Wednesday 16th November - 0930 and off we set on the road to Mount Popa an hour's drive away. What stikes you immediately about Myanmar compared with other parts of SE Asia is the almost complete lack of agricultural mechanisation. The fields in this dry zone are ploghed by bullocks and the ploughs and tillers made from wood. No Japanese mini hoes and even the village water pumps are extremely old.
Our first stop was on the roadside where the farmers have set up small stands demonstrating the techniques of collecting palm syrup amd refining palm sugar, pressing groundnut oil and distilling 'moonshine'. As this is the 'dry zone' the main cash crops are groundnuts, sesame and pigeon peas (apparently exported to India).
Next we stopped at a small roadside village - no tourist trap just a regular village - a primary school, 60 farmhouses and about 150 inhabitants. Each small farmhouse is surrounded by a thorn fence a bullock team and a pig or two.
Mount Popa lies next to a extinct volcano and on top of a volcanic outcrop there has been built a Buddhist temple. it was a long climb up many steps but the view from the top across the surrounding plains was worth it.
Our first stop was on the roadside where the farmers have set up small stands demonstrating the techniques of collecting palm syrup amd refining palm sugar, pressing groundnut oil and distilling 'moonshine'. As this is the 'dry zone' the main cash crops are groundnuts, sesame and pigeon peas (apparently exported to India).
Next we stopped at a small roadside village - no tourist trap just a regular village - a primary school, 60 farmhouses and about 150 inhabitants. Each small farmhouse is surrounded by a thorn fence a bullock team and a pig or two.
Mount Popa lies next to a extinct volcano and on top of a volcanic outcrop there has been built a Buddhist temple. it was a long climb up many steps but the view from the top across the surrounding plains was worth it.