Myanmar: Taungoo to Kalaw

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We had to push start the Town Ace this morning. Hmmm...



The countryside in Myanmar is georgeous. People are smiling and waving everywhere. Chan took us on a detour today. We went to the new Capital. Yangon isn't technically the capital city anymore, Naypyidaw is.

It was quite shocking. A ghost town with no traffic and a 7 lane super highway. The government put roughly 4 BILLION dollars into a brand new government building with 24 hour electricity and housing for all of the employees. The streets are manicured and pristine. Its very sad.

Chan took us to one of his favorite places in all of Myanmar to eat. It was in Tatkok and it was amazing! We had traditional Myanmar food again and the all you can eat side dishes were unbelievable: lentils, soyabeans, curries, salads, etc. All for under $3 each. You honestly don't even need your main dish!

The drive to Kalaw was hard physically and mentally. It was extremely bumpy and windy and the Town Ace was taking a beating. Furthermore, they were doing a lot of road construction. They pay the women 2500 kyat per day to build roads. This is about $3 a day. It is back breaking work, dangerous, and extremely hot. The dust in the air is unbelievable. Children are working alongside the adults. Babies are with their mothers. It was hard to see. More so when they would look into the van and flash you the biggest smile ever. How can they be so, so, so happy to see a tourist?

To boost our spirits we stopped off at a poor school to give notebook, pens, and pencils to all the children. It was awesome! The kids were ecstatic! They were screaming and jumping and dancing around. Its crazy how far $20 worth of school supplies can go in this country!

It is COLD in Kalaw. The elevation of this little town makes a big difference! I didn't think I would be using my pants and fleece at all in this country but in Kalaw I have everything on! It didnt' help that we chose to stay at the Golden Kalaw Guesthouse for $7/night for a double including breakfast and excluding heat, hot showers, and a decent bed.

We ate dinner at a Nepalese Restaurant called Everest. Kalaw has a huge Indian and Nepalese influence from the days when the British ruled and the railroads were being built. The food was delicious and owners were sweet.

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