January | 2016 | Heart-2-Heart-Online.com

January 4, 2016

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Yangon

Our last day in Myanmar was spent touring Yangon. Yangon was known as Rangoon and was the former capital but not anymore.

The city is an amalgamation of British, Burmese, Chinese and Indian influences, and is known for its colonial architecture, which although decaying and beyond appreciation, remains an almost unique example of a 19th-century British colonial capital. New high-rise buildings were constructed from the 1990s (and some are scarily unoccupied and left as ghost skyscrapers and hotels as seen along Upper Pansodan Rd) as the government began to allow private investment (while former national government buildings such as the massive Secretariat Building, as the capital is shifted to Naypyidaw, have been left to rot). However, Yangon continues to be a city of the past, as seen by its longyi-wearing, betel nut chewing and spitting pedestrians, their friendly or even familial attitude towards strangers, its street vendors and its pungent smells.
Yangon’s former name is not the only victim of symbolic changes in this country. For one, the country’s name has been changed. To add up to this identity crisis going on in this country, this city has been stripped of its capital status, the capital relocated to a secluded new site called Naypyidaw built from scratch. The flag too has been changed, recently redesigned in 2010, replacing the old one which replaced another one slightly more than a decade earlier. ( Wikitravel.org )

Our hotel 🙂

I usually only show the nice things in anything so many of the nice structures that I like are the old buildings. It’s sad that some of them are not maintained too well. I wish they could maintain it and use them because they are beautiful

More reality photos 🙂

We saw this wall being held up by wood. Maybe to save on demolishing and fixing it, they just put the wood :-O

Market!!! Always a must for us in every city we visit

The market is not too big and it is not crowded – we did not stay long so here are a few photos

We were wondering what these Christmas tree of things were -Apparently they are gift suggestions for the monks. People buy them and gift them to the monks in the temples

Umbrellas 🙂 I posted this in my Bagan post and that is where they are made so if you really want to purchase them its best to buy them where they are made so it is cheaper

Mother of Pearl

We went to this French Home

Where they sell home accessories and antiques

I forgot what you call these but these are antiques and it was the collection of the owner and it was not for sale. There were several around the place

Love this guest powder room which was full of mirrors

Whenever I travel I like contacting friends in the cities I go to. I did not think I would have any friend in Myanmar!! But apparently I do!!! Cobo and Cathy Nepomuceno. Cobo was my grade school neighbourhood friend while Cathy was a batch mate in grade school in St. Paul’s College of Pasig. We were in touch but really had no time to meet up due to the tight schedule!! They have been living in Yangon for a year or so with their youngest son Luccio. Their eldest, Jaco, is in Manila studying in DLSU.. Cathy is the Director of Sales and Marketing at Sule Shangri-la, Yangon and DOSM at Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts

January 3, 2016

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The Strand Yangon

By Heart2Heart | Myanmar | No Comments

Our first night in Myanmar was here at Yangon and we stayed at the Strand Hotel. We just stayed one night and left for Bagan. On the way home we are back to this hotel for one more night

The rooms are so spacious! Closet and dressing table Desk

The night we arrived dinner was included so we availed of it even if we were already full from the plane food haha!!Why give up a dinner like this? 🙂

The Strand Hotel in Yangon is one of the most iconic 5 star hotels in Yangon. Built in 1901, it remains as awe inspiring as it was in the early 20th Century.

January 3, 2016

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Inle Heritage House

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On the way to our next stop at Inle Lake, a rainbow appeared! Blessed!

Beautiful wherever you look

“Something special is the Cat House: a rich Burmese has built a house in the traditional style and started to breed Burmese cats which were nearly extinct in their country of origin. You can enjoy the graceful animals playing around and even join their play. Afterwards you can sit on the verandah and enjoy the view over the lake before you return to your hotel.” ( Easter Crossings Guide )

There are several rooms here where you can stay

Restaurant, Burmese Cat Preservation, Art Gallery and Traditional Cooking Demonstration

We headed to the cat house first because it was already late

We only saw one since we were late already but here he is on the back of our guide, Axel There are 40 Cats here

This is their play area. Since we came late, the cats were being fed already

They can go through this bridge also

Cats eating

Love the shop here – many nice things!

We went up to the restaurant

Had coffee and cake

The home of the owner

Click below to go to their Facebook page

January 3, 2016

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Weavers in Inle Lake

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In one small village, Kyaing Kan on Inle Lake in the Shan State of Burma

Textile silk weavers at Inle Lake. It’s an important industry in Inle Lake. They are all hand made

Lotus weaving. It is only done here at Inle Lake. Lotus thread is very time consuming to make and can only be done at certain times of the year. As a result it is very sacred and respected. Traditionally it has only been used for Monk robes or for scarves for the alters in temples

Buddhist monks’ robes are woven from the fibers of lotus stems. Weaving takes place from June to November when the water level is high enough to induce the lotus plant to produce sufficiently long stems. Once cut, the fibers are drawn from the stems. Threads are formed from the twisting together of 5-6 fibers which are wound into skeins and then reeled for warping and for placement on bobbins prior to weaving on a traditional Tai-Burmese floor loom. (Source
– See more at: http://inlepancakekingdom.com/2011/05/31/the-village-that-makes-lotus-thread/#sthash.ZpVkPDfu.dpuf)Finished products

in many colours and prints

January 2, 2016

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Aureum Palace Hotel and Resort Inle Lake

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Our home in Inle Lake!! I wish we could have stayed at least two nightsIt’s extremely peaceful here!!!

Facing towards Inle Lake

Handpainted walls!

Main cottage with a pool

The HR manager who was so so nice!!!

Love the magazine stand

There are two walkways – one leading here inside

And one leading here -Make sure you get a cottage on the right side of this walkway to be sure that you are facing Inle Lake!

Beautiful Lilies on the pond!

Again a creative way to put signs outside the door, just twirl the wooden sign 🙂

Very big villa!

Beautiful!

Honeymoon?

Your doors open to the balcony Aureum Inle Lake (20) and to the Lake

Honeymoon? 🙂

Living room nook which we never even had time to use!

Love the bathtub!!!! I definitely had time to use! 🙂

LOVE the petals 🙂I love it here 🙂

Click below to go to their website

Aureum Palace Hotels & Resorts is the best escaping hideaway for relaxing at the most comfortable, ultimate, beautiful luxury hotels located in Bagan, Naypyitaw, Pyinoolwin,Ngapali and Ngwe Saung beach of Myanmar.

January 2, 2016

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Dining at Aureum Inle Lake

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We arrived at our beautiful resort in Inle Lake and had lunch

Kropek of all kinds!! 🙂

Tomato soup

Sardines

Fish and chips – Myanmar version 🙂

The next day we had breakfast before we left and it was so good!!

Mohingar soup and Shan noodles!!! LOVE!!!!

The buffet!!

Cereal and salad

Omelette Station

Assorted nuts

Fruits and sweets

This is the same resort group that we stayed in in Bagan

Click below to go to their website

Aureum Palace Hotels & Resorts is the best escaping hideaway for relaxing at the most comfortable, ultimate, beautiful luxury hotels located in Bagan, Naypyitaw, Pyinoolwin,Ngapali and Ngwe Saung beach of Myanmar.

January 2, 2016

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Inle Lake Myanmar

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The morning flight (Air Bagan, W9 201, 08.40-09,10 h) brings you to Heho the central airport for Southern Shan State. I thought that the local flights within Myanmar were very decent. They served snacks which were actually very simple but decent.

Transfer to Nyaungshwe, the hub for Inle and go to your hotel by boat. ( Easter Crossings guide )

On the way to the pier, there are two sights we saw that were right beside each other

Atumashi Kyaung, a beautiful teak monastery

List of donors posted on the wall

Beautiful ceiling

Shwe yan bye temple in Nyaung Shwe – another favourite temple of Dr. Axel – we liked it too

Little Buddhas. They are donations from different people whose names appear below each Buddha.

More bitcho bitcho 🙂 Eikyakhway cooked across the street

I highly recommend going to Inle Lake if you are visiting Myanmar! It’s beautiful and it’s seeing life in a different setting

Traveling on the canal ( 3 miles) towards the Inle Lake

Fishermen

They use a certain technique for fishing. Local fishermen are known for practicing a distinctive rowing style which involves standing at the stern on one leg and wrapping the other leg around the oar. This unique style evolved for the reason that the lake is covered by reeds and floating plants making it difficult to see above them while sitting. Standing provides the rower with a view beyond the reeds and floating gardens.

So picturesque This vast picturesque lake is one of the main tourist attractions in Myanmar. Besides, it is the home of some 100,000 Inthars (native lake-dwellers) in 17 villages. Many Inthars live in their huts and wooden bungalows on floating islands, while some live by the villages lakeshore. Inle Lake, natural and unpolluted, is famous for their amazing lifestyle and its incomparable scenic beauty. ?It’s a different experience being there rather than just this photo

Floating islands are 50 meters long and 1 meter wide. The government sells them to farmers and the farmers move them near to their home. This video shows harvest of tomato? Inle Lake is one of the most significant and productive ecological system supporting an immense variety of plants and animals and yielding great wealth for Myanmar through its occurrence of floating islands and the living style of the natives.

Floating islands are collection of floating weed and water hyacinth, which later piled up and hardened, that even vegetation can be grown, and even houses can be built on top of them. These floating islands can be cut, dragged by boats, or even be sold like a piece of land! ( Myanmar.net)

Just riding the boat and cruising around is so amazing. The weather is cool – we however did not have any jacket or sweater – so make sure to bring one ( at least during the months of November to February )

This vast picturesque lake is one of the main tourist attractions in Myanmar. Besides, it is the home of some 100,000 Inthars (native lake-dwellers) in 17 villages. Many Inthars live in their huts and wooden bungalows on floating islands, while some live by the villages lakeshore. Inle Lake, natural and unpolluted, is famous for their amazing lifestyle and its incomparable scenic beauty.

Monastery

Cats

A bit commercialized that they put shopping stalls

PhaungdawOo pagoda is the spiritual centre of the Intha people, who inhabit the lake and its shores. Five Buddha statues are considered especially holy and over the centuries the believers have put so much gold on them that one can hardly recognize the Buddha.

Myanmar’s version of Florence 🙂

You can buy Gold Leaf to add on to the 5 buddhas

The 5 Buddhas – Only men can enter Homes

January 1, 2016

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Mandalay Myanmar

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I feel so bad we had very little time in Mandalay. We spent more time in the stores than the sights! haha!!

The Citadel at Mandalay – beautiful!!! The Mandalay Palace is the last royal palace of the last Burmese monarchy. The palace was constructed, between 1857 and 1859 as part of King Mindon’s founding of the new royal capital city of Mandalay. The plan of Mandalay Palace largely follows the traditional Burmese palace design, inside a walled fort surrounded by a moat. The palace itself is at the centre of the citadel and faces east. All buildings of the palace are of one storey in height. The number of spires above a building indicated the importance of the area below.

Mandalay Palace was the primary royal residence of King Mindon and King Thibaw, the last two kings of the country. The complex ceased to be a royal residence and seat of government on 28 November 1885 when, during the Third Anglo-Burmese War, troops of the Burma Field Force entered the palace and captured the royal family. The British turned the palace compound into Fort Dufferin, named after the then viceroy of India. Throughout the British colonial era, the palace was seen by the Burmese as the primary symbol sovereignty and identity. Much of the palace compound was destroyed during World War II by allied bombing; only the royal mint and the watch tower survived. A replica of the palace was rebuilt in the 1990s with some modern materials.

Today, Mandalay Palace is a primary symbol of Mandalay and a major tourist destination.

The best exercise view 🙂

Nearby the Kuthodaw temple is the Sanda Mani pagoda. It looks similar. There are 1,100 temples here- Inside you’ll find the largest iron Buddha, topping 18.5 metric tons and, like most important Buddha images, arriving here via various previous homes due to war and changing capital cities. This location was where King Mindon’s provisional palace once stood, and the pagoda was his memorial to a younger half-brother. Recognize it by the large collection of white pagodas standing tall and narrow.

Kuthodaw Pagoda is a Buddhist stupa, located in Mandalay, Burma (Myanmar), that contains the world’s largest book. It lies at the foot of Mandalay Hill and was built during the reign of King Mindon. The stupa itself, which is gilded above its terraces, is 188 feet (57 m) high, and is modelled after the Shwezigon Pagoda at Nyaung-U near Bagan. In the grounds of the pagoda are 729 kyauksa gu or stone-inscription caves, each containing a marble slab inscribed on both sides with a page of text from the Tipitaka, the entire Pali Canon of Theravada Buddhism.

Beautiful lilies being sold outside – given as offering to Buddha

A model of the temple! AMAZING!!

Inside each temple Mandalay Myanmar (9) is a page of the book

Golden Monastery in Mandalay – Shwenandaw Monastery was built in 1880 by King Thibaw Min, who dismantled and relocated the apartment formerly occupied by his father, King Mindon Min, just before Mindon Min’s death, at a cost of 120,000 rupees. Thibaw removed the building in October 1878, believing it to be haunted by his father’s spirit. The building was reconstructed as a monastery over the course of 5 years, dedicated in memory of his father, on a plot adjoining Atumashi Monastery.

The building was originally part of the royal palace at Amarapura, before it was moved to Mandalay, where it formed the northern section of the Hmannan (Glass Palace) and part of the king’s royal apartments. The building was heavily gilt with gold and adorned with glass mosaic work.

The monastery is known for its teak carvings of Buddhist myths, which adorn its walls and roofs. The monastery is built in the traditional Burmese architectural style. Shwenandaw Monastery is the single remaining major original structure of the original Royal Palace today. (Wikipedia)

The best puppets are in Mandalay! Make sure to get them here if you like them

We checked in our hotel early evening already

Very spacious room

Pool at the Mandalay Hill Resort Hotel. The temple structure in the middle is the spa. Behind is the Mandalay Hill with lighted temples

Included in our tour was the dinner with show

Beautiful setting for dinner. We found a use for the umbrellas – they can be used as lamp shades! 🙂

Love the buffet presentation

Hotel food in Myanmar is the best food

Soup and main dishes

Grill Station

Skewers at the grill station. Choose all you want and they will grill it for you

Mongolian BBQ – Love the presentation in a boat

Love the food covers

Cultural Show while having dinner

View from our room. The hill that we did not climb :-O Due to lack of time we were not able to climb the Mandalay Hill which is approx 1,000 steps up. View from the hotel room – Mandalay Hill is a 240 metres (790 ft) hill that is located to the northeast of the city centre of Mandalay in Burma. The city took its name from the hill. Mandalay Hill is known for its abundance of pagodas and monasteries, and has been a major pilgrimage site for Burmese Buddhists for nearly two centuries. At the top of the hill is the Sutaungpyei (literally wish-fulfilling) Pagoda. A panoramic view of Mandalay from the top of Mandalay Hill alone makes it worthwhile to attempt a climb up its stairways. There are four covered stairways called saungdan leading up the hill from the south, southeast, west and north, and convenient seats of masonry work line these stairways all the way up. A one-way motor road today saves time and also makes it accessible for those who are unable to climb up the stairs, leading to an escalator and a lift to the pagoda at the summit.