Myanmar and in words

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Well here it is the long anticipated blog of Myanmar, Burma, I survived the rainy season, the absolute melting humidity, being bounced around on some very entertaining and back to back arduous bus trips. This is the land when you ask about WIFI they think you are asking about the latest Justin Beeba song. With a population of 55 million, I think I saw a total of a dozen people with mobiles, so I don’t know who they were speaking to maybe the other 11! The women wear long skirts and the men wear even longer ones and chalking your face up is the new vogue for everyone. Horse and cart is still a much trusted form of transport and the buses range from chintz and handmade curtains to travelling with crate loads of chicks pots and bananas.

For some parts of my travels I was the only tourist in town,(rainy season isn’t always the most popular time to visit a country) regardless where I was if it be walking down the streets, riding a bike or on the back of a moped, people would wave and say hello and ask where I was from and would always enquire about the football. They love our teams and their lives would revolve around our premier league. Even in the hustle and bustle of a bus station there was always a chorus of greetings, the kindness of the people was also a warming reassurance, on the occasion in my infinite travelling wisdom I decided to sit around in Mandelay and wait for my next onward bus in the middle of the night and at this point I really did begin to wonder why I didn’t go inter-railing round Europe instead. As all I had for company was a pack of dogs and a few characters sitting around a fire, when one of them brought me a mozzie coil and placed it by me and then a lady took pity on me and came over and guided me and the mozzie coil to a place where I could sit and have coffee with her.

As far as the sights I have seen more temples than you can poke a Budha at, I have hiked up hills, through rice fields, infact through all types of fields to get to remote villages and Monestaries. I have cycled, mo-ped, horse and cart and boated my way round the stunning countryside and scenery this country has to offer and not to mention one of my favourite hobbies and had a total eating bonanza of rice in every form accompanied either with coconut or with sauces and meat which I daren’t enquire about its origin and noodles in every variety in varying degree of spicyness.

So my overall experience of Myanmar was in deed a memorable one, in fact it was bloody fantastic but boy I am glad to be moving onto more familiar territory. For now I will take you through the country with my photos and what I saw, so keep posted.

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