We’re staying at My Bagan Residence by Amata in New Bagan. The area is composed of three towns New Bagan, Old Bagan and N . It was a great bargain at US$47 per night and we were upgraded to a suite - the list price on our Guide Book was US$100-120 per night, where it received excellent reviews. It is situated on a riverside complex with a tropical garden
and a palm fringed pool.
There is also a spa. Everything is priced in US$ including a per item laundry charge!!
This morning, we had to plan a trip to Thazi from there the train to Kalaw and on to Lake Inle. Reception suggested that we go to the Tourism Office across the road from the hotel. There we met a most helpful man who arranged the bus to Thazi (8 hours, K10,000 per person / pick up at hotel), assured us there was plenty of accommodation in Thazi, arranged a driver for tomorrow to drive us to our selected Payas (K25,000 for half a day - 14:00 pick up at hotel, drop back after sunset c.18:00) and finally he drove us to a laundry in his TukTuk, where our laundry would be washed and folded @ K3,000 per kilo and the laundry agreed to drop it back to our hotel.! Such service!
Our driver left us on main road as requested and we walked down town - not much to see. I had bought one of their pants to wear at the temples in Yangon, didn’t try them on and later discovered it was size 2XL!! Today, I purchased an M - much better- and left the shop with the 2XL!!
New Bagan Main Street is about 200 metres long.
Aung San Suu Kyi’s father
There’s is nice lacquer and book shop on the Main Street where we purchased books on Myanmar. It has a few restaurants and a reasonable supermarket. We chose one at random and later read in our Guide Book that it was none too clean! I hope the tummy copes - it has to date!!
We took a Tuk Tuk back to the hotel and now I’m sitting on our private extensive veranda having coffee. Having updated the blog, I’m heading to the pool.
Prior to sunset, we intend to walk to the nearby Riverview Restaurant, where my trusty Guide Book (GB) suggests that it is good location for a sundowner before the coaches arrive. However, it added that the standard of cuisine does not reflect the beauty of the sunset!!
After sunset, the sky comes alive with hues of yellow and orange
The Seven Sisters is recommended for dinner. Would you dear reader believe that is in fact run by seven sisters? The Seven Sisters was as advised a beautiful teak structure. When we admired the lighting, we were informed that ‘sister number five is an engineer and she organised the lighting’ !
One of the sisters explained that the restaurant used purified water to wash dishes and to make ice. The restaurant was patronised by Caucasians
- the largest number I’ve seen since arriving in Myanmar. We had an excellent mea together with an excellent local wine from Lake Inle - the only region where the vine is cultivated
We returned to the hotel by Tuk Tuk. Our local Paya was lit up (it’s not mentioned in my guidebook)
More tomorrow ....
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