Kyalkhtiyo to Moulmein (Mawlamyine)

The Golden Sunrise Hotel in Kyalkhtiyo was only a waystop, but it was a pleasant hotel and good quality. Again we had cabins in the garden, which is always nice and gives a feeling of privacy which I enjoy. The garden was liberally enlivened by decoration such as Chinese lanterns and parasols, and a generally pleasant time was had by all.

Burmese people are naturally friendly and open, always ready to smile and say hello – and these attributes make them naturals for the hospitality industry. We’ve been impressed time and time again by their attentiveness, readiness to help and smiling, happy disposition. It really is a pleasure to be looked after by them! I hope their burgeoning tourist industry doesn’t corrupt this lovely friendly nature, as has happened in so many countries.

We left at about 8.30 and drove straight on. Moulmein is some way from Rangoon/Yangon and indeed the leg from our hotel to Moulmein itself lasted until lunchtime. But part of the pleasure of travelling is that the everyday becomes fresh, and we saw a lot of interesting sights on the way. Our guide took us to a rubber plantation near the road, which was fascinating as ever. The interesting aspect of rubber production in Burma is that it’s a traditional craft as well as an exporting industry: their sandals have, historically, always had rubber soles in contrast to the leather that predominates in nearby countries. As well as catering for this market the plantation also exports to China – as indeed do many industries such as corn/cornmeal, bamboo and more. China is certainly a hungry neighbour.

There was another very special  lunch awaiting when we arrived in Moulmein, at the family home of one of the manageent of the ground agent company that’s organising our trip. Again there was a plethora of dishes, this time with an increased content of fish and the like – Moulmein is a sea-port, so naturally their diet leans in this direction.

It wa a privilege to be entertained in a private home in this way, and meet so many of the family, from Grandma who cooked the meal to her daughters and grandson – who was atypically shy and lurked at the doorway with one eye watching us and the other well hidden behind the jamb.

The high point of the day was after lunch when we visited Moulmein’s reclining Buddha, the largest in the world at 200 metres long. It was a stunning experience to see the huge statue, which has three storeys inside it, and feel the devotion and piety that must have inspired its creation.

Bang next door to it another reclining Buddha statue is being constructed, this time half as large again, at 300 metres. The two statues will lie facing one another across a small valley and together will make up an even more impressive site.

These sites are seldom restricted to the item that gives them their name, and Moulmein’s reclining Buddha is no exception. You approach the site along a road with 500 statues of monks along the side, and once you arrive there is a plethora of stupas, other Buddha statues, statues of monks and other notables, heraldic and ceemonial animals and so on. It’s a spectacular experience.

We finished with a quick visit to the riverfront at Moulmein, just missing the sunset but in time to see some lovely skies reaching over the river and town. It was truly a satisfying day.

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