Wednesday 23 November: MOUNT POPA

We cycle off from the hotel heading east towards Mount Popa. The roads are fairly busy so we stay loosely in peloton although the going is tough with the sun ahead of us. We stop at a family run business which makes peanut and sesame oil, and palm sugar as sweets and distilled into liqueur. We watch oxen turning the mill extracting the oil from the peanuts and I am encouraged to have a go. A man climbs up a very tall palm tree on a minute rickety ladder in order to extract the syrup from the palm fruit and we then see the distillation process. Reminiscent of the fire water that we tried in Croatia I'm afraid we are not tempted to buy a bottle to take home. Onward again on an undulating terrain as we see Mount Popa looming ahead. We are not actually going to the top although there are a steep few kilometres at the end which requires low gears and thigh power. We have a pleasant lunch in a garden surrounded by dragon fruits before a bus ride to the base of Taung Kalat Buddhist monastery which is perched on the hillside accessed by 777 steps. In fact the place is extremely tacky with tat and bling and is overrun with nasty wild monkeys. We are barefoot and have to avoid the monkey poo! We learn that the Burmese also practice Nat worship involving 37 nature spirits and we see gaudily dressed lifesized models of them all. One Nat was a gambler and an alcoholic. Tired from our ascent and descent we are pleased to take the bus home where we both enjoy a traditional Myanmar massage together. Even Simon whinces at one stage! Cocktails in the bar before group supper at Star Beam: very good fish curry.