9th Dec 2016 - Kyaikto - Yangon

9th Dec 2016 - Kyaikto - Yangon

All bags were packed, loaded onto the cars and we left the Eternity Resorts and Hotels at around 8 AM so we could reach Yangon early.  The food in Myanmar is closer to Indian food than Thai food so many of us in the group were more comfortable with the breakfast, which was served at 7 AM.

The cars were driven in a convoy and would be on the road for about 4 to 5 hours including stops for tea and conveniences.

10th Dec 2016 - Yangon to Nay Pyi Taw

10th Dec 2016 - Yangon to Nay Pyi Taw

8th Dec 2016 - Myawaddy to Kyaikto (Golden Rock)

8th Dec 2016 - Myawaddy to Kyaikto (Golden Rock)

Three ministers of the Myanmar Govt flagged us off from the Hotel Grade One where we were staying.

View from our room in Hotel Grade One

Part of the Musicians group

Musicians and the ancers

Mahalakshmi having Thanaka applied on her face.

So, what is Thanaka?

The wood of several trees may be used to produce thanaka cream; these trees grow abundantly in central Myanmar. They include principally Murraya spp. (thanaka) ^[2] but also Limonia acidissima (theethee or wood apple).^[6] The two most popular are Shwebo thanaka from Sagaing Region and Shinmadaung thanaka from Magway Region. A more recent contender sold as a paste is Taunggyi Maukme thanaka from southern Shan State. Thanaka trees are perennials, and a tree must be at least 35 years old before it is considered mature enough to yield good-quality cuttings. Thanaka in its natural state is sold as small logs individually or in bundles, but nowadays also available as a paste or in powder form.

To know more about Thanaka go to - wikipedia

Scene from Myanmar Highway

A toll booth in Myanmar

The Chassis seems to be extended and an engine fitted in front of the vehicle.

Bridge across Thanlyin river

Orchids in the Hotel Eternity

The drive was long and we drove along the same landscape continuously, Hour after hour. In between we stopped at a restaurant on the roadside for some tea and it so much resembled those in Sri Lanka. We had sugarcane juice here.

Typical Myanmarese home, made of wood and on stilts. Even our Hotel room though of only one floor was raised and built on stilts - Brick and mortar building.

Typical Myanmarese road.

A Myanmarese cart powered by a motorcycle engine, where the rider sits on one side and not in the centre.

We stopped for lunch at a restaurant on the roadside where the vegetarian food was quite alright. The tables were made of teak and so were all furniture in fact.

Both sides of the road one can find rubber tree plantations and in my understanding not as well maintained as one could see in Kerala. Yes we did walk through one for a short while.

6th Dec 2016 - Bangkok - Ayuthaya - Sukothai

6th Dec 2016.

We were packed and ready by 7 AM and excited to start our drive.

Ashwin and I at the car, Ashwin was the designated driver for this car and will drive the car from Bangkok uptil Ayuthaya.

Shaymala Ejji and Mahalakshmi at the porch just before departure.

Mahalakshmi and I at the car just before we commenced our journey.

The convoy left Hotel Rembrandt at 7:30 AM and headed towards Ayuthaya, we needed to cover a distance of about 80 Km to reach Ayuthaya and after looking around Ayuthaya we sop over for lunch and then dive onto Sukothai.

Here is something from Wikitravel about Ayuthaya -

Founded around 1350, Ayutthaya became the second capital of Siam after Sukhothai. Throughout the centuries, the ideal location between China, India and the Malay Archipelago made Ayutthaya the trading capital of Asia and even the world. By 1700 Ayutthaya had become the largest city in the world with a total of 1 million inhabitants. Many international merchants set sail for Ayutthaya, from diverse regions as the Arab world, China, India, Japan, Portugal, the Netherlands and France. Merchants from Europe proclaimed Ayutthaya as the finest city they had ever seen. Dutch and French maps of the city show grandeur with gold-laden palaces, large ceremonies and a huge float of trading vessels from all over the world. All this came to a quick end when the Burmese invaded Ayutthaya in 1767 and almost completely burnt the city down to the ground.

Today, only a few remains might give a glimpse of the impressive city they must have seen. Its remains are characterized by the prang (reliquary towers) and big monasteries. Most of the remains are temples and palaces, as those were the only buildings made of stone at that time. The great cultural value of Ayutthaya's ruins were officially recognized in 1991, when the Historic City became an UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its proximity to Bangkok make it a popular day-trip destination for travelers from Bangkok.

Ayutthaya is an island at the confluence of three rivers: the Chao Phraya River, the Lopburi River and the Pa Sak River. As the train station is at the east side off the island, most visitors will need to cross the river by ferry boat. Navigating your way around the island is not particularly hard: U Thong Rd is a ring road that circumvents the island completely. Most temple ruins can be found at the northwest of the island, while accommodation and night life is clustered around the northeast. As non-Siamese peoples were not allowed to live inside the city walls, things foreign are found off the island.

On a personal note I must say that the little excursion into Ayuthaya ruins was exciting, imagine going back in time over 750 years and think of the people who lived there, at the rear end there is a large scale model of the palace and the temples as they looked many many years ago. One needs to spend a little time here to soak in the