Mrauk-U
-
Myanmar – situation in 2021
I travelled in Myanmar in 2013, 2015 and 2016 when the Burmese people was optimistic about having a brighter future with democratic ruling. When we prepared for our first trip we were told not to discuss politics and don’t show images on Aung San Su Kyi, because it could cause problems for the Burmese we talked with. We were surprised that the taxi we took from the Yangon Airport has several pictures of the Lady posted around in the car. Thought all our journeys we have met friendly people warmly welcoming visitor to the country. We tried to chose privately operated hotels, transportation, restaurants etc. in order to support individuals…
-
Chin Villages
When you are in Mrauk-U you’ll have the opportunity to visit the Chin Villages. The most remarkable thing about the Chin villages is that until around 1972 women at the age of 16-17 were tattooed in the face. The tattoos are rather characteristic and as I understand the tattoos are unique for each village. What the purpose of the tattoos were our guide could not tell us, but he assured us that the women were happy that the government had banned the tattoos and that they were the last to be tattooed. If you purchased a blanket produced by the women they would willingly pose for a photo. The trip…
-
Shwe Taung Pagoda
The Shwe Taung Pagoda is the best place in Mrauk-U to watch the sun rise. The temples is located on one of the highest hill tops in Mrauk-U and it has a free view all over the area. To find it you must go by the road out of town towards Magdwe, just after you have passed the river you’ll find a dirt road to the right. Follow the dirt road approximately 300 meters, you have a small pond at you left hand. Near the gate you’ll find a small gate and a path through the forest. When the path starts to climb up the hill it is pawed with…
You May Also Like
Chin Villages
-
Temples
Some calls Mrauk-U for little Bagan. The area is much smaller than Bagan and it holds fewer temples and sights than Bagan. Temples in Mrauk-U is not the same style as in Bagan, they seems heavier build. The first Europeans in Burma actually mistook the temples for fortresses because of the heavy look. While the archaeological set-up is very like Bagan, the tourist set-up is not. There is not the same intensity of tourists in the area and the Burmese are not as eager to sell gods and services as in Bagan. This makes the visit more relaxed than a visit to Bagan. You can visit the temples in the…
You May Also Like
Chin Villages
-
Leaving Mrauk-U (or getting there)
Of course you can take the boat back to Sittwe and a plane from there. It’s straight forward, but it will set you back $130-200 per person. We wanted to try something different and we had previously with success taken a local intercity bus. After some research on the internet – prior to our trip – we experienced that the road from Sittwe to Magwe allowed an intercity bus to operate on daily basis. Getting tickets were quite easy because our hotel could provide them for only 20.000 Kyats each. Communication were not precise, so we were in doubt whether our tickets were for Mandalay or only for Magwe. But…
You May Also Like
Chin Villages