Departing Bagan on a overnight bus ( plan B ) we decided we wanted to visit two popular beach areas, the first being Chaung Tha Beach, to get there, we needed to go to Yangon then take another bus to Chaung Tha. We arrived at the outer bus station in Yangon at 4 am and got off the bus to the usual mob of taxi Drivers.
When we told them we wanted to go to Chaung Beach, they informed us that the bus left from another bus station at 6 am and would cost 20,000 kayt to get there. I hassled the price down to 10,000 and were trying to get there for 8,000 but, their final price was 10,000 and the driver told us it was 35k away and he would get us to the bus station on time.
On arrival we purchased two of the four remaining seats and at 6 am we were on our way for another 7 hour bus ride to Chaung Tha.
It was a very interesting bus ride with the final 40 odd klm, being one of the most winding roads we had ever travelled on, hair pin after hair pin bends.
At Chaung tha we took a room at the Shwe Hin Tha Hotel it was right on the beach.
The room was USD35, no aircon, no hot water,but a mossie net, and a nice balcony.
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| Our Bus at a pee pee stop, bus to Chaung Tha |
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| Our Hotel for one night only at Chaung Tha Beach |
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| Dog waiting for food scraps from the kitchen |
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| People line up for a Pee Pee |
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| Local house behind the bus rest stop |
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| This young girl was scared of me she had never seen a fat white man before in her life |
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| Grandma was doing the baby sitting |
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| This was a real pistol |
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| Local Petrol Station |
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| A proud mother tells me That's my son |
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| Taken through the bus window as we departed |
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| Our Bus Drive |
We found out that the hotel was booked out and for the remainder of our time and we would have to go else where. They took us out to see another hotel they own, but, it was a real retreat and too far out of town.
We ended up with a quite room, a place called SEE SEA with no hot water, but it was much cheaper and the beach was only 100m away, we still used the first hotels restaurant for most of our meals and the free wi fi.
We had spoken to several other tourists and they were staying at hotels three times the price with no hot water or aircon, We did check them out but the town only has power supplied from 630pm to 1130 pm each and every day. This ment no air conditioning or hot water and not even a fan except during the few hours of power supply.
The next main beach area we wanted to see was well north of Chaung Tha and to get there , you guessed it, it would take a bus ride back to Yangon then another bus ride to
Ngapli Beach.
Now with our time almost gone in Myanmar we decided we would just do a few tours from here and relax on the beach.
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| We did a boat tour of this river |
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| Fellow passengers |
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| Young girl plays at Hotel, these Hats are sold on the beach everywhere they cost about USD1 |
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| Welcome Party |
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| Resort hotel furniture |
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| Chaung Tha Beach |
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| Chaung Tha Beach |
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| Chaung Tha Beach |
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| Not a sand castle, but, a local type home structure on Chaung Tha Beach |
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| Two Female Monks pose for a photo (taken on Teresa's phone) |
 (taken on Teresa's phone) |
| Young boy selling crabs not to be eaten but released to freedom |
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| (taken on Teresa's phone) |
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| Young girl on beach pulling a box of sand (see near her right elbow) poses for Teresa, who gave her a Koala Bear |
(taken on Teresa's phone)
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| She ran back to her Mum in a state of delight (taken on Teresa's phone) |
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| Young girls playing Dress up. Teresa only had one Koala left so gave them money |
(taken on Teresa's phone)
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| Another Koala here (taken on Teresa's phone) |
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| (taken on Teresa's phone) |
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| Chaung Tha Beach |
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| Chaung Tha Beach |
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| Chaung Tha Beach |
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| Chaung Tha Beach |
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| This is not a Zebra but a horse spray painted with Zebra Stripes |
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| Chaung Tha Beach |
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| Now which is the front end (taken on Teresa's phone) |
We spent five nights at Chung Tha Beach where we met a lot of locals that made our stay very enjoyable.
One girl in the hotel restaurant really looked after us she spoke good English and knew how we wanted our food (IE. no oil or dressing for Teresa) and it's the custom for you to eat your meal then she would bring out
a present as she called it. A plate of cut watermelon, sticky rice or a cut banana.
After our last meal there I called her over to give her a Koala that I had hidden in my hand.
She put her hand out and when I placed in her hand she just about screamed the roof off and threw it a mile.
The girl (Cindy) at the towns booking and unofficial tourist information shop. where we had purchased our bus ticket and two tours from, was working on a hanky, sewing a heart and her name on it ( not the same spelling the same as we know Cindy) gave the hanky to Teresa as a present while we were waiting in her shop for the bus to arrive, and in exchange we gave her a hat with Kangaroos on it and the usual Koala Bear key ring.
Its people like these girls who give that little bit extra that make the special moments to remember during our travels.
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