Blogs from Mergui Archipelago, Southern Burma, Burma, Asia

Myeik est une ville assez moyenn, sans particularité notoire, comme finalement toutes celles de cette partie sud-est du Myanmar. Ce qui compte ici est dans la mer, qu’on appelle l’archipel de Myerk ou les Merguis Islands. C’est un chapelet d’îles (800 selon la police, 1.500 selon les syndicats), vierges, la plupart inhabitées et souvent inexplorées. Cet archipel s’étend jusqu’à l’extrême sud du Myanmar, à hauteur de Kawtaung, soit une belle trotte. Un seul hébergement dans toutes ces îles. Il y a évidemment de magnifiques spots de plongée et de snorkeling, les accès sont très lointains. C’est dire si, y accéder et avoir le privilège d’y consacrer plusieurs journées se méritent en temps et en épaisseur de portefeuille ! Des départs sont aussi possibles depuis Kawtaung et de Ranong en Thaïlande. Ainsi, la plupart des visiteurs qui ... read more

After a couple of weeks of silence, I didn't fancy joining the other guys at the full moon party on Ko Pangan. If I'd heard good things about the parties I'd probably have gone anyhow, but from what I hear, it's a load of pissed up tossers on a beach getting lairy and a load of thai policemen trying to catch people doing drugs. Not a great scenario for fun fun fun ! Instead, I decided to go do some underwater meditation instead......diving! I was really close to Ko Lak where a lot of dive boats operate from which seemed an ideal opportunity. On the last day of the retreat I'd spoken to a girl who'd been a dive master for a few years on the andaman coast in thailand. She'd said the closer you got ... read more

For the first time in my life I feel I have been to the edge of the earth. I sailed in forgotten waters off the coast of a mostly forgotten country, was rescued by squid fishing gypsies, walked on dense uninhabited islands and virgin stretches of sand, dove lush reefs as well as devastated reefs, swam into nurse shark caves, and even encountered the Myanmar Navy, all in 6 short days in late November. My adventure began November 21st when I flew a puddle jumper from Yangon to Kawthoung, an island bordering Thailand on the Myanmar side. We touched down 3 times in that journey and only once did we have a smooth landing. Have you ever landed front wheel first in a mid size passenger jet? If you have you probably haven't lived to ... read more