Sue and I leave for Burma tomorrow, she for the fourth time, I for the third. As we did two years ago, we’re accompanying a group made up of friends, friends of friends, and other interested parties. I will try to post every day…but if I miss a day or two, we probably haven’t been […]
Category Archives: Burma January 2019
A day on a plane—January 6-8
There’s nothing quite like a 25 hour journey to the other side of the world to anesthetize your senses. I can utilize my only true talent — sleeping — but Sue, unfortunately, basically sits there and waits. Or rather sits there and worries. So we flew NY-Frankfurt-Singapore-Yangon and arrived in one piece. The flight intoContinue reading “A day on a plane—January 6-8”
Back in Burma—January 8
We were greeted at the airport in Yangon by our friends Tun Tun Ko, our extraordinary guide, and U Tun Naing, the owner of Time Travel and a friend of the Cetana Foundation for more than 20 years. And as we emerged from baggage claim we found our dear friends Rory and Pravan Westberg. WeContinue reading “Back in Burma—January 8”
Yangon, or Hubbub on the Streets—January 9
Up and at ’em at 5 AM–but after eight hours of sleep. I went down to the extraordinary breakfast buffet –about as long as a football field–and drank too many cappuccinos until the group trickled down. We had a very full day in front of us, but started late in deference to jet lag. FirstContinue reading “Yangon, or Hubbub on the Streets—January 9”
Return to Mandalay—January 10
We had a 5:30 AM bus pick up this morning so that we could make our 7:30 AM flight to Mandalay. It sounds more brutal than it was, since everyone was still horribly jet lagged. We had an hours delay at the airport due to some really thick fog. The departure terminal was new sinceContinue reading “Return to Mandalay—January 10”
Mandalay and Kyaing Tong: City and Frontier Town—January 11
Our delayed flight had forced Tun Tun to change around our visit to Mandalay: we tried to pack two days of sightseeing into one! We started the day with one of the most beautiful temples in the country, an 18th century teak structure that was originally an important part of the royal palace and thenContinue reading “Mandalay and Kyaing Tong: City and Frontier Town—January 11”
Into the Hills…and the Middle Ages—January 12
After an enormous breakfast — with an English component, eggs and toast, and a Shan component, with Shan noodles or fried rice — Tun Tun picked us up in the bus and we headed north toward a string of tribal villages. Along the way we passed a couple of road crews, Myanmar style: women carryingContinue reading “Into the Hills…and the Middle Ages—January 12”
From the (wonderful) Backwoods to…Paradise—January 13
We had the morning free, and most of the group visited the really unusual market at the edge of town. Kyaing Tong is a regional market town, and people from the hill tribes, all in tribal dress, throng the market. David and I went in for a pair of Shan baggy pants: wonderfully comfortable butContinue reading “From the (wonderful) Backwoods to…Paradise—January 13”
A Day on Inle Lake—January 14
It was surprisingly cold on the lake in the morning, but we persisted in eating breakfast on the broad terrace next to the dining hall. We were in the boats by 9:30, and headed immediately down lake to a village that was hosting the five-day market, a largely tribal affair that shifts its location everyContinue reading “A Day on Inle Lake—January 14”
Floating Gardens, Raging Stupas—January 15
Today’s itinerary took us to just three places, but they are all riveting. We started the day by visiting the floating gardens of Inle Lake. The “technology” involved is worth explaining. The villagers drag long strands of sea grass–as long as 50 yards–from the lakeshore to the site they’ve chosen for a garden and thenContinue reading “Floating Gardens, Raging Stupas—January 15”