Bucket List: Sleeping In A Burmese Monastery In Hsipaw

Once upon a time, I flew to Myanmar on a whim to travel with a girl I hung out for a day on an island in Thailand. Once upon a time, that would have been strange, but over the course of my travels, I’ve learned to trust my gut feelings about connections with people and leave my plans open enough to go with the flow. It was precisely this trust that brought me to the highlands of Myanmar a few weeks later, where I had the unique experience of sleeping in a monastery surrounded by little monks.

I met Evie on Koh Lipe and though we spent only a day together, it sad to say goodbye so soon. Before she left, Evie invited me to travel with her in Myanmar. I had plans to fly back home the following week, but as soon as her boat left, I made up my mind. I’d looked into a flight and visa and get to Myanmar in time to celebrate her birthday.

Nice To See You Again

I’d only just landed, and I didn’t know where to buy a normal candle, but in a pinch, a cigarette had to make due. I think we were just happy a random thought turned into a half-baked plan that brought us together again so soon after our separation.

Flash forward three weeks and we’ve traveled all the way to the north of Myanmar. It was at Hsipaw, that we’d embark on three day trek through the Shan Mountains. Evie had heard about monastery where we could spend the night. With a straight face, she told me, she wanted to “sleep with some monks.” It was funnier to not correct her.

After settling into our hotel, we arranged for a guide to take us through the region. Unbeknownst to us, the region was occupied by two armies in present armed conflict.

Hiking Into A Conflict Zone

We were assured that everything would be fine, even if rockets were fired just a couple of kilometers away from where we were trekking. 

 

This was after our guide had a conversation with one of the villagers along the way and asked us to wait he ran off to “scout” something. Only a a couple of hours after starting our trek, we already ran into a potential problem.

Fifteen minutes later, our slightly out of breath guide returned with a smile on his face. “Everything ok. Don’t worry.” He told us that if we were to run into an army, to just follow his lead and say hello in the language of whichever side we encountered.

Everything will be fine. And anti-climatically, it was.

We ended the first day at a small village where time just slowed down. Evie played with a water buffalo and I photographed the children who were eager to show us their acrobatic cartwheels while simultaneously playing shy whenever we tried to say something in Burmese.

A Bed And A Roof Over Our Heads

I found a calming peace in this place and even comfort despite our beds being just a worn pad on the floor. My travels, in general, take me to all sorts of places and I find myself sleeping in all sorts of beds – it’s more of less the same to me.

As long as I have a bed, and a roof over my head. It could be on 400 count Egyptian cotton in a five-star penthouse suite or in a hut protected where animals graze outside an open window. Both are experiences and I feel gratitude to be able to experience both while on the road.

To The Monastery

The next morning, we continued our trek further inland to another village. Our pace matched the lack of urgency in having to be anywhere by any specific time. In the late afternoon, we arrived to another small village where we would be spending the night in a monastery.

Our arrival was met by a score of little monks called novices, greeting us with coy smiles and laughter before scrambling off to assemble for prayer time. I was told that we were one of the few foreigners who have come to spend the night in this particular monastery. We appreciated that they were receiving us on short notice without much preparation.

Along one side of the monastery wall was a row of flat mattress pads and blankets, where the novices slept. We were offered two of these pads, and gladly accepted them to give our feet a rest. While the novices ran off to do their chores, I went fully horizontal and stared at the ceiling while the late afternoon light shone through. Evie wrote in her journal, and time slowed down, like it did the evening before.

There wasn’t much to do here, and like the rest of our time in Myanmar, we experienced a great deal of quiet time for contemplation and conversation. By now, it was nice that Evie and I had settled into a daily rhythm where we can spend time in silence without a need to say much.

The Monks Finally Get Used To Us

By now the novices started to warm up to us, and allowed me to take some photos without constantly breaking into laughter and running away. This was a place of refuge for them, in a country where resources are scarce and families are always able to provide a good life for the children. I wished that I was able to communicate and learn more about their thoughts.

What struck me most about Myanmar, in contrast to other well-trodden Southeast Asian countries, was that outside of Yangon and Bagan, people were not exposed to foreigners on a daily basis. Children came up to us with pure curiosity and despite their impoverished conditions, we never experienced any begging.

This warmed my heart knowing that they regarded us as visitors rather than as targets to beg for money. It breaks my heart to see children learn to tell a well-rehearsed sob story in broken English instead of being to just be children. They were not exposed yet and I hope that it will stay this way – at least here.

This was a beautiful country, much like Thailand or Vietnam and as much as tourism can help their economy, I like that it has also not corrupted or spoiled it just yet.

At some point in the sleeping hours, Evie felt the early effects of food poisoning that kept her awake most of the night. While she continued to rest a bit more, I woke to a crisp morning to the prayers of the little novices, their whispers chants welcoming the day with a warm sense of calm.

When we said our goodbyes, the novices were running around and playing, reminding me that despite the shaved heads and robes, they were still children, who wanted to partake in the real world.

Looking for more travel inspirations? Scroll through some of the 450+ experiences on my bucket list. Maybe you’ll find your next adventure on there.

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Updated on May 29, 2024