May 19, 2013 - Day 1-arrived in Yangon.

We were the only foreigners on the flight from Kuala Lumpur to Yangon, bar 1. Hot & muggy here, a real difference to back home! Went for a walk & surprised to see so many parks & roadside gardens.meeting with group members at 6pm & then we're all going out to dinner in the city. Well,Mik thought that we might be the oldest crocks in the group,Ha!Closer to the youngest,& we were worried about fitting in,fitness wise that is.As usual, a varied bunch of characters,but all are here to enjoy themselves & to immerse ourselves in another...

Mar 22, 2013 - Wonders of the world

Our last site seeing day athough we had lost the Beach 4 and the 2 Golfers so a Girls' Day. First stop was purely for photos: Aung San Suu Kyi's house. Seen so often on news footage one felt as though one had seen it all before: the high gates, the razor wire, the picture of her father and - through the gate cracks, the heavily barred windows of her house itself. Flowers all around. As we drove on, we saw the lake that had been the means of entry for one of her fated visitors. We walked around Boto Township at the heart of Yangon with its...

Mar 3, 2013 - Initiation

Well, I was just about to add loads of photos but have been stopped in my tracks: as Myanmar is sanctioned by the US, I can't upgrade My Trip Journal to a premium subscription as I have to pay through PayPal ! Well, who would have thought .... So, to try to at least get the basics right whilst I contemplate this latest dilemma, I shall fill in a short day I missed: my first in Yangon before meeting up with the group. By the time I got my act together on arrival and a good sleep, I went out into the boiling heat of the day to have a quick...

Mar 2, 2013 - On my way ...

At last .... all that faffing around: planning, packing, panicking and here at last ! Event less ? Well, not entirely. Easy journey: full up to Bangkok but got some sleep. I think I saw Argo but was unimpressed; I did see Arbitrage which was enjoyable with eye candy & interesting, twisty plot. Walked 1000m (yes !) from one end of Bangkok airport building to other end to change planes: 747/400 to ATR/72 which was 20% full. Also walked up all the six steps to the tropical paradise cartoon painted craft before bumping our way down the runway,...

Feb 10, 2013 - Burma (Myanmar) - 11/2-10/3

24/2/13 - Yangon (formerly Rangoon) - A brand new country nobody I knew had been to & I was ready for the adventure. I couldn't have been more confused on arrival! I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn't the ultra modern airport & adverts of MasterCard & Samsung! Go to Burma, get there before tourism changes it - really I thought? Lol, first impressions have changed massively since. So Yangon, stayed in the city for a couple of nights to find my feet & everyone I met at my guesthouse were all about to leave the country,...

Jan 29, 2013 - Yangon

The next day, our guide took us around the city. Unfortunately, his English was halting and we couldn't fully understand what he said. Nevertheless, we started off at the local market. If my first impression of Yangon was of the sanitized city of modern high-rises and broad highways that I saw driving in from the airport, I was quickly disabused of that notion. The market was full of produce and fishmongers and colorful, busy people. We wandered freely, and the people couldn't have been more friendly. Almost all of the women and many men...

Jan 28, 2013 - Burma, also known as Myanmar

We spent another day at Kumarakon and then headed back to Kochin to catch our plane to Kolkata. Our guide told us that yesterday, Republic Day, there was a boating accident at Alleppey which killed four people. Apparently, 30-60 people were trying to board a houseboat built for 15 and it sank. Safety issues aside, Kerala strikes us as a good place to live. The homes are well-built and the people look healthy. Our guide told us they have a passion for news, and the Kerala government actually takes care of its people. We also noticed more...

Sep 16, 2012 - Yangon

9/16 Wiki Info Yangon We finally come to the conclusion that given the uncertainties of getting off in Bago we will continue on to Yangon and miss Bago! We tell the 'conductor' fellow who gives us a puzzled look but nevertheless, now we can rest onward without thinking about what we'll do. When we get to our seats, a very nice Burmese fellow (they all are that way it seems) tells us in broken English that the bus really does not go into Bago, it would drop us off 24 miles from Bago from where we'd have to pay a taxi to get into town!!...

Aug 31, 2012 - Rangoon(Yangon), Myanmar

Flight to Yangon... Wiki Info Yangon 8/31 On the way from airport via Motherland 2 shuttle bus, raining, and bus loses it's brakes! The driver is very quick and avoids hitting a woman crossing the street by smashing into a gate of a driveway.... The fellows from Motherland quickly arrange a taxi which takes us to the hostel. Very friendly personnel welcomes us and we are able to get into a nice room. 9/1 Breakfast (included) is tea, toast, & eggs. We walk the city - only 15 minute walk from Motherland. Planning on just two nights but we...

May 5, 2012 - Myanmar

Myanmar is a country of 60 million, a very poor country, but with changes taking place as the military government "mellows".  The people are very friendly and often greet us with "hello" and seem delighted to hear"mingalarbar" back (hello).  In many places, they are not so used to seeing tourists and sometimes want to take photos of us!  The currency in kyat (pronounced "chat") and there are 800 to a US dollar. We rode on a local train for a 3 hour circle trip around Yangon. It was a great way to see the everyday life at all the little...

Feb 11, 2012 - On to Bagan

We left Yangon this morning for Bagan. We had booked a hotel that was recommended by someone we met but were surprised at how nice it is. The area is rural with lots of temples with a single lane paved road to our area of Bagan. Our hotel is down an unpaved road but is really lovely. (Barb is delighted with a hair dryer.) We went for a nice walk stopping at a restaurant along the river for a beer. It isn't quite as humid here as in Yangon, but still pretty hot. When we got back from our walk we headed for the swimming pool. We are going out...

Feb 10, 2012 - One with the people

The humidity. We were sitting at "Friendship Restaurant" having dinner about 7pm and suddenly the humidity hit us like a fog rolling in. The mosquitoes followed. Despite the coil under our table and repellent the bugs feasted on me. Bah! Peg and I muddled through a game of cribbage at dinner and are currently sitting in the garden at our hotel where we pick up someone's WiFi. Today I often felt that we were experiencing something very special. In a year or two the places that we are visiting in Yangon will be overrun by development and...