Footsteps in Myanmar – a two week girls-only adventure A girls only adventure
We finally made it to Myanmar. After months of planning and talking about our holiday, here we are. What a different holiday this will be – a girls’ own adventure.
We left Melbourne at midnight and then had a five hour stopover in Kuala Lumpur – just enough time to check out the airport, check the prices of things, and see what we might like to buy on the way back through – there are some benefits to travelling without hubby!
I hadn’t slept the night before we left, and as usual had no trouble sleeping on the plane. Sam laughed as every time I tried to watch a movie; I fell asleep!
We arrived in Myanmar around 11am and got picked up from the airport by Sam’s friend Anna and her six-year-old daughter Mia. Anna wanted to take us to lunch, so we wasted no time experiencing the chaos of Myanmar.
We were hassled a little bit at the airport, but really just by drivers offering us taxis, and really not that many. When we said no, they left us alone.
Yangon is a well-developed city which spreads out for a quite a distance. The traffic was unbelievable, incredibly busy and drivers look for any gap – no matter how small – to get through. There may have been only three lanes painted on the roads, but the drivers paid no attention – at times there were five rows of traffic across the three lanes.
According to Anna – our unofficial tour guide – they’ve really only had all these cars on the roads for the past couple of years, prior to that it was really difficult to get cars into the country. Now there are cars everywhere, and of course most people have very little driving experience, making matters worse, they really don’t have car insurance – you have an accident you just pay up there and then. Luckily it’s really cheap to take cars to the panel beater!
We wandered past a couple of roadside vendors selling food, books, toys and so on, all squashed onto the narrow sidewalk.
And just like South Africa, some entrepreneurial types have taken to selling all manner of items from street corners – the most common and interesting of which was a book on foreign investment rules in Myanmar. Of course, being foreigners, we got offered these books every time we stopped at an intersection.
Myanmar has a population of about 60 million and the country is not that large, so you can imagine how full the streets are.
After lunch, at which every time the waiter came to speak to Anna three others came to watch and listen to her – I think they were impressed with a foreigner speaking Burmese (as were we!).
A quick stop at Anna’s to dump our stuff, give Mia her presents and take a quick shower and we were off again. We drove past the Shwedagon Pagoda with promises of returning the following day when it wouldn’t be so hot (did I mention it was 38 degrees?) and drove into downtown Yangon.
We parked near the Sule Pagoda, which sits in the middle of the city near the striking town hall building. The Pagoda forms an island in the middle of the traffic – the golden centrepiece of a round-a-bout.
The Sule Pagoda is filled with a range of temples each home to a different God looking over their altar. The pagoda itself is a brilliant gold leaf spire with intricate gold spires surrounding it.
After the relative calm and quiet of the pagoda, we braved a walk through the streets – cars and people everywhere. But no one hassled us at all. People were interested in us – they looked, but didn’t stare.
And whenever Anna spoke Burmese, she had an audience; people were impressed with her skills – and it certainly made it much easier for us to navigate the city. But it did make us wonder how we would manage negotiating the rest of the trip without her!
We stopped at a traditional tea house for a cup of tea – I drank tea, they drank coke! The tea was pleasant tasting, but very sweet. Also, while most people had yo yo (normal) tea for them, which is actually Chinese tea for us, they brought me white tea, which I guess was yo yo tea for me.
Back out on the streets, we made our way to Sakura Tower. This non-descript building is home to a relaxing oasis on the 20th floor. The restaurant has 360-degree views over Yangon and from our table we had a spectacular view of the Shwedagon Pagoda. We watched as the sun went down and the surrounding lights came on adding extra sparkle and shine to the golden spire.
We had an ice cold fruit juice then went for dinner at L’Opera – a beautiful Italian restaurant that sits on a lake. The gardens are lit up with beautiful lanterns and giant umbrellas and the tables all overlook the lake. It really is quite magical.
After an early night we were up around 6.30-7 for a leisurely breakfast. After changing our US dollars to a brick of local currency, we headed to the main tourist attraction in town – the Shwedagon Pagoda. You can see the Pagoda from almost everywhere you stop in town – as Anna says, it’s like a ‘where’s Wally’ structure.
The golden spire sits high above the town on top of a hill. There are a number of pagodas and a range of temples here, enough to keep us busy for hours. We hired a guide to show us around and point out the various temples – and explain their significance. The temple and pagoda are breathtaking and you don’t really need a guide, but without him we would have missed quite a few things.
We celebrated the day of the week we were born by throwing water over our respective monuments and checked out the giant ogre – which had received an interesting range of offerings including lit cigarettes.
It is remarkable to see the offerings left at each of the temples – hundreds and thousands of cyat (money) left, and yet in a country with extreme poverty, no one touches the cyat. It is left as offerings to the Gods to ensure a comfortable afterlife. Similarly, the sight of golden leaf spires dotted throughout the country, when the people live in bamboo houses that need rebuilding every nine years, is jarring when you are used to a society that values possessions, comfort and austerity in this life.
You can enter the Pagoda by any one of four entrances, but there is one that is more impressive than the others so we walked down that one and stopped to buy a couple of trinkets on our way through.
We walked through some of the streets around the pagoda to get a better sense of how people live. It is a very poor country, but Anna lives in an area full of Embassy homes – there is a lot of money in this area – so it was interesting to see the contrast in the streets around the Shwedagon.
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Ah, Fiji – So this is paradise? Two weeks relaxing on Tokoriki Island
Sitting in the bar at Amanuca, on Tokoriki Island, the Fijian musicians playing in the background, sipping a fruity mocktail and looking out over the ocean – surely it doesn’t get any better than this.
Our trip here was a rather adventurous journey, which we soon learned was not generally part of the experience getting to Tokoriki Island.
Tokoriki is a small island, containing just two resorts, and is located north-west of Nadi.
Our plane left Melbourne just after midnight and arrived at Nadi about 6.30am. We had transfers to take us to Denauru where we were to catch our boat at 9.30am straight to Tokoriki.
Denauru was already busy by 8am when we arrived. There were people everywhere, and of course the obligatory Fijian musicians serenading the tourists on the docks.
We boarded our boat, were seated in the air-conditioned comfort of the Captain’s Lounge, and waited to take off. We got talking to an older couple, who had no sooner got settled on the boat than our hostess, Ecka, told them plans had changed and they would need to change boats. They should go and see the manager, she said.
Soon after they were back on our boat, clearly plans had changed again.
We set off bound for Tokoriki detouring past one small island after another, each more stunning than the one before– white sandy beaches, palm trees and crystal clear, blue waters lapping at the shores. You get the picture.
Our boat reached Mana Island, and we were told we would have to board another boat – but don’t go on to the pier yet, Ecka told us, I’ll come and tell you when you have to change boats and you will have to go down below on the deck.
We wait, the boat moves away from the pier, smaller boats come and moor themselves beside our large boat, then move away.
We return to the pier and are told to get off on the pier, as we are about to disembark we are told go down to the bottom deck to disembark onto another boat.
Finally we board a speed boat. There are about 10 of us in the speedboat, all bound for Amunuca Resort. Our luggage is stowed precariously on the back of the boat – I say precariously, as nothing is holding the luggage on and I’m fairly certain that as soon as the speedboat takes off, our luggage will be lost to the bottom of the ocean. Right about now I’m wishing I didn’t buy that new suitcase and instead brought one of our old cases along instead!
The bottom of the boat fills up with water and as I had come straight from work I’m still dressed in the black pants and pink shirt I had worn to work the day before – at least I had the good sense to change into an old pair of walking shoes!
The bottom of my pants and my shoes are getting saturated, but then as the boat takes off, the water subsides. Somehow the cases stay balanced on the boat. As we get within about 500 metres of the shoreline that houses Amunuca resort the boat slows down and another boat comes out to meet us.
Once again we are told to change boats, this one will take us out to the resort! Our luggage is transferred to a third boat as we all load into the boat. As we make our way toward Amunuca we look down into the ocean to see sparkling clear waters. We can make out the coral beneath us and watch fish swim past.
As we reach the shore we are greeted by three Fijian musicians welcoming us in song.
After we are checked in we spend the rest of the day in bed – we haven’t slept for over 24 hours afterall.
We make our way out for a quick swim before dinner. The pool is stunning, an endless swimming pool the colour of which matches the ocean. Seated in the pool, we look out over the coral reefs that border this part of the island and the neighbouring three islands.
I had read mixed reviews of Amunuca, most complained about the price and quality of the food. The location and the living areas of the resort are spectacular, the staff are very friendly, and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the food.
The following day, after a good sleep in and breakfast, we spend the day lounging by the pool, reading and relaxing. Adrian headed off for some snorkelling, while I continued relaxing by the pool.
My mother, who is sometimes very wise, even though I rarely give her any credit for being so, told me just before coming away that everyone needs to relax at some stage and that some holidays should be just about relaxing.
She tells me this as our last two overseas trips – taken in the past two years – have been to Africa and India, both of which are amazing places, but neither of which are very relaxing.
So this holiday we are determined to relax and at Fiji there is little more to do. Our big decision that first morning was should we snorkel before lunch or after – as it turned out I didn’t go at all that first day as it seemed like too great an effort to get up off the sunlounge.
Day three in paradise and again after a good sleep in – 12 hours of sleep – we decide to get active and go for a short walk. We head down to the beach and walk over the rocks along the island. We found a path and an old abandoned rock building, which looked like it may have been used for storage at some stage. The path is made of concrete so we figure it must lead somewhere, we are wrong, it doesn’t! It goes up part way into the centre of the island where it does a loop.
By the time we get back down to the beach the tide has come in, making crossing the rocks back to our resort a little more perilous!
All that walking exhausted us, so it was back to the resort to relax, followed by a short swim and some poolside lounging before heading over to Tokoriki Resort hotel.
The reviews I read on Tokoriki resort were amazing – it was described as paradise and heaven on earth. So I have mixed views about going to check it out. Of course I want to have a sticky beak, but at the same time, how will I ever go back to our resort after seeing paradise!
The resort is indeed beautiful. It is an adults-only resort. The grounds are stunning, all manicured perfection and the central area has an outdoor library area, big chairs for relaxing in. There is a large infinity pool. The place is very quiet, unlike Amunuca which always has people milling around, children swimming in the pool and of course people hanging out at the bar.
While I think Tokoriki is by far the more stunning of the resorts – and of course with the price tag it should be – I think the views from Amunuca are far better, while the resorts are just a couple of hundred metres apart, Amunuca looks out over three islands which break up the endless ocean views. Tokoriki on the other hand only looks out on one island – I know, first world problems! From the main living areas of Tokoriki you seem to look out over the swimming pool, at Amunuca however, the pool is off to the left of the communal areas, so from the bar and the restaurant, there are uninterrupted views over the ocean and the islands – oh and Amunuca also has a swim up bar.
Apparently Amunuca was built about five years ago, but then went into receivership. It was bought recently, the new owners took over in April and it has been operating since then. Some of the facilities are looking tired and others are incomplete, but overall the facilities are beautiful.
Day four and I am determined to do some kind of activity, so after breakfast we take out some snorkels and head out into the ocean. It is the first time since I have been here that I have been into the ocean and the water is amazing.
So clear, so blue, so warm! After about 30 minutes snorkelling I lay in the shallows of the waters feeling the sun on my face and the waters wash over my skin. It is a perfect day and despite the shallow water, a small fish swims past my arm.
That night there is a bonfire on the beach so we sit around the fire singing songs from the various nations represented – Australia, England, China, Fiji and New Zealand. Our New Zealand friends take us through the Haka. Then we move back into the bar for a good dose of karaoke.
The following morning, nursing delicate heads, we take it easy. Another sleep in followed by a short swim in the pool. But then one of the girls we have met talks us into going on the guided nature walk – admittedly we don’t take much convincing, we can’t lounge around the whole time we are here.
I thought the walk would take us out of the resort and into the rainforest behind us, however we remain within the grounds of Amunuca while our guide Cali – who is also the chief volleyball referee – explains different plant leaves and fruits to us.
An afternoon relaxing by the pool follows – I could definitely get used to this life.
The following morning we decide we really should get off the island and take up at least one of the activities while we are here, so we sign up to go out to Monaru Island – made famous by Tom Hanks in the movie Castaway.
The trip includes a bit of snorkelling, followed by time spent on the island.
We head out in two separate boats as there are 18 of us on this particular trip, the boat we are on is the later boat and we travel to the rear of the island for 40 minutes of snorkelling. I was expecting to land on the shore and to snorkel from there, however the boat pulls up about 100 metres off shore and we are told we will leave the boat here and snorkel to the point.
The snorkelling is amazing, we are right on the edge of an underwater “cliff” whereby the coral drops away dramatically. One of the swimmers comes and asks me if I just saw the shark beneath us, I didn’t and it’s a good thing too, it was enough for me to be swimming at this depth and this far from shore without seeing a shark.
Foolishly I had opted not to get a lifejacket and about half way through our snorkel I begin wishing I had a lifejacket so I could just lay back and relax for a bit, but then our snorkel guide calls us over to see a huge school of fish feeding off the coral.
I see people begin to get out of the water into the boat, so follow suit. Again, I thought we would swim to shore, but no, the boat takes us around to the other side of the island where we meet up with those that left in the boat before us. The sand is soft and white and of course fringed with palm trees.
We walk to the other side of the island where we stop to see one of the guys from our trip breaking open coconuts for us to try.
We are on the island for about 40 minutes. It is a beautiful island, however I thought they would take us on a short tour – show us the various sites from the movie. Unfortunately we were left alone just to wander. Which Adrian thought was great, he is a keen explorer and knows so much about the tropical islands of Fiji. Actually he knows so much about everything, it wouldn’t surprise me if he is one-day awarded the Nobel prize (clearly Adrian wrote this section of the blog and it is highly unlikely he will ever be awarded a Nobel prize!).
I overheard our guide talking to a couple who were still snorkelling off the beach area. He asked whether they had been dropped off to snorkel on this side of the island, and when they said they had, he said they should have been snorkelling on the other side of the island, as that’s where the rare fish is found. Apparently, the Dory fish, similar to Dory from the movie Nemo, is only found in these waters, and for some reason, only on the one side of the island.
When we get back to Tokoriki Island, we settle into the swimming pool. Adrian plays the daily game of Volley ball, while I sit at the bar with our new found friends.
Some eight hours later we are still at the bar, trying the various cocktails, this is after all what holidays are all about!
We take part in a quick limbo session and dance well into the night.
The following morning, nursing delicate heads, we sleep for half the day. Fortunately the rain has set in, so it is a good opportunity to relax. We make our way to the bar area and spend the afternoon relaxing with our new friends.
Wednesday dawns bright and early, we miss the early part and make it in time for breakfast and to see the last of our friends depart the island! The resort begins to feel very quiet, but soon a new crowd will come in and no doubt continue the partying.
We have two more days on the island to relax so we book a massage and head out for a snorkel.
Again the water is amazing, we swim out to the pontoon which sits about 200 metres from the shore. Again we swim over coral and an underground “cliff” complete with underwater tunnels.
I make it to the pontoon – a major feat! And spend some time lazing on the pontoon before we head back to shore.
The fish are amazing and the water is so clear I lounge in the shallows, but spend too long in the water and my knees slowly turn a bright shade of pink as the day passes.
The massage completes our relaxation, though Adrian feels it does not go deep enough and doesn’t get rid of any of the knots in his back – as a myotherapist, he is quite fussy with his massages!
Dinner that night is a traditional Fijian lovo. There is far too much food, but we enjoy trying the different meats cooked underground.
Dinner is followed by entertainment from the local village. It is a fantastic end to the day. The entertainment is terrific.
Our last day on the island comes all too soon. I am feeling thoroughly relaxed and am trying to think of ways I can retain this feeling – how to give up work, but maintain and income that allows me to travel! No doubt the eternal dream!
Tokoriki Island – Fast Facts
We stayed at Amunuca Resort, which has since been taken over by Sheraton Hotels.
We were here for two weeks.
Was it long enough? Yes, it was pure bliss, but there is not a lot to do on the island.
Highlights: Those beaches (!), snorkelling around the island made famous by the movie Castaway, seeing a shark – yes really!
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Back to the Natural Beauty of Queensland’s Fraser Island From champagne pools to shipwrecks
Last time we visited Fraser Island, off the East Coast of Australia, we were stuck with no four-wheel drive vehicle and just three days to see as much as we could.
It didn’t work well for us. We had thought we would have a car appropriate for the terrain, we had booked one before we left Melbourne, but when we went to pick it up in Brisbane we were advised we couldn’t take it off the mainland, so definitely couldn’t take it on to Fraser Island. We weren’t prepared to risk the insurance, so took a smaller car instead to get us up to Hervey Bay and figured we’d work it out when we got to Kingfisher – our accommodation.
We didn’t. All tours of the island were booked out. We did manage to squeeze in a whale watching tour (amazing, the best whale watching we have experienced). And so, with no other option, we walked to Lake McKenzie – about 24 kilometres return through sand, with dingoes patrolling the area.
We survived the walk, had a quick swim and managed to get back to the hotel just before it got dark and the only dingo we saw was at Lake McKenzie. It was an experience, but not one I would recommend.
This time we visited the island with friends, who fortunately had an extra four-wheel drive we could borrow.
So here we are again. And it certainly is much better with a car to travel around in.
This time we got to see the Maheno shipwreck, Eli Creek, the Champagne Pools, The Pinnacles and Red Canyon – and that was all just on the first day.
Let’s start with the Champagne Pools, which is where we started and then slowly wind our way back down to Eurong, stopping at the various sites along the way.
We arrived at the pools about 10.30 and it was packed, four-wheel drives everywhere alongside the odd tourist van.
The pools are essentially rock pools right on the shoreline on the north of the island. They get their name from the swells washing into the pools creating a bubble or “champagne” effect.
For us though, the most amazing thing about our trip to the pools was seeing whales at play not too far off shore.
It started with a splash, but soon we saw the tail come out, followed sometime later by the body.
In all we saw at least three or four whales from the Champagne Pools and from Indian Head, just around the corner.
In one sighting we saw two whales side by side.
Indian Head, a short drive back down the island is well worth a stop. It is a short walk up the side of the mountain, but the views from the top are spectacular, and of course there is always the chance of seeing a whale or two – an added bonus.
From here we also saw a stingray and allegedly a shark – someone pointed that out to me and while I could see something moving around, really it could just have been a large fish.
Continuing down the beach we stopped at Red Canyon – an interesting rock formation just off the beach that gets its name from its dark red sand colour and the pinnacles, another rock formation just off the main beach, this time sand coloured.
Both are interesting, neither blew us away.
We had visited the Maheno shipwreck the night before, but stopped for another look and some more photos.
I found the shipwreck fascinating, it is close to the shoreline so you can walk right up to it to check out its decayed state up close. With nothing but sand and ocean around it, the shipwreck provides a stark contrast to the stunning scenery.
And again, despite stopping at Eli Creek the night before, we stopped again so that Adrian and Nigel could swim along it. Eli Creek is a freshwater stream feeding water from many kilometres away into the ocean. It is surrounded by forest, but a path takes you alongside it and you can cross it by bridge at various spots along the way. The thing to do, it seems is to jump in the water and let the current drag you all the way along to the main beach, which is what Ade and Nigel did. It was too cold for me (I’m a bit of a wuss, truth be told), but it did look like a whole lot of fun.
While the distance from Eurong to Champagne Pools isn’t far, driving through sand and water banks, means it takes a lot longer than you would expect. We were gone all day, and other than an hour’s stop at the pools none of our stops were for very long.
But Fraser forces you to take your time and enjoy the scenery around you.
Our first lake this trip was to Lake Waddy – a lake that is slowly being eaten away by a sandblast.
Walking in from Eastern Beach you can either walk via the sandblast or a made path. While the made path sounds easier, I don’t think it actually was! This way you suddenly come upon the lake and there is no way around but to walk through the lake to get to the main “picnic” area.
The water isn’t deep, so it’s not arduous.
The water is brown in colour, not the stunning blue of Lake McKenzie – one of the best known sites on the island – but the bank of sand leading down into it gives it a really interesting look. It is well worth walking up the sand bank to view the vast amount of sand there – it really is like standing on a dessert.
For old times sake we had to go back and check out Lake McKenzie of course – this time we managed to go by car, much easier!
We arrived late in the day when most people were packing up to go, so didn’t really have time to take in the surroundings. It was much smaller than I had remembered it and not quite as striking, perhaps I had built it up in my mind, or perhaps the journey to get to the Lake last time had played a part in it seeming that little bit more spectacular. I can’t say we were disappointed, it is beautiful, but it wasn’t quite as awe-inspiring as it was on our first visit.
Fast Facts
We stayed at the beautiful Kingfisher Resort.
We were here for two nights.
Was it long enough? No! I could have stayed for weeks soaking up the beaches. There is so much to see and do here and while we did most of it, I could have stayed longer everywhere we visited.
Highlights: The Maheno Shipwreck, Eli Creek, Lake McKenzie, the Champagne Pools, watching for whales from, well, everywhere… the list is endless.
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