Day 2 and after report. What worked and what didn't

http://youtu.be/Q_s8lBgu89o

Horse Gully & Naas Valley, Namadgi National Park - ACT ( Day 1, plus gear reviews)

Well we are home now, after out overnight camping adventure in the Naas Valley and walking up to the Horse Gully Hut. Overall it was roughly 20kms round trip.

I weighted my pack when we got home and it came in at 10.7kgs with 900g still in my water bladder.. I can assure you that is rather a load when you are climbing up hill and down dale.

Have a watch and tell me what you think.

http://youtu.be/6Jc6J-_kI7I

My Christmas Gift to Me: Kathmandu Lansan Light hiking tent and rediscovering the bush capital #CBR

Since being back from Myanmar and Darwin I have been looking to do more bushwalking and day hikes. I have also discovered the Namadgi National Park. I know it sounds silly to say I have just discovered it after living in the ACT for nearly 10 years, however I am glad I have. Namadgi sits about 40kms to the south of what most people think of as the bottom of Canberra, Tuggernong. Namadgi actually takes up around 46% of the area of the Australian Capital Territory.

A few weekends ago we stopped off at the Namadgi National Park visitors centre and collected maps as well as talked to the staff there as I was looking for a gentle part day walk to get my partner used to carrying a pack. Previously he was not even keen to carry a tiny pack with a water bottle and camera in it. The staff suggested the Yankee Hat walk to the only Aboriginal Rock Art located within the ACT, being only 7kms round trip.

Following on from that trip, I have decided come hell or high water I want to start walking and at least doing overnights, if my partner can not or will not hack it, I will go alone. To this end I started hunting around for a light ( read able to be carried without doing my back) tent. I was bidding on a Hubba Hubba V6 on eBay for ONLY $250 which is hundreds of dollars off, sadly I missed out. Fortunately the even lighter but slightly less versatile Kathmandu Lansan Light  came in at $250 ( down from $699) during the Christmas Sales and weighted in at sub 2kgs.

I also managed to pick up a Mountain Designs Tasman 40 pack on sale for $65. After packing my new tent, my sleeping bag and my ground pad, there is not much room left for anything else.. I really should have got a 50L if I want to go solo.

UPDATE:

Regarding the Tent: Read here

My first dive

This afternoon I did my first dive! It was a beach dive directly off from the Lagoona Redang Resort beach. While only to a depth of 6m, it was fully guided. My group was meant to be 3 plus a guide but Frankie and Ron both aborted after a depth of about 30cm. After all the fiddling around and briefing I forgot the GoPros so can’t actually show you what I saw but the dive was over a reef with trigger fish, clown fish and whole host of others all just doing their fishy thing.

Myanmar: Inle Lake

Inle Lake

During our visit to Inle Lake, a large freshwater lake in the Shan state, I say large because it can easily sustain a floating village with a population numbering in the thousands with a fishing industry and floating tomato beds and still provide vast amounts of water that Myanmar uses for irrigation and hydro power generation. After arriving on the shores of Inle Lake, we were settled into our private ‘long tail’ boat- extremely shallow propellers fitted on long handles in the water sending ‘tails’ of water into the air as they move along

The 45min boat ride to our hotel on a was extremely enjoyable after the plane and car rides usual of the travel we were doing. While our hotel wasn’t actually ‘floating’ it was built on stilts – not that it helped when boats went past as the whole room swayed with the waves – a very disconcerting feeling when you are in the bathroom or in the bath. However the location and facilities were amazing.

Before our trip to Inle Lake, I had no idea that you could use the fibre from the inner stem of the lotus flower as a material for weaving. Turns out for the people of Inle, it's a staple.

I was absolutely fascinated by the people of Inle and their lives, everything they do is associated with the water - they have to, their houses are built on it, they rely on it for transport.

Inle is one of the largest tomato producing regions of Myanmar, the floating beds are based on floating tuff cut on the banks and secured into position.

No trip to Inle Lake count be complete without seeing the iconic fishermen, who remarkably paddle their low profile fishing boats with their legs - leaving their hands free to net and set fish traps.

Sorry for the death by pictures - but the location was just so amazing.

Tell me what you think below

Day 16 - 17 (13 &14 oct) Mandalay to Inle and around.

Day 16 – 17 (13 &14 oct) Mandalay to Inle and around.

Again up early ( I thought this was meant to be a holiday?) today we are heading to Inle Lake. A large freshwater lake in the Shan state, I say large because it can easily sustain a floating village numbering in the thousands, a fishing industry and still provide fast amounts of water that Myanmar uses for irrigation and hydro power generation.

I am afraid I will be going on a slight rant here – bear with me.

Leaving Mandalay Airport for a domestic flight to Inle Lake we were forced to go through customs checks twice – passport handed over the whole works – IT IS A DOMESTIC FLIGHT – before you say it was to check ID, we have picked up all our tickets at airline check in at every airport WITHOUT ID.

After the 45min boat ride to our hotel on a ‘long tail’ boat ( extremely shallow propellers fitted on long handles in the water sending ‘tails’ of water into the air as they move alone)

While our hotel wasn’t actually ‘floating’ it was built on stilts – not that it helped when boats went past as the whole room swayed with the waves – a very disconcerting feeling when you are on the toilet or in the bath.

After checking in our boat man took us around to various industry type cottages – the cigarette makers, lotus fibre weavers etc. The most interesting aspect I found was when we slowly motored through the residential area, through the stilt houses of the local villagers. I noticed a distant lack of waste water plumbing.. the ‘out house’ was just that. It emptied into the lake… usually beside the outhouse was a small covered pen, that housed the families livestock – a few chickens and maybe a pig – their waste too fell into the river below.

As we only have our boat driver to sun down – there are no lights on the long boats – so no night trips to the local restaurant – dinner was at the hotel. Now don’t they have a good scam going!!! They charge a lot for average quality food – all in USD rather than the local Kyat currency.

This region produced a lot of tomatoes – all in floating beds. It was unbelievable seeing farmers tend their crops… in boats.

Myanmar - Kalaw: An English village in the Shan State Hills via limestone caves of Pintaya

A journey into the hills

After leaving the banks of Inle Lake we headed up into the hills of Shan State.

On the steady climb up winding roads to the limestone caves of Pintaya we passed through some of the densest farmland in Myanmar. We passed small family farms growing cauliflower, pumpkin, potatoes, beans and cabbage all grown organically to be sold at local markets or if lucky, regional wholesalers.

Pintaya

Pintaya limestone caves, just like every other caves I encountered in Myanmar, have been converted to a Temple with every surface and grotto adorned with Buddhist imagery.

 The real highlight of Pintaya is the legend that surrounds the cave. Allegedly in mythical times, a number of princesses sheltered in the cave to escape a storm.

Little did they know a Nat [pre-Buddhist spirits] in the form of a giant spider was in the cave and proceeded to hold them hostage. A huntsman (a hunter, not of the spider variety) was nearby and heard the princesses’ screams. He used his bow and arrow to kill the spider. Why princesses were roaming the country unprotected the myth does not say. 

 

To remind all and sundry of the story there is a reenactment in Disney style large stone characters at the entrance to the cave. 

 

 

From Pintaya we stopped and had lunch at the lake where Kainnari & Kainnara (the flying lover gods as previously mentioned ) were rumoured to live. 

 

Not a bad place to spend a day. 

 

Onward, ever onward we moved to Kalaw – if the English gardens at Pyin Oo Lwin was freakish the English cottages and large homes of Kalaw are other worldly, topped off with Pine trees make this place look like an English village deposited in the Myanmar hills.
 

 

 A true highlight for me included a visit to the Kalaw markets during Market Day! All the farmers were out selling their wares – from veggies to batteries, dried fish to clothes - it was all there. We spent most of the morning wandering around the stalls and looking at odd parts of animals.

Pyin Oo Lwin Days 13 & 14

Day 13

Today we head off to Pyin Oo Lwin, in the hills outside Mandalay. The air is noticeably cooler and they even manage to grow grapes here for the local wine industry.

First stop is a waterfall (Dat Taw Gyain Waterfall) I have to say the walk down is not for the fain of heart. Taking 45 minutes to walk down, you know it is going to hurt on the way back. Due to recent rain the waterfall was in full flow covering the base area in a misty spray including the near by Pagoda.

The rest of the afternoon was spend checking in at the hotel and resting. That evening we had dinner with one of Frankie's friend from school, now an Myanmar Army Major, teaching at the nearby Joint Services College.

Day 14

First location we visited today was a deep cave with a natural river flowing through it. This river is diverted in parts to power mini hydro electric power systems - lucky since the inside of the cave, discovered in 1990, has been turned into a walk in Pagoda - every wall and shelf is covered in Buddah's images or grottos filled with religious imagery, all with the river running in and out of little rivers covered by walkways.

Then off to another waterfall located near by, called BE which I am told stands for Built by Engineers (Army) - a multi stage waterfall and river system running through a little township - water was a little dirty from recent rains.

In the afternoon we headed back to the township of Pyin Oo Lwin for a tour around in one of the many colonial era styled horse pulled carts.

Finishing the afternoon at the large botanical gardens built in 1917.

The whole place looks like an english park.. apart from the pagoda in the middle of the lake, and the monkeys fighting in the trees.

Myanmar: Bagan to Mandalay

Flying from the ancient temple city of Bagan  to the ‘last kingdom’ of Mandalay, we were the only passengers on this leg as the aircraft operates Yangon – Bagan –Mandalay – Yangon. All passengers had left at Bagan with only Frankie and I boarding for the flight from Bagan. Talk about premier service!

After arriving in Myanmar’s second largest city there was no time to rest – adventure awaits.

U Bein Bridge

I know it sounds like one of those locations were you may think ‘oh how exciting… a bridge’. I have to say I did think that on the way to the location, but I was immediately taken aback.

The 100 year old Teak Bridge and its surrounding lake was spectacular.

The day we were there it was drizzling – in some ways that added to the spectacular mystical atmosphere

Watching the weather beaten old men sitting on the low bridge with their lengths of bamboo for fishing catching a few little fish with just a flick of the wrist.

Mahar Gandar Yone Monastery

After the visiting the bridge we wandered over to the  Mahar Gandar Yone Monastery. The monastery is famed in the area for allowing the tourists to see the process of dishing out the main daily meal to the many monks that reside at the monastery. Monks traditionally only eat 2 meals a day. Arising at 4am for a breakfast meal followed by a single lunch meal.

Sagaing Hill Silk Weavers

A visit to the region is not complete without visiting the silk weavers of Sagaing Hill where we managed to find the perfect gift for one of our friends back in Canberra, a Longyi, the Burmese sarong.