You can see Mount Popa in the distance - just over Mama Britton's head
The hotel helped us arrange a private taxi for our excursion. Our driver arrived early in the morning, and we set out for our big adventure. He was pleasant and spoke a little bit of English, and his taxi was clean and comfortable.
So excited for our big outing! #letustakeaselfie
Our taxi had these funny little mats in the backseat.
Our driver was very quiet but super nice. We thoroughly enjoyed our day.
Our first stop was at a palm sugar shop en route to Mount Popa. I had previously read about these little shops in my guidebook and was hoping we would stop. It was so interesting to see life outside the bustling city of Yangon. To me, it felt almost like we were going back in time to another era.
The palm sugar shop was very small and rustic. The hut was open and mostly made of dried palm and bamboo. There was even a machine powered by an ox.
Mom and I were fascinated by how many different things that are made with the palm sugar. They showed us some of the tools and explained the process that they use to make things like candy, alcohol, and other sweet snacks. They also told us that the wine "leaves you with no headaches." I didn't try the wine, so I cannot attest to that statement, but Mama Britton was pretty tickled by that one!
Mom and I were fascinated by how many different things that are made with the palm sugar. They showed us some of the tools and explained the process that they use to make things like candy, alcohol, and other sweet snacks. They also told us that the wine "leaves you with no headaches." I didn't try the wine, so I cannot attest to that statement, but Mama Britton was pretty tickled by that one!
At the end of our little tour, they had many samples for us to try. I tried many of the sweets (almost all of them, actually). My favorite was the sesame. There was also one that reminded me of Maple Nut Goodies, which is a candy that I always remember my mom eating when I was growing up. I tried the palm sugar beer, too. It was super sweet but I thought it was interesting. We bought some treats to take with us, and in the car my mom chuckled about how brave I am now. I hadn't really thought anything of it; I simply sampled everything they offered me. Once she mentioned it, I realized that she was right. Two or three years ago, I would have never eaten so many things from random man in a small hut on the side of the road. My, how times have changed!
The machine at work (see video in the link, above)
Seating area for snacks and resting area for taxi drivers and tour guides
A workbench, where they prep the palm sugar
Heating and melting of the sugar
Fermentation process
The wine vats - this is one thing that I did not get to try because they didn't have any ready for sampling
Yum!
After our little pit stop, we drove about another hour to Mount Popa. As we arrived to the town at the base of the volcano, our driver pulled over to a restaurant. We were a bit confused because we had already eaten breakfast. As it turns out, this was a sort of rest area, and the last chance for a Western toilet for awhile. I kind of giggled - but I definitely appreciated the stop.
Once we arrived at Mount Popa, our driver dropped us at the entrance and told us where we would meet him when we were finished. We set out on our journey - all 777 steps of it. And just by the way, Mama Britton trained for this climb for several months, and it really showed. She barely got winded on the first set of stairs, and then never again on the entire trip up AND down!
Not only did we climb 777 steps amongst the wild monkeys, but we did it in bare feet! Since it is a temple, we had to follow rules, and there are no shoes or slippers allowed in sacred areas.
"Welcome!"
I love the colorful rooftops in this country.
We had an interesting time getting dressed that morning. I never realized how many of my clothes have red, black, or sparkles! Allow me to explain...
According to my readings, the gods (or nats) at Mount Popa are very particular. You are not supposed to wear red or black, use swear words, or talk badly about anyone while you are there. We followed these policies very closely, as neither of us wanted to take a chance at angering any gods - it just seemed like good sense.
Some friends had also warned me that there were lots and lots of monkeys at Mount Popa. One friend even warned us not to wear anything sparkly because it attracts the monkeys, and we shouldn't carry anything like water bottles in our hands because the monkeys would steal them. They weren't exaggerating one bit - we saw one monkey climb up a woman's pony tail because she had a sparkly hair clip, and another one stole a guy's water bottle and ran away with it! I was very happy that I had changed my shirt that morning, and that we had tucked our water bottles safely into my travel backpack.
And just FYI - I was the skittish one going up the stairs because wild animals make me nervous. Mama Britton just waltzed by entire packs of monkeys without even batting an eyelash. #bosslady
This was the shirt I originally had on that morning. All of those little spots are sparkly rhinestone-type things. I was so preoccupied trying to find non-red-or-black clothing that I completely missed that detail on the shirt. I was SO GLAD that Mama Britton pointed out how sparkly it was... I would have literally been crawling with monkeys!
These guys were definitely not shy! Some people had these small rolls of paper that they gave to the monkeys so that they would go away.
See the water bottle bandit?? (Right next to the mama monkey with the baby on her belly, which was actually kind of cute)
The destination at the top of the 777 steps wasn't the only point of interest in our trip. Rather, there were small rooms, statues, plaques, and other relics all along the way. The stairs were broken into different sets of stairways, and some had small landings or openings to viewpoints and lookouts that were quite stunning.
The rain clouds and fog definitely created a magical, mystical atmosphere that day.
About halfway up the volcano, there was a really long hallway between staircases. There were statues and figurines on display that tell a legend from long ago. According to the legend, a man named Byatta fetched fresh flowers for the king everyday. One day when he was visiting the mountain to run his errand, he fell in love with a woman selling flowers. They later wed and had two sons. Some believe that they all became nats when they died, and that their spirits still live on the mountain.
The guide books and travel websites described this place as "kitschy." I found the story to be charming, actually. I love learning about local folklore when I travel.
These stairs were ESPECIALLY steep, so it was nice to have a little reprieve afterwards.
Mama Britton and I climbed the rest of the stairs to the top of the volcano. One part was quite steep, but mostly the stairs were sturdy and rather walkable. There were many cleaners along the way, scrubbing at the steps that were moist with the humidity, dirt, mud, and monkey droppings (I know... ew! But they are not exactly the cleanest creatures - and remember that we had to take off our shoes at the base of the stairs). I wish I had brought more small change to offer the cleaners as we walked up the stairs, as we ran out of money for tips at a certain point. We were definitely grateful for their efforts!
As soon as we made it to the top, we were immediately impressed. The views were well worth the effort, and my mother had such a sense of accomplishment after months of training for this. (I was super proud of her, too!)
These monkeys probably have some pretty great views! And just by the way... this is where the water bottle bandit took his loot.
At the top of the steps, there was a big room that had many different shrines and alters. It was very ornate and quite pretty. Some people were praying or meditating. There was also a box for donations. We had already paid the entrance fee at the base of the stairs, but we decided to put a little bit of money in there as a way to thank the nat spirits for allowing us to visit.
We continued through the exit doors and found ourselves outdoors once again. We were officially exploring the Popa Taung Kalat Temple, which is the temple on top of Mount Popa. It is a Buddhist temple, but it also has some relics from the time when animist and spirit worship were still prevalent in the area. There was a beautiful and interesting mix of culture on the top of this volcano.
We were both fascinated!
My mom is afraid of heights, but she faces her fears for experiences like this. She's been up to the top of Rockefeller Center in NYC, the Space Needle in Seattle, and now this shrine on top of a volcano in Myanmar! (among other places...)
We made our way to the main stupa. Thirty-seven statues of the most important nats are mixed among the Buddhas and stupas in this temple. The area is stunning, and there are lots of little things to look at.The wind that day created a soundtrack of jingling chimes while we explored.
More monkeys!
Close-up picture of the chimes jingling in the wind (video in the link, above)
We climbed all of those steps! Not bad for a Monday morning.
We wandered around for quite some time. Once we were finished, we made our way back down the stairs. We saw a few new things that we missed on our trek up.
She is DEFINITELY "woman strong"!
Peek-a-boo :)
Because I love pictures with my mommy #shwe
At the bottom of the stairs, we collected our shoes from the little bins. I sat down to clean my feet with some wet wipes, when suddenly Mama Britton called for my attention. I had a little visitor next to me on the bench. We call him Buster.
I think my expression says it all... #terrified
At one point, Mama Britton was standing next to me. When I pulled out the pack of wipes, Buster put his hand on her side and peered over to me. It was almost like he was saying to her, "What do you think she has in there, and do you think she will share it with us???" Mom says his little hand on her hip was a very funny feeling. I wish I could have gotten a picture of this moment, but our memories will have to do.
At one point, Buster crawled behind me on the bench. It was right around this time that the local shopkeeper shooed him away.
We made our way through the stairs filled with rows of trinkets and souvenir stands. Mama Britton and I were in the minority here, as most tourists were local Burmese people. We saw only two other small groups of Western tourists (about 5 or 6 people in total), as this stop is a bit "off the beaten track" for your average Western tourist. Many people were fascinated by us and stopped us to take pictures. This actually happens to me quite often in Myanmar. I finally decided to ask the last girl to take a picture with my mommy and me. She thought it was hilarious.
Another mama and baby
We found our taxi driver and headed to lunch at Popa Mountain Resort. We considered staying there when we were researching the trip, but we decided to use Bagan as "home base" for our few days in the region, rather than hotel-hopping (that is something that exhausted me on my trip to Vietnam the previous Spring Break). I was happy that we were able to visit the Popa Mountain Resort, as it was a nice place to have lunch. It provided delicious food and stunning views of Mount Popa. As we sat down, it started to rain. We had definitely been lucky all morning with the weather, considering we were smack in the midst of rainy season!
Charming little sign at Popa Mountain Resort
Mama Britton met a new friend on her way to the bathroom!
Views from our lunch table
Umbrellas dotted the ceiling of the restaurant
All of that exploring really made us work up an appetite!
Views from the patio... we just kept saying, "We climbed that!" hehe
Closer view
After lunch, we made our way back toward Bagan. Our taxi driver offered to take us to the lacquerware village before we went back to the hotel. Mama Britton and I decided that this sounded like a great idea, so we stopped in the small village of Myin Ka Par to learn about the local artisans who make lacquerware.
When we got to the workshop, a guide explained the process of making lacquerware. It is a long and very tedious process, and the products are absolutely stunning. They make everything from coasters to bowls to jewelry trays and teapots. They even make these enormous cupboards with the most intricate handwork I have ever seen.
Most of the smaller pieces take several months to make. The artists strip bamboo into small strips and then fashion into the shape that they want. Once it dries into the shape, they cover it with a coat of lacquer. Then they let it dry for several days and then repeat this process for several more coats. After that, artists carve a design into the lacquer. They use crushed stones to add color to the designs. Each color is sealed, and then they retrace the carvings for the next color.
As we watched the workers, we were both amazed at the level of artistry. We had this feeling often in our travels throughout Myanmar. I cannot imagine the amount of patience and concentration it takes to do this job. It is interesting to note that there are little to no safety precautions for workers, like you would see in the West. One guy was even working with the lacquer in an enclosed space. I imagine that they often get headaches, eye strain, or other aches and pains in their hands and backs from the detailed work, but none of them seemed to mind as they sat there peacefully working.
They also taught us how to spot the difference between the authentic work and a fake, as many knockoffs are sold in markets and souvenir stands throughout the country (I noticed this a lot after our visit). The real product is expensive as it is quite labor-intensive, but it is nothing compared to what it would cost for a similar product in the States. Mama Britton and I both bought several things from the factory to take home with us, and I also bought a teapot for my sister to add to her collection.
This is the cellar where the lacquerware dries. We did not go downstairs, as we had already climbed enough stairs for one day.
How many hours do you think went into this??
Although it was only the afternoon, we were both quite exhausted. It had been a big day. We ended with a lovely dinner at the hotel and called it an early night. Despite the exhaustion, we both went to bed happy.
Stay tuned for our continued adventures in this ancient land of Bagan...
