Mar 10, 2013 - Boat trip & more pagodas

An early start to set off for the river boats to take us up the Irrawaddy for two hours to our first stop over. It was cool and very pleasant with plenty of time to take in the fishermen, the flat, sandy scenery with sparse sprinkling of trees and shrubs, excitement generated by a flock of geese or children waving from the banks. We had green tea with bizarre and unpopular tamarind sweets. We were greeted by cheerful, expectant women with hand woven blankets for sale as we clambered up the very steep, dusty bank to our transport which was...

Feb 22, 2008 - Monywa

It was a sad morning. Jo had recounted her days and decided she didn’t have enough time for Mrauk-U. I was on my own. We’d had such a blast traveling together, it was hard to part, but I’m sure we’ll meet again. Shoe shopping in Milan, here I come!!! Travelling in Myanmar can be such a pain, usually in the ass. To look on the map, Mrauk-U was so close, but no way to go for foreigners. Besides, I still had to stop in Bagan, the Plain of 4000 Temples. A trip to Myanmar would not be complete without it, so off I went, stopping in the small...

Feb 16, 2007 - Mandalay - Bagan

I took a quick flight from Inle Lake to Mandalay which avoided a long bumpy bus ride. Mandalay is the second largest city in Burma, and the last royal capital in the country. I planned to walk around my first day, but I ran into a nice bicycle trishaw driver who showed me the city. The driver was a retired teacher and around 65 years old. He knew all about Mandalay, but I felt a little funny sitting in my padded seat while this older man broke a sweat peddling me around the city. During the day I was able to see traditional gold leaf,...