Boat tour to the Mergui Archipelago

Myeik, formerly known as Mergui, is one of the two gateways to the Mergui Archipelago, which consists of 800 to 2000 islands (depending on whether you consider sandbanks with palm trees as islands). The second access point is the city of Kawthaung in the south. Between these two cities lies the mostly untouched island world. Since Myanmar intends to keep this paradise away from mass tourism, you need to have enough cash if you want to visit the archipelago. In addition to the regular visa for Myanmar, which costs 50$, you also need an additional visa for the islands, which costs 250$. Apart from that, there are only a handful (and when I say handful, I really mean less than 5) resorts that are dedicated to eco-tourism. I think that's great, especially in a country as polluted as Myanmar, but we can't afford the prices there. We could, but then we would be back home after 3 weeks instead of 4 months.
But as always in life, there are alternatives. Last night, we met briefly with a German expat who organizes trips to the archipelago. These are multi-day boat tours where you can camp on the islands. It's not official, but affordable. But since we're flying to Yangon tomorrow (yes, we treat ourselves to this luxury, as I prefer to avoid the 20-hour bus ride), he gives us the tip to charter a boat and visit the nearby island. And that's what we're going to do.

First, we take a longtail boat to the nearest island, where a giant Buddha is located.

Then we drive 1.5 hours to another island. It is one of the larger islands and is inhabited. 3000 people live there in bamboo huts. Our boat driver is teaching himself English and can tell us a bit about the island. We are learning so much today! He shows us mango, cashew, durian, and jackfruit trees, banana and pineapple plants, and the palm tree on which the infamous betel nut grows.

Betel nut is Myanmar's popular drug. On the island, we see how the fruits, which are similar to mandarins, are dried and peeled, leaving behind the betel nut. It is roughly chopped and wrapped in a leaf with slaked lime, tobacco, or various spices. The people here chew on this packet. It is said to have intoxicating, pain-relieving, and stimulating effects. However, the negative side effect is that teeth and gums become discolored and this is permanent. People here usually don't have very nice smiles. In addition, chewing betel nut stimulates saliva flow, and Myanmar is covered in dark red spittle stains. Even children chew the nut sometimes. You can imagine what their teeth will look like at 30 years old.

During a short break, because walking through the jungle eventually becomes tiring, our personal guide also enjoys a nut. But he only does it very rarely, so he still has a nice smile. I watched with great interest as he built the packet. However, he advises me not to try it because it would make me too dizzy. Alright then. For his packet, by the way, he only puts 100 Kyat on the table, which is 5 cents. I guess now it's clear why THAT is the popular drug and why people accept bad teeth.

The people on the island primarily live off fishing, but they also produce rubber, which is rolled into white mats that turn yellow after the drying process. Myanmar is one of the largest rubber exporters.

As interesting as the little hike through the villages and the forest is, I'm on an island and I want to go for a swim! Unfortunately, the beach where we landed with the boat was full of trash and lots of broken glass. It's really SAD how they ruin their paradise landscape like this. Our guide takes us a little way around the island and we go ashore at a beach where no one lives. Therefore, it is much cleaner. And finally, I can go swimming! Ah, it's so beautiful :) He takes care of his boat or relaxes in the shade, and Max and I have a much better time swimming than we expected! We thought we would drive to the island and return a few hours later, but our guide was super nice, showed us lots of new things, and completely catered to our wishes. He even took photos for us and we had a little photo shoot with the big Whites xD Cute and strange at the same time when people always want to take pictures of you.

Back on land, we make our way to the largest pagoda in the city, the Thein Daw Gyi Pagoda, to watch the sunset. Here, for the first time since we've been in Myanmar, we meet other Europeans. But there are only 4 of them, so it's manageable xD There are many more monks at the pagoda, also posing for sunset photos. You really have a fantastic view of the city, port, sea, and the first offshore islands, and you can watch the sun sink behind the islands and make the golden pagoda shine even more.