Inle Lake

After another day in Bagan (a memorable trip to Mount Popa resulted at us being greeted by the locals who seem to see few foreigners and attacked by the monkeys) we made the long and unusually timed journey (bus left at 4am) to Inle Lake. This journey will live long in the memory as being the longest 12 hours of my life. A local bus with hard wooden seats, locals crammed on with all their goods, combined with the worse roads in existence and crossing a mountain range made for a bumpy ride to put it mildly. We had be joined now by Maureen, a German girl who we had met cycling around Bagan, and with who I was to be roomies with for the next few days.

Inle Lake is often seen as one of the most memorable places in Burma and it didn´t disappoint. The highlight was a boat trip for a day and visiting floating markets, workshops, villages, monasteries and even the local floating school! I will never forget the sight of the excited children leaving school at the end of the day being picked up by boats (some motor powered, others rowing boats), as a teacher I found it particularly interesting. I´ve attached a picture just to show you!

The surrounding countryside was so lush and green, we saw beautiful rainbows and steamy mountains in the distance. Fishing in the lake, the Intha fishermen are famous for their one leg rowing and you cannot fail to find it fascinating how this tradition is maintained. Inle is often seen as a ´´tonic for the soul´´ and it truly was. I would love to have spent more time here, certainly to have had time to cycle the Lake too but time was at a premium as Yangon and my flight back to Bangkok were beckoning. If I ever make it back to Burma it is one place I would certainly revisit. One other memorable experience, walking back from dinner one evening. Some locals treated us to a jamming session, a sort of Burmese version of an unplugged set. One word: awesome.

Payas and Pagodas, Bagan, Burma

The journey from Mandalay to Bagan was a mixed one. At breakfast I met an American couple who were to share the journey (and pretty much rest of the trip) with me, Bahar and Michael. Teachers too, we hit it off from the outset and I know I will keep in touch with these guys. We spent the next 8 hours on a bus which had seemed promising to begin with but experienced problems early (at one stage we stopped for an hour and I saw the driver come back from a stop with a coil of wire) on and it got steadily hotter and hotter as the journey continued. We soon realised that nothing was coming out of the fans and as it was an aircon bus, the windows wouldn´t open either. The couple of stops we had helped us cool down, only then to continue frying as we moved over bumpy and untarmac-ed roads towards our destination. The sight of the assistant keep running out of the bus with a bucket and throw water on the engine in a bid to cool it down seems funny now but at the time not fun. Safe to say we got off the bus in Bagan a few pounds lighter..

Arrival in Bagan was fun, being met by drivers with horses and carts. I´d arranged accommodation so the short pick up was complimentary and I arranged with the driver to do a sunset trip to one of the best spots in Old Bagan, the Schwesandaw Paya. It is a highlight and the crowds do gather, although compared to many sights visited over the years the number of people was far from overpowering. There was a real buzz as people climbed up to the viewing platforms to grab a good place to watch the colour of the sky changing and how this resulted in the different hues of the temples all around. Bagan has 4400 temples and rivals the temples of Angkor in Cambodia as SE Asia´s most memorable sight. Described in the Lonely Planet, ´´gather all of Europe´s medieval cathedrals onto Manhatten Island and throw in a whole lot more for good measure and you´ll start to get a sense of the ambition of the temple-filled plains of Bagan´` I couldn´t put it better myself!

One enduring memory came the next day when along with Michael and Bahar, and the French guy Emeric, we hired bicycles and spent a full day exploring the temple sights (or as much you can do in just one day, only a fraction of the whole). Stopping regularly and being hassled by touts constantly, getting lost at one point and ending in a ploughed field with the mid-afternnon sun beating down on us, Michael calling out ´`watch out, I´ve just seen a snake´ at one point, the memories of that day will linger on. Exhausted by the end, it was pitch black as we navigated our way back to the hostel, getting lost a few times en route. We had thoroughly earned our Nepalese curries and shots of Mandalay rum that evening...

From Mandalay to Bagan

After a further full day in Yangon, seeing the city by cycle rickshaw gave me a good feel of the layout of the city and its colonial past. Highlights included the bustling market, walking the streets of the Indian district and half price cocktails at the Strand Hotel ( a beautiful old colonial hotel where to stay would have way, way beyond my budget- Mick Jagger and George Orwell have been previous visitors!)

The overnight bus to Mandalay took me to a the second largest city in Burma, once the capital during the days of the Empire. Rudyard Kipling made it famous in his poem Mandalay, although he himself never got that far! Arriving at 5am I shared a pick up truck into the city itself and witnessed it coming to life. The sight of hundreds of monks in their red robes clutching their alms bowls is one I will not forget in a hurry- Burma has more monks than any other country, many of them still boys. Arriving at the accommodation so early it made sense to make the most of the day ahead, the only one I would be able to spend in the city. The highlight seemed to be Mandalay Hill and along with a French guy we decided to walk to it, a journey that took a good couple of hours but after a night on a bus seemed good exercise (although the heat was intense even by mid morning) although I looked longinly at times at the procession of tuk tuks and cycle rickshaws that plied their trade and is a constant feature of life in Asia. Mandalay Hill then had to be climbed (we did it with regular breaks as well over 1000 steps) but the views from the top made it worthwhile. I took a motorbike taxi back to the city for lunch and spent the rest of the day downtown, drinking tea (tea shops are everywhere and you are always seeing groups of men in longyi- the tradition long skirks worn by men and women alike, chewing betel with their mouths stained red and sipping tea and spitting out a red coloured juice) and just soaking up the atmosphere of this crazy city. Next stop: Bagan

Blogging from Burma

Ok, it's been a couple of days now since I returned from Yangon to Bangkok after my 11 day trip to Burma, or Myanmar as the Government renamed it. And what an experience it was. I'd read about the country and particularly the political situation (some of which I referred to in my last blog).  At the airport I still wasn't quite sure what I was letting myself in for but was reassured that there were other Westerners on the flight. I flew to Yangon (Rangoon as it was previously known) and after a short flight arrived at the airport to be met by some of the staff from the Motherland Inn. I had prebooked a room there as I knew there was a free airport shuttle which is always a bonus when arriving in a new city, particularly when traveeling alone. The staff were holding up my name (I think thast is a first for me!) and I found myself on an ancient bus owned by the hostel along with a group of fellow travellers. As we drove into the city (about a 40 minute trip) they stopped to show us the Schweddagon Pagoda ( viewed as one of the finest in SE Asia) which looked stunning in the night sky. I was to return the next morning for the sunrise with a couple who I met on the first night. It was a memorable experience seeing this stunning pagoda change as the sky became lighter and witness the early morning activity from the monks praying to people coming and setting up stalls for the day ahead. I was given breakfast of fruit and sticky rice which I ate with a group of monks in front of Buddha's image (feet turned away , of course). We were the only tourists there and it made it a very special moment and well worth the early get up call....

Burmese days

As you know, my intended next destination was Chiang Mai in the north of Thailand. But everyone has the right to change their mind once in a while! Two reasons really. Firstly, the weather in the north is really rainy at the moment, especially for trekking. There have been mudslides in some areas. Also, friends are going to be in Chiang Mai towards the end of the month so could be a good time to be there then. I find myself about to head to the Myanmar Embassy to pick up my tourist visa for travelling in Myanmar (formerly known as Burma).
Rudyard Kipling wrote that itis 'unlike any place you know about'. It's supposed to be like stepping back in time where there are no 7-Elevens, Atms (dream on) or phones. Frredoms for its people are severely lacking- there is only one state controlled tv channel which runs from 5pm until midnight although electricity often goes off way before that.  It's a land rich in history (it was a British colony until it was 'liberated' by the Japanese during World War Two) and  in natural resources (gas, precious stones and heroin). One of the reasons the economic sanctions against it (imposed by the West)  have not worked is that two of its biggest backers are China and India. Thailand also gets much of its gas from Burma.
The political situation is one I'm sure many of you are familiar with. It is a military dictatorship where democracy is only a dream of its people. Aung San Suu Kyi won elections in 1990 (awarded the Nobel Peace Prize the following year) for the NLD (National League for Democracy) but has spend most of the last 20 years under house arrest. It advises against going to her house in the Lonely Planet unless you want ' a swim and being arrested by the military junta'. I don't think I'll bother! One American swam to her house in 2009 and spent the night. She was charged with consorting with a foreigner and given another 3 years on her jail sentence!

Should you go? This is something I've had to think through and whilst much of the high end tourism supports government hotels and ventures, there are plenty of ways of avoiding this and the LP has lots of advice for people like me who want to visit this beautiful, off the beaten track, country. My flight is booked now (land borders pretty much don't exist) so I'll be able to blog more when I'm back from a personal perspective. I plan to spend a couple of days in Yangon (Ranggon) before heading to Mandalay and Bagan (from where you can see 4000 Buddhist temples). And Inle Lake if I have time in my 11 day journey.

Hanging out with the Aussies

Well, I've been on the island of Koh Tao for a week tomorrow and it's been the perfect start to my trip. I've always loved Thailand and visited a number of places before but never Koh Tao. It's a small island (only 21 square miles) and situated in the Gulf of Thailand just above the bigger and more commercial island of Koh Samui. It's name means 'Turtle Island' and although I haven't seen any turtles whilst snorkelling, I've seen the most amazing array of the most beautiful tropical fish just from the beach at Aow Leuk (on the other side of the island). We are staying on the west side at Sai Rai beach which is the biggest on the island but to get to the other side it's about a 40 minute walk (good exercise as very hilly) or a 30 minute boat ride. I did that with Chloe the other day and we chose a day when it was a bit rough getting around the tip of the island. Managed to stay aboard though!
 Koh Tao is very much a divers island and you can do all range of courses from an introductory dive, a PADI, Open Water as well as more advanced instructors' courses. There is something for everyone here and if you want to chill, enjoy the beaches, get a massage and enjoy the food and nightlife, then you can do just that.
Accommodation is great and cheap- Chloe and I ar paying 500 baht (about 10 pounds) for a simple beach hut virtually on the beach. There is more upmarket accommodation too, I saw amazing beach huts on stilts overlooking the bay on the other side of the island which looked amazing. Maybe next time, I'm on a budget on this trip and keeping it as cheap as possible!

We have had some great days and it has been so nice to spend time with friends and get to know Chloe, someone I know I will keep in touch with. It's her last night tonight (Jim, Chelsea and I leave the following day). We are all heading back to Bangkok before heading north to Chiang Mai and to experience a different side of Thailand.

Bangkok to Koh Tao

Had a couple of great days in Bangkok. Met up with Jim and Chelsea on first day as knew they had arrived the previous day too. They are Australian friends who lived in Belper for a while and have been travelling since the end of Jan. Fab to see them both and meet their friend Chloe (my new roomie!) over a thai green curry (the first of many I'm sure) on the Koh San Road. The girlies treated ourselves to foot massages and the fish treatment when they nibbe all the dead skin off the feet. We said we felt sorry for the fish! Will post pics of this as it was a real giggle and very ticklish! Said bye temporarily to the Aussies as was following them to Koh Tao the next day. Went out in the evening with a bunch of girls from the hostel and again had a lovely eve of thai food, a few drinks and people watching on Kho San. Never a disappointment... Next day a huge Thai weekend market which was fun before the overnight bus to get the ferry to the island of Koh Tao. Not fun being prodded at 3am to say we had arrived and have to get bits and bobs together in such a rush and pitch black. Nearly got the wrong rucksack too (an identical black berghaus was thrown at me and still half asleep at this point at last minute checked  and ralised it was not mine). Had to wait for the first ferry which took 4 hours to the island so arrived mid morning and made my way to meet up with Jim, Chels and Chloe from before and two other friends Laura and Conk who are also travelling. So good to all be together. Chloe had got a room already and as we are sharing it was all so easy and within minutes I'm lying in the sun taking in the sight of the beautiful vistas around a typical Thai island. Last night was a blast, as you would expect meeting up with friends in a fantastic location, celebrating, sharing stories over a few drinks until the early hours. If the rest of my trip is as good as it's been so far I'm in for a hell of a year!

First stop, Bangkok!

I've made it. Flight via Hong Kong which looked amazing as we came into land. Definitely going to spend a few days there on return flight next year...Love Bangkok, just for a day or so.It's a crazy city of East meets West. I've done all the main sights so will just have a wander, maybe take a tuk tuk somewhere tomorrow. Meeting friends Jim and Chelsey who are also here, tomorrow too. I  was too tired tonight so just stayed at the hostel which is a beautiful, traditional thai teak house with a great vibe. Just sitting in the lounge with an Australian guy and a couple of girls from England and Germany, all swapping plans and chatting about first impressions of Asia (both of the girls are in Bangkok and Asia for the first time). A great way of spending my first evening away, already feeling very excited about what the next weeks and months will bring. Next stop- Ko Tao.