We did leave tourist country today, heading North-East from Bagan and eventually crossing the Irrawaddy river near Pakokku. From here we were heading North towards the town of Myaing မြိုင်. After we had crossed the river, life got noticeably slower; trucks turned into ox-carts. We had a few photo stops on the way and also were shown, how sesame and peanuts are being grown and processed.

We continued to a small community about half an hour from Myaing; it was here, that we would stay for the night and get a glimpse of the living conditions and related challenges in the rural parts of Myanmar.

We were staying in the community eco lodge, which had been erected just two years back as part of a project, to enhance the standard of living for the people in the villages around. On arrival we got a thorough introduction to the project and the project’s impact, before making it to the community hall for lunch. After a simple, but amazing lunch we had some time to move into our rooms in the lodge and to relax a bit – just to find us back on bikes shortly thereafter.

The bike ride did bring us through the fields (including an opportunity to see rice being harvested and the option to help out) to one of the villages, that is part of the project. Here we got a presentation with more details on the various projects triggered over the years, the things already achieved and the short-/mid-term ambitions – this time from the villagers’ perspective. Following the presentation we were guided around the village, to see the local industries (e.g. weaving, anything related to the rice harvest and processing).

From here it was back to the bikes to another settlement, where trees were waiting for us to be planted. Sustainability is seen as a key part of the tourism project, hence every visitor is given a tree seedling to plant – to make that sustainability tangible. Sustainability indeed is built into the full program, however for me this tree-planting-activity is really a nice touch … plus there is now a lime tree growing in Myanmar, which has a sign with my name next to it. 🙂

We made it back to the lodge in time before sunset; chairs were lined up to face the setting sun – peanuts and beer were also waiting. We also ended up being lucky, winning 10.000 kyat (around 6 EUR) in the lucky draw of the Myanmar brewery.

After sunset we were invited to join in the kitchen to watch the preparation of dinner – and as such to get a first hand view on the ingredients used in traditional Myanmar cuisine (which included – as to be expected – loads of oil, garlic, chilies and ginger); there was even the opportunity to help out in the process (as in chopping, mixing already measured ingredients or stirring).

After a great dinner we moved to the outside for a short performance of local dancing – complete with live music.