Blogs from Yangon Region, Burma, Asia - page 24

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 how the sights changed from day to night. It rained that day and we were glad because we can't imagine walking on what would have been very toasty tiles. At night the paya does not ... read more

Me again, So where was I? I ended that last entry really rather abruptly didn't I? Government informers pissing me off and all of that... Anyway, we've traveled north, just about. There was no point going south toward the Golden Rock pilgrimage site because of shitty bus times we'd have had to stay a night after getting there and another after we'd visited it as it's a hike up there that mountain plus the next bus left in the early afternoon. We jumped on a bus from Bago on the main road north but only after feeling the pressure of the English speaking bus and motorcycle guys - we felt pressured into making a travel decision. Anyway, the bus north we got at around 4.30pm and b was it decrepit, the sats were ancient rusty and ... read more

Yangon (Rangoon) and breaking promises about hanging with Antipodeans Mingalabah means "hello" you stupid people! But you should see it in Burmese (Barmar) script, it's like Thai but with added squiggles and the number 8 sideways. Marvelously unique to match the equally weird country. Anyway, location-wise I'm currently at Inle Lake in the centre of Myanmar (Burma), in some hot internet room with people babbling in the background; I'd tell them to shut up in Burmese but I might end up saying "thank you very much, it is very hot", weird looks all round. The internet is 1994-levels slow and some sites cannot be reached because of the government. They must have been particularly sensitive around here because my guest house and other internet places have been disconnected by the authorities. Yes, this is a convenient ... read more

Well at the end of our Myanmar trip we have mixed feelings. There have been some great times, but most of the 'highlights' were big letdowns. Especially with the awful, excruciatingly long, 'bus' journeys. Anyway... After our adventures in Yangon we headed to what would turn out to be one of the actual highlights of our trip. With Anders and Pauline, and our new friend Kris we got the bus to Bago. A 3-hour pickup ride. It's amazing how many peop,e can fit 'in' a pickup. Apparently 8 can hang off the back, but women can't sit on the roof. Comfort doesn't exist. Children, animals, luggage, dried fish (that %^$ing smell will haunt my dreams) and just about everything else crowds around you. Though we've never experienced quite so well behaved children on any journeys elsewhere ... read more

Myanmar is not, as Cosmo Kramer mistakenly asserts, an American discount pharmacy. It is, of course, the country which is always referred to (parenthetically) as (Burma). It's coming on twenty years now since the military junta changed the name, so why does the world persist in sticking to the old label? This 'Myanmar or Burma' question continued to tax me throughout my fifteen days in the country. Because even the Lonely Planet refers to it as Myanmar (Burma), I resorted to the internet to track down the correct usage. It seems the Burmese generals changed the name for two main reasons: a) to disassociate the nation from its British colonial past, and b) to provide a more inclusive name for the country, 'Burma' being closely linked to the dominant ethnic group, the Bamar. The controversy over ... read more