MAWLAMYINE

From the golden rock we made the journey back down the mountain in the back of the truck – not sure why but it felt more hairy going down – and from Kinpun took a bus to Mawlamyine. This town was called Moulmein during the British period – Rudyard Kipling spent time here and the town is mentioned in one of his more famous poems. And, with a generosity of spirit which knows no bounds I will save you the trouble of googling it by giving you a link:

Kipling - Mandalay

George Orwell was also here – he served in the colonial police – and wrote an essay called “Shooting an Elephant” about an incident here. Co-incidentally we heard a dramatization of this as one of the Radio 4 afternoon plays shortly before leaving for this trip.

And again, here's a link if you're interested.....

Orwell Essay

Fancy, me having a literary blog.....................

It’s a very pleasant town close to where several rivers meet the sea, and is bounded on two sides by river. There are nice riverside promenades with views across to mountains in the distance and a number of places to stop for a sunset drink. 

You need to be careful though – there is the usual mix of cultures, and the muslim-run places don’t serve alcohol.

After checking in to our hotel - the delightfully named Cinderella – we went along to the Breeze Guest House who are apparently the local go-to guys for trips and information. It was very easy to book a car, driver and guide for the next day, and we also booked our onwards transportation by boat up the River Thanlwin.

The Breeze is housed is quite an attractive old colonial building.

And there are many others from the same era, sadly faded now though..........

Breakfast next day at the Cinders was entertaining, a serious effort is obviously being made but it’s a little misdirected – the staff are immaculately turned out but the uniform is a little Ruritanian – and the kicker is the white gloves worn by the waiters. In the reception area there are usually around 8 people on duty – 3 behind the desk, two each side of the doors and one just lurking. And this is in a hotel which costs $35 a night.

And I was delighted to find these in the bedroom. Most hotels provide flip-flops for use in the bathroom, which are usually wetrooms, but they are rarely so personally appropriate.