Sunday, 1st January, Sunny. Cramped.
Hellbus wake up call @ 4:30. Was bundled into the bus with a breakfast bag by the Im Wa people (such hospitality!) (I am in the most rear, most left seat of the bus.) The seat in front cuts into my knees and the baby in the seat in front keeps vomiting. Aleady by the first and second stop at 7 am and 10am, people loo very worried. By lunchtime stop near Thazi, people are quite fragile. Eating Chicken fried rice at the truckstop, I spot 2 people climb onto the roof of the bus and I react straight away, pay my bill and one last gulp of tea and I run up to the side of the bus and climb onto the bus also.
The scenery & fresh air and space to move! bUt I forget my things in the bus so as the bus starts backing up, I dive belly-down to the rear left window and knock. The burmese guy seems me waving and hands me my longgi and pillow. The two people next to me on top of the bus think I am crazy and hold me by my legs. I realise immediately that the best decision of the day has been made. The view is amazing as we crawl up the valleys to the tops, winding around farms, and streams and bamboo, and paddies and banana plants, constant dust and roadwork all alone with men and women in broad conical cane hats – it’s like watching Chinese break rocks and blasting mountains to lay rail road track in the old west of America.
Suddenly I feel joy that I am sitting in first class whilst the rest of the crew suffer below decks. That could have been me! I think. the older french couple who I saw climbing aboard at the truckstop were Daniel and Agnes(?). They were celebrating 28 years of being together. They tell me, the first time they travelled together was when they met in 1983. They travelled 6 months in India, Varanasi. She was 20 years old! First time on an airplane! Now they have travelled together ever since, had 2 twin girls who are both attending University.
Rooms are $6 per night @ Golden Lily, super nice Sikh family business. Advised to tour top of pagodas east of town of Kalaw. I decide to skip Lake Inle and laze around the mountains and hills here. 1 day, market of convening tribes. I day trek, 1 day 17bus from Kalaw to Yangon, then fly at 8am back to Bangkok.
Sunset on the hill to the east, watching the sun set in the west range.
Dinner in 7 Sisters, great curry , conversation with D&A. Big table of 30 germans behind in the main room.
I realised that I forgot my 15 year old Doc Martens boots on the bus, under my seat. The hotel madam called the bus company @ Thanggi and after I returned from my walk she told me that the boots were found and would be returning on the same bus on it’s return run to Bagan at 7:30 tomorrow morning.