I Arrived in Yangon on Tuesday, March 1st. My old friend Lwin (pronounced Lu-win) my guide during my last trip met me at the airport. Checked into an old hotel in the old part of downtown Rangoon. (I am having trouble using the new terminology, Burma will always be Burma and I prefer Rangoon to the newly minted “Yangon.”) The hotel is an old one with its dusty corridors, polished teak floors, squeaking ceiling fan and wide shutters it thrusts me back into my daydreams of old Burma.
My plan for a second visit to the ruby mining town of Mogok in the famous “Valley of the Serpents” has been derailed. The valley has, once again, been closed to westerners. The army has screwed the lid down tight. Lwin’s old friend the general, from whom we got a pass last time, has been put in jail. Oh well, I only traveled twenty-five thousand miles to get here. Lwin has a n alternate plan. He suggests that we travel to Mandalay by car. Mandalay is only about six hours from Mogok. Lwin will contact the miners who will meet us in Mandalay. Meanwhile I’ll get to tour the country.
We will take it easy and do the trip in three stages... The first day we will drive two hundred miles upcountry and stop in a small town at a hotel that Lwin knows well. The second stage, another five or six hours by car, will bring us to the ancient temple city of Pagan (Bagan). We will visit and photograph a few of the major pagodas, stay overnight, and travel the short leg to Mandalay the next morning. The more I chew over this suggestion the better I like it. It’s a chance to see the countryside. After a hectic week in Bangkok I can use a break.
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Joined: Sun Oct 16, 2005 2:28 pm Posts: 210 Location: India
Richard,
I believe it is closed not only to westerners but to most foreigners, including us neighbouring Indians.
I'm planning a trip soon too... Rangoon, Mandalay, etc.
Every few months, some of our friends get together and drive down from the border and go up to Mandalay after getting necessary permits. I'm planning a possible trip this way too.
Please do enlighten us with your journals... they could really get handy !!!
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