🔥 Chauk Chronicles: Oil Fields, Ancient Temples & the Best Tea Shop in the Desert

#springitinerary
Looking for a weekend that’s equal parts adventure and time travel? Meet Chauk—the dusty, oil-stained heart of Myanmar’s dry zone where ancient pagodas rise from the desert and the tea is sweeter than the sunset.

🌵 First Impressions

Stepping off the bus, Chauk hit me with a wall of heat (think: standing in a hair dryer) and the scent of deep-fried samosas, diesel, and something suspiciously like crude oil. The streets? A chaotic ballet of oil trucks, bicycle rickshaws, and the occasional goat crossing.

🤣 The “I Tried to Pet a Street Goat… and It Stole My Snacks” Moment

At a roadside tea shop, I made friends with a particularly bold goat who:

Nuzzled my hand (cute!)
Snatched my bag of peanut brittle (less cute!)
Trotted off like a bandit while the tea shop uncles laughed
Lesson learned: Goats in Chauk are next-level hustlers.

🍛 Foodie Gold

Breakfast was Chauk’s famous “bean soup”—a thick, garlicky broth loaded with chickpeas, crispy shallots, and enough chili to wake the dead. But the real star? A hidden alley stall selling deep-fried lentil cakes with tamarind sauce—crispy outside, fluffy inside, and dangerously addictive.

Pro tip: Ask for "extra spicy"—they’ll respect you for it (or laugh at you, either way).

💎 Hidden Gem: The Abandoned Oil Refinery

Everyone visits Shwegu Pagoda (and you should too—it’s golden and gorgeous). But the real adventure? Sneaking into the crumbling British-era oil refinery on the edge of town:
✔ Rusty pipelines snaking through the sand
✔ Graffiti from 1970s oil workers
✔ Epic sunset views over the desert

Just watch out for security guards (or bribe them with samosas).

⏳ Weekend Itinerary (Desert Vibes Only)

Day 1: Ancient & Industrial

6:00 AM: Sunrise at Shwegu Pagoda (golden stupa + desert views)
8:00 AM: Bean soup breakfast at Maung Maung Tea Shop
10:00 AM: Explore Chauk’s oil fields (like Mad Max but with more flip-flops)
4:00 PM: Abandoned refinery adventure (bring water + a camera)
7:00 PM: Night market feast (try the grilled goat skewers—revenge is sweet)
Day 2: River & Ruins

7:00 AM: Boat ride on the Ayeyarwady (watch fishermen haul in their nets)
10:00 AM: Visit a pottery village (watch artisans shape clay by hand)
1:00 PM: Escape the heat with sugarcane juice and a hammock nap
4:00 PM: Chauk’s secret sunset spot (a dusty hill with 360° views)
💡 Survival Tips

✔ Hydrate like your life depends on it (it does)
✔ Wear closed-toe shoes (the sand gets scorching)
✔ Learn “Hna lone leh?” (“Is this delicious?”—gets you extra samples)

Chauk isn’t pretty. It’s hot, loud, and smells like an oil rig. And I’d go back in a heartbeat. 🏜️ #desertvibes