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January 2018 - May 2024
An open-ended adventure by Brian Read more
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    Day 1

    Second day in Mandalay

    January 19, 2018 in Myanmar ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    Today we travelled about 29 Kim’s outside of the city of Mandalay - surprisingly an area full of temples! Our first stop was at a very busy market - everything was available there, fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, clothes, cosmetics - you name it, it was there. One interesting thing was the seller of bark from the Thanaka tree. The bark is pounded to paste and then used by the ladies and children to cover their skin. Not only does it moisturise the skin, it’s also an excellent sunscreen. We did wonder why the ladies were lighter skinned than the men and this is why. Next we went to a monastery to watch the 400 monks who lived there, line up for their second and last meal of the day - it was only 11:00 am! Usually, they have to walk out into the town to ask for donations of food and then bring it back to share with everyone. Today, however a local village was their donor for the day and they had all turned out in their finery to serve the food. Some of the monks were novices and were as young as 7 years old - seems harsh life for them. Apparently all boys are required to go and live as a monk for at least a week - our guide told us he only lasted 5 days! After that we visited a nunnery that ran a school for children from kindergarten through high school. Some of the children were orphans and would live with the nuns until they completed their education and then could choose if they wanted to stay or leave, other children were from poor families who couldn’t afford to pay for their education. Amazingly they were all learning English that day, from the youngest to the oldest.

    Lunch time came and our guide took us and the driver to a “tea house”.....mmm. I can’t say we enjoyed our meal and Brian developed a touch of the Delhi Belly - the good news is that the meal for four cost only $4 and two Imodium sorted out his tummy problems.

    After lunch we had a very short boat ride to cross over to an island where we were taken to two monasteries, one made completely of teak wood and the other one (a copy) but made from brick and then on to the ruins of a palace. We were taken there in an old cart pulled by the skinniest horse I have ever seen! There were no paved roads so the cart dropped into all the potholes it could find - a very uncomfortable journey. Once back on the mainland, we were taken to an old teak bridge that had originally been built in the 1200’s - not an easy walk as many of the slats were almost worn away, there were no guardrails and some of the uprights were rotten - no health and safety here, but non of the locals seemed to mind as they strolled along. The bridge was 2 kms long - some feat of engineering for the time it was built. As it is the dry season, you really don’t have to use the bridge and people live temporarily in the riverbed growing their crops, but once the rainy season comes, the riverbed overflows.

    We were offered another sunset to watch, but declined as it was too early and hazy, so wouldn’t have been worth the wait.    Read more

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    Day 3

    Bagan and around

    January 21, 2018 in Myanmar ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    We spent two days in Bagan and have to say, liked it much better than Mandalay. We were met at the airport by our guide with an unpronounceable name, so we called him Coco. He took us to a local market - much like the one we went to yesterday, then on to three different types of temples - the brightest (all gold leaf and gold paint, the tallest and the biggest. All interesting in their own way but by now, becoming somewhat repetitive. We have learnt a lot about Buddhism though. We declined to eat in a local “tea house” for lunch and were taken back to our hotel for lunch and a rest. We were picked up at 4:00 pm and taken to two more temples before viewing the sunset from a vantage point with a view over a plain containing many, many temples! While we were waiting for the sun to set, we met a young couple who were living in Beijing - he was American and she was Chinese (had lived and studied in California for 10 years). Anyway, it turned out that he was a TV star in Beijing and had his own show singing and doing skits, all in Mandarin! Very interesting talking to them.

    On our second day we were picked up in the morning and taken to a nearby village were we witnessed a parade of young boys who were going to enter the monastery for their time as novices - a minimum of seven days. The boys were all dressed a princes, complete with fancy costumes and make up and rode horses, or if too young, rode in a carriage. A local wealthy man had organised the parade and other children from the village could participate with their parent paying a small fee. The wealthy man’s son was first in line and rode an elephant (apparently at a cost of $1,000). Most of the boys were about 7 or 8 but the youngest was only three! I asked our guide if he would have to go to the monastery to live and he said yes, but his parents would be on hand to feed him. I couldn’t imagine how a three year old could learn anything about Buddhism’s teachings and live on only two meals a day! Our guide assured us that it was fun to dress up and parade and relatives gave them money which they liked very much, but once the festivities were over, they had to get their heads shaved and go into the monastery.

    Next we visited more temples and shrines, then went on to visit an area well known for weaving beautiful silk. It was so intricate work and once we visited the shop, we could understand the exorbitant prices! Next we visited a factory that made lacquer wear. We had no idea how much work went into producing this product - very interesting, but again, all that work became obvious once we hit the shop and saw how expensive everything was! Our last visit of the morning was to go to a village that was founded in the 12th century. We were able to see how people lived. One family were weavers and we saw how they made the thread from the cotton plant. The grandma of the family (91 years old) was sitting on the floor spinning the cotton into threads. She was amazing and when she took a break, she smoked a cheroot that her daughter had just rolled for her! Apparently she smokes two cheroots everyday. She does a lot of the cooking for the family on a very primitive wood fire. Hard to believe people still live like this - there is a well in the village, but no running water, but they do have electricity - very interesting visit.

    In the afternoon we went for a ride on the Irrawaddy River on a not too comfortable open boat, but we did have comfortable cain chairs to sit in. After about half an hour, we landed - well the boat,an rammed the bow into a bank and we clambered ashore, then walked for about ten minutes through some trees to, guess what, a temple! This one was built into a cliff and tunnels had been carved out with alcoves that served as cells for the monks to meditate. Actually a very interesting visit. We sailed back having been served tea and snacks with a wonderful view of a sunset over the water.    Read more

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    Day 3

    Inle lake

    January 21, 2018 in Myanmar ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    After the two days in Bangan we flew onto Inle Lake. The landscape is totally different, being about 1000 mtrs above sea level and quite lush. The climate and soil here is so good that they harvest four crops a year. The lake itself is about 20kms by 10kms but is very shallow, only about 12 ft at the deepest. One third of the lake is covered with floating gardens on which the farmers grow a variety of vegetables - tomatoes being the biggest crop. Transportation on the lake is via boats which are very long but thin like a long canoe. They are powered by one cylinder Chinese engines that make a huge racket. The tourists sit in wooden deck chairs one behind the other in the boat, but we suspect the locals just sit crossed legged in the bottom - the more passengers the water taxis can fit in, the more money they make. The boats travel at about 30mph so it’s quite a cool ride, especially early in the morning!

    To get to our hotel, we had to take one of these boats, but first we went sightseeing for a few hours. We set off across the lake passing fishermen and workers harvesting the weed from the lake for fertiliser. We stopped for lunch at a place on the lake that was built on stilts. Brian was persuaded by our guide to rider the local fish dish - bad decision - afterwards he got yet another bad dose of Delhi Belly - will he ever learn? After lunch we visited a local a village where all the houses were on stilts in the water. We visited a weaving factory that was a family business, with everyone from cousins, to uncles to aunts working there. There were some outside workers - all women doing the weaving. Next we visited the boatyard, where they make all the canoes for the lake. Quite amazing! Everything is done by hand using hand tools - no power tools at all. They start with a huge piece from a teak tree and cut it into a square log - all by hand. Then cut the teak logs into planks, make and fit all the ribs, all done by eye. The boats vary from 15 ft for fishing and local transport to 50 ft for the tourist boats. Apparently a boat will last for four generations and takes about six men a month to complete.

    On the way to the hotel we went through some of the floating gardens. The farmers take a patch from a floating island, made up from water hyacinths and weed, they then float it back to their lake plot and anchor it in place by driving bamboo stakes into the lake bed. They then build up silt and fertiliser on it until they have enough depth to grow tomatoes, cucumbers, peas and beans, peppers, etc. The gardens are arranged in rows with water between as the farmers have to weed and harvest from their boats.

    We finally arrived at our hotel ( by this time Brian was taking no interest in any of the proceedings) and checked in. The accommodation was in individual villas which featured low beds set in the middle of the floor with a mosquito net that hung from the roof 20ft above. There was also a bath tub set in the centre of the bathroom floor. All of course built on stilts beside the lake.

    The next day Anne proceeded on the sightseeing on her own with Brian deciding to spend the day in quiet contemplation by the pool.

    Today I went off with the guide to view 1,054 stupas on the mainland at the south end of the lake. To get there we took one of the rivers that flow into the lake - the water comes from the mountains on the west side and that is a lot of water. It was like doing a gentle white water rafting! Every now and then we come up to a barricade made from bamboo (to try and stop silt and garbage getting into the lake). When we came to one the boat an would rev up and almost fly over the barricade and then plop back down in the water - thank goodness Brian decided to stay back at the hotel! We finally got to the location where the stupas were - a lot were in disrepair and had vegetation growing out of them - one even had a tree! Most of them dated back to the 17th century and are gradually being renovated. Very interesting place to visit. We boated through the lake village again, stopping off to watch a silversmith at work, then off to the middle of the lake to view yet another temple. I declined to eat lunch at a lakeside restaurant and returned back to the hotel.

    All in all we really enjoyed our time at Inle Lake. The hotel was superb, the staff couldn’t have been nicer and the accommodation was top notch. It’s a very tranquil place.    Read more

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    Day 4

    Yangon

    January 22, 2018 in Myanmar ⋅ 🌙 23 °C

    After starting the day in Inle Lake where we had an extremely cold ( even for Canadians) boat ride, we finished up in Yangon in the afternoon where it was 34 degrees and very humid. The first time we have felt really tropical weather on this trip. We did a walking tour of downtown viewing some of the old colonial buildings, many of which are in a poor state of repair. The city is mixed with some very modern North American hotels and shopping malls and some old buildings with mildew growing all over them and being quite run down. Lots of street vendors selling all kinds of foodstuffs, street food and bits and pieces. After a walk around for an hour we visited some other sights by car. The first was a very large reclining Buddha surrounded as ever by many smaller images all housed in a large covered space.

    The main attraction is the Shwedagon Pagoda which is very impressive indeed. The main pagoda is surrounded by multiple smaller pagodas. The main dome is covered with gold plate and the lower levels with mere gold leaf. At the top is a kind of umbrella which is filled with people’s jewelery which they donate. The final spire is crusted with diamonds and at the top is a 76 caret diamond- so much for poor monks. Actually all these things are donated by individuals all trying to buy their way to a better reincarnation. People here are very generous to their religion. While we were at the temple, we saw about 100 people organised in teams sweeping and mopping the floors. Our guide said people just show up to do this when they have a bit of spare time on their hands - mostly people who cannot afford to give money, so they volunteer their time.

    The variety and style of the lesser pagodas was also amazing. Many of them have specific purposes, ie pray here for a male baby, pray here for a female baby , stick a bit of gold leaf on this Buddha on the part of his body where you hurt, and you will be healed, etc etc. We stayed until sunset when the light on the buildings made for some terrific photographs. All the time we were at the temple, a monk was chanting over a loudspeaker. Apparently they chant all day from 5:00 am until 10:00 pm in a language that no one outside of the monks understands!

    For dinner we found a genuine Italian restaurant, so got a break for orientalist food - how North American of us! We will be back to eating lots of noodles and rice as we travel further into Thailand, Laos and beyond.    Read more

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    Day 6

    Myanmar of this and that

    January 24, 2018 in Thailand ⋅ 🌙 20 °C

    As we leave Myanmar here are a few odd and ends that we found interesting.
    They drive on the right side of the road though most of the cars have a steering wheel on the right side also. Apparently many cars are brought in from Japan and that’s the way they came. They did originally drive on the left but after some election,a right wing party won,so decided everything should be on the right including driving.

    The army announced one day on breakfast news that the flag of the country had been changed. It seems that their astrologer told them that the old flag was bad luck!

    In much of the country there are motorcycles everywhere but there are none allowed in Yangon. The reason is that a minister was hit by a motorbike and died so no more motorbikes in Yangon! Likely not a bad idea.

    Men in the country were the Longyi which is a long skirt. They are nearly all either a check pattern or stripes. Apparently a plain colour means that you are a ‘ladyboy’

    At one point when the army wanted to control communications a SIM card cost 4000 USD. It now costs one dollar.

    One guide who grew up in a small village in the mountains told us that there was only one phone line in the village at the monastery. When the phone rang, the monk would arrounce over the loud speaker that a call had come in for some person. If the caller left a message that would also be broadcast via loudspeaker!

    On becoming 45 yrs old one general celebrated by having a 45 domination note printed, the only place in the world that has one.

    Possibly an urban legend - at one time the currency was backed by gold held in Switzerland . However, one general decided that as the economy was good and they had mines and agriculture, they no longer needed the gold to back the currency so he went to Switzerland and removed it from the bank only to lose it all on a horse race! They now have a major inflation problem
    with the currency devaluing steadily.    Read more

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    Day 6

    Chiang Mai

    January 24, 2018 in Thailand ⋅ 🌙 20 °C

    We had a very comfortable transfer from Yangon to Chiang Mai via Bangkok. We flew with Thai Air who provided excellent service once again.
    Our hotel here is on the bank of the river and is excellent. They upgraded us to a suite which is huge. Unfortunately our hacking coughs have returned which has diminished our ability to properly enjoy the town. Brian did have a guided tour today of the downtown area visiting the day market and two of the major temples.
    Tomorrow we move to Chiang Rai for an overnight before crossing the border into Laos.    Read more

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    Day 11

    Travelling the Meakong

    January 29, 2018 in Laos ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Sorry for the brief note on Chiang Mai but we were taking it in turns to feel the worst effects of the flu ( self diagnosed) . Consequently it’s been a lot of lying down in darkened rooms and much sleeping. The good news is that we now both seem to be over the worst of it though you may hear of an flu epidemic in this part of the world soon!

    Returning to our trip; after the two nights in Chiang Mai, we were driven three and a half hours to Chiang Rai. We just had a quick overnight at a very nice hotel where we enjoyed lazing by the pool for the afternoon. We didn’t sightsee there or leave the hotel for dinner - still recuperating from the self-diagnosed flu!

    Up early for a 6:00 am departure for the 2 hour drive to the border with Laos. There was the usual bureaucratic process with the filling in of multiple forms, all with the same information. After that a quick transfer to our boat for a two day cruise down the Mekong river. The boat takes 36 people and is full on this trip. Over half of the passengers are japanese complete with their own two guides.The rest a mixture of Europeans and a couple of Americans. Actually it’s been noticeable in the Northern part of Thailand that most tourists are Chinese or Japanese, it’s actually uncommon to see Caucasians at the tourists sites.

    The scenery is quite spectacular as we slowly sail down the river. The river narrows at a number of points as rocky outcrops either divide the river or restrict its flow, fortunately we seem to have a good steersman at the helm! We made one stop at a village and saw how people in rural Loas live. There were loads of children and nearly every woman had a baby in a sling. Our guide told us that couples in the villages usually had a minimum of four children and as many as ten. The government are trying to educate them and provide free contraceptives which are promptly thrown away - well, the condoms seem to have value at least as the children fill them with water and use them as water bombs! The villagers tend not to be very well educated - the children go to a local primary school until they are ten, but then their parents pull them out of school because the high school is too far away for ten year olds to travel to and so they end up working as farm labourers. A few try leaving to work in cities, but they are so poorly educated that they cannot find work - many of the girls end up in the sex trade and are able to send money home with their parents not having any idea of how they earned it - very sad. As we walked through the village, our guide stopped at the blacksmith’s and showed us an inactive landline that was being used as an anvil! Apparently Loas was heavily bombed and mined during the Vietnam War and farmers are still being hurt by the mines.

    Our overnight accommodation was described as ‘cabins’ which was a perfect description. They were quite basic, made from wood with woven bamboo for walls. No glazing, but wooden shutters. The bathroom was somewhat basic with a sink that only boasted running cold water and a very basic shower - had hot water for half a turn of the tap and then you got more pressure by using the cold water. The good news was that there was a very elaborate mosquito net surrounding the bed with an ancient ceiling fan above it- the only speeds were fast and faster! Still, we were very grateful for both. Before dinner we were entertained by some local traditional dancers, which was quite delightful. Dinner was a buffet, so we ate lightly again, then off to bed for another early night. All in all a very pleasant stay and we feel we really had an authentic experience!

    Our second day on the river started out in mist but eventually the sun came out. We stopped at a village where they weave scarves and pashminas. We toured the village - very poor but everyone has a HD TV dish on the outside of their huts. Anne was proud of herself as she got a ‘special’ price when buying 4 scarves - saved all of $4, but was happy to contribute to the lady’s income for the day.

    The second stop was at a cave in a cliff where there are some 1000 Buddha images in a cave, the snag was that the cave was 320 steps up the cliff. Having seen over 1000 Buddha images we declined to make the effort. The decision was made easier by the fact that there were about 6 boats visiting at the time so it was a mob scene, plus reports from those returning from the top, who opined that the effort was not worth it.

    After another hour of pleasant sailing, we came at last to Luang Prabang. More about that to follow.    Read more

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    Day 11

    Luang prabang

    January 29, 2018 in Laos ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    Arrived in Luang Prabang in the late afternoon and were met by our guide and car and whisked away to our hotel. It was a lovely old colonial built in 1900 for the French Governor. The rooms were built round a quadrangle that boasted beautiful water features and gardens. Our room was again quite sumptuous and opened onto an enclosed garden that boasted an outdoor bath tub! The floor to ceiling shutters in the indoor shower and separate bath could be opened right out, so effectively, they could also be outdoor. When we got there, there was no electricity - the manager explained that the government were upgrading the system and power should be restored very shortly (think this must happen frequently, as there was a huge tub of water with a scoop in the toilet!). Anyway, the good news was that because of the lack of electricity, we were given unlimited free drinks at the bar!

    Luang Pabang is the former capital of Laos and is far and away the best city we have visited so far. The French influence is everywhere. The whole town is designated a UNESCO site and as such, none of the buildings can be altered. The houses are mostly stone and the streets are wide and tree lined. There are lots of good restaurants, both local and international cuisine plus a plethora of French bakeries serving good coffee and delicious French pastries. Our guide told us that one thing the French left behind was the baguette! There are lots of European tourists here ranging from students to ageing hippies and because of this, the accommodation is varied from high end hotels to guest houses.

    Our first day, our guide picked us up and gave us a tour of a local market, then onto the old King’s palace (now a museum)and a couple of temples - quite different from the ones we have seen so far, but also relatively new. We then stopped off in town for a cup of coffee and an almond croissant- delicious. In the afternoon we retired to the pool area for more relaxation- something we are getting quite expert at.

    The second day we set off for some waterfalls that are about a 45 minute ride out of town. We started off on quite a good road that quickly deteriorated into a pothole ridden dirt road. The ride was worth it though as the falls were very picturesque. The water is heavily mineralised so the pools are a beautiful turquoise colour. At the same location there is a black bear sanctuary. An Australian lady started it some years ago to save the bears from poachers who keep the bears in captivity to harvest the bile for the Chinese market. Since she opened the centre, she has been responsible for closing down two very large bear farms. Any baby bears at the centre are carefully reared and then, with help, released back into the wild. A very interesting day.

    We are now on our way to Vientiane, the capital of Laos.    Read more

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    Day 12

    Vientiane

    January 30, 2018 in Laos ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Vientiane is the capital of Laos and our final stop in this country. There are about 800,000 people, so is quite a large busy city. All the government offices are in the city and are housed in very substantial, colonial looking buildings that are set along broad avenues - very attractive.

    Our tour today started at a compound containing a Stupa surrounded by several other religious buildings. The chief Abbot of Laos has his office and residence in a very fancy building in these grounds (somewhat like a mini. Vatican City). We then visited the Peace Arch, built originally to celebrate victory over the French and is very reminiscent of the Arc de Triumph in Paris, but with an Asian twist. It is set in very nice gardens - Brian elected to climb the Arch to take some pictures, while Anne remained below entertaining the guide. We visited a couple of small museums containing various artefacts, but most things have been destroyed, as Laos has been attacked many times over the years by it seems, just about everyone who borders the country.

    The final stop was at COPE where they try to help with the Loas people who have been injured by cluster bombs, land mines etc etc. Quite a moving experience. I must admit that we were not aware just how heavily the US bombed Laos and of course without ever declaring war or anything. Apparently if the planes could not find their targets in Vietnam, then they just dumped their bombs on Laos because it was too dangerous to land the planes with a full bomb load. Considering the billions the US spent on the bombs the amount they have contributed to the clean up is minimal and quite frankly, shameful.

    After a little lunch at a French style bakery/cafe, we retired to the very pleasant pool at the hotel for more R and R.

    We discovered on arrival at the hotel that our rate included a special Laos dinner. We were offered to have it poolside or inside,and elected the first option, so this evening we were sat in solitary splendour beside the pool for our dinner. The food consisted of cooked and uncooked spring rolls ( excellent) Laos sausage- very spicy, fish and chicken each cooked and served in banana leaf. Steamed veg and sticky rice. An interesting meal! Dessert was fresh Mango served with coconut ice cream, sweetened coconut milk and of course sticky rice, generally quite nice, although Loas cuisine isn’t high on our list of must have food!    Read more

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