🔥 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