Well, the truth is - it seems no local bus operators are keen to take us on the trip to Pyapon. It's just not worth it. The risk of damage to the bus is very high due to the roads condition and the cost to repair can be higher than the rental itself.
We left the Naga Buddhist Temple at Mingalardon township where the nearby international airport is situated at about 12noon. About three hours later, I heard a loud cranking sound and the the bus driver pull the bus to the side. The bus assistant went below the bus body to check. Then he took some wrenches to make some minor repairs and we were on the move again in about 10 minutes. But the air-conditioner went bonkers and we decided to enjoy the rural fresh air instead by keeping the windows opened.
At about 3.30pm, I heard a louder knocking sound and this time the bus engine just went dead. Luckily the bus was travelling at low speed due to the road conditions.I got a hunch this time it won't be a short loo break! Everybody disembarked from the bus to have some fresh air and a view of green fields on both side of the road.
After trying to repair the engine, the bus driver decided to ask for help from passing tractors to give the bus a jump start. It didn't materialized as the tractors were not in position to "push" the bus. So the male passengers decided to contribute their energy.
Huff and puff!, Huff and Puff! the guys pushes the bus. The bus moves few metres but the engine did not jump starts. We know that we will be late for the handing over event since the first bus that fetched the monks already on the way before us.
Some of the passengers, including the media people jumped into a van that accompanies us and they moved on towards Pyapon. Chin Long, the YMM president and myself wouldn't want to miss the handing over event but it is still about an hour drive to Pyapon. No way we can reach there by foot, in time!
The local guide might have sense our disappointment. She waved a local vehicle to a stop which is actually a pick up truck turned into a passenger vehicle. She asked if the truck is going our direction. Yes, we are in luck as it is going to the same event as us!
So there we goes squeezing ourselves onto the truck. There were already five passengers at the back and two in the driver's compartment. Another nine of us jumped in to the back and it cramped like sardines and Chin Long had to sit on the platform of the truck. Another local guide sat with the driver and his assistant.
It took us an hour of "sardined" ride before we finally reached the community centre in Pyapon at about 5.05pm local time. The ceremony just began after a video show on the cyclone Nargis disaster and the call for support towards rehabilitation of the victims.
After some chanting of the sutras the presentation of donations were done by the Myanmar Minister of Religion to the monks. The usual group photography session follows and the Minister took a quick exit.
We left at 6.05pm on the same bus which was repaired with the assistance of some local mechanical support. While crossing an overhead bridge only then we notice the make shift medical tents that the local authorities did not inform or shows us.
While on the way out from Pyapon town we saw the people waiting at the road side for food and donations. We did not notice any of this on the way in to Pyapon because we tooked a different route.
At about 10.00pm we arrived at the outskirts of Yangon and were asked to change bus. Our bus was unable to go into the city due to some problems with the front lights. We reached the city centre at 10.30pm to have our dinner.
By 11.15pm local time we were already at the hotel to have our rest. The local organiser already pre checked in our room. Chin Long and myself already on the move for 18 hours since 5.00am Thailand time (Myanmar time is half hour later than Thailand) We had tooked a plane, a bus and a truck to finish our task for the day.
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