Myanmar: The trip of a lifetime
Kipling already said “This is Burma, a country very different from all the ones you know ”. And the avid traveler and famous English writer could not be more right because, although bordering China, Thailand, Laos, India and Bangladesh and, therefore, similar in some respects to its neighbors, burma , as it was known before the military junta that took power in 1989 restored the original name of Myanmar prior to the British occupation, is something unique.
As unique and incomparable is the Road to Mandalay , the cruise ship of the Belmond company that crosses the dense and dark waters of the river Ayeyarwady , which splits the country in two. In the absence of highways, it functions as a fundamental artery for communications and commerce with more than 2,000 km in length, just as when George Orwell described it in his indispensable novel The Burmese Days, with boats and ferries moving up and down constantly along with the fragile boats of the fishermen who inhabit the villages on its shores.
For the lucky passengers of this wonder that has been here for 17 years, even if it started sailing very far, specifically on the Rhine, just a few minutes on board are enough to realize that even the smallest detail has been taken into account to guarantee that their stay will be a sublime experience.
Road to Mandalay
Even more so when the entire ship had to be renovated out of necessity after being seriously damaged by Cyclone Nargis in 2008, which was also used to increase the size of the cabins and reduce the maximum number of passengers to a total of 82, a ideal number so that opportunities immediately arise to chat with each other, share impressions and, if necessary, forge good friendships. In the Road to Mandalay everyone is on good humor and reigns an atmosphere of illusion general.
And it couldn't be any other way, having before you a journey that is as exciting as it is relaxed, because what it really is about is getting carried away by a incredible place to another even more spectacular , between four and eleven nights, depending on the chosen itinerary. And, along the way, to enjoy all the imaginable comforts of a luxury cruise : a glorious pool on the deck surrounded by comfortable hammocks, a spa to recover with massages and treatments based on natural products after an intense day visiting one temple after another , a library stocked with the best books on the culture and history of myanmar or a piano-bar wrapped in teak wood and decorated with old black and white photos where you can visit before or after to whet your appetite or finish off a dinner worthy of the best of french restaurants with cocktail perfect while attending a traditional music recital.
boat interior
It is greatly appreciated that there are guides on board who always accompany passengers on all excursions, whether to attend the offering that the villagers make to the monks of a convent first thing in the morning , or to tour the local markets and visit the workshops of artisans who sculpt marble buddhas or they weave delicate pieces of silk in small towns that come out from time to time. And, in case something was missing, there is still the greatest of pleasures, that of contemplating how on the other side of the cabin window languid landscapes and everyday scenes from the life of a country from which impossible not to fall in love.
The journey actually begins yangon , the throbbing capital inhabited by just over five million souls, whose history dates back more than 2,500 years, which is when the Schwedagon Pagoda , the overwhelming temple crowned by a giant golden stupa that sparkles every afternoon with the last rays of the sun as if to point out that it is the holiest place in a country that exudes spirituality from all its pores.
Offerings at Shwedagon Pagoda at sunset.
How else can it be conceived that there is that mysterious and arid esplanade that is Bagan where, despite the effects of various earthquakes, more than 2,500 temples scattered here and there? whichever was the first capital of the burmese empire and the boarding point for this cruise which is reached by internal flight from yangon , suffered a kind of construction fever for two and a half centuries once King Anawrahta adopted Buddhism and made it the official religion. This is how, throughout the 11th century, so many stupas and pagodas forming an unusual set that even today is a nerve center of spirituality for all the countries in the area and, by far, one of the most magical enclaves, not only in Southeast Asia but in the entire planet.
Not all temples have reached our days or are so old; there are many others recently built, but it is still worth getting up early and going there with the first rays of the sun. Even better if you hire a balloon ride to admire them from above, glass of champagne in hand.
In Budan, a sublime experience
Afterwards, the proper thing is to dedicate the day to touring the enclosure in a cart pulled by a horse, by bike or on foot, entering and leaving from one temple to another until it is time to take positions to watch the sunset climbing the highest of the terraces of the temple of Thatbyinnyu Pahto , the tallest of all at 63 meters, and the one that provides the most stunning views of an unforgettable moment with the Ananda temple in front and the sun setting at full speed. It does not hurt to collect the sensations experienced during the day, such as that of having stepped on the stone interiors barefoot knowing that you are alone in a place that will soon be much more crowded.
And it is that, having remained practically closed to the rest of the world for more than 20 long years, to enter Myanmar even today you have to be prepared (if anyone can prepare for something like that) before giving this amazing jump in time.
It's like giving a mind blowing back in time
Except for the Yangon International Airport, the gateway for almost all travellers, the cities, the villages, the markets, the temples, the landscapes, the beaches and the way of life of the vast majority of the population distill an authenticity so pure that it impresses look where you look. After all, there are not so many places left where, at every step, one meets a different gift in the form of a postcard of exceptional beauty or a truly memorable experience, even more so when you are part of that open secret that runs everywhere: that sooner rather than later everything is going to change here.
If we have to look for a turning point, it would have to look at the last elections in April 2012, which represented a first step, hesitant it is, towards a democracy that is not yet such. Viewed with some skepticism from the West, the fact that the country is currently immersed in an incipient opening process whose consequences are already beginning to be felt, has many readings.
U Bein is the longest teak bridge in the world.
On the one hand, the foreseeable economic development and its impact on the quality of life of its citizens, who to date continue to suffer from the highest rates of poverty in Southeast Asia without losing their eternal smile. But, on the other hand, the toll is very high if you look at it from the perspective of the traveler who dreams of getting lost in unexplored territories and immersing himself in intact cultures.
Tourism is growing by leaps and bounds: in 2012 all visitor records were shattered to the point that demand in high season, that is, between October and February, exceeds current hotel capacity, with which hotel prices Many times hotels do not correspond to the quality standard that they should represent. Still, last year Myanmar received just 400,000 tourists compared to more than 20 million who visited Thailand . We are still in time to preserve it.
* This report is published in the Condé Nast Traveler monograph number 66, Romantic Travel.
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Tourism is growing by leaps and bounds