http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Asia , Burma en-us Wed, 02 Dec 09 15:47:52 +0000 Wed, 02 Dec 09 15:47:52 +0000 I would like to post here my plan for a trip to Southeast Asia which took place last year. My purpose was to visit the most important artistic and architectural sites of Thailand Myanmar and Cambodia without neglecting other attractions. Despite some remarks in commentaries which can fit a travel journal I had no intention of writing one. Neither did I try to share with you my impressions. A lo http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/blog-443849.html ...But I will try to put Inle Lake into words... I think I fell in love with this place. It's definitely not for the restaurants they are seriously lacking here but in everything else there is so much natural beauty that it's crazy. I did a few things while here.. rented a bike and cycled for about 1215 miles. I went out to Inle Spa where I was the only person there. Made for a nice time to rel http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/Inle-Lake/blog-437298.html We arrived in Bagan after a 12.5 hour short ferry trip 79 hours by bus I hear. The ride was really relaxing and seeing nature and the people going about their day was nice. We decided we would walk to our hotel from the Jetty it was only about a km. Sorry but sometimes the metric system is all I have to go by... Anywho we checked into our hotel 2nd place with air con included for a whopping http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/Bagan/blog-437289.html They say that Thailand is the land of 1000 smiles.. Well Myanmar must be the land of the genuine smile. The people here light up when they see a foreigner... and they don't come to often I am guessing. I can count on my hands usually the number of foreigners I see daily.. using my toes is reaching but it's possible if you are doing something major like taking the ferry which only leaves twice a http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/Mandalay/blog-437283.html Myanmar Burma..... whichever you call it it's definitely worth a visit to if you can figure out how to get here. I think BKK and SIN are two sure shot ways. There's also the Visa you need to apply for can't get it on arrival and bring freshcleanpristine 100 usd only. There are no ATMs travellers cheques are not accepted nor are credit cards. Fun right well actually that's the fun part. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/Yangon/blog-437243.html On Tuesday morning we were up before dawn and waiting for our lsquotaxirsquo to take us to the port on Ko Phangan. He drove like a maniac up and down the steep hills and throwing us around bends. We had to tell him to slow down for fear of being thrown out of the back. Once at the port we grabbed a quick sandwich and boarded the ferry which thankfully left on time 7am.Three hours later we arr http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/blog-436788.html Before I start writing my blog Uploading photos seems to be very difficult here in Asia so if you would like to see them I recommend going to my Facebook pageAfter staying 1 night in Bangkok after returning from Cambodia I headed with Katie to Burma by plane. The moment I got off the plane I knew I would love this country. The moment we walked out of the airport terminal I saw the oldest cars co http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/blog-434235.html As tourism in Myanmar is a bit controversial we thought we'd give a bit more background than on the blogs we've done before now. It's a bit long but we hope you enjoy....Myanmar OverviewMyanmar lies in a strategic location bordering some of the fastest growing economies in the world such as India China and Thailand. It has a wealth of ancient mainly buddist history some of the best beaches an http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/Mandalay/blog-426902.html Before we left Kalaw we paid a visit to the Catholic Church photo in previous blog and met the lovely priest Father Paul. It was interesting how many places of worship there were in this small town a mosque various Christian Churches and numerous temples. Nevertheless the government has been known to discriminate against those who are not Buddhist so while people practice different religi http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/Inle-Lake/blog-424969.html Joseph wanted a rest after our day trek so his coworker Mr Aye took us on the second day. Mr Aye also spoke English well but was Chin ethnic. He had served in the military 30 years ago and had battle scars as a reminder of his service. Although you would never have guessed it he was as fit as a 20 year old and it was like running behind ldquoRoad Runnerrdquo when we were nearing our desti http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/Kalaw/blog-424967.html While it took us quite a while to eventually make it to Kalaw after a long flight delay in Mandalay we were not disappointed. Shan State was one of my favourite destinations in Burma both Kalaw and Inle Lake because of its spectacular mountainous scenery. If it wasnrsquot for all the government restrictions and red tape Shan State would be a lot easier for me to access from MHS because th http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/Kalaw/blog-424956.html By the middle of the second day or it could have been at the end of the first many of the ruins started looking quite similar to me. Donrsquot get me wrong Bagan is an amazing place however knowing little about architectural styles except a slight understanding of the difference between Thai Khmer and Burmese it can get slightly monotonous. At least the vistas from the top of the payas re http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/Bagan/blog-424943.html Bagan is one of Burmarsquos most famous attractions. It is a notable archaeological site and has over 2000 pagodas and temples of the 11th13th century. At one time there were 13000 temples pagodas payas and religious structures. UNESCO has been unsuccessful in trying to designate it as a World Heritage Site which is unfortunate as it is worthy of such a title. Bagan is located in the dr http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/Bagan/blog-424931.html Formerly known as Maymyo Pyin U Lwin is a hill station 69km out of Mandalay about an hour and a half drive. As it is 1000m above sea level and enjoys a relatively cooler climate it once was the summer capital for the Raj in Burma and a retreat for the British from Burmarsquos scorching heat. As a result Pyin U Lwin is well known for its colonial style houses. There still remains a large In http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/Pyin-U-Lwin/blog-424921.html This was one of the best day trips we had. It was full of Burmese history culture food and people. The highlights included Mandalay photos in previous blogVisiting the stone carvers workshop Purchasing longyis Burmese traditional wear and getting help from the locals a wall tapestry and a puppet at the weaving and handicrafts shop. AmarapuraIt is 11 km south of Mandalay and most famou http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/Mandalay/blog-424872.html After initially stepping off at Bagan airport and not realising it until the nurse checking our ears for swine flu informed us we counted ourselves lucky to have made it back on the plane to Mandalay as planned. Located approximately an hour away from the airport there was something I found charming about Mandalay instantly even with its dusty potholed roads With a population of around 7.7 http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/Mandalay/blog-424852.html To go or not to go to Burma This is the question that plays on most peoplersquos minds about travelling to a country where the military governmentrsquos human rights record is abominable and by visiting you put money into their pockets through tourism revenue received in taxes and various charges. It is particularly a difficult decision to make when you have been working with refugees from http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/Yangon/blog-424840.html Golden temples smiling faces isolation... a travel back in timeUnder the recent regime myanmar has been isolated from the outside world for a long time. On one hand obviously this is horrible and you wish for the country and its lovely people to get liberated but on the other hand being a selfish tourist wanting to see really different places not yet completely westernized it has its charm as http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/blog-421722.html Finding a place in chaung tha beach at the new year is not very easy. almost all the hotel are full of travelers during this time. some people just have to sleep at the houses in the villager. chaungtha villagers have opportunities to make some money this time as they can hire they house to the travelers. Some people just book one year ahead to get the sea view at the hotel in chaungtha. If you ar http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/Chaungtha-Beach/blog-421541.html Der zweit groeste See in Myanmar. Ein Bootsausflug zu auf Stelzen stehenden Doerfern. Optische betracht eine Mischung aus Venedig und Neusiedler See jedoch von beidem nur das Schoene. Also Taubenscheisse auf alten Tretbooten Bekannt ist der See fuer seine schwimmenden Gaerten und den einbeinigen Ruderern. Das ist kein Behindertenintegrationsprojekt sondern eine Technik die eine schnelle Fortbew http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/Inle-Lake/blog-414023.html