With no electricity during the day, sitting on the bungalow balcony directly on the beach you could hear only the sound of waves, little jingle bells (from the horses) and motorbikes. Going up and down and up and down the beach on a motorbike seems to be a very popular local tourist activity.
Nice beach for doing nothing, as there really is nothing to do. But that is a good thing, after having felt so rushed around since the moment of arriving in Myanmar.
Different kind of touts, guys on motorbikes selling coconuts, women selling dried fish (you smell them before you see them), old men renting out inflated rubber rings for the local tourists that don't know how to swim, a couple of horse ride sellers and taxi motorbikes, they are annoying as it gets, which is actually not very annoying at all and they were never pushy or to in your face, mostly waiting for you to approach them. Coconut motos completely leave you alone, just hovering in your periphery for 5 minutes before getting the message that you aren't interested in a coconut right now and moving on.
Walking to Lovers Island, a tiny island at the south of the beach that you are able to walk across to during low tide is as active as it got during the days spent in Ngwe Saung. Walking back felt like crossing the Sahara desert even with the sea breeze.
Even when all the accommodation is full, which is seemed to be, the beach still feels relatively empty, of foreigners at least.
Lots of locals arrived on the Saturday, found ourselves with new neighbours, 6 young Burmese men sharing a 1 double bed bungalow next to us, never saw them without a bottle of rum in their hands.
This beach is for them, less white tourists, more young rich Yangonites weekend party place - they had a blast with karaoke on the beach outside our bungalow ALL bloody night!
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For foreigners the nightlife is nicely limited to hotel restaurants or a lovely Japanese style restaurant/bar called Ume set back on the only main road in the jungle area. A nice local drinking hole run by a Burmese/Japanese couple, Nice cocktails, but the food wasn't so great, it isn't really anywhere in Myanmar though. It's overpriced but has a lovely ambiance and good company.
Steve the old Aussie science teacher was a laugh and the French were handy for information.
Fishermen, normalness, one man walking his pig.
Man doing ironing whilst watching Aung San Suu Kyi and Obama on the old television set.
A highlight of a day would be finding somewhere that sells cold drinks during the day! or Peanut brittle at a fair price.
Scarab beetles flying in my hair, general wierd bugs in Myanmar.
Elepahnts in the jungle near Ume during the wet season according to the owners.
