The Rangoonies

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We arrived back in Yangon bruised and exhausted but not beaten. We spent the next couple of days walking around the market area, I think that's why we saw 50 times more tourists this time than last time we were in town. It almost didn't seem like the same place, we thought this city was rustic?!?! There are some guys wearing jeans here! That's downright futuristic compared to the other places in Burma.

Anyways, we were living pretty cushy the last couple of days in Burma. We made an amazing discovery, Traders Hotel has a set menu with all you can eat soup, salad, bread(!!!), and dessert for only $6 a person. I don't think our waiter had ever seen two people get so excited about having a never ending supply of ice water in a clean glass! We also made it to the Strand happy hour because we figured it was high time we started drinking where George Orwell and Mick Jagger drank. Later we tried to sneak back into Shwedagon and failed so we paid another $5 because we both figured we would be back in Burma... probably never, which is sad but there's just so many other places to see. But I'm so glad I came now, we read an article in the New Light of Myanmar saying that they're trying to get 35 million tourists a year to Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Yunnan, Thailand, and Myanmar by 2010. Get here soon. Incidentally I also read about Africanized killer bees in Oklahoma and Kansas in that same newspaper. Uh, I'm not coming home now.

So after a long wait in the airport watching Indonesian MTV (those MTV dating shows in heavily Muslim countries are amazing) we made it back to Bangkok a couple days earlier than we were expecting. We did the Big Four tourist trail- Yangon, Mandalay, Inle Lake, and Bagan. We passed on Ngapali Beach because of the legendary bus ride and lack of time, we also missed out on Golden Rock because women aren't allowed to go up there. Oh, so we can fly way the hell over here and climb up the stupid mountain but we can't go up to your stupid Golden Rock because our heads will explode. We thought that was much too degrading, so gave it a miss.

I had an absolute blast in Burma, it just completely kicked my ass and it was time to come back to Bangkok. Sweet, sweet Bangkok. So we spent the last day or so eating and walking around Siam Square in a daze and we went to McDonald's where they had a 60 second guarantee. It took at least 45 minutes to get your food in Burma- when the power is on- so we forgave McDonalds when they went over their 60 seconds and gave us a coupon for a 5 baht ice cream instead. Oh, it was exciting.

Well Senti went off to Ko Chang this morning but she'll be back, and I'm meeting my dad tomorrow so that will be fun. Allright, I got to get out of the MBK center because they've just started playing "Hollaback Girl" for the tenth time so over and out.

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Photos

People's Desire- Scariest sign ever
This picture was taken from a tuk tuk so I will type it out:
Oppose those relying on external elements, acting as stooges, holding negative views
Oppose those trying to jeopardize stability of the State and progress of the nation
Oppose foreign nations interfering in internal affairs of the State
Crush all internal and external destructive elements as the common enemy.
This crap is all over Burma

Yangon street scene
This is in the rich part of town

Sule Paya
a 2000 year old stupa in the city roundabout

Scary building
We don't know what it is

If this sign was in Vietnam
it might as well say "stop breathing"

New Light of Myanmar
in English, best propaganda ever and would be hilarious if they weren't serious.

We saw a Burmese movie
I've heard they're not allowed to export them so if you want to see one, get to Burma. I became horribly confused. Everyone was pregnant and people kept throwing money at each other, and then one woman died in childbirth and they threw money at her but she remained dead so they started crying.

We are but two tiny ants
next to the mighty Shwedagon

Talking to the monks
He wanted to know the difference between Catholocism and Protestantism and I think I failed him miserably.

Prawn potato rolls forever!!!!
We were halfway through and Senti asked me if they tasted kinda... off, I said definitely, so we laughed and popped a cipro.

Senti smuggling jade
actually we were quite disappointed when they totally didn't care

Back at Bangkok
Sweet, sweet Bangkok.

Comments

[shandizzlebaby]

HEY HEY HEY
diggin the foot tan!!! maybe when you come back we can work on mines. I started craving the thai place today reading your blog, was gonna go by myself when what do ya know, va calls me and wants RICKY'S!!!! may have the priveledge of singing kareoke with michelle at a spanish bar. oh donda estada me llama gringa. i'll let you know how that goes. glad you get to see your daddy. please sing him purple haze for me, and tell him i listened to it all the way through friday and then he wasn't even there for me to show him my mad skills. Take care. shannon

[majormalfunction]

The "scary building" is the so-called Minister's Office, on the corner of Anawratha Road/Thein Byu Road.