Blogs from Eastern Burma, Burma, Asia - page 2

Day 22-Monday-February 1 Buckle-up…this will be a wild day! We awoke this morning with our room not any warmer. Doug called the front desk and asked about the heater problem. He was told the units in each bungalow were only air conditioning and not heaters…oh well. So, as it does get warm here in the daytime, we’ll turn our units off when we return from our excursions in the afternoon to preserve some of the warmth before sunset when it starts to get cool. Then they won’t be constantly blowing cold air into the room. After rising, Doug looked outside and saw a couple hot-air balloons in the distant sky. Following breakfast, we met the group at 8:30 down at the pier adjacent to the Sunset Bar and we split up into our original yellow and ... read more

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It was a beautiful few days without a ton of action, so I'm hoping this blog is long on photos and short on words... We left Hsipaw with the hopes of finding an overnight trek out of Pindaya, which is in eastern Myanmar. It was a fantastic decision. The weather is slightly cooler as it is at a higher elevation meaning we weren't sweating immediately upon stepping outdoors. There seems be less slash and burn agriculture in the area, making the vistas much clearer. And there are very few operations for hiking, so there are fewer tourists roaming the countryside making it more quaint. As we hiked the villagers were happily amused by our pressence in their neck of the woods, asking our guides where we were going, waving as we passed, and laughing as we ... read more

Kalaw. 2h du matin. A la porte d’une agence de treks guidés vers le lac Inlé. Nous frappons à la porte depuis une demi-heure mais personne n’ouvre… Un passant nous aide à réveiller le propriétaire qui nous laisse nous reposer dans sa chambre. 4 heures plus tard, nous organisons les sacs et démarrons une marche de trois jours à travers les montagnes birmanes. Bernard le belge, Ana l’espagnole, William le québécois, et nous-mêmes suivons Momo, notre guide de 28 ans. Lui, il porte des tongs, un vieux sac East pack, raconte des blagues toutes les 2 minutes et n’a jamais entendu parler du Mc Do (« c’est une chanteuse non ? »). Il nous apprend la négo, en birman, que nous pratiquons dès que l’occasion se présente ; les vendeurs et les rangers adorent ! La ... read more

I am assured by the girl at the front desk that we will get a 4.00am wake-up call to enable us to catch our 5.30am boat to Mandalay. Luckily for me the prayers are still coming from the temple and wake me at around 2.00am. And even with my toilet paper ear plugs, I can't get back to sleep. It's a stroke of luck that I am still awake at 4.00am as the wake-up call is non existent. The security guard is found asleep on the floor in reception, however I give him a serious wake-up call before getting in the taxi for the boat. A river boat, on the Irrawaddy River to Mandalay is a wonderful experience. It's an 11 hour trip up one of Asia's great rivers, a wide muddy river from the annals ... read more