Sydney, Myanmar and Fiji news!!

Söndag 13 Februari 2000 

Good day mate, Min ga la baa, Mbula!

Nu har vi natt resans sista mal (trodde vi da), San Francisco en stad som verkar besta av massa skumma typer (ialla fall pa kvallstid). Men sen vi skrev sist har vi hunnit med en hel del sa vi backar tillbaka i tiden narmare bestammt till Sydney.

I Sydney skulle det vara sommar, men det var deras kallaste i manna minne 19 C! Vi ar ju liksom vana vid hogre temperaturer.

Varat hotell som vi bokade i vintras hade gatt upp en del i pris 150 aussie dollar (900 sek) for en natt utan frukost! Som tur var stotte vi pa en klasskompis till Lina pa McDonalds som var dar och halsade pa sin pojkvan. Micke var namligen uppe i Surfers paradise och firade jul med sin flickvans familj. Sa resterande delen av var vistelse bodde vi hos Cecilia och Jonas. Pa nyar var vi  pa schysst fest hos Micke och hans tjej tillsammans med 10 svenskar och 10 australiensare. De hade en roof top veranda med utsikt over bron och operahuset sa vi sag fyrverkerierna darifran.

I ovrigt var Sydney med dess kanda operhus inte sa mycket att ha. Vi langtade faktiskt tillbaka till asien och "bushen" dar. Sa vi bestammde oss for att skippa Nya Zealand och aka tillbaka till Myanmar!

Glada att lamna Sydney akte vi tillbaka mot asien igen, dock via antifavoriten Bangkok for vidare flight till Yangon! Tyvarr var hela denna langa flight med Thai airways vilket ar ung. lika hemskt som Thailand (de var billigare)!

Det kandes harligt att vara tillbaka i Myanmar , men vi hade fatt ett litet "problem", Linas vaska var borta, lite senare (dagen efter) fick vi veta att den var i Vietnam! Vart baggage var checkat anda till Yangon fran Sydney aven fast det var tva flighter, men Thaipersonalen kundetydligen inte se skillnad pa RGN   (Yangon) och SGN (Ho Chi Min City/Saigon). Vi fick stanna nagon natt till i Yangon, men det gjorde oss inget for vi trivs valdigt bra dar.

Efter tva dagar kom den tillbaka och vi kunde fortsatta norrut mot Nyuangshwe och Inle Lake. Som vanligt nar vi ska forflytta oss haar vi otur sa nagon gang vid 02.00 pa natten fick var buss punka! Men resan kandes inte sa lang anda (19 h) for allting kands mer hemma nar man gjort samma tur en gang forut, vi visste var den skulle stanna for middag osv. Vi uppskattar numera aven myanmarmusiken, men inte kinesfilmerna eller skamt programen mitt i natten.

Vi hoppades att Nyo Nyo skulle vara hemma nar vi kom fram, men hennes syster sa att hon var i Yangon for en vecka, sa det var lite synd tyckte vi, men vi njot aav var vistelse dar anda, underbara manniskor, god mat, svala natter och vacker omgivning! Det roliga med att vara tillbaka ar att alla kanner igen och kommer ihag oss, hotellet i Yangon, gubben pa bussstationen i Yangon hotellet i Nyuangshwe mfl och de ar alla jatteglada att vi kommer och besoker deras land igen (de sager det med hjartat) och vi ar jattegalda att vi far besoka deras land igen!

Vi traffade ett Nya Zeelandskt par som vi  hade flera  trevliga kvallar med whiskey och burmesiska cigarr pa verandan. Vi traffde ocksa pa en fran min mammas jobb och hela hennes familj som var dar pa semester. Det var hon som rekomemderade oss Luang Prabang i Laos innan vi skulle aka fran Sverige, undra vad oddsen kan vara att motas pa en rest. i Nyangshwe.

Pa den tredje dagen nar vi var pa vag till markanden kommer Nyo Nyo utspringande fran sitt hus hon hade fatt varat meddelande och hade tagit flyg upp! Solen sken och allt var bara toppen och vi bestamde att aka tag en strack genom de bergiga partierna bort mot Bagan for att sedaan fortsatta mot Ngapali beach! Nyo Nyo skulle folja med oss.

For er som inte vet ar Nyo Nyo en burmesisk tjej/dam i 45 ars aldern som har hur  manga business som helst och transporterar sig helst med taxi eller flyg som vi kom i kontakt med forra gangen vi ville ha en guidad battur pa sjon. Forra gangen vi reste med henne akte hon buss for forsta gangen utan att avbryta resan!

Vi tog taxi till tagstationen, men taget som skulle ga kl. 10.00 skulle inte ga forran 15.00 istallet! Sa det fick bli pickup till Mektila och darifran taxi till Bagan. Vi hann aka i sa dar en kvart innan motorn la av! Det berodde pa det var vatten i branslet, for i Myanmar aar det ransonering pa bransle 10 liter i veckan/bil  (60kyat/l) ( 1$=330 kyat) sa det racker inte sa langt sa da koper de bransle pa svarta marknaden som militaren saljer for 120 kyat/l (utblandat med vatten). Det tog etag innan vi kom igang igen, typ 1och en halv timma. Pa kvallen kom vi sa antligen fram till Bagan.

Dagen darpa akte vi till Mt Pupa, som har ett tempel langst upp (valdigt manga trappsteg och man man maste ga barfota, eftersom det ar ingangen till ett yempel). Vi kopte nagra teaksouvenirer (penna + harspanne) som jag stoppade i min skorts ficka. Det var valdigt mkt apor dar och vips hade en apa plockat ut pasen ur min ficka! Jag hann dock reagera sa den kom inte sa langt. Efter det bevapnade jag mig med ett par stenar for de hoppade garna pa en och man vill helst inte bli riven av dem.

Pa eftermiddagen tog vi en buss till Pyay, men precis innan vi skulle aka fick Nyo Nyo ett trakigt telefonsamtal fran sin by, hennes ena sjukhus lag pa sjukhus i narmaste stad. Sa hon fick hoppa resan till stranden och satta sig i en taxi. Jatte typiskt tyckte vi , men inte sa mycket man kan gora.

Vi kom fram vid ett tiden pa natten och skulle hitta ett hotell. Hammnade pa ett efter ett tag, helt beckmorkt (ingen strom). Ganska skabbigt men valdigt trevlig och hjalpsam personal samt  billigt, $5 ink frukost for dubbelrum! Var nasta buss skulle namligen inte ga forran pa kvallen till Ngapali beach. Sa vi tog en slapp dag med kortspel och dagbokskrivning samt lite stadsflanering. Vi tog en trickshaw (cykeltaxi) till buss stationen. Bussen blev full och vi skumpade ivag, hela turen skakade nagot fruktansvart vi trodde glasrutornaa skulle spricka. Vi fick ga ut och visa passet och signera 6 ganger under natten aven fast det bara var inrikes.  12 h senare var vi framme i Thandwe (narmaste stad) darifran tog vi taxi till Ngapalibeach. Vi tog in pa Linn Tha O, med fonster mot stranden  25m fran vattnet (flod), 75 m (ebb). Stranden var perfekt, 3 km lang och ungefar 10 prs pa den samtidigt. Vattnet var ungefar lika varmt som luften bada pendlade mellan 25-30. Vi simmade, joggade pa stranden, solade, laste och at gott pa de olika restaurangerna. Pa kvallaarna blev det whiskey och myanmar ciggarr och kort.

Vi hade bestammt oss for att flyga tillbaka till Yangon for att slippa en lang bussresa (20h) for flyget tar bara 1h, dvs 20 gg snabbare men bara 10gg dyrare! Det finns olika flygbolag vi valde Myanmarairways (regimens plan). Vi liftade in till Thandwe for att komma till deras kontor. Dar fick vi beskedet att det skulle nog ga en flight pa fredag, men inte naer och 100% sakert. De ville att vi skulle komma tillbaka pa torsdag ( nu mandag), vi lyckades fa ned vara namn pa en bokningslista i allafall. Tillbaka tog vi lokalbussen, dvs en lastbil med flak och nagra sidobankar, som inte gar forran den ar till bredden och pa hojden full (folk pa taket, hangandes utanfor samt packade som sillar inuti).

Vi hade 5 kanondagar har pa Ngapali Beach, inte ett moln sa langt ogatkan na...  Solade, badade, at gott pa de olika restaurangerna. Vi avslutade vistelsen pa en valdigt fin dollar resturang, jatte god mat!

Pa torsdagen akte vi in till stan igen for att kopa biljetten, men det kunde vi inte denna gang heller, men vi fick reda ppa att det skulle ga ett plan dagen pa. De sa att vi skulle vara kl 10.00 pa flygplatsen. Och vi behovde inte vanta sa lange vid 12.00 tiden lyfte vi mot Yangon.

Tillbaka i den stora staden igen, akte vi tillbaka till varat stamhotell, Motherland Inn (4:e gangen vi ar dar). Blev som vnaligt varmt motagna, men skyndade ut pa stan for en indisk lunch (chipati och potao-curry med ris till). Tog en lugn kvall pa rummet.

Var sista dag i Yangon tittade vi pa den stora pagodan Shwedagon pagoda,  at pa en popular myanmar resturang och hade ett urlackert afternoon tea pa Strand hotel, belaget i en pampig gammal engelsk byggnad. Det ingick olika typer av sandwichar, bake;lser, kakor, scones, glass och paj.  Allting serverades pa ett trevaningsfat. Vi tittade sedan pa deras rum $ 425-950 natten!  Nar vi kom pa kvallen var det dags for packning, aven fast vi har grym rutin pa det sa tar det sin lilla tid.

Vi akte mot Bangkok morgonen darpa kandes riktigt vemodigt att lamna detta underbara land och dess folk. Vi hade nu ett dygn framfor med tre flighter Yangon-Bangkok-Sydney-Nadi  men det gick bra och var inte sa jobbigt.

Nar vi klev av planet i Nadi (Fiji) mottes vi av ett riktigt ovader, det visade sig vara en cyklon som drog forbi strax utanfor kusten. Ett otroligt regnande och blasande. Vi tog en natt pa ett guesthouse for att sedan fortsatta mot Suva (huvudstaden). Alla bat och flyglinjer var installda sa det fick bli buss (busstationen var bara oversvammad). De (hotellpersonalen) tyckte inte att vi skulle aka vidare utan vanta ut stormen, men vi tankte att det lika bra att borja var a forflyttningar brukar ta lang tid (det visade sig sedan att det var tursamt att aka darifran for de hade regn dar i 10 dagar!).

Bussresan gick bra (Scaniabuss), men Suva var inget speciellt at middag pa McDonalds och gick pa bio "Double jeopardy", valdigt billigt 7 fiji dollar tva = 30 SEK!

Dagen darpa tog vi baten till Ovalu Island, men for att komma till baten fick vi aka buss, nar vi nastan var framme hade en lastbil sjunkit ned 1 m med bakhjulet mitt i vagen  och nar fordonet bakom skulle kora om pa sidan fastnade den ocksa. sa vi fick liva av bussen och ga sista biten ung 1 km! Med var latta packning! Efter tva timamrs gungande i kraftig sjo trots stor farja anlande vi fijis gamla huvudstad, Levuka. Engelsmaennen flyttade den i slutet av 1800-talet for de tyckte att den inte gick at t bygga ut till Suva ( huvudon). Levuka ar en jatteliten ort, vi tiog in pa Fijis aldsta hotell, Royal hotell fran 1852. Valdigt mysigt rummed inbyggd veranda, korgstolar, blommiga gardiner och tragolv samt eget badrum och fonster at tva hall.  Vi stannade tre natter och at och drack gott pa de sma resurangerna. En dag gick vi bort till en liten by och nga av bybarnen ledsgade oss upp till ett vattenfall dar  vi tog ett svalkande dopp. Efter att ha bladdrat lite i guideboken, beslyade vi oss for att aka ut till en liten oe, Thangalai. On ags av metodistkyrkamen det ar en fijianskfamilj som skoter om den. Den ar inte sa liten att man gar runt den pa ca 10 min beroende pa ebb elller flod. Vi hyrde en mbure (hydda av palmblad och inget golv) pa stranden. Vi var som max 12 gaster samtidigt pa on, men halften av tiden var vi det bara Lina och jag + tva till.
Fortsättning

 
 

(forts) For att beskriva lite narmare sa ar det vita sandstrander runt hela on, turkost kristallklart vatten med korallrev runt om och palmer i olika hojder. I priset ingar ocksa tre malmat plus fika som signaleras  genom att dom blaser i en snaecka. Sangen baddas varje dag och pryds med nyplockad hibiskus. Vi tror att vi hittat paradiset. Tiden fordriver vi med snorkling i det akvarie liknande havet, liggandes i skuggan av en palm gorandes ingenting eller tre halsband av snackor, tittar pa sol upp- och nedgang drickandes vin eller whiskey och roker burmessika ciggarer. Efter 5 dagar var det dock dags att lamna, man ska ju aka nar det ar som bast... Vi ville verkligen stanna men tiden racker inte till allt. Vi akte tillbaka till Nadi dar vi hade lamnat en av stor vaskorna. det visade sig sedan att hotellet haft inbrott och det saknades grejor for oss! Sa vi fick aka till polistationen och gora en anmalan. Poliserna i detta land har vit kjol ala Wilma Flintstones ( knalong och vita flikar)! Sedan var det dags for nasta flight till San Francisco via L.A. Nu ar det dags for oss att ta de sista tre flighterna, Des Moines-Chicago-London-Stockholm. Vi gjorde namligen en liten avstickare till Baxter,Iowa dar Linas vardfamilj bor. San Francisco var namligen bar hemlosa, knarkare och annat lost folk det vartsa pa hela turen forutom Indien. Lina kommer att skriva om var USA vistelse samt en summering av resan nar vi kommer hem. Stora halsningar fran oss bada, vi syns valdigt snart! Rickard, Lina

(cont) A closer look at it gives white beaches all around the island, turquoise crystal clear water, coral reef all around and palm trees of different sizes. Included in the fee are three meals plus a coffee break which is called to by someone blowing a big seashell. Our beds are made every day and are decorated with fresh Hibiscus flowers. We think we've found the paradise. We pass the time snorkeling in the ocean looking like a big fish bowl, resting in the shade of a palm tree doing nothing or making necklaces of seashells, looking at the sunset and sunrise drinking wine or whiskey and smoking Burmesian cigars. After five days it was time to leave, you should go at the moment it is as best . . . We really wanted to stay but we hadn't enough time. We went back to Nadi where we had left one of the big trunks. It turned out that the hotel had had a burglary and we had things missing! So we had to go to the police station. The policemen in this country are wearing white skirts like Vilma Flintstone. After that it was time for the next flight to San Francisco via L.A.  Now it is the time for us to make the last three flights, Des Moines- Chicago- London- Stockholm. The thing is we made a little detour to Baxter, IA where Lina's host family lives. San Francisco was nothing but bag people, drug addicts and other queer guys the worst on the entire journey except for India. Lina will write about our stay in the U.S. and a sum-up of all when back home. Big hugs from the two of us, see you soon! Rickard, Lina

Sydney, Myanmar and Fiji news!

Sun, 13 Feb 2000

Good day mate, Min ga la baa, Mbula!

Now we have arrived at the last goal of our travel (we thought), San Francisco, a city that seems to host a lot of odd people (at night at least). But since we wrote last time we have done quite a lot so we will go back in time to Sydney.

In Sydney it was supposed to be summer, but it was the coldest summer in living memory, 19 degrees centigrade! We're kinda used to higher temperatures.

Our hotel, which we booked last winter, had raised the fee to 150 Aussi dollars a night incl. breakfast! Luckily we happened to meet one of Lina's friends from school, at McDonalds. (Our friend Micke was away at Surfers Paradise spending Xmas with his girlfriends family.) We stayed the rest of the time at Cecilia's and Jonas' place. At New Years Eve we attended a fat party at Micke's with ten Swedes and ten Aussies. It was on the roof top verandah with a view over the Opera and the bridge, and from there we looked at the Millennium fireworks.

Otherwise Sydney with its famous Opera house was not much of a thrill. We longed to get back to Asia and the bush. So we decided to skip New Zealand an go back to Myanmar.

Happy to leave Sydney we went back to Yangon, via our anti-favourite city of Bangkok, though. Unfortunately this long flight was on a Thai Airways plane which is about as bad as Thailand itself.

It felt great to be back in Myanmar, but we had a minor problem: Lina's trunk was gone. The day after we got to know it was in Vietnam! Our luggage was checked from Sydney to Yangon although it was two separate flights, but the Thai  personnel wasn't able to differ between RGN (Yangon) and SGN (Ho Chi Min City). We had to stay another night in Yangon, but it didn't matter, because we like it very much there.

After two days the trunk was back and we could go on north towards Nyangshwe and Inle Lake. As usual, when we travel we have bad luck, so around 2 o'clock in the morning the bus had a flat tire! But the trip did not fell very long (19 h) because everything felt more at home as we had done the same journey before, we knew the stops for dinner and other stuff. We even appreciate the Myanmar music, although not the Chinese movies in the middle of the night.

We hoped Nyo Nyo to be home when we arrived, but her sister said that she was in Yangon for a week, that was a pity we thought, but we enjoyed the stay anyhow, wonderful people, good food, cool nights and a beautiful landscape! The joyful thing to be back is that everybody knows us or remember us, at the hotel in Yangon, the old man at the bus terminal, at the hotel in Nyuangswe and so on an they are all happy that we come and visit their country again (they say it with all their hearts) and we are happy to visit them again.

We met a New Zealand couple together with whom we had a couple of pleasant evenings, drinking whiskey and smoking cigars on the verandah. We also met a woman from Rickard's mom's office and her family who was there on holiday. She was the one that from the beginning had recommended us to go to Luang Prabang in Laos, before we left Sweden, I mean what are the odds for meeting them in a restaurant in Nyangswe? 

On the third day, when we were heading for the market, Nyo Nyo came running from her house, she'd had our message and gone by air back home! The sun was shining, everything was just awesome and we decided to go by train a bit through the mountainous parts of Myanmar to Bagan, and then to Ngapali beach! Nyo Nyo was to join us.

For those of you that don't know it, we must tell that Nyo Nyo is a Burmese girl/lady in her forties, who has an innumerable amount of businesses going on and preferably goes by taxi or airplane, who we met last time when we wanted a guided tour on the lake. Last time we traveled with her it was the first time she went by bus without interrupting the trip.

We went by cab to the train terminal, but the train scheduled for 10.00 hours wasn't going to leave until 15.00 hours. So, it had to be pickup truck to Mektila and from there taxi to Bagan. After about 15 minutes the engine laid off! It was because of water in the gasoline, because in Myanmar they ransom the fuel, 10 liters a week per vehicle (60 kyat/l, kyat330=US$1) and that doesn't last for very long so they buy their gasoline on the black market (the military) for 120 kyat (mixed with water). It took a while until we got on the road again, one and a half hour, sort of. In the night we finally arrived at Bagan

The day after we went to Mt. Pupa, which has a shrine on top (very many steps and you have to go barefooted, as it is the entrance of a temple). We bought some teak souvenirs (Sa pencil and a hair pin) that I put in my pocket. There were very many monkeys around and in no time one of them had pick pocketed me! I was quick to react so it didn't get very far. After this I armored myself with a couple of rocks, because they were very keen on jumping at us and we didn't want to be scratched by them.

That afternoon we rode the bus to Pyay, but just before we were going to leave, Nyo Nyo got a sad telephone call from her village, one of her sisters had been taken to a hospital in the closest town. So she had to skip the trip to the beach and jump into a taxi. Typically, we thought but it wasn't much to do.

We arrived at about one in the night an were going to find a hotel. Got to one after a while, completely dark (no electricity). Pretty filthy but very nice and helpful staff and inexpensive, $5 including breakfast for a double room! The next bus to Ngapali beach wasn't leaving until late in the evening so we took a day off with card playing and diary writing and a little strolling around. Took a trickshaw to the bus station. The bus filled up and we bumped away, the whole journey bumped so awfully we thought that the windows would crack. We had to step outside to show our passports and sign papers six times during the night although it was only a domestic route. Twelve hours later we were in Thandwe (nearest town) were from we took a taxi to Ngapali beach. We settled at Linn Tha O, windows towards the shore, 25 meters from the waterfront at tide and 75 meter at flood. The beach was just perfect, 3 km wide an about ten persons on it at one same time. Temperature in the water was about as in the air, around 25 to 30 centigrade. We swam, jogged on the beach, tanned, read books, had good meals at the different restaurants. In the evenings it was whiskey and  Myanmar cigars and card playing.

We had decided to fly back to Yangon to not have to go the long way by bus (20 h), because the air trip takes only 1 hour, that is 20 times faster but only ten times more expensive! There are different airlines, we chose Myanmar airways (the regime's company). We hitchhiked to Thandwe to get to their office. There we were told that one flight was on Friday, not at what hour and not 100 per cent certain. They wanted us to get back on Thursday (now = Monday), we managed to put our names in a booking list, at least. On the way back we took the local bus,  that is, a truck with seats at the side of the truck bed, which didn't leave until it is filled up to the top (people on the roof) and the side (people hanging outside, and packed inside like sardines).

We had five super days here at Ngapali beach, not a cloud as far as the naked eye can see. . . Tanned, swam, ate at restaurants. We finished the whole stay at a very good dollar restaurant, super duper food.

On Thursday we went into town again to buy tickets, but we weren't allowed this time either, but we got to know that a flight would leave the day after. They told us to be there at ten. And we didn't wait too long at twelve we took off for Yangon.

Ready back in the city, we headed back to our base camp, Motherland Inn (the 4th time we stayed there). As usually we were very welcomed, but hasted out for an Indian lunch (chipati and potato curry plus rice). Had a calm evening in our room.

On our last day in Yangon we looked at the big Shwedagon Pagoda, had a meal at a popular restaurant and had a gorgeous afternoon tea at Strand Hotel, a beautiful old English building. All type of sandwiches were included, as were pastries, cookies, scones, ice-cream and pies. All of it served from a three story tray. After that we only looked at their rooms for $424-950 a night! When we got back in the evening it was time to pack, even if we are have a routine it takes a little time.

We went towards Bangkok in the morning, feeling sad to leave this wonderful country and its people. We had a day and a night before us with three flights: Yangon-Bangkok-Sydney-Nadi but it worked out well and wasn't too bad.

When leaving the airplane at Nadi (Fiji) we were met by a really bad rainstorm, turned out to be a cyclone passing by. An incredible rainfall and wind. We had a night at a guesthouse, later to go on to Suva (the capital). All connections by sea and by air were closed so it had to be a bus trip again (the bus terminal was flooded). They (hotel staff) recommended us not to go on, but wait for the storm to cease, but we thought it to be as good as to start, our journeys tend to take very long (it showed to be good luck to get away because they had ten rainy days ahead!).

The bus did not break (Scania coach), but Suva was nothing special, had dinner at McDonalds and went to the movies, "Double jeopardy", very inexpensive tickets seven Fiji dollars for two.

 The day after we took the boat to Ovalu Island, but to get to the harbor we had to go by bus, when we had nearly arrived there was a truck stuck one meter down in the mud, in the middle of the road and when the vehicle behind tried to overtake it, it stuck in the mud too. So we had to get off and walk the last 1000 meters. With our light backpack! After two hours on a ferryboat waving in the waves we arrived at the former capital of Fiji, Levuka. The English moved the capital in the end of the nineteenth century, as they thought it was impossible to make it bigger, to Suva (the main island). Levuka is a terribly small island, we checked in at the oldest hotel on Fiji, the Royal Hotel from 1852. Very cozy the room built in verandah, basket chairs, flower patterned curtains and wooden floor and windows in two directions. We stayed for three days had good eating and drinking at the little restaurants. One day we went away to a little village and some of the children showed us a water fall in which we took a swim . After having studied the travelers guide, we determined to go out to a little island, Thangalai. This island is owned by the Methodist Church a Fijian family runs it. It is so small that you can walk around the whole of it in then minutes. We rent a "mbure" (a hut made of palm leaves and without a floor) on the shore. At the maximum we were only ten guests on the island, but half of the time it was just Lina and me + two more.
Continued