We spent the last day in Bagan writing emails, resting, enjoying the scenery and buying the bus ticket, but we couldn't make the trip to Mandalay by boat since it didn't leave until 3 days later, next time it will be. Finally we decided to buy the cheapest bus ticket ... what a big mistake!
They tell us that at 9am we will pick up a pick-up at the hostel, perfect! We had breakfast and waited in the terrace for our van to appear, but instead, it parked before us a kind of minibus, apparently loaded to the brim (I say apparently because later we would check the incredible carrying capacity of these bugs). Even on the roof there are people, in fact it is the first place they offer us to travel. Not crazy!
In the beginning we had the doubt / hope "Will this be the pick-up that takes us to a station on the outskirts to ride a real bus?" The reality fell on our consciences when after an hour's walk on the hypercharged and uncomfortable pickup, we realized that pickup nothing: this was the bus! Total, 8 hours of travel between mud tracks, semi-paved roads, a thousand stops to pick up people and their packages, packages, packages ... how can fit so many things? It is impossible! Only missing the tetris musiquita
Squeezes, stomps, water, air, the ass suffering in each boat ... in short a hell of a trip. It should have lasted 6 hours, that we assure you about this pot did not pass quickly, and if we add 2 more hours of delay to this, then the desire to throw ourselves through the window at times has not been lacking.
But we are happy. Thanks to this odyssey we have been able to see closely and better the true Burmese life: the kindness mixed with the curiosity they have with foreigners, the naturalness with which they share their food, the reciprocal help they continually offer themselves. We have crossed lost villages, herds of cows and goats, found vendors that carry oranges, potatoes, corn and even teapots on their heads! We also pass through areas devastated by the heavy rains that are falling and we have become aware of how difficult it is for Burmese people to travel from one point to the other of their own land: some passenger stayed 8 hours at the top of the van , under the sun and rain, and others standing.
It was uncomfortable and we would not repeat it a priori but it was an experience. The arrival in Mandalay was no less anecdotal: this day it seemed that chaos did not want to leave us. The station consisted of a series of muddy roads and backpacks, the rain that fell to sing, the hundreds of lifeguards ... it was a real relief to get to the hotel, lie down and take a shower very warm.
In the next post ... our adventurillas around Mandalay and its surroundings.
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