Blogs from Eastern Burma, Burma, Asia

We arrived in Keng Tung during a rainstorm of biblical proportions. Luckily a tuk-tuk driver with a handy umbrella and a good covering for his vehicle took us straight to our hotel from the bus company office. Sadly the Golden World Hotel did not meet our expectations. We try so hard not to be negative about places but so many things were wrong here. Luckily we only stayed one night before moving to the Amazing Keng Tung Resortwhich, for an extra $10 a night, gave us an altogether different feeling about the town. Cold dribbles in the shower on a cloudy day (the excuse offered for the lack of hot water at the GW) were replaced by a steaming torrent leaving us feeling clean and relaxed. Friendly, helpful staff replaced the dour reception we received at ... read more

Up at 5.30am pick up at 7am from Hotel transfer to Airport flight to Heho. Breakfast packed for us by the hotel. Boiled egg and cheese sandwiches. Our lighters were confiscated but someone had a lighter in the smoking room. Flight was supposed to be 8.45am but at 8.30am everyone must have been on so we left. Croissant, cake, chocolate and a coffee served, not bad for a 1hr flight. Picked up by T2 ( Nyi Nyi Tun)and the driver Mr Shwa and 1hr drive to Pindaya very interesting a lot of farming of corn, Sweet Peas, Potatoes, Tomatoes, very rich soil. Stopped at a local store where they gave us a taste of pickled tea, passed bullocks carts and a lot of Chinese Buffulos. People still farm manually with bullocks. Very narrow road with lots ... read more

Suzanne here... I'm a bit ambivalent about night buses. It means you don't spend a whole day travelling, plus you save the cost of a nights accommodation. However they tend to be a bit more dangerous, you can't see the scenery as it's too dark, and you won't get any proper sleep as there will be toilet stops with full lights on, everyone trooping on and off and invariably there will be a pair of ass-clowns who don't want to sleep and, even though everyone else does, will think nothing of loudly chatting all night. However, it was the easiest way to get to Kalaw. The journey was actually ok. We were given water and cakes which was nice, (but then we had paid $19 each). The aforementioned assclowns were right behind us and not only ... read more

Vanochtend nemen we rond half zeven de taxi naar het vliegveld, wat 15 minuten verderop ligt. Inchecken gaat heel vlug en wordt op een laptop gedaan. We krijgen een boardingpass zonder stoel, het is vrij zitten aan boord. Vluchten maken vaak vanuit Yangon of Mandalay een circelroute en doen meerdere stops onderweg. Of je naar je eindbestemming geen of zelfs twee stops hebt maakt niets uit voor de prijs, die blijft hetzelfde. Dus als je gek van vliegen bent kan je je hart ophalen. Het kan ook zijn dat meerdere vluchten samengevoegd worden, op onze route gaan ook drie vluchten tegelijk, wat natuurlijk veel te veel is voor het aantal passagiers. Voor ons vertrekt een vlucht die is samengevoegd, van te voren krijg je dat niet te horen. Het is ook heel normaal dat je vlucht ... read more

Day 23-Tuesday-February 2 After breakfast we met at the dock again at 8:30 and boarded the same boat with Rick and Jeanine. The yellow group headed out into the lake and came upon some morning fishermen. We got some nice photos. We then saw men filling their boats with more underwater vegetation. Our first stop today was the Nyaung Shwe 5-day market, only open here every 5th day. It rotates between different locations over a five day period. It was a very interesting spot for seeing many fabulous images. Women and men from various hill tribes who live in the Inlay region come to sell their home crafts, products, fruits, fish and vegetables in this market. Being here today was a great experience. Next, we walked over to the Hpaung Daw Oo Pagoda. Situated on Inle ... read more