With our Burmese adventures coming to a close, we enjoyed 4 sun-filled and relaxed days at lovely Ngapali Beach, a quick 40-minute flight south-west from Inle Lake – our previous stop. Ngapali (the “g” is silent) is a beautiful, long beach that is mainly visited by an older European crowd, and the wealthy Burmese elite – of which there are not many. We stayed at the luxurious Amata Beach Hotel, a seaside resort that would easy have cost us four times the price at a comparable establishment in Hawaii, or some other, similar US beach destination.
Our daily program – or more accurately, lack of program, took on a languid pace, and we basically lounged the days away. There were no day trips or excursions for us while at Ngapali; the most active part of our day included extended beach walks along the crescent shaped, tranquil bay – and an occasional fling of a Frisbee that we’d brought along. Often the most excitement we had was watching a few giant jellyfish wash up onto shore, then observing how the security guard and beach attendant would bury it in the sand.
Each morning we secured two of the comfortable lounge chairs which were set underneath the multiple, thatched-roofed sunshades available to resort guests and read our books, drank cold beer, napped, and played games of scrabble (on the iphone). The thin and inexpensive blow-up rafts that we’d toted along saw quite a bit of action in both the soothing sea and in the expansive and impressive hotel infinity pool (which sported a sculpted poolside mermaid statue).
On one especially lazy afternoon we took advantage of the serene hotel spa, enjoying firm Myanmar-style massages; Deb had a sticky honey/seed body scrub treatment as well. Our late afternoon activity usually included the hotel’s happy hour, which featured bargain cocktail prices and beautiful sunsets that dipped straight into the ocean ahead – what a life!
In the evenings we strolled along the small, newly-paved path behind the hotel grounds, looking for, and enjoying the inexpensive local restaurants and small shops that dotted the roadside. We had a delicious dinner consisting of a whole-fish stuffed with cloves of garlic and slices of ginger, at one such eatery, but the majority of our meals were enjoyed seaside, at our resort’s open-air dining area.
After leaving our relaxing seaside oasis, we flew onward, returning back to our starting point, Rangoon (now known as Yangon), for our last 2 days in Burma (aka – Myanmar). One day we walked around the hot and busy city streets, taking in the sights, sounds, and smells that only a large Asian city can provide. The day’s highlight were the two (more) beautiful and ancient pagodas that we visited, which were juxtaposed with the modern noise of traffic, cell-phone towers, and high-rise buildings that dot the downtown scene.
We saw lots of typical city street life in Yangon, including tiny tea shops with small plastic tables and chairs, booths selling western-style jeans and t-shirts, and lots of unidentified and “strange-to-our-eyes” foods, fruits, and fish.
We spent the morning our final day at a huge shopping market, liquidating ourselves of the last of our kyat (sounds like chat), the Myanmar currency, buying up goods and trinkets before heading back to California. We avoided the afternoon heat by relaxing at our hotel pool, playing table tennis on the indoor ping-pong table, and packing up our bags in preparation for the long flights homeward.
Our 3-week adventure in Burma has been an absolutely amazing spiritual, cultural, and eye-opening experience. Once again we’ve gained fresh perspective, a reminder as to just how fortunate and blessed we are to lead the lucky lives we live - able to globetrot the planet with the freedoms and choices available to us. May the future hold the same such blessings for all of Planet Earth’s inhabitants!
Travel on in peace,
The Grateful Globetrotters
5 comments:
pura vida and safe onward travels. I've really enjoyed your burma tales.
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