#9--The Slow boat to Bagan

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7/4/07 Happy Fourth of July!
I am writing this journal on a slow boat (15 hours) to the ruins of Bagan. We wanted to take the slow boat to soak in the country-side and experience village scenes. The boat travels the mighty Ayeyarwady River--the life blood of Burma. The scenery has been spectacular; very flat grasslands with lots of greens and yellows (and brown including the river water).

The first few hours were pretty full of villagers, tourists and baskets of goods. We have made a few stops where villagers load and unload the boat. It was suprising to me when locals from the various stops actually ran aboard the boat to sell us food and wares. We themed the stops based on the items being sold: banana, chicken, mango and blanket.

The weather has been a mixed bag. I was actually cold during the rainy parts, being that I was crammed against the boat rail in a plastic chair with rain pelting against my skin. But I am mostly sunburnt from the occasional overcast sky and the sun reflecting off the water. The wind has been nice as is the sound of the water on the boat. I am now in the 13th hour and have been writing, sitting and just soaking it all in. I am anxious to grab a beer in Bagan, but am glad to have slowed down for the day.

The slow boat arrived after dark and we took a tri shaw (a tricycle/rickshaw) to our hotel--the New Park ($12 USD). The room had beautiful teak floors and was our nicest to date in Myanmar. Hungry and tired, we ate at a phenomenal Indian restaurant; dubbed in our book as one of the top five restaurants in Myanmar. They weren't kidding! It tasted so good--especially after 15 hours of pineapple and granola bars.

7/5/08It's funny...When I read over my travel journals, it sounds like torture, but it is really fun and adventurous!

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