Yangon to Mandalay

02/03/2012 10:59 AM

So it’s late morning and my second day in Yangon. In a few hours I will fly to Mandalay. I know I said I would take the bus, but after being informed that the busses are not sleeper busses, nor are the air-conditioned and breakdowns are common, I opted to fly. I found the one and only travel agency in Yangon that accepts credit cards so I was able to book my flight. To say I am somewhat nervous about flying in Myanmar would be somewhat of an understatement as their airlines do not have the best safety records. But nonetheless, I'm probably safer flying than taking a bus given the road conditions, crazy drivers.... etc etc. So my flight is in three hours, I will check out of my hotel at noon and head to the airport. I was forced to by a return ticked from the north as none of the travel agencies there accept plastic. So my plan, as it stands now is to fly to Mandalay this afternoon, spend two nights there. After that, I will head to Bagan for a few days to see the temples. Following that I will head to Inle lake for some peace and village life. My return flight is on the 13^th from Inle Lake, so technically my plans could change, all I know, is that I need to be at Inle Lake by the 13^th.

Yesterday in Yangon was fantastic. I had a wonderful time. I met up with a local guide who took me around the city and showed be all the temples. The temples here are beyond belief and dwarf those of the rest of SE Asia. They are all platted with 18 karat gold leaf and shine like something out of a fantasy. Unfortunately, my camera was not working yet.... I thought it was broken.... but, well lets just say I'm stupid and forgot to charge it. So it is now working. When I get back from the north I will take some pictures of Yangon.