Ngwe Saung

It was only 40 years ago a small Indonesian village was considered to be home of one of the most beautiful and unspoiled beaches in the world, a secret kept by only a few surfers and adventurous travellers. That little friendly village with an amazing beach is Kuta, Bali. That little secret has transformed into a tourist hub, with an international airport, numerous shopping malls, hundreds of hotels not to mention touts flogging ‘Bintang’ t-shirts and fake Rolexs’. It would be the opinion of many travellers that the last of the idyllic and unspoiled beaches throughout the world have succumbed to the pressures of tourism. In many cases, this is true. However, in Burma, the beach known as Ngwe Saung remains as one of the last of the few remaining paradises’ left on the planet. Situated on the shores of the Bay Of Bengal, Ngwe Saung literally means silver beach and stretches for a total of 14 km along the shoreline. This is where I was heading for my next beach vacation.
The drive to Ngwe Saung from Yangon took roughly 6 hours but passed through the small towns and picturesque countryside along the way. At present, an airport is being constructed in the town, so car was the most comfortable and logical choice, plus it gave me a chance to view the spectacular landscape. I finally arrived at the resort to be greeted by the friendly reception staff, which showed offered me a refreshing welcome drink and showed me to the bungalow. It was simple, but had an elegant charm about it. I decided to take a rest to recover from the travelling I had done in, so I laid on my bed, staring at the thatched roof of the bungalow. As I lay there, I could hear the sounds of the waves of the ocean. The simplicity of the bungalow and the sounds of the Indian Ocean were like a lullaby to me, and I fell asleep in a matter of minutes.
I awoke as the sun began to descend into the Indian Ocean. I was lucky enough to be able to watch this spectacular visual event take place from my bed. As I lay there, my stomach began to rumble and hunger got the better of me. Watching the ocean gave me the craving for freshly cooked seafood. Being by the sea, I could only imagine how delectable and soft it must be. I walked along the sandy path that was dimly lit by tiki lanterns, following the smell of freshly cooked seafood that filled the air. The hotel’s restaurant was out in the open with stunning views of the sea – the perfect setting to enjoy some delicious barbequed seafood. I tucked into some of the freshly caught seafood comprising of grilled fish, squid and mouth-watering prawns cooked ever-so delicately with local Burmese herbs and spices. I enjoyed a few drinks in the warm tropical evening and shared travel stories with other travellers before calling it a night.
The next day it was time to hit the beach. I had seen the beach from my room and it looked stunning, but now was my chance to try or myself. Like most other popular beaches around the world, I had expected a gaggle of vendors to swamp me selling all kinds of things that I wasn’t interested in purchasing. But this wasn’t the case. I was greeted with a soft ocean breeze, wide open beaches, and a number of local-style fishing boats lined up along the beach.
This was truly paradise. I set up base for my day on the beach under a thatched umbrella to escape the tropical sun, copy of the novel that I never had time to finish reading back at home, fresh guava juice. Just myself and the long, silvery-sand beach of Ngwe Saung.

Ngapali Beach

Situated on an 11 km stretch of coastline along the shores of the Bay of Bengal lies Ngapali Beach – one of the world’s best kept secrets. Ngapali Beach is located 7 km the sleepy fishing village of Thandwe, and has become ever-increasingly popular with travelers from all over the world. This is due to the cobalt blue water, coconut tree-lined beaches and spectacular sunsets which paint the sky a thousand colours. Ngapali Beach was certainly the change of pace I was looking forward to in my holiday of a lifetime to Myanmar.
I’d been in this magnificent country now for some time. I had been to more pagodas than it’s possible to count. I’d developed calluses on my feet from trekking through kilometres of dense jungles in Shan. I had haggled with vendors in the crowded marketplaces of Yangon. Sure, I’d loved every minute of it. But it was time to add some contrast to my time spent in Burma, by taking time out to relax, laze on the beach and simply watch the world go by.
My flight departed Yangon in the morning and it took roughly an hour to reach the airport in Thandwe. After touchdown, I quickly exited the plane and met the hotel representative who would take me to the airport. I sat in the back of the van, struggling to contain my excitement of the relaxation portion of my escape to Burma. I arrived at the resort where I was ushered into the lobby. I was greeted with a delicious welcome drink made of freshly squeezed fruit juice before being shown to my room. As I unpacked, I began planning in my mind the things that I would do during my time in Ngapali. Of course, the natural instinct of any traveller who visits Ngapali is to head straight to the beach, which is exactly what I did. As I reached the beach, I was stunned by its faultless qualities. The white sands stretched for miles along the coastline, while the clear blue water lapped gently against the sand. Small bamboo fishing boats were scattered sparsely along the shore, providing an image that would not look out of place on a postcard.
I sat under an umbrella with the Bay of Bengal gently lapping at my feet while indulging in fresh juice right out of a coconut – as fresh as it comes. Now, I’d seen some of the world’s best beaches in my travels, but I would have to say that Ngapali is a cut above the rest. One of the reasons I fell in love with Ngapali Beach is because of the vast stretches of wide beaches gave the feeling like I was the only traveller on the beach. But it would only be a matter of time before the rest of the world discovered this perfect paradise. I had seen fishing boats lined up on the shore during the day, and heading out in the sparseness of the Indian Ocean, only to arrive back at the beach in the early hours of the morning with the catch of the day. If it wasn’t the beach that makes Ngapali Beach famous, it would have to be the freshly caught seafood. Restaurants can be found along the beach offering cheap and freshly caught seafood, cooked over the dry coconut shells, which give a great taste to the seafood.
After spending time in Ngapali Beach, I could honestly say that it exceeded my expectations with everything I could have dreamed for in a beach holiday. Minimal tourists, great scenery, delicious food, white sandy beaches, snorkelling - Ngapali Beach has it all. I felt sad at the prospect of returning to my wet and cold home town, and that my secret paradise will one day become a renowned destination for travellers all over the world. But I am glad in the knowledge that I had the chance to experience Ngapali Beach before deckchairs line the beach and the construction of multi-storey hotels changes this awe-inspiring destination forever