I know it's Christmas, but there was really no room at the inn!!!

Over the years I have become more planned in my travel and try as much as I can to book ahead. Wether it be driving into Las Vegas, heading into Agra or Yangon, I've had a booking. I must admit Bagan defeated me! No-one returned my emails and I called 7 places and they were all full! 

So after a roller coaster 11 hour overnight train journey, where at times you thought the train would come off the tacks as it was rolling so much , all I wanted was to have a kip in a lovely bed.  So I shared a taxi with the Swedish couple on the same carriage as me and we headed into new bagan. They had made a reservation months ago and I tried their hotel,  but it was full!  So then I spent an hour with the taxi driver going round town and everywhere was full, as this is the peak of peak season.... Eventually on the outskirts of town we find a new luxury hotel and its $70 a night - a ridiculous amount to pay and as I have planned to stay here for four nights my plans changed,  as there is just no rooms just before new year... So I have an unexpected couple of days in Mandalay as a consequence and another bus journey!   

Still it's worth it to be staying here, as this is the jewel destination in burma's crown - thousands of temples are dotted across the plains and its my wonderful challenge of the day to cycle to as many of the as I can !!!! 

And the monk asked if I like Justin Beber!

I hired a motorbike driver for the day to take me round all the ancient temples and stupas in the area and luckily I had picked a great guide, as he was a volunteer English teacher. We headed off to the ancient sites , but I was soon distracted by women carrying hay bales on their heads and was soon wearing one myself! We drove around the ancient sites and met a Japanese couple. The woman had lived in northern Myanmar, near the Chinese border for five years working with an NGO - how amazing!

We then went to the school where he teaches and it was hilarious. I took an English lesson and my class of 14 year olds was  very inquisitive. As usual the girls sat at the front, but amazingly it was the novice monks in the class that asked me the most questions, from what was my ambitions to do I like Justin Beber!!! One girl asked if I could sing, so I produced my iPod and they listened to Adele and take that!!!! 

I asked then what they wanted to be and it ranged from doctors, soldiers, teachers and of course Buddhist monks. It was such a fantastic opportunity to speak to the class, and their overwhelming questions were around why I wanted to come to Myanmar, how did I get here and if I liked it. 

I love it !!!!

Be careful what you wish for - it is Christmas after all!

So Christmas is here and I spent the day going round all the local temples and hanging on during motorbike rides out to the countryside.  Pyay is a pilgrimage town, with a huge temple in the centre.  Luckily there's a lift, so you don't have to have a vertigo moment coming down the steep steps !

So I head to the temple first thing and back again in the evening for sunset. There's a nice view point from the side of the temple and I sat and watched the sun slowly setting. I was thinking how great it would be if some monks were around, as they would make a fantastic  foreground in the sunset pictures..... then about twenty monks descend and they want to take a picture of me!!! Merry Christmas

And all be upstanding for the national anthem

 

Just to escape the afternoon heat I headed to the 3d screening of the life of pi and was amazed that the screening was on English with no subtitles. For just over a pound I joined the Sunday afternoon cinema goers and got my 3d glasses as I took my seat in the middle of the stalls and yet again not another traveller in sight. Just as they do in Thailand before the trailers start you have to stand up for the national anthem. 

The next day I embarked on another six hour journey heading north to the pilgrimage town of Pyay. I was lucky enough to be sat next to a someone who lives in Pyay and spoke really good English, so we chatted for a lot of the journey, but as all warm buses make you do, there was a lot  of snoozing as well! 

The scenery was beautiful, with palm trees and rice fields and scattered towns and villages along the way. 

Eventually we get to the bus station and hilariously i had to squeeze my large western arse into a tiny side car seat and cling on as I was precariously cycled through the city to reach my new temporary home - the lucky dragon hotel.