And now for something completely different...

[Digger]

We followed Highway 1 and were heading South. There were some new sections of road (concreted) which were not open to the public (yet) but were being used by locals so we followed suite. Smooth as a billiard table and very quick.



We bought a $0.30 cent cone in the afternoon as a 'pick me up'.

[Digger]

We stayed overnight at Meiktila where the eye catching floating Phuang Daw U Pagoda is located.



We asked the hotel to organise a bus to take us to Bagan to save two days of riding. I expected something bigger. I was anxious the whole journey expecting to see the bikes fall off the side. They didn't. I tipped the driver $5 for his efforts.

[Digger]

Bagan...local Hawker selling her wares. The cream on her face is their version of sunscreen.



Sunset at Old Bagan as seen from atop Shwesandaw Pagoda

[Digger]

The Irrawaddy River. Tourist boats take three days to go from Mandalay to Bagan. In the foreground are women unloading a barge carrying blue metal by filling cane baskets and tipping it into small trucks by hand.



The same river being used by local women washing clothes.

From here we catch an overnight train (sleeper) to Yangon to allow Trevor to fly out on Tuesday.
Distance cycled to date - 497km.
SPOT link is here.
http://share.findmespot.com/shared/face ... UCtYLNPufa

[RobBD]

Great photos Steve - can I be greedy and ask for more please!

[jls]

Looks like a interesting country
Looks like a new rig
What sort of tyres are you running

[Digger]

Looks like a interesting country
Looks like a new rig
What sort of tyres are you running

Yeah, new bike. Thought I'd treat myself. Nothing special. A 27.5 inch 24 speed Giant Mountain Bike. Trevs riding my old one. I put Schwarble Marathon tyres on his. They have a reputation for road touring. Probably a bit skinny for Burnas roads but a very hardy tyre. On the new Giant I left the standard off road tyres on. Most unsuitable for touring but they absorb some of the shock from the potholed roads over here. I plan on cycling Europe in July so I'll swap em out for something more suitable before then.

[wightman]

Hey Digger, good work but if you can't send pictures of the Irrawaddy dolphins, you weren't there mate. Bagan is spread out so much, its not like a metropolis. They had an earthquake last year, so have had to do repairs but its a living city, so the repairs don't detract from its charm

[Digger]

Some time has passed...


We were going to Yangon by train which left at 4pm. We filled in some time by going to the Archeological Zone Museum.



I found this exhibit interesting. These aren't headstones. They are inscripted stones found in various temples dating back centuries. I guess it was their version of an early library.

[Digger]

The 4pm left on time...it was supposed to be a 18 hour trip arriving at 10.30am the following morning. There were delays overnight (single track and missed some departure Windows) and the train did not arrive until 5.00pm. 25 hours in total. Rough night!!!


Trev unloading the bikes at destination. I had to tie them down myself cause the rail staff were prepared to just let them roll around the baggage car.

[Digger]

Back to old school navigating. It was near dark when we left the station and had to ride 10km to the hotel. Phone battery went flat during the train journey so it was back to paper maps under torchlight and asking locals to assist. Yangon (formerly Rangoon) is a big city with a huge volume of traffic proving difficult to negotiate.



Visited Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon. It is considered the 'holiest of holies' for Burmese Buddists. It was like Disneyland for Buddists but without the rides. I was snow blind after the visit. It was like looking at the sun. The Longi wasn't optional...my knees were showing.

[Digger]

Trevor left this morning (Tuesday) to return to Oz. I will depart tomorrow and keep heading toward the Thai border further south.

Distance covered to date- 559km.

SPOT Link is here;
http://share.findmespot.com/shared/face ... UCtYLNPufa

[Digger]

Trev checking in...we organised the bike box days before by contacting a local bike shop in Yangon which is run by an Aussie.



My proposed route for the next week or so..head as far south as Dawei and then head east for Thai border.

[Digger]

About 30 km north of Yangon is a war grave cemetery maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commision. The cemetery is in memorial to the 27,000 Commonwealth soldiers who died in Burma ; Brits, Aussies, Burmese and Indians.



The pillars are inscribed with the names of the fallen. RIP fellas.

[Digger]

Navigation made easy (even getting out of a major city) using my favourite App...Maps Me.


I've been heading south for the last two weeks and getting closer to the equator. The temperature reached 39 degrees C today (Thursday) and the humidity is getting higher. It's hard to keep hydrated cycling in these conditions.

Distanced cycled to date - 743km.

C'mon Danny Green.

SPOT link is here;
http://share.findmespot.com/shared/face ... UCtYLNPufa