top of page
THE WORLD BY THUMB
100% hitchhiking - 100% world tour - Since 2013 - By Florence Renault
MYANMAR
from November, 1st to 27th 2017
We left Thailand through the Mae Sot border and quickly hitchhiked to Taunggyi to visit friends living there and to attend the hot air balloon festival. Fireworks fell from the nacelles on the crowd and then pour into the sky, it was as impressive as dangerous! We did several hikes on our own: three days on the touristic trail from Kalaw to Inle Lake, three days on an uncrowded trail around Pindaya, as well as day hikes in Hpa-An and Mount Kyaiktiyo. We visited the archaeological site of Bagan by bicycle and then by electric scooters to discover the most remote places in three days. The capital Naypyidaw worths a detour for its huge and empty avenues and its pagoda. Myanmar is my favorite country in Asia for its authenticity, its low level of tourism, the kindness and curiosity of the Burmese people, the ease of hitchhiking, the beauty of the landscapes and the numerous hiking possibilities. The original plan of my hitchhiking world tour was to cross to India but in 2017 the border is closed to travelers without guided tour. So we went back to Thailand.
Photographies Of Myanmar
 Mount Kyaiktiyo Haut lieu de pélerinage bouddhiste Important buddhist pilgram sanctuary |  Corvée de ménage Cleaning duties |  Village, Mount Kyaiktiyo |  Sherpas, Mount Kyaiktiyo |  Religieuse boudhiste poussant la chansonnette sur le passage des pélérins. Buddhist nun singing on the pilgrims path. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Fabrication de fusils Rambo en bois Making Rambo wooden weapons |  Hpa-An |  Maison familiale, Hpa-An Family house, Hpa-An |  Lupini Garden, Hpa-An |  Coucher de soleil, Hpa-An Sunset, Hpa-An |
 Kyaik-Ka-Lat Pagoda, Hpa-An |  Mount Zwegabin, Hpa-An Un escalier très raide mène au sommet en deux heures. There are really steep stairs to hike to the top in two hours. |  Vue du mont Zwegabin, Hpa-An View from Zwegabin Mount, Hpa-An |  Jeunes moines bouddhistes Young buddhists monks |  Monastère Kyauk Kalap, Hpa-An Kyauk Kalap Monastery |
 Grotte, Hpa-An Cave, Hpa-An |  Schwedagon Pagoda, Rangoon |  Le coin du mardi - où ceux nés un mardi font leur prière. The tuesday corner - where the one borned on a tuesday can pray. |  Schwedagon Pagoda, Rangoon |  Buddha disco Disco buddha |
 Buddha doré Golden buddha |  Buddha blanc White buddha |  Le prieur The prayer |  Palais présidentiel, Rangoon Presidential palace, Yangoon |  Commissariat, Rangoon Police station, Rangoon |
 Rue, Rangoon Street, Rangoon |  Naypyidaw La nouvelle capitale de la Birmanie n'est qu'un ensemble d'avenues désertes. The new capitale of Mynmar is just a bunch of empties avenues. |  Uppatasanti Pagoda, Naypyidaw |  Naypyidaw Les rond-points de la capitale sont énormes et vides. The round about of the capitale are huge and empty. |  Uppatasanti Pagoda, Naypyidaw |
 Vue sur Naypyidaw - qui de haut ressemble plus à une forêt qu'à une capitale. View on Naypyidaw - looking more like a forest than a capital. |  Les employées du jardin botanique, lui aussi vide. The employees of the botanic Gardn, also empty. |  Le moine auto-stoppeur The monk hitchhiker |  Mount Popa |  Les ruines du royaume de Bagan : plus de 2500 monuments religieux sur 50km2 The ruins of Bagan : more than 2500 religious monuments on 50km2. |
 Bagan |  Le vendeuse de marionnettes The puppets seller |  Pagode, Bagan |  "La pagode pour lutter contre une catastrophe nucléaire" Nuclear catastrophe overcome pagoda |  Champs entre les ruines de Bagan Fields in between the ruins of Bagan |
 Exploration des temples de Bagan Exploring the temples of Bagan |  Les multiples urnes de donation à chaque entrée de temple. The numerous donations boxes in each temple entrance. |  Buddha Kangourou Buddha Kangaroo |  Bagan Découverte des superbes ruines en vélo et en scooter pendant deux journées. Discovering the beautiful ruines by bicycle and scooter in two days. |  Bagan |
 Vue d'un temple, Bagan View from a temple, Bagan |  Bagan |  Bagan |  Randonnée de trois jours en autonomie et avec gps de Kalaw au lac inle Hiking 3 days by ourselves and with gps from Kalaw to Inle Lake |  Triage des feuilles de thé De nombreux villageois nous invite à prendre le thé lors de notre randonnée de trois jours autour de Pindaya. Selecting the tea leaves Many villagers invite us to drink tead during our three days hike around Pindaya |
 La vieille dame The old lady |  Charrue et agriculture à l'ancienne Plough et old-fashioned agriculture |  Lac Inle Inle Lake |  Maison sur pilotis, Lac Inle House on stilts, Inle Lake |  Pagodas, Inthein |
 Le faux pêcheur, Lac Inle - En m'approchant, je réalise qu'il n'a aucun poisson dans sa barque. Il prend juste la pose pour que les toursites lui donne de l'argent. The fake fisherman, Inle Lake - When I came close by, I realised that the fisherman did not have any gishes in his boat. He was just taking the pose to get money from the tourists. |  Sauterelle Grasshopper |  Maison traditionnelle Traditional house |  Lavoir, Pindaya Washing clothes, Pindaya |  Récoltes de blé à la faucille Harvesting wheat with sickles |
 Séchage de piments Drying chillies |  Au petit matin vers Pindaya In the early morning near Pindaya |  La paysane et sa boîte à repas The peasant and her lunch box |  Champs multicoles, pindaya Colorfull fields, Pindaya |  Le fils de l'épicière The son of the grocer |
 Camion typique birman avec le pot d'échappement à l'avant. Typical truck with the tailpipie in the front |  Prendre des raccourcis Taking short cuts |  Hello Beaucoup de birmans nous saluent sur notre passage. Many people say "hello" to us on the way. |  Pas loin de Pindaya Not far from Pindaya |  Paysage de Pindaya Pindaya Landscape |
 Savon dans les yeux Soap in the eyes |  Cour de récréation School yard |  Tanaka Le tanaka sert de maquillage et de crème solaire pour les hommes, les femmes et les enfants. The tanaka is used as make-up and as sun cream for men, women and children. |  Les monastères bouddhistes sont présents jusque dans les plus petits villages. Ils font aussi office d'orphelinat. There are buddhist monasteries even in small villages. They are also orphanages. |  L'escargot chataîgne The chestnut snail |
 La chanson anglaise la plus apprise dans le monde The english song that has been taught everywhere in the world. |  Monastère, Pindaya Monastery, Pindaya |  La grotte de Pindaya et ses milliers de Bouddhas Pindaya cave and its thousands of buddhas |  Epicerie Seules les grandes villes comptent quelques supermarchés Grocery store Only big cities have few supermarkets |  |
 Dîner chez l'habitant Diner by a local man |  Constructions de maisons modernes en ciment (au dépens des maison traditionneles en bois) au financée par des aides japonaises au développement. Building modern houses in ciment (instead of traditional woodhouses) with the japanese development financial support. |  Famille Family |  Festival de montgolfières, Taunggyi. Compétition de montgolfières lançant des feux d'artifice depuis la nacelle (et sur la foule) Hot Balloon Festival, Taunggyi Competition of hot balloon with fireworks send from the basket (and falling on the public), Taunggyi |  Entre amis Between friends |
 En marche vers le festival Walking to the festival |  La tentation des brochettes The brochette temptation |  S'accrocher au manège Hanging the ride |  Stand de tir à la carabine, Taunggyi Rifle shooting stand, Taunggyi |  Feux d'artifices depuis les montgolfières Fireworks from the hot balloons |
 Tatouage de rue Street tatoo |  Certaines montgolfières sont ornées de bougies au lieu de feux d'artifices Some hot balloons are decorated with candles instead of fireworks |  Le festival de montgolfières est aussi impressionnant que dangereux, avec son lot de morts et de blessés chaque année. The hot balloon is impressiv as dangerous, killing and hurting people every year. |
bottom of page