stir them all well. Then add the semolina flour, cashew nuts and raisins. When it is quite sticky and thickened, remove from the heat.
2. Pour all into a container and spread the poppy seeds on top.

My friend Mary runs Yangon Food Tour and they are #2 in tripadvisor! She also offers a Street Food Tour which is a lot of fun too! Get in touch with her and book your cooking class here:

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The post Cooking Class appeared first on Myanmar Travel Essentials.

The Street Snack tour is a great way to eat tasty Myanmar snacks. Your mind will be blown away by the simple but yet rich and delicious taste of ground sesame with salt on the unique “husband & wife” snack, also called, couple snack. It doesn’t start there, but it doesn’t stop there either. Your first delicacy will also capture you heart and make you want to live right there near the vendor. Beware of the chili bite you might get with the gangster snack!

In this Street Food tour organized by my friend Mary, Set Paing was our guide and he was amazing! This guy knows everything about street food and knows the best spots in Yangon. We met in Mahabandoola Park (downtown Yangon) and then started the tour after a few questions to get to know each other and a brief on the different snacks we were going to try. At this moment, I was mouth watering already!

• Samosa salad (as good as a samosa but turned into a salad)

• Pancake (poppy seed, brown boiled beans, spring onion, rice powder, soda, butter/oil – for yellow pancakes)

• Couple snack (rice powder, brown boiled beans, sesame seeds, salt, sometimes quail eggs)

• Gangster snack (rice powder, cabbage, bean sprouts, chilies, tomato)

• Tea shops

• Tea leaf salad (pickled tea leaf, fried beans – chick peas, yellow beans, lentil beans, peanuts, tomato, chilies, peanut oil)
• Mohinga (chick pea powder, cat fish, fritter beans, lemongrass, banana stem)
• Fried Snacks
• Pennywort salad (peanuts, tomatoes, depends on the shop)
• Shan noodles (tomatoes, rice noodles, pounded peanuts, chicken, )
• Malar Hin
• Fried Tofu
• Ekyarkway (dough – deep fried)
• Bamboo Sticky Rice

My friend Mary runs Yangon Food Tour and they are #2 in tripadvisor! She also offers a Cooking Class which is a lot of fun too! Get in touch with Mary and book your Snack Tour here:

The post Street Food Tour appeared first on Myanmar Travel Essentials.

I recently spent eight days on a liveaboard in the Mergui Archipelago and it was the best diving adventure I’ve ever been on. The fact that we didn’t come across other boats at any of the dive sites made it extra special, especially for the underwater photographers amongst us.

The diving sites are incredibly beautiful, with colourful soft corals, swim-through caves, macro life and a big chance of meeting a whale shark or some giant manta rays.

The boat I chose was Dolphin Queen from Similan Diving Safaris. I totally recommend it. The price was very reasonable and the crew is amazing. The diving instructors are super friendly professionals with a high level of respect for the environment and who gave clear briefings before every dive, making you feel safe and comfortable under water.

Dolphin Queen has three decks and eight cabins, all of them with air conditioning and a sea view window that can be opened. The upper deck is the chill out area and where briefings take place before each dive. Instructors are so familiar with the diving sites that one of them has created some cool maps of the different islands, which they used to explain the diving plan before we jumped in.

The upper deck is also the eating area where you can always help yourself to coffee, tea, toast, water, electrolyte drinks, fresh fruit and, my favourite, pineapple jam biscuits. If you have ever dived in Thailand I’m sure you know the biscuits I’m taking about.

Special mention to the cook on board and her assistant – they prepared the most delicious Thai food. Lots of variety, including meat, fish and vegetable dishes every day that tasted better than in any restaurant. In the morning a European style breakfast including brown bread, pancake, omelettes, fried eggs, sausages, corn flakes, muesli, fruit, tea and coffee is served.

We did a total of 22 dives, starting the first one in the early morning before breakfast and fourth one just before sunset. We also had the opportunity to go on a night dive, which is always exciting.

There’s also plenty to do between dives, like going out on kayaks to explore deserted islands. The untouched white sand and clear water beaches made you feel like you were in paradise.

Apart from diving, kayaking and eating, my other favourite thing to do was to head to the sunbeds on the top deck to relax. This is the perfect place for reading and naps, especially after breakfast following the first dive of the morning.

Of course the highlight of the trip is the visit to Black Rock. We arrived there on the third day and nothing could have prepared us for what we were about to witness. We jumped in the water just before 7am and we were greeted straight away by our first manta. We continued to see more mantas on the second, third and forth dive… It was incredible! We were so excited that we voted to stay a second day in Black Rock. And guess what, it was as good as the first day; we saw mantas on every single dive. The same thing happened the next day, so in the end we spent three days at Black Rock.

We did a total of 12 dives and saw multiple mantas each time. On one occasion spotted six different mantas around me at the same time, everywhere I looked there were mantas. They swam so close and were huge, between four and five meters. Truly unforgettable!

After these fantastic three days, we all put our pictures together and identified fifty different individuals. How did we know they were different ones? Because manta rays have unique spot patterns on their underside and that’s how we identified them.

The manta rays were just amazing, but let’s not forget the other amazing underwater life we saw. In the Mergui Archipelago there are numerous species of soft coral on limestone rock in unbelievable colours and I particularly enjoyed looking at huge gorgonian sea fans with the colourful reef fish playing around in the background. The huge moray eels hiding in cracks were awesome and the scorpion fish and octopus camouflaged on the purple and violet algae covered rocks were really cool. I also saw my first turtle, a large stingray and a small shark.

For those with a keen eye, seahorses, ornate ghost pipefish, frogfish and stonefish are common on many sites as are the schools of barracudas, rainbow runners, tuna, trevallies and Spanish mackerels.

On top of all of this, I was also able to advance in PADI by doing the Enriched Air (Nitrox) course during my first two days.

This liveaboard dive trip leaves from Similan Diving Safaris’ shop in Khao Lak, Thailand and my itinerary was the following:

• Day 1

7:30-9:00 Check-in and equipment fitting

9:00  Departure for Ranong in air-conditioned minivan

12:30 Arrival Ranong/ lunch and Thai immigration control

14:30 Arrival in Kaw Thuang and Myanmar immigration

16:30 Dinner with overnight cruise to the dive site

• Day 2

7:00   First dive / Breakfast

11:00 Second dive

12:00 Lunch is served

15:00 Third dive / Snacks

18:30 Dusk or Night Dive / Dinner

• Day 3

4 dives, Black Rock or Burma Banks

• Day 4

4 dives, 3 Islets and some beach time

• Day 5

4 dives around Fan Forest area

• Day 6

4 dives around Western Rocky area

• Day 7

The last day diving, 2 dives.

14:30 Arrival Kaw Thaung, Myanmar Inmigration Exit stamp

15:30 Thai Inmigration and Entry stamp Ranong

17:00 Departure for Kura Buri / overnight cruise

• Day 8

7:30 Departure for Khao Lak

9:00 Arrival at our dive center in Khao Lak

10:00 Time to arrange your forward travel or hotel

The times and dives are subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances and safety reasons or as it happened to me, due to a manta ray party!

Thank you Richard Whitcombe (diving photographer) for the amazing photos in this post and Pablo (off duty diving instructor) who made this fantastic video:

Honestly it was a trip I’ll never forget and will definitely try my best to repeat every year. The diving season in the Mergui Archipelago is not very long (from November to April) and not many companies organize liveaboard trips here. I highly recommend Similan Diving Safaris and the owners are offering readers of my blog a 1,000 THB discount.

If you want to know more, please send me a message. I can manage your booking or you can just contact Similan Diving Safaris and let them know that you heard about this diving trip from my blog: www.MyanmarTravelEssentials.com

The post Amazing Diving Trip in Mergui Archipelago appeared first on Myanmar Travel Essentials.