Back in Yangon

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Dang hotmail ... I miss having individual private email . I can't imagine how full my mailbox will be when I get home and get this code business sorted out . In the mean time Happy Belated Birthdays to Tim and to Ling .

Thank you for the update Joylene and know that my heart is with Linda and Family .

There has been no internet available for the last 4-5 days . We flew to Sittway last Thursday then took the government ferry to Mrauk U the next day . Again traveling 5 hours ( the current was with us that day ...it could have been a 7 hour trip}on a river is a fascinating thing . Looking at the fields and the gardens along the river and trying to understand the lives of the people I can't help but be grateful for all that we have ...and take for granted . The people do work very hard and don't seem to have much . Homes are simple , 2 stories with the ground level often open as a little store , storeroom or just a shaded spot to relax and or eat a meal.The water , mostly fresh , is still affected by the tides and rises and falls @ 10Feet twice a day . In Sittway we saw people pushing loaded boats through the mud to unload them . I know nothing of this world.

Arriving i Mrauk was a surprise . It too was the site of an ancient city ,newer than Bagan , and to my mind much more impressive . The temples and the pagodas are both massive and graceful .The architecture was fantastic . I had fleeting memories of Anchor Vat and suspect they may date from a similar time. Whatever , if I had to recommend Myanmar places to visit it would be at the top of the list . As always the people in the area , in spite of the current racial tensions , were amazingly hospitable and kind . Again the food was wonderful . Grilled fish has become a favourite and I even discovered an eggplant dish that I like .

Our second day there we did a boat tour on the Limpo (?) River to a market at a fishing village and then to visit 3 different Chin villages . A most pleasant day that lasted from 8:30-5pm. The gardens in this area are very inventive using raise structures to grow gourds ,squash , and cucumbers . We also saw fields of cauliflower and cabbage and areas where people were threshing the rice harvest ...winnowing actually to separate the grain from the chaff . Labour intensive for sure although the photo opps were great. Most heart breaking though was watching the women harvesting rock from the river bottom using baskets and sheer strength. The roads in Burma are terrible ... absolutely horrible ... and road building and repair are a constant project using rocks of progressive size . What the women were collecting were not large 3-4 inches ,rounded ,that are used in a roadbed and then covered over with sand and sealed with asphalt or if you are lucky cement . An very tedious job as the rocks are actually placed individually pointy end up Rough roads as they erode in the rainy season . Hard work from start to finish .

Will add more later . Today started at 5:30 with a 5 hour boat trip , followed by a flight to Yangon ,after a 3 hour wait at the airport , and getting reacquainted with a city that is celebrating Chinese New Year.Good fun but tiring .

Tomorrow night we leave Myanmar for Korea . Haven't heard from some of you yet ... hopefully I'll be able to check tomorrow .

Take care.

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Comments

[Dorina]

Yangon
Pam, you write such vivid descriptions that I can see the raised structures of veggies. It is good to hear that the food is wonderful, what kind of fish are you eating. Look forward to hearing more and seeing your pictures. I do not know if you have seen my responses to your blog but I hope so.

[Lapamba]

Fish
Mostly Sea bass Dorina but we have talapia ,butter fish and tuna and baracuda .All really good .

[Joy]

Taste of Cathedral and other thoughts
Taste of Cathedral - when they found out you would be away, they just about cancelled it! Anyhow it was lovely. For me, the music was a highlight this year, a fellow named Ron Scott and his group. Jane was there, and Colleen and I sat with Les & Dan and Dan's sister Janie & her husband Max and also visited with Kathy & Evanna, recently returned from Cuba and now on their way to the US. They took a suitcase of linens to Carol O for her B&B and then traveled, using their limited Spanish. Back to TOC, as usual, the food was good and my favourite this year was the African peanut stew from Eat Healthy Foods. Cleanliness is not a strength of their store but I had no after effects from the food, so all is good. I thought A la Carte might be there even though she has retired but no luck. Significant reduction in value of $C, another gift from the Harper government, who have decided the Bank of Canada wasn't doing a good enough job could put a cramp in travel planning. The plan is to attend Diva's Night at Connaught tonight but I don't know what I'll contribute as I did a serious purge during the move. Maybe I can find some jewellery I don't use much anymore. Linda lingers. In spite of being on methodone and having difficulty getting comfortable due to pain, she isn't ready to leave us yet. She has some moments of lucidity and talked about the loyalty of our group of women. Her sister Lucy arrives today from a trip to Jamaica. Have a wonderful time with Susanne!

[Krista]

Hello!
Tim says thank you. We can't wait for your return - we miss you, and we're looking forward to looking at your photos. Keep safe!

[R&C]

Happy New Year!
Hope you have a good year. Don't know what number or what animal it is. Have fun. love

[Lapamba]

Year of the Horse
Thank you for the notes . Shirley et al had a great time and were glad they had touched base with you . Really cold here in Seoul . I may have to buy a coat...

[R&C]

We agree, time flies.
We sent this before. Don't know what happened. love,