Crepe paper? Oooohhh its toilet paper...Burma style!

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Wow oh wow...Myanmar, where do I even begin! First off, google map where it is and if you still don't know, it used to be called Burma (I had to do the same so...). Ok, I normally don't do a ton of research of the history of a country before I arrive (lets be honest here...I never do research before). I just sort of learn along the way, but imagine a mix between Asia and India that has been practically blocked off to the western world till only two years ago (apparently CocaCola just started being sold here 3 months ago). Now imagine every rich, ugly kaki wearing, retired person thinking 'Ooooh we have been everywhere else in the world, lets go there and bring thousands of dollars to spend!'

Basically, there is a massive flood of tourists here right now, which is very understandable because this country has yet to become so jaded and overrrun with tourists (like Thailand for example). That is the reason I came, but 90% of the tourists are non backpacker type, so the very few hotels are not geared towards people on a budget aka very expensive. Don't get me wrong, I'm not blaming the people for charging a lot, but paying north American prices for a room with no hot water and a hole in the floor in the bathroom is just super interesting...for lack of a better word.

But the people.... so precious! They are incredibly nice, so hard working, and really have been through hell and yet they still smile. I get such a kick out of talking or seeing them smile, because all of the men (some women) chew on some sort of red tobacco wrapped in a leaf. So this red juice stains all their teeth. Haha its actually pretty gross if you think about it, because they walk around with a big buldge of red/green leaf in the side of their cheek, spitting big blobs of red on the ground. I heard a political joke about that, someone asked if they didnt have any dentists, and their reply was yes, but they aren't allowed to open their mouth in Myanmar. True though. I was informed to NOT talk about politics or ask about 'the lady' (she was the first elected prime minister (honest election, when the people actually had a say) then captured by the military and held for the past 21 years. She only was released 2 years ago). This is extreeeemly difficult for me to not ask, because I'm super curious.... don't worry, I'm keeping my questions to myself. I do love this country, but also would like to be able to leave :-)
Its cool, walking through the market and just seeing a table with a telephone on it. Most places never even got a telephone line, so why not go to the market?! Now they have cell phones, so i guess that whole era was just skipped here. Oh and another fun fact, Myanmar money is impossible to get outside of this country, which sure, that normally would not be a big deal, just get it once you arrive....BUT the two bank machines I've seen don't accept foreign cards. Hah and another thing I see that just is so unordinary is beside the paved road, is two dirt tracks for the cow & horses to use when they pull carts. In some countries, you'll see a horse being used, but its for show. Not here! Driving through the countryside, it is really like going back in time.



One of the neatest mornings I've had so far was in a town called Bagan. I took a night bus, and arrived at 4:30 in the morning. Very typical of my travel style, I had no idea where I was or what type of town I had arrived in. If someone says its cool, I'll just go and figure it out once I'm there. Anyhow, there was no rooms available at that ungodly hour, so I rented a bike, and followed some people in the pitch black bouncing around through ruts on a rickety old bike and arrive at an abandoned temple/pagoda in the middle of a field. So, I climb up, and just sit a few stories high on this ancient temple, and watch the sun rise. Much to my shock and delight, as it got lighter, i kept seeing more and more temples....this town has over 3,000 of them. So everywhere I looked was temples ( this story would be soooo much better if the internet here was fast enough to upload pictures). Needless to say, that was one of the most beautiful places I've seen for ancient ruins and there is something to be said for watching the sun rise. I don't plan on making a habit of it, but its worth to do once in a while.



Spent 3 days in that town, and I can officially say I'm templed & Buddha'd out. Its weird, cause they make you take your shoes off, and some of the places are so dirty and broken down. Basically walked around barefoot for the past two weeks. I don't really want to write about their religious practices, but it just makes me wonder because people will come and throw their money to Buddha and some of these temples, all of the walls are literally lined with real gold (really beautiful), and yet some of the villages I've seen, the people are still soooo poor. I say Buddha has enough money, so since I've been here, I've tried to eat at local places and use local transportation (which isn't military run or owned) so at least some of my money goes to the people who really need it.

Probably the highlight of the past two weeks was doing a 3 day trek through the jungle and mountains of cetnral Myanmar. So, we started walking the first day, I'm all keen and excited...till we enter an area that has been a protected, natural habitat for the past 100 years or so. Legit Jungle! Humidity level went up to 70% in that section, and it was so dense with plants, etc. It makes a huge difference to teh country side once humans come in and start chopping down trees. Anyhow, here I am, sliding and sliping on the mud, trying to avoid grabbing poisonous jungle plants, sweating buckets and stumbling along (at the very back of the line I might add), wehn finally we exit onto a normal path. About an hour later we stop for lunch, and I had the wonderful idea to check my shoes...and my feet had been lunch for several evil leeches. SICK! Never have I been attacked by leeches before, and I hope it doesn't happen again, because once they bite you, the blood just keeps on coming. So, by the end of that day, half my sock & shoe was covered in blood. Ugh, two more days plus 45 km to go.. best part, is we arrive at a typical village and get to say in their house. Awesome! But oh wait... there are too many other people on the trek (the houses aren't exactly huge), so guess who gets to sleep on the floor in the building that the buffalo sleep?? Yes...I slept with the buffalo, on the hard floor, with bamboo walls, with bloodly leech bites in the middle of Burma. Wow, what a good experience! (I'm not really being sarcastic, it was an experience...on that I'm happy is over though 😊 The 2nd night was much better, I got to sleep in a 100 yr old monestary and was woken up by the little monks singing their morning prayers. Quite a peaceful experience really.

So after many aches and pains, incredible sights, & walking through remote villages I arrive at a place called Inle Lake. Stunning! This lake is about 15km long and 10 ft deep across the whole lake. So many floating gardens and villages on stilts in the water. Most peaceful place I experienced in Myanmar.

Anyways, I could keep writing about this country because it is so interesting, and I have seen so much in 2 weeks (Oooh and experienced an earthquake. I just thought a reallllly heavy person was doing some serious walking up and down the stairs and shaking my room. Mind you, I was half asleep, so that reasoning doesn't make sense considering it was a concrete building). I am so grateful I had the chance to come when I did, because its already changed so much in years, I can't imagine house much more will change in the next two. I love how I can walk down a road and people will smile and shout hello, or little kids run out of their house to greet you and wave....Myanmar is truly a special place

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