On the road to Mandaly

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I am sure that Bob and bing wouldn,t recognize the place...maybe the people and the climate. But the landscape is definately changing.

but before i continue that I shall conclude our time in Yangon.Suzanne and I did the walking tour in Colonial downtown.The wide streets are a welcome change from the crowded sidewalks in Chinatown .The buildings really are beautiful .We had a Burmese lunch but the grease used is more than my stomach can toleraTe .After a cool down in our A/C room we headed out to the Shewdagon Paya the main pagaoda in the city.It is Quite magnificent and the Burmese have a right to be proud of it.We stayed for the sunset hope to see the flash of colours that thediamonds and jewels are said to exhibit but we weren,t that lucky.We did have an excellent Burmese supper that night

The next morning we booked a taxi for a drive around tour of the city before catching a plane to Mandaly.

What a shock the arrival was...the. Taxi drivers were as aggressive as the worst hawkers in Vietnam.I was shocked as it was so unexpected .Our hotel was also a surprise and it felt like we were in a bad movie .After some food and a bit of a walk we figured out a plan for the next morning...and it worked.

We changed hotels ,met with a travel agent and hired a cab for the day .We are becoming very bourgoise...we booked our boat trip ,4 flights around the country and the hotels to go with that style of travel .It feels good! The day in the counrty was lovely and we are continuing to leaarn about Myanmar.

Love the comments.Will continueo another time!

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Comments

[R&C]

Saw Nettie today.
She stopped by. Chattered lots. She has so much to tell us. Then she invited us for supper tomorrow. So we will join them & see their house or condo or whatever. Will tell you about it later. Also got a note from Shirley. She will be arriving Jan 25. We will look forward to seeing her. Our bungalows are full. Lots of people we knew before & lots of newbies as well. Changes all the time. Makes things interesting. Enjoy your tours. We enjoy your notes. love

[Joy]

It's good to look after yourselves!
I love the details you describe to help us get a feel for the experiences you are having :)- even the unpleasant ones. You are so good at that, Pam! Enjoy your blog so much. Keep looking after yourselves. Life isn't intended to be gauntlet of bad experiences. If there are ways to have a good adventure, go for it. I saw and did more things on this trip to Puerto Vallarta - a boat trip to Los Animas, the Wed night Art Walk, 2 local markets on Saturday morning and 2 new restaurants - Barcelona and Bravo. I'm saving the Tuesday morning tour of public art on the Malecon for my next time there. Being in sunlight and near the ocean with its' life-giving humidity was wonderful and the best part was visiting friends who live there and being with my friend Marilyn. I was wishing I'd planned to stay longer. Got home last night and was reminded again that sometimes life gives us what is right, not what we think we want. Lesley picked me up at the airport (in quite good weather for this time of the year) and said that Linda needs some time from us in shifts, as she is unsteady - and enjoys the company. I am honoured to be able to help out as she has been such a solid and wise friend who has supported me through my adventures and mis-adventures for so many years. Have fun!

[Lapamba]

Thanks for the update Joy .