Dawei - Mawlamyine - Yangon by train

When we left the hotel at 5:00 am, unfortunately there was no taxi available. The night porter decided to drive us to the train station. We had no objections to this at that hour. We were already familiar with the bumpy ride. We were surprised to see so many Burmese people on the street at this early hour. Some were exercising, which makes sense given the heat during the day, while others were on their way to work. Our driver helped us buy tickets as an interpreter. By the way, the tickets could not be bought at the counter, but in a back room. The ticket cost about CHF 2.50 per person for the 16-hour train ride in the Upper Class (First Class). A bargain!

At 6:00 am, the train slowly started moving. Unlike the passengers in the Ordinary Class, we were seated on soft cushions. However, the name Upper Class is not really appropriate. The furnishings are very old and falling apart in some places. The removable covers hadn't been washed for what felt like ten years. We put our beach towels on the seats. We traveled backwards for the first 8 hours until Ye. This turned out to be an advantage. The bushes and shrubs that lined the roadside hadn't been trimmed for a long time. Occasionally, the man sitting across from us would get hit in the face by a flower. We suffered mainly from the pollen - but after taking a tablet, that problem was also solved.

The first part of the route was extremely bumpy and went through the jungle. We liked the scenery here. Unfortunately, we could rarely see into the distance. The happenings on and around the train were just as interesting. Sometimes we stopped in the middle of nowhere. When the train whistled, people with food and drinks appeared from nowhere. All you had to do was stick your head out the window and point at the desired dish. By noon, we were hungry and bought rice with chicken and vegetables. Each meal cost us 65 cents - we've never eaten so cheaply in Myanmar before. Eating the food was not easy. The train was constantly threatening to derail. Plus, we only had one spoon. The monk sitting next to us offered us his spoon. Our seat neighbor also wanted to provide us with drinks, food, etc. The people are truly unbelievably nice!

In Ye, we had to change trains. The connecting train was waiting on the next track. The wagon was slightly more modern than the last one and noticeably cleaner. Overall, the route was better maintained. There were only a few small villages along the railway line, otherwise mainly agricultural areas. One rice field followed another. The sunset, reflecting in the water, was particularly beautiful. We finally arrived in Mawlamyine at 9:00 pm. Despite the soft seats, after 16 hours we couldn't find a comfortable seating position anymore. We took a taxi to our hotel. We were too exhausted to go in search of a restaurant.

The next morning, hungry, we went to the breakfast buffet. As is often the case when traveling, we ran into a German couple we had met a few days earlier at the hotel in Dawei. After satisfying our hunger with noodles, rice, toast, and eggs, we went on an exploratory tour. We went to the market hall. It is a huge complex consisting of several buildings. We lost our orientation after just a few minutes. In the clothing department, we bought ourselves a wrap skirt (longyi) each. We also rummaged through the other departments - from fish to items for religious ceremonies, you can really find everything here.

In the evening, we went to a higher-lying pagoda. From here, we admired the sunset. We met our acquaintances again. With another couple from Germany, we enjoyed our dinner at Bone Khi (a well-known restaurant).

At 8:00 am, the train left for Yangon. We had obtained the tickets the day before. We were quite satisfied with the seats in the Upper Class. They were relatively wide and allowed enough legroom. On the train, we tried some local snacks: mandarins, corn cobs, and fried shrimp and fish patties. The latter were relatively tasteless and did not excite us. Unlike in the other trains, the vendors traveled sections or the entire route. At each stop, new food was brought on board. The show of the medication vendors was quite interesting. They would loudly give a presentation and then distribute samples. We were glad that as foreigners, we were exempted. We have no idea what the pills are supposed to be for or what plants and active ingredients they contain...

The landscape between Mawlamyine and Yangon was one of the most beautiful. The many rice fields alternated with small villages. Wherever there is water, rice is grown and the fields appear in a lush green. Otherwise, everything is dusty and dry. The only unsightly scene was the slums of Yangon. We saw simple huts made of sheet metal and palm leaves along the railway line. This is where the poorest of the poor live. After 10 hours on the train, we arrived at Yangon Central Station. We ordered a GRAB taxi and drove to the hotel. The receptionist booked a bus for our onward journey to Bagan and also ordered a taxi.

Tomorrow morning, we will continue to the temple city of Bagan by local bus.