What Were We Thinking? (Overnight Train to Bagan)

When we decided to go to Myanmar we did just a little research regarding what to do. Literally, we did very little research, and what we ended up with was a short list of MUST dos. Besides Yangon, which is the only real point of entry into the country, Bagan is the obvious other choice for the in-and-out traveler. We added it to our list and went from there.

The first lesson we learned about doing sightseeing in Myanmar is that you must book everything through a travel agent. The country does not do e-business like the rest of the world. You can't book stuff on hotels.com (go ahead - try searching any dates in Yangon), you can't priceline, you can sometimes agoda, but that is it. After some research, we found a reputable sounding agency - Exotic Myanmar (exoticmyanmar.com). Our agent Wityee (this is a female name, btw) was very helpful and after many exchanges, all obviously piped through Google Translate, she conveyed to us our options as far as sight seeing and transport. She did not mention trains.

After googling around a bit we discovered blog posts about taking the overnight train between Yangon and Bagan. All the blog posts were about how terrible and bumpy it was. Well, as soon as we saw some footage on youtube we were sold. Following that, our friend Andy linked us to an episode Anthony Bourdain where he apparently was feeling as suicidal as us. (skip to 27:00)

After a night in Yangon, we made our way (slowly and confusedly - with the assistance of a 12 year old girl who spoke English really well) to the train station. We were two of four westerners in a crowded, busy, primitive train station. We stuck out like a sore thumb. It felt like we were in India or somewhere equally as 3rd world and ridiculous.

The signs were very helpful. This message was everywhere - warmly welcome and take care of tourists. Yes, Myanmar is open for business and will warmly accept your unwrinkled US Dollars.

The train station itself was charmingly old world - it certainly had the aesthetic feel of a 1950s British colonial train station. The safety measures were nonexistent and the track gage was narrow. We got a kick out of walking all over the tracks. It also was not uncommon for people to board trains while they slowly moved through the station, or departed from the station. 

In Myanmar, they have "Ordinary Class" and "Upper Class."

Ordinary class looks something like this (also seen more clearly in the Anthony Bourdain video)

Naturally, we were in upper class and had a sleeper. The sleeper cars were $60 per person, which was way too much to pay for the ordinary Myanmar citizen. Obviously, us and the other two foreigners were the only schmucks that bought sleeper tickets. 

They certainly welcomed us warmly to the train - the station master doted on us, directing us during the three track changes, and informing us that the train was only one hour late to depart that day! The best part of our welcome was the comfort package they offered us - a "honey bear" fuzzy blanket and two bars of hotel soap. 

But...the best part about booking this train was actually the ticket. Even that was charmingly primitive. Note the hand writing and "official stamps."

For reasons beyond explanation, the ticket agents put all four foreigners in the same cabin, despite the 10 other empty rooms on the car. It wasn't the worst thing - you have to be ready to make new friends when you travel in places like this. And they can take pictures for you!

The accommodations were as luxurious as they look in this photo. 

The train was a disaster up and down. From the haphazard ticket checking to the terrible, bumpy ride. But the countryside we saw from the window was rewarding - we got a glimpse into the real Myanmar. Real Myanmar looked like...

Makeshift volleyball/soccerball

Rice patties and shanties

Piles of cars, 30 years beyond their useful lives. 

More shanties

More rice patties with beautiful hilly backdrops 

Palm trees galore!

We felt like puppies. Here is Jordan with his head out the window. 

The best part of the trip for a transport geek, though, was the "signal system" they used at RR crossings. This system involved several men who stopped traffic and manually lowered the gates. We weren't sure if they just waited around all night for the train of if they were onboard and jumped off to lower the gates. 

Part way through the journey we had a pleasant surprise visit from the train's cook - yes, cook. He asked us what we wanted to eat for dinner (?!?!?). Apparently the restaurant car was open and ready to serve us. The meal was standard, but tasty for transport-food. We shared the car with the government officials and train workers. 

These were our Irish & Danish friends. Mingalabar! 

The beer was flowing and absolutely necessary to pass the time. Myanmar Beer is actually tasty, and much better than its competitor, Mandalay Beer. 

It was from the dining car that the true rocky nature of the journey revealed itself. Looking down the train cars (which you could do, because there were no doors) you could see the violent bumps and jerks of the terrible narrow gage tracks and train cars from 1960. The government officials didn't seem to mind. 

Speeding through the night I stared out the window, as I often do on trains. But this was different. This was a magical experience. Staring out the window you couldn't see any lights. Just the silhouette of shanties and trees flying by. It took me back and, once again, sent my brain to Africa. 

After a long, bumpy, sleepless night, the sun peeked through the window. Jordan slept like an only mildly disturbed baby, as he had the bottom bunk. The top, I assure you, was far less comfortable. 

We awoke the next day to beautiful scenery, and other silly only-in-myanmar scenes...

Such as children playing on the tracks

And women selling Myanmar-style samosas from their head.

As we pulled into the station in Bagan, we were greeted by our tour guide ($25 per day). The guide celebrated our arrival and looked ecstatic. We were three hours late and we were terribly mad. The guide smiled and said "you were only 3 hours late! the train yesterday arrived at 5 PM!" (8 hours late). Apparently it is not uncommon for this 634 kilometer (400 miles) to take 24 hours. 

This train ride was a fun, once in a lifetime experience. I will never do it again.