Thursday, 24 January 2013
Aside from Bago, which we will cross on our way out of Rangoon, there is not much to see between Naypyidaw and Rangoon. Just a 400 km stretch of semi-arid flatlands. To get this piece behind our back fast, we opt for the "expressway", a new 200 miles concrete road that links the new capital to the old one. This is a good choice: the two-lane highway is nearly empty... and, surprisingly, bicycle are not forbidden. The bulk of the traffic is apparently taking the alternative Mandalay-to-Rangoon road, probably because it's toll free or cheaper.
Before heading out we make a dash at the new luxurious "Capital Hypermarket" to pile up water and food... and indulge ourselves to a tasty burger with perfect fries and mayonnaise!
The first miles on the expressway are dispiriting: the heat is hitting hard and the road is not as pool-table-flat as expected. The countdown of the mileage markers on the side of the road (starting at the 200 miles mark!) is terribly slow. When the night falls our only option is to find a cosy spot out of sight in a field, a few hundred meters away from the road.
The following day we finetune the bikes, Pierre puts the big brackets on, while FX works on his wheel sucking technique. The straight road is dull, but at the end of the day we have covered a record-breaking 150 km. Pierre has also made good progresses with his Italian language book. By the way, in case somebody is interested, there is one large restaurant stop at the 115 miles marker; the choice is otherwise limited to a few small eateries scattered along the side of the road.
Night falls on this second day and we are preparing ourselves for a second night in the bush. But hope is on the rise when we see the pagoda of a monastery in the distance around the 66 miles marker. Maybe the chance to wash and sleep indoors! At the gate we easily put an exhausted look on our faces.
The welcome is incredibly warm. We are seated in the main room and the hyperactive head monk jumps around constantly adding items to the growing pile of food and drinks in front of us. A climax is reached when he takes two calendars off the wall as a gift to us, refusing to take "no thank you" as an answer.
The evening is fun. Four school teachers have joined. Supported by the witty head monk we follow a class of "Burmese for dummies", avidly taking notes of useful words like "rice", "water", "spicy", "how far away", etc.
In the morning, after a visit of the local school we are back on the expressway. The countdown continues until the long awaited "0-0" marker finally appears. Alleluia! Another 40 km are needed to reach downtown Rangoon. In total, we have covered 380 km in two and half days. Not bad! For the record, we have covered 2536 km since the beginning of our trip exactly one month ago.
The town of Rangoon stretches far north and we are surprised to see how wealthy some of these suburbs are. Many new modern buildings are on the rise. We've read that much of this money is coming from the (sometimes illegal) sales of raw materials to China, firstly oil and jade. The benefits seldom spill beyond a small circle of privileged people. Witnessing the power of the army, military institutes of all kinds also dot the road along these pleasant green and hilly surroundings.
Downtown Rangoon has a very different style. Its streets are bursting with life, the colourful and noisy crowds making their way between all kind of open air markets. The multi-storey colonial buildings with decaying facades exude an outdated charm.
Strikingly, compared to the other places we have come across in Burma, there is a much greater variety of people types. The usual flow of "Burmese" faces is diluted with people showing Bengali traits and darker skin complexions. Many are distinctlively Hindus or Muslims. At times, it feels like a plunge back in Bangladesh. This diversity is reminiscent of a time when Burma was part of British India and Calcutta a boat trip away across the Bay of Bengal.
Despite all this religious diversity, the city is clearly dominated by one huge Buddhist temple: the famous Shwedagon pagoda, which is a major Buddhist worship place, even beyond the borders of Burma. Our first morning in Rangoon is dedicated to visiting this impressive monument. We spend the afternoon drinking tea lazily on a shady terrace or shamelessly enjoying ice creams in air-conditioned shops offering wifi.
On our second day in Rangoon we brunch out of a plate of Mohinga: a delicious soup of rice noodles and fish that is a local specialty. We spend the afternoon walking around the downtown bazars, including the main market where jade and gold artifacts are sold.
In the evening we meet Massimo Lanciotti, an indirect acquaintance of Pierre via the "Dhaka network". Massimo lives in Rangoon where he is the country director for the italian arm of "Terre des Hommes". We get to learn many interesting details about the NGO work in Burma while feasting on mouth-watering seafood in a Rakhine restaurant (Rakhine being this state bordering Bangladesh that made the news recently after "incidents" with its heavily discriminated minority, the Rohingyas).
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