Dawei, Myanmar – November 26th – 29th, 2016

It turned out that opting for the flight option to Dawei was not only the correct decision, but an outstanding one: it was the easiest flight ever! We checked in and went through “security” which was really just a bag scan machine and handheld metal detector. They did not have any qualms about letting in bottled water, so we sat in the waiting area and enjoyed our water while talking to some other Americans that were also traveling through Myanmar. When it was time to board, the entire waiting room got up simultaneously and exited, showing their ticket on the way outside. We boarded through the back of the plane, picked a seat, and by the time we were situated, the cabin doors were closed, the plane taxiing, and the flight attendants doing a short safety briefing. Just as the flight attendants finished, the plane was airborne. Within 10 minutes of boarding, we were at elevation, and had been served fresh juice and a delicious pastry. We stopped in Myeik, a city along the way, where the plane dropped some passengers off and boarded others (including their baggage). You would think that this would take some time, but no, we were back in the air in approximately 7 minutes and were served yet another pastry and more juice. It was incredible! We reached out destination about 30 minutes after our scheduled departure time (oh yeah, I forgot to mention that we left 45 minutes early!).  

Cell service in Myanmar only started about five years ago. That being said, one would logically infer that reception and starting service would be difficult, but no, it turns out that only in the US is getting a cell phone plan a painful process. After five minutes and 4500 kyat (about $3.50) we had a sim card with coverage throughout the country and 500 Mb of data. This all from a local that hardly spoke English. Beat that Verizon!

Dawei, is a larger city (in comparison to Kawthaung) on the southern peninsula. On our first full day, we rented two semi-automatic motorbikes to tour the surrounding area. We had planned to see a giant reclining Buddha statue, visit a beach pagoda, and spend the rest of the time on a beach that we had heard was picturesque and completely undeveloped. We did manage to accomplish all of this, but our beach time turned out to be more like a beach moment because we did not arrive there until dusk. It was really more of a motorbike day since we spent about 7 hours on and 2 hours off the mini-motorbikes, which were by the way designed for people closer to a 5 ft. stature.  How did that happen you ask? Well, poor planning for one: to our surprise, the beach pagoda was about 2 hours away on a terribly maintained dirt road and was in the opposite direction as the picturesque beach. Also to our astonishment, it was not a pagoda on nice beach, but more of a pagoda build on some rocks with a short bridge to the mainland. Let’s just say it was not worth the 4-hour round-trip journey. 

Next, my motorbike got a flat tire in the middle of nowhere. Luckily, our Myanmar cell phone had full service, and we called the rental company who told us to keep driving (with a fully flat tire) to the nearest village and give the phone to a local. Since it appeared we had no other choice, we complied, and 5 kilometers later we stopped a villager coming out of his hut and told him (via charades) to wait a moment while we call someone. Since we’re celebrities, he agreed willingly. Several minutes later, he gave us his motorbike, he took mine, and we rode towards the nearest mechanic. Our friendly local arranged for the tire to be fixed (which by the way, is done in exactly the same way that a bicycle tire is changed) and we were on our way. We paid 3000 kyat (~$2.30) for a new tube and 20 minutes of labor for the mechanic (which was later reimbursed by the rental company). The villager that we had stopped stayed the entire time to help and see us off. So nice! 

The first half of our day trip around Dawei. 

At sundown, we finally arrived at the beach. It was spectacular, like nothing either of us had ever seen. The white sand beach extended as far as you could see in both directions with nobody in site but the occasional fisherman. We watched the sun lower in the horizon before grudgingly rushing back to town to avoid having to ride in the dark. Unfortunately, we again had underestimated how long it would take us to get back and we ended up riding white knuckled for over an hour in pitch blackness. Terrifying would be a mild way to describe that hour.

The second half of our day trip around Dawei. 

The next day in Dawei was much less exciting. We wandered the streets, ate some delicious food, and visited a bustling market and beautiful pagoda. At the pagoda, we met an overly zealous teenager who was excited to trade phone numbers with a couple of Americans. Since we will only have the Myanmar phone number for a couple of weeks, there was no harm in trading numbers. Here is what his first text to Andy read: “hi I am staying at the Monastery by the way. What time will u go to Yay on tomorrow? May I treat u and u lover on tomorrow I want to treat u Myanmar traditional food.” Unfortunately, our minibus left early in the morning and we could not join him, but we did refer him to another American which seemed to mollify him entirely. 

Photos taken around Dawei. On the top left is a game of Sepak Takraw, which is a mix between soccer and volleyball played with a woven ball. The players were incredible, doing (and landing) bicycle kicks as spikes!  

More photos taken around Dawei. On the top left is one of many motorbikes converted into trucks. On the bottom right is a very friendly woman making our Upha Moe, a traditional dessert from Dawei made with eggs, coconut milk, and rice. It was delicious!  

A quick note about some unhealthy habits in Myanmar: Although cigarettes seems to be less prominent than in other Asian countries, a chew called betel nut dominates the market. It consists of about six different mystery ingredients all wrapped up in a leaf. Not exclusive to men (although more men than women use it), betal nut absolutely wrecks their teeth. You can instantly tell which of them are hooked based on the red/black color of their teeth and destroyed gums. Additionally, the users spit massive amounts of red saliva all over the streets. Another unhealthy habit, although more unhealthy for the environment than the individual, is littering. Even though there are trashcans, most people simply discard their trash when they are done with it. This might be on the sidewalk, out the side of a tuk tuk, or thrown overboard on a boat. It is sad to see, especially in such a beautiful country, but unlike India, they do have street cleaners that are employed to collect and burn trash. Perhaps littering is actually a job creating ploy… doubtful.