Thurs 9th November: Monywa – Pakkoku – Bagan

Another amazing day in Myanmar. This morning we were up at 5.45 and on the road by 7 to try to get our 100km of cycling completed before the worst of the day’s heat. We rode south on tricky sandy roads, following the Irrawaddy River, and passing little-visited A Myint and A Neint villages, home to number of ancient pagodas. The route also took us past numerous rice fields and small villages where we met friendly local people of all ages who rarely come into contact with foreigners, particularly on bikes!

We rode on towards the small river town of Pakokku, where we boarded a private boat for a trip down river towards the ancient capital of Bagan and our research visit to the Rural Health Centre there. It was fascinating to hear how a larger Rural Health Centre works in treating the maternity, and general health needs, of the local population.

We stayed at the RHC until dusk and then ended the day with a ride into Bagan town to arrive at our lodgings in pitch darkness (with no lights)! A great day.