The first part of this Myanmar in 13 days trip ended with me boarding a fancy bus and thinking about my next destination. I decided to explore the Myeik Archipelago, enjoy the beach and meet the Sea gypsies. 

My next destination: Myeik Archipelago or Dawei?

I went to the airport to get a plane ticket. Alas, the ticket to Myeik was too expensive. I headed to Dawei, which was closer instead hoping to get a speed boat from there to Myeik. 

It had been challenging to find information out about those locations.  Was the boat running? How much was it? Can I visit the Archipelago? Some areas in Myanmar were still off-limits to tourists. I took my chances going to Dawei not knowing whether I could reach Myeik Archipelago or not. 

I flew with Air Myanmar for 72 USD. I had a little apprehension about flying from a safety viewpoint. However, I am writing this post today so it means that I am still alive.  

Day 9 & day 10: Dawei

I spent my first night in Dawei at the Zayar Thet San. It is a very modern hotel, quite expensive (55 USD a night) for what they offer but comfortable. The staff is friendly. There I realised that Myanmar uses a double pricing system with foreigners paying more than nationals for the same room. I have observed the same double standards in other countries but never really liked them. It is what it is though.

A few meters away, there is a lovely restaurant with a large terrace. Although a touch pricey, the food was amazing. The name was written in Burmese but I am sure you will find it easily. It will become my favourite place to eat in Dawei.

A solo traveller meeting a new friend

This was one of the very few occasions I travelled alone and I needed a friend. In the streets of Dawei, I started to talk to another female tourist walking solo. 

We walked around together admiring the architecture of the houses. Dawei is a tropical town with lush vegetation and it was humid. It rained the two days I was there. There is plenty to see around the city especially if you like beaches. But the best way to reach them is by motorbike.

A conservative society

In the streets, people were staring at us as we were visibly foreigners. In addition, my new friend was wearing short pants, in a conservative country. I like to respect people’s culture and customs. 

In Myanmar, short pants were not really acceptable so I was torn between respecting the locals and wanting to stay with my new friend without saying anything about her clothes. I stuck with her and said nothing.

From a luxury room to a backpackers’ hotel

During my second night in Dawei, I changed to the Dream Emperor Guest house moving from a luxury bedroom to a backpackers’ hotel paying 20 USD for a double room. 

It was easier to regroup with my new friend as we planned to get the 5 am bus towards Hpa An on day 11.

Day 11: Bus trip from Dawei to Hpa An and night in Hpa An

On day 11, we woke up at four to be at the bus terminal by five. But following schedules did not seem to be Myanmar people’s forte. We did not board our bus until 6. 

The conditions were again awful with worn-out leather chairs and no airconditioning. I forgot to follow my own rules of choosing a bus and did not ask for a picture!!! 

At least, it was a day trip so I did not miss a decent night sleep.

A shady moment

I experienced my only shady travel moment at the bus station. 

A uniformed man asked for our passports. I handed mine and immediately regretted it because he could have stolen it. Thankfully, he returned it after taking a look. 

My friend told me that sometimes these guys in uniform could just be curious taxi drivers or passport thieves. This one was the zealous security guard of the bus station. Right… 

Moral of the story: do not hand your passport to anyone save the police. However, at the time, I found it difficult to refuse him. Another passenger threw me a sympathetic glance. 

Our bus broke down…

We rode the bus for nine hours, spending forty-five minutes of it sitting under a tree because our bus broke down. 
This worried me a little. The last bus to Hpa An – my next destination – was meant to depart at four pm from Malawmyine. Luckily, a boy and his mum also travelling to Hpa An took me under their wings as my friend got off at a different stop. 

But I made it to Hpa An!

A bus change was required at Malawmyine but it proved difficult. We got a moto-taxi ride  (500 Kyat) to the bus stop and then wait for the bus to Hpa An (1,000 Kyat). Without Victor and his mum, I would not have made it. 

I was quite grateful to have found them on my way. Despite the mum’s stern look, she was actually very friendly. Another testimony of the Burmese’s legendary kindness. Her son accompanied me to Soe Brothers guest house where I got a very basic room for 7 USD. 

Day 12: Tuk tuk tour around Hpa An

The staff of the guest house was quite helpful. You can tell that they were accustomed to serving international travellers. 

I booked a tuk tuk day tour around Hpa An with them. The price of the tour depended on the number of people. We were 9 in a tuk tuk for 10 and paid 5,000 Kyat each at the end of the day. I found the price reasonable.

Hpa An sights

Our first amazing sight is the karst mountains. They reminded me of Halong Bay in Vietnam, without the ocean. 

Then there were the different caves, my favourite being YatheByan with its Buddha statues. 

The most famous cave, Sadan cave, did not impress me much. The boat tour (1,000 Kyat per person) to get out of the cave was nice but there were too many plastic floating in the water.

After the caves, we went to Kyauk Kalap, a pagoda set on top of a rock formation in the middle of an artificial lake. Beautiful. 

Then, we visited the mysterious Lumbini Garden: who placed those 1,000 Buddhas here? Why are they smiling? I have no answer to give as nobody knows.

My last traditional Burmese dinner

For dinner, I had my last traditional Burmese food in San Ma Tau. There you get ten free side dishes and three desserts with your meal!

Day 13: Back to the airport after 13 days 

On day 13, I left Hpa An for Yangon airport. It was time to go home. I then had my last bus trip of eight hours. I will miss those long rides. Joking.

At Yangon bus station, I got a taxi to the airport for 10,000 Kyat. It included a lunch stop at Lucky Seven, a tea house with delicious food. They had an English menu with pictures so it was easy to pick something. 

I ate sticky rice with pork and a chicken roll. Quite tasty! There was a cool vibe about the place. As soon as I sat down, they brought me loads of snacks (not for free). I had none of it. 

The practice of chewing betelnuts

Then, for the first time, I became aware of the buckets under the table. 

You see, chewing betelnuts is a common practice among Burmese. Young, old, men and women chew it. It makes their teeth black though. They also spit it everywhere. At first, I thought the red stains on the streets were blood. But, nooooo. These were betelnut spits. 

I have seen them being prepared: they first take a betel vine leaf, put white lime paste on it, and then add tobacco and betel nuts. It did not attract me at all. But the Burmese seem crazy about it. 

Back to my story. In this very Lucky seven, there were betelnuts buckets under the tables. Every now and then, betelnut chewers were spitting into them. Yuk. Well, this is part of the culture and I am not in my country so I suck the view up.

I made it to the airport 3 hours too early

I made it to the airport after dinner. I was three hours too early. My plane was delayed. But I was happy about my unique Myanmar in 13 days. Do not hesitate to contact me for more details on my trip.