We went back to Sagaing (Sa Gai) for a different kind of experience, to teach English on the suggestion of our driver from Mandalay. We visited the school on our original trip to Sagaing and learned that nine monks had started the school which teaches primary and high school. The students are mainly local children and young monks living in a nearby monastery. Some of the students are from other provinces of Myanmar. The curriculum includes Buddhist Scripture, meditation, language (Burmese, English, and Japanese, and Chinese), mathematics and science and basic computer skills (typing in English [View Full Entry]

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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 [View Full Entry]

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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, [View Full Entry]

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Mustache Brothers was listed in the Lonely Planet as a comedian group that at one time enjoyed some freedom practicing political satire. However, after some stints in jail and in labour camps the main actors only do their shows in English for tourists these days. The group consists of 3 brothers and their wives, who were activists for democracy and some of the comments/jokes are related to the situation in Myanmar. Par Par Lay, the oldest brother was specifically noted for doing his share of time. Even though some residents believe Mustache Brothers aren't the best comedians and that fees aren [View Full Entry]

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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 [View Full Entry]

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When we arrived in Bangkok we applied for our Myanmar visa. It took us awhile to decide how to apply for the Myanmar visa because there was a protest that began the day before we arrived. We ran into a man while searching for the office and finding a place to stay. This man was from Myanmar and worked for a western company as a reporter. He gave us a heads up about the protest and answering our questions about Myanmar since we had doubts about the country we were heading to next. At the end we decided to go ahead [View Full Entry]

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After all the great adventures in Malaysia we decided to head straight up to Phuket, Thailand for some relaxation. Phuket doesn't speak for all of Thailand but it is an interesting environment, I guess you can pretty much do whatever you want there. Shops, malls, night markets, boxing, beach, massages, bars and more. After a few hours out on the busy streets, older man and young woman as well as lady boys seems to be a typical night out. We spent our few days in Phuket on the computer and relaxing while preparing our trip to Myanmar. Geoff and I met [View Full Entry]

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After our wild adventures in Borneo we flew to Johor Bahru on the mainland. We only transited through this city so we didn't get to see much. It is a crowded but clean city and bus stations are full of touts. We have finally got some experience in handling touts at the bus station. We took our time walking down all ticket counters which are all packed together where the counters are literally a small hole in the wall. Took us a few minutes to find the suitable departure time to Melaka and of course touts always try to charge us [View Full Entry]

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We caught a boat from the main pier in KK to the busy port Island of Labuan for a short stop before catching the next boat (with no AC or outside airflow, yuck!) to Brunei. When we arrived in Brunei we found that there wasn't a money changer or ATM and we needed to catch the bus into town. A Swiss couple (who Geoff had previously met at Mt. Kinabalu) had already offered and paid for us. Later we found out that the bus took Ringhit and you can use Singapore dollars at par in most places. The first afternoon we [View Full Entry]

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We arrived in Semporna after the 10 hour journey from KK feeling a little stiff and a little bewildered but the sweet receptionist from Billabong Divers was waiting for us at the bus station to take us further into town not far away. We got a short glimpse of town which is not really very appealing. It's a pretty rough place and not exactly what you would expect inviting you to one of the top 10 diving locations in the world! Anyways, our guide brought us to a clean and simple guest house above the Indian place down-town for us to [View Full Entry]

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