ABOUT ME

Hi! I'm a Canadian living in Mawlamyine, Myanmar. I love hanging out with friends and meeting new people, learning about different cultures, learning about anything. I wanna see/know it all!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I would love to be hosting people right now, but there are very strict government regulations on where people with tourists visas can stay, and it turns out my house isn't on the approved list!

Please feel free to contact me if you're coming to MLM. Sometimes I'm too busy to meet up but sometimes I've got literally nothing else to do, and I can help sometimes with basic questions ( I once directed someone to a hospital for gynecological needs and she said it was a good recommendation).

Interests

I love travel, music, politics, eating, drinking, joking

• drinking
• politics
• traveling
• music

What I Can Share with Hosts

Please use this link to access a map I've made with lots of good stuff to do!

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1fGgDMsnTXOzrQMAHMKjcZ06IWP1cj1Kq&usp=sharing

I'll also recommend some of my favourite activites/things to see, I know tripadvisor isn't super helpful. You'll definitely want to rent a motorbike to get the most out of Mawlamyine. If you're a serious cyclist and can handle the heat then that will work too!

1. Drive around Bilugyun (2-3 hours)
The well-maintained island road is circular, and is a very easy way to get quickly into the real rural area and see real village life of Mon State. Stop in Ywalut at the big pipe to see some handicrafts in the shop. There is a pool marked on the above map, and I recommend finding a little tea shop to take a small break in. No beaches here (unless you look REALLY hard), but great scenery otherwise.

2. Drive to Win Sein (reclining Buddha) with a stop to climb the nearby mountain (1.5 hours)
The reclining Buddha is not far at all from Mawlamyine on the well-maintained highway going south. Although rather tacky and plastic-looking, the inside is totally wild. Don't miss the little blue house-like building just in front, on the second floor is a mummified monk asleep in his bed. While you're in the area, stop across the highway at one of the small mountains (this one doesn't have monkeys, the one on the east side of the highway has A LOT of monkeys - choose your adventure based on how you feel about monkeys). You can climb up one of these small hills in about 30 minutes and get a pretty good view at the top.

3. Shampoo Island (1 hour)
This island is so beautiful, and it's fun to get in the boat to get there (can find the jetty location on the map). While I love the island, there are many aggressive dogs there, so if this is a problem for you avoid (or go in a group). They have statues and little ponds and heaps of lovely plants. A really nice place to walk around.

4. Waterfalls (3-4 hours)
Our waterfalls can only be visited until about early December, when they dry up from lack of rain. The two best nearby ones are Zin Kyaik and Zin Yar (both on the maps).

5. Drink Palm wine in a field by the river
Marked on the map is a tiny local place that makes palm fruit alcohol. You sit on a tarp beside a dried up rice paddy with cows in it, with a view of the Attran bridge. The drink is served in authentic bamboo decanters and cups. The snacks are also very good. Be careful not to drink too much, the bridge is a difficult one to drive across even sober. People slip and die all the time on it (from going too fast!)

6. Go up Taungwine Mountain (1.5 hours)
The mountain by the airport offers an amazing view, and doesn't take long to walk up. It is a hot climb, so better to go in the morning or late afternoon. There is also a road to drive up to the top of this mountain, although it would be challenging to do on a motorbike.

7. Hilltop road
Mawlamyine's hilltop ridge is one of the most beautiful parts of the city. It is also a well-maintained road, and gets lots of cyclists and joggers. Go up here in the late afternoon to visit some famous pagodas, and a really beautiful Hindu temple. Try to time it so you arrive at the viewpoint for sunset (or the pagoda, I prefer viewpoint), usually around 6PM will work.

8. Marketplace
Some couchsurfers that stayed with me really like the market area of Mawlamyine. They said it was like the diversity of Penang but without all the extra marketing. You could spend an hour walking around busy, narrow roads filled with people selling things. Lots of great photography opportunities for sure. In the downtown area you can also find mosques, pagodas, churches and Hindu temples all very nearby each other, and lots of interesting food choices.

9. Pottery street
Marked on the map is a street where many of the houses make pottery, usually under or next to their homes. It is not set up for tourists at all, so you kind of have to just ask politely to come in and see their workshops. If you do this, it would be great to make a small purchase from their shops before you leave.

10. Sunset river cruise
A new addition to Mawlamyine, this boat cruise is actually very lovely. It leaves from the jetty across from Bone gyi, and takes you up and down along the river area. You get to enjoy the sunset, and see Mawlamyine from a perspective you can't get ANYWHERE else (trust me). I was amazed to be looking at the city from such a different angle. The sell beer on the boat, but they also let us bring on our own wine and snacks without any charge.

11. Shopping
Last year, I bought ALL of the Christmas gifts I took home in Mawlamyine, because it's cheaper here than most of the other places you'll visit in Myanmar. Check out the Riverside Centre shop for locally produced handicrafts. There are other shops on the map for other things. Those woven plastic market bags go for 15 USD in the airport, you can get them here for like 2000 MMK (not sure but cheap!)

12. Swimming
If you've been on the move a while, Mawlamyine is a super affordable place to treat yourself to a pool day. There are several options, the most expensive of which is 5,000MMK for the day, ranging from luxurious hotels to local spots surrounded by pomelo trees. They are all found on the above map.

13. Mon food cooking lesson - Pao Mon
Mon food is its own special thing, using lots of sour flavours and fish paste. It's not Thai food and it's not Burmese food! If you love cooking with fresh local ingredients, I definitely recommend booking a cooking class with Chan Lawi and Kahmoom at Pao Mon. You can call to schedule your class. Unfortunately I have no idea about the price, better ask when you call.
https://www.facebook.com/PaoMonRestaurant/