Blogs from Burma, Asia - page 96

In Mandalay angekommen nahmen Devon, Jeanelle und ich erst einmal eines der allgegenwaertigen Blue Taxis, ein umgebauter Mini-Pickup. Auf Empfehlung von Frederic quartierten wir uns im Royal Guesthouse ein, das ein nettes Flair hat, obwohl es recht beengt zugeht. Die Strasse davor wurde gegenwaertig neu gebaut. Und das heisst hier pure Muskelkraft: Mit Ausnahme einer Dampfwalze nur Handarbeit, sogar Grossteils von Frauen. Waere es nicht mitten in Mandalay und direkt vor dem beliebtesten Backpacker-Guesthouse, koennte man meinen es waere Sklavenarbeit. Grosse Steine werden per LKW angeliefert, per Hand durch Hammer zerkleinert und so auf die geplante Strasse verteilt, dass sie eine gewisse Neigung erhaelt. Werkzeuge: Koerbe, Hammer und eine Schnur zum Ausloten. Angekommen war erst einmal Relaxen auf der schoenen, blauen Dachterasse mit einem Bier angesagt. Nach einem kurzen Besuch der ... read more

Almost immediately after arriving in Pyin U Lin we got sick so we ended up staying six days resting. Because it was several thousand metres above the plateau where Mandalay is, it was much cooler and less dusty. The temperature was a lot more enjoyable. There are a few hidden gems in Pyin U Lin. Meaning yummy delights! We found an Indian restaurant called "Family Restaurant" which served really good vegetarian platters with chipati and also a bakery recommended by the lonely planet called the "Golden Triangle" with really good cheese croissants and coffee. The night market has a lot of deep fried bread and stir-fry but we found a really good clay pot spicy noodles. We bought mangos every night which made a really nice treat at the end of the day from a lady ... read more

The progression of the road work was impressive, most of which was done by hand. We went out on another excursion at 730am and the workers were already starting the day and when we came back around 530pm the workers were just finishing. Long hours for only making about 3000 khats (US $3) as we were told. We commented it was not very much; the response we received was the job does not pay much but it ensures a daily income. Although it is the way of life in Myanmar it was tough to see young children working. Interestingly and uncomfortably, you also see children the same age begging just nearby. Its a shock to see and a harsh reality. Later, we had discussions with our driver about the situation which revealed a lot about his ... read more

We hiked 60 kilometers from Kalaw to Inle Lake over 3 days and two nights. Our first night we stayed in a village and the next night in a monastery. Okay, stop laughing. I know you can't imagine ME in a monastery. Luckily there was a store selling beer just down the road. ;-) There was very little forest to hike through thanks to slash and burn farming. The landscape was mostly of rolling hills planted with tea, potatoes, rice, corn, peanuts, etc. At the first village we stopped in for lunch, a man with a hand swollen to twice normal size appealed to us for help as he thought Western voo-doo might be better than Eastern voo-doo. Luckily one of the people in our group was a French nurse. (Well, the French part was unfortunate.) ... read more

When I hear the name Shwedagon Paya I think of a massive temple with lavish decor. Large diamonds (the biggest one is the size of my fist) and rubies crown the tip of the really high gold pagoda. Many people come to pray, pay respect to the Buddha or just to get away from the stress in their lives. There are many monks who relax and meditate. Even some monks can't resist taking pictures of the grand display of gold leafed pagodas and buddhas. We went to the Paya (temple) twice, once in the afternoon and again at night to see how the sights changed from day to night. It rained that day and we were glad because we can't imagine walking on what would have been very toasty tiles. At night the paya does not ... read more