This was published 7 years ago
Dala, Myanmar river cruise: Getting off the grid in Yangon
Taking a trip across the Yangon River is the only way to reach Dala island, on the left.Credit: Getty Images
One minute I'm a passenger in a trishaw, dodging dogs and goats on the backstreets of Dala, the next I'm front-row at a young girl's "coming of age ceremony", a bindi dot on my forehead and my head spinning, wondering what just happened.
The girl's proud father had spied my companion and me from his front yard; the sight of two Western women squished into a trishaw seemingly so marvellous it had caused him to leap to his feet mid-ceremony, before galloping alongside to deliver his impromptu invitation – "come, come, please come" – a gesture of goodwill we couldn't refuse.
I'd seen the billboards all across Myanmar – "warmly welcome and take care of tourists" – but I'd never expected this.
Dala is just across the river but a world away from Yangon, Myanmar's largest city.
I'm in Dala, a small village on the opposite riverbank to Yangon, a stone's throw from Myanmar's largest city, yet light years away in terms of development. Ravaged by a cyclone in 2008 and lacking a bridge connection or reliable water supply, the village is poorer than most, its inhabitants making a living from fishing, farming and the occasional tourist.
We find the celebrating party – sari-clad women and sarong-dressed men – gathered in a circle around the girl. Bedecked in an ornate sari of aqua and maroon, her henna-painted hands clutching a posy of flowers, she sits on the ground under a makeshift shrine, swathes of fabric and tarpaulin hiding the dirt floor. And although the yard is humble, the strategic use of tinsel, fruit and flowers has transformed the space into a palace, and the daughter, with her elaborate costume and gold jewellery, into an Indian princess.
While Indians have lived in Burma for centuries, large-scale migration took place during British-colonial rule in the mid-19th century. Today, ethnic Indians account for about 2 per cent of the population, adding to Myanmar's rich cultural identity.
Girl selling eggs on board the ferry to Dala from Yangon.Credit: Kerry van der Jagt
Once the formalities are over the heady aromas of garlic, onion and cardamom fill the air as the feasting begins. As guests of honour we are served first, a banana leaf replacing plates, a metal bucket in lieu of serving bowls, and forks and spoons conspicuous by their absence. I wonder, and not for the first time, why it is always people with so little who are willing to share the most.
Our "plates" are soon piled high with pungent curries and tart pickles, fluffy rice and fresh fruits, a meal equal in flavour to anything I've had since arriving in Myanmar one week earlier. I'm travelling with tour company Scenic, and although our itinerary has covered big-ticket items such as Inle Lake, Mandalay and Bagan, we've frequently stepped off the beaten track to let serendipity play its hand.
Earlier that morning we'd boarded the crowded ferry from Yangon's Pansodan Jetty, our guide Judith dealing with timetables and tickets and bagging us prime plastic seats. Used mainly by locals, most of them vendors crossing the river to sell their goods, the scene resembles a chaotic market as much as a ferry.
Coming of age ceremony in Dala, Myanmar.Credit: Kerry van der Jagt
We are disgorged like startled passengers exiting a time machine, Yangon's colonial charm and vibrant streets replaced by a rural backwater. From the rusty seat of a pedal-powered trishaw I take in the sights – people collecting water by hand from wells, goats and chickens roaming the streets and children playing soccer in the dust.
What at first appears quaint reveals itself as a village under hardship. "Each dry season the ponds and wells dry up," Judith said. "People need to walk kilometres to queue for water." As confronting as this is, I'm glad Scenic offers a diverse range of "free choice" tours, taking guests off the usual tourist route so they can see for themselves that Myanmar still has a long way to go after being closed to the outside world for so long.
Given the recent landslide victory of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy against the ruling Union Solidarity and Development party, the people of Myanmar are hopeful increased tourism will help lead their country out of poverty, funding infrastructure such as permanent water supplies. "Things will also improve for Dala when they get a bridge connection to Yangon," Judith said.
In the dry season, wells dry up and water is collected directly from the river.
For now the streets are relatively quiet, until a man comes rushing alongside, beckoning for us to join his daughter's coming of age celebration. Coming just two weeks after the successful election, perhaps it is the entire nation's coming of age we are celebrating.
TRIP NOTES
MORE INFORMATION
Vendors plying their trade in Dala.
GETTING THERE
Singapore Airlines fly from Sydney to Singapore with connections to Yangon. See singaporeair.com. Australians travelling to Myanmar require a visa. See evisa.moip.gov.mm/NewApplication.aspx
Long tail boats in the Yangon river at Dala, Myanmar with the country's largest city, Yangon, across the water.Credit: Alamy
CRUISING THERE
Scenic offers a 14-day Mystical Irrawaddy cruise and tour, which includes a 10-night cruise on the Irrawaddy River on board Scenic Aura, which launches this month, one night at the Mandalay Hill Resort in Mandalay and two nights in Yangon at the Sule Shangri-La Hotel (club room). Prices start from $8865 a person twin share with included flights on some departures. See scenic.com.au or call 138 128.
Kerry van der Jagt travelled as a guest of Scenic.
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