Boating in Myanmar

Myanmar | Jul 5 - Jul 22, 2019

Anne was incredible from the first contact. She was flexible and seemed to understand the type of holiday we wanted and planned it fitting in everything we wanted to see and do.
All our guides were great and it was fabulous that they were all different.
Cherry was so bubbly and her knowledge of Yangon and enthusiasm to show us its highlights from the pagoda to trying the food was infectious. We laughed so much and felt really welcome.
Ney was more reserved but so accommodating and happy for us to climb every floor of every building, photograph every angle of every street and shop in every street of Mandalay. we joked with him and teased him and he just laughed. His knowledge of Myanmar history is incredible!
Aka was fun, taking us on a great scooter ride and showing us the highlights of Bagan including some great restaurants and encouraging us along to the UNESCO rock concert!!! His passion for Bagan and its history was also evident.
Naing was just an absolute delight! He wanted so much to please and share in our holiday. He had even surfed the net finding slang colloquialisms to share with us and desperately seeking to speak fluent English. He also is passionate about Myanmar, its history, culture and religion and has a lovely desire to see his country succeed. He shared a very intimate love of his family when he took us to his family home for lunch: an incredible experience with delicious food!

Cottage House in Pindaya, is an absolutely delightful homestay. The hospitality of the owner Miamia was second to none and her warmness and openness made our stay very special. The rooms are minimalist but clean with lovely linen and special touches of handmade paper wrapping the bathroom accessories, fresh mangoes from her trees and homemade jam along with a friendly, fun staff and great menu for dinner if you want to eat in. Breakfast also great.

Umbria hotel in Bagan was a great choice with a lovely infinity pool to use after a hot, dusty day out and big spacious rooms with nice linen. Also the proximity of the hotel to the sights and amenities was great.
The cooking class with Maymay was amazing. From the 7:30 start in the market where she explained the different veges and ingredients and their uses to the final sit down at the finish was so much fun and so interesting. Her passion for charity work was also infectious and truly admirable. I was so excited that we had been able to contribute in a very tiny way to helping children get access to books by doing her class.

One of the greatest experiences was having a day at the elephant camp feeding and bathing the great beasts. Hearing the story of the camp and meeting the wonderful man who set it up was very special. Being that close to the elephants and helping out was a privilege that I will never forget.

We had tea in 3 different families on our various adventures completely spontaneously with friends of our guides and the way we were made to feel so welcome was also a great privilege. We shared laughter, food and culture without language and that was incredibly humbling. In particular the lunch with Naings family was a very special time that I felt very humbled to be a part of.

All the modes of transport, train,kayak,cycles,e-scooter,trekking and boats in all the different waterways were such a great option as the perspective is so different from each seat!

The food was also a real highlight for this foodie! Curries, Mohinga, Shan noodles, ginger, garlic, chillies and so much fresh fruit and vege. What more could a girl want!

KimKim you certainly have my tick! When you want to add NZ to your list let me know.

Thank you for the opportunity to see Myanmar in such a fun,educational and varied way.