After feeling like an unwanted foreigner in Thailand for the last 6 weeks, Joey and I were in dire need of a place with people who were friendly and wanted to show us a piece of their life. This is where Annie's homestay came into play. It was a little out of the way and our cabbie got lost, but in the end we were on the doorstop of a cute suburban house.
Later on that day after settling into our room and walking around Batu Ferringhi (a suburb/beach are of Penang), we met our other housemates and Annie! Annie was a cute little Indian woman with a big heart and you could feel this from the moment we met her. Both of us felt at home. Her husband Raj and her kids were as equally awesome.
We were able to do what we wanted, which really made if feel like home for us. Able to cook, watch tv, sleep, and lazy around as we pleased. We met another couple named Hayley and Tim who were really awesome. We went out for a couple of meals and just sat around and talked. Joey and I were glad to have friends again! It had been a while since we had another couple to talk to, especially ones that were cool and easy to get on with.
That day Joey and I went for a walk to the Spice Garden that was about 4km out of town. Oh it was so so so hot outside. Joey was sweating buckets and his shirt grey shirt wasn't so flattering. I wasn't feeling to sexy myself. We stopped off a beach to take pictures of a big monitor lizard that we had seen playing in the waves. Little did we know that Joey couldn't get out of the beach because it was surrounded by walls. Finally he used a slimey two by four to climb up! It was quite funny. At the spice garden we got a guide to show us an assortment of spices and herbs. He told us about the origin, related plans, and my favourite: the medicinal purposes! I had a lot of fun, and Joey pretended too. I am glad that he is so supportive of my interests! I don't many people's partners that would join them to see a Spice Garden!
The second night we were in Penang, all four of us met Annie and Raj for some late night cheap beers at a bar close to their house. It was really great conversation on the beach with the stars. Lots of laughter and learning about eachother's culture. We extended the invitation of a place to stay to Annie and Raj if they ever dare to come to Canada. They are a bit too afraid of the cold. The bar that we were in was filled with Malaysians, not expats which is a rarity for most of the bars we've ever gone to. Most SEA countries we have gone to, the locals don't drink that much. We were glad to finally be drinking with some locals again!
The next day me, Joey, Hayley and Tim went to check out Georgetown. Unfortunately the town closes down on Sundays because most people want to spend that day with the family. We went to Little India for some lunch and attempted to look at the limited shops that were actually open. After lunch we decided to take a stroll down Love Lane, which was a road highlighted in our Lonely Planet. Apparently it's an unsafe place at night because travelers have been mugged, so we didn't think that it would be bad in the day. Little did we know that taking a picture of Love Lane would turn into a full on confrontation from a homeless Indian man. Hayley took a picture of the road sign and wasn't really paying attention if anyone was in the picture. Next thing she knows there is a really tall lanky Indian guy running from across the street trying to steal her camera. Yelling at her in broken English.
The other 3 of us went to her rescue. The man started saying that she was "snacking" at him and that Joey and Tim shouldn't allow her to speak to him like that. When in reality all she said was something along of the lines of "what are you doing? I am taking a picture of the sign." He got quite irate and in her face. Pointing his long gross finger at her face and yelling at her. At this point Joey stepped in and said that it was nothing and that Hayley wasn't doing anything wrong. The guy quickly realized there were 4 of us, and 1 of him. That didn't stop him from threatening Hayley by saying "Next time, I will break your head." He walked further down Love Lane and then disappeared. We walked past him a bit later while he was sitting on a chair. We didn't know what to expect, so we just ignored him and went on our merry way.
Later on that night I helped make a feast with the Swedish couple that was staying at the homestay and Annie. We made pouli's (an Indian flat bread), potato curry and a vegetable dish. It was a lot work to do, but thankfully Annie was such an expert and guided us along the whole way. The dinner afterward was very delicious and rewarding. After dinner Annie thought it would be fun to dress me up in one of her saree's. Oh boy was it ever fun. I have always thought that the saree was a very beautiful dress and I was very excited to see how flattering it would be on me. Annie got all of her gold jewelery and bangles for me to put on as well. It was so much fun putting everything on. I could almost compare it to getting dressed for prom!
After I had the saree on, I came down the stairs of the house like I would have on prom night while everyone looked at him, and Joey snapped pictures. It was like playing house! So much fun. I'm so glad that Annie shared this experience with me. I can't wait to go to India one day and maybe wear a saree.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Fast Forward Through Southern Thailand
Ok... We spent another 3 weeks in Southern Thailand. I will do a brief blog because I would rather be writing about present things because it's way easier to do so. My thoughts are fresh and I would really be sad if I forgot some things about Malaysia! I apologize in advance for this very vague blog about Southern Thailand. What you need to know about Southern Thailand is that it is seriously overrun with tourists, people are always trying to rip you off, you can't really trust anyone, there is lots of partying and prostitutes, and most of the food is hit or miss!
Bangkok ---> Krabi
Joey and I decided to skip out on Bangkok and fly directly to Krabi. This involved spending 8 hours in the Bangkok airport. We decided to pamper ourselves. I got my nails done and Joey got a bad haircut :)
In Krabi we arrived late at night and found it hard to find a place to stay. We finally found a place called Guesthouse No. 7. We got an amazing room called Peachy Peach. It was comfy, had bunk beds and had a/c. For only $15 we were in heaven.
Krabi ---> Ko Lanta
Ko Lanta is an island off the coast of Krabi. It's predominantly a muslim island so it is quite conservative there. It's a great place for families and if you're looking to relax and not party. We found a place called New Coconut Resort. Our room was quite gross and quite literally falling apart. We also had a horrible ant infestation. The plus side was that we were on the beach, so who cared.
Joey and I spent 5 days there snorkeling, hiking and exploring the island. It was quite relaxing after being in stressful Myanmar for the last two weeks.
Joey got a tattoo the night before we left with a guy who had a tattoo place by our resort. This Thai guy used to be a monk and lived in England for 10 years as a tattoo artist. He had a clean workspace and told us all about his sanitation standards. Both of us felt comfortable with him so we decided this would be a good option for Joey because the tattoos in Thailand are considerably cheaper than back home.
Joey started his tattoo at 8pm because the guy didn't have any a/c in his tattoo studio. They stopped to have a break at 1am, and then continued on until the early morning at 5 am. Joey and I had to be up bright and early to catch a bus back to Krabi at 6:30.
Krabi ---> Ko Samui and Oklahoma?
Joey had a tough time in Burma trying to work because of the lack of internet and internet speed. His work was unimpressed with his work and was seriously contemplating hiring someone else for Joey's position. Not wanting to jepordize his job any further Joey decided to go to headquarters in Stillwater Oklahoma for a week to fix some big problems that their umbrella company was experiencing.
Joey had a great time with airport delays. He was so fortunate enough to have lost his baggage in Chicago and only have flips flops and shorts to wear to work the next morning in Oklahoma. The next week he spent fixing problems and socializing with work people.
While Joey was away I head to Ko Samui by myself. I stayed at a great place called Samui Dojo Resort which was ran by a British man named Geoff. Over the next week I got to know him and his family. I also explored the beach of Lamai and focused on getting back in shape by going for runs everynight. I really missed Joey though!
Ko Samui (Joey's back!!!)
Joey and I spent another 2 days on Ko Samui. We rented a scooter and explored more of the island. We went to an amazing restaurant called Radiance. We fell in love with their vegan food. We especially loved the Raw Vegan Pizza. It was absolutely to die for.
Ko Samui ---> Ko Tao
We decided to see what Ko Tao was all about. We had heard that it was a smaller island with amazing diving. Both of us didn't intend on doing our Open Water PADI course in Ko Tao, but we were convinced by a sales guys from a diving school called Ban's. Next thing you know we're doing the confined underwater with our instructor Tom (who was awesome by the way). It was only us two in our class which was awesome because we breezed through things and were super comfortable with the pace of the class. Diving in the ocean for the first time was unreal. There is so much life. Most of it in beautiful colours and shapes. Both of us were awestruck and in love with this underwater world. During our dives we saw all kinds of fish, and coral formations. The coolest thing we saw was a Sea Snake. They are one of the most deadly snakes in the world but they are not aggressive towards divers. Thank goodness! It took us 2 days to complete our PADI.
Ko Tao ---> Ko Samui
Joey and I were desperate to see the Canada vs. USA hockey game. We looked everywhere and had convinced a Swiss guy who owned a restaurant to stay open until 6 am in the morning so we could watch the game. We realized that we didn't want to watch it by ourselves, so we opted to watch a recorded game the next morning in a bar where we knew there would be other Canadians. There was us, 3 other Canadians and 1 American in the bar at 9am. It was a very intense 3 hours. None of us knew the outcome and were willing to kill anyone who dared tell us. When Canada finally won all the Canadians were super stoked! We sang the national anthem and jumped around like crazy. The American guy left before the awards with a pissed look on his face. The staff in the bar were unimpressed by hockey and kept on asking us if it was over so they could put on MTV. We held our own and continued to watch the festivities!
Ko Samui ---> Ko Phagnan
Full Moon party was next on our agenda. We weren't sure what to expect from the biggest party in the world. It was basically a huge drug and drunk fest. Not really our cup of tea! We did have fun taking in the sights and having a few beers. We found some other Canadians during the party and danced with them for a bit. Other than that, we pretty much just walked around and laughed at the craziness of it all.
Islands ---> Krabi
Yet again we were back at good old Krabi. This time we were there for the rock climbing which is some of the best in the world. The scenery is amazing. Climbing up rock right on the beach couldn't have gotten any better. We met up with a really awesome pair of Canadians called Wade and Kerry. Both of us were starting to get homesick and really just wanted to talk to other Canadians. We had a great time discussing hockey, ice fishing and hunting for wild game.
Krabi ---> Malaysia!
Pretty much sat on a bus all day. It was quite uneventful!
Bangkok ---> Krabi
Joey and I decided to skip out on Bangkok and fly directly to Krabi. This involved spending 8 hours in the Bangkok airport. We decided to pamper ourselves. I got my nails done and Joey got a bad haircut :)
In Krabi we arrived late at night and found it hard to find a place to stay. We finally found a place called Guesthouse No. 7. We got an amazing room called Peachy Peach. It was comfy, had bunk beds and had a/c. For only $15 we were in heaven.
Krabi ---> Ko Lanta
Ko Lanta is an island off the coast of Krabi. It's predominantly a muslim island so it is quite conservative there. It's a great place for families and if you're looking to relax and not party. We found a place called New Coconut Resort. Our room was quite gross and quite literally falling apart. We also had a horrible ant infestation. The plus side was that we were on the beach, so who cared.
Joey and I spent 5 days there snorkeling, hiking and exploring the island. It was quite relaxing after being in stressful Myanmar for the last two weeks.
Joey got a tattoo the night before we left with a guy who had a tattoo place by our resort. This Thai guy used to be a monk and lived in England for 10 years as a tattoo artist. He had a clean workspace and told us all about his sanitation standards. Both of us felt comfortable with him so we decided this would be a good option for Joey because the tattoos in Thailand are considerably cheaper than back home.
Joey started his tattoo at 8pm because the guy didn't have any a/c in his tattoo studio. They stopped to have a break at 1am, and then continued on until the early morning at 5 am. Joey and I had to be up bright and early to catch a bus back to Krabi at 6:30.
Krabi ---> Ko Samui and Oklahoma?
Joey had a tough time in Burma trying to work because of the lack of internet and internet speed. His work was unimpressed with his work and was seriously contemplating hiring someone else for Joey's position. Not wanting to jepordize his job any further Joey decided to go to headquarters in Stillwater Oklahoma for a week to fix some big problems that their umbrella company was experiencing.
Joey had a great time with airport delays. He was so fortunate enough to have lost his baggage in Chicago and only have flips flops and shorts to wear to work the next morning in Oklahoma. The next week he spent fixing problems and socializing with work people.
While Joey was away I head to Ko Samui by myself. I stayed at a great place called Samui Dojo Resort which was ran by a British man named Geoff. Over the next week I got to know him and his family. I also explored the beach of Lamai and focused on getting back in shape by going for runs everynight. I really missed Joey though!
Ko Samui (Joey's back!!!)
Joey and I spent another 2 days on Ko Samui. We rented a scooter and explored more of the island. We went to an amazing restaurant called Radiance. We fell in love with their vegan food. We especially loved the Raw Vegan Pizza. It was absolutely to die for.
Ko Samui ---> Ko Tao
We decided to see what Ko Tao was all about. We had heard that it was a smaller island with amazing diving. Both of us didn't intend on doing our Open Water PADI course in Ko Tao, but we were convinced by a sales guys from a diving school called Ban's. Next thing you know we're doing the confined underwater with our instructor Tom (who was awesome by the way). It was only us two in our class which was awesome because we breezed through things and were super comfortable with the pace of the class. Diving in the ocean for the first time was unreal. There is so much life. Most of it in beautiful colours and shapes. Both of us were awestruck and in love with this underwater world. During our dives we saw all kinds of fish, and coral formations. The coolest thing we saw was a Sea Snake. They are one of the most deadly snakes in the world but they are not aggressive towards divers. Thank goodness! It took us 2 days to complete our PADI.
Ko Tao ---> Ko Samui
Joey and I were desperate to see the Canada vs. USA hockey game. We looked everywhere and had convinced a Swiss guy who owned a restaurant to stay open until 6 am in the morning so we could watch the game. We realized that we didn't want to watch it by ourselves, so we opted to watch a recorded game the next morning in a bar where we knew there would be other Canadians. There was us, 3 other Canadians and 1 American in the bar at 9am. It was a very intense 3 hours. None of us knew the outcome and were willing to kill anyone who dared tell us. When Canada finally won all the Canadians were super stoked! We sang the national anthem and jumped around like crazy. The American guy left before the awards with a pissed look on his face. The staff in the bar were unimpressed by hockey and kept on asking us if it was over so they could put on MTV. We held our own and continued to watch the festivities!
Ko Samui ---> Ko Phagnan
Full Moon party was next on our agenda. We weren't sure what to expect from the biggest party in the world. It was basically a huge drug and drunk fest. Not really our cup of tea! We did have fun taking in the sights and having a few beers. We found some other Canadians during the party and danced with them for a bit. Other than that, we pretty much just walked around and laughed at the craziness of it all.
Islands ---> Krabi
Yet again we were back at good old Krabi. This time we were there for the rock climbing which is some of the best in the world. The scenery is amazing. Climbing up rock right on the beach couldn't have gotten any better. We met up with a really awesome pair of Canadians called Wade and Kerry. Both of us were starting to get homesick and really just wanted to talk to other Canadians. We had a great time discussing hockey, ice fishing and hunting for wild game.
Krabi ---> Malaysia!
Pretty much sat on a bus all day. It was quite uneventful!
Yangon again!
Joey and I got back to Yangon on Feb 6th because we wanted to have a day to spend with our monk friend. We had told him that we would be back on the 4th but weren't able to make that deadline. Apparently he was quite worried and had called our guesthouse looking for us. He was worried that we were hurt.
We went over to his monastery to find him but he wasn't there. So we hung out in a tea shop from across the street hoping we could see him walking there before his polyscript class in the afternoon. We finally found out from another monk that he was sleeping! So we waited a bit more and then decided to brave the monastery. We accidentally interrupted a prayer class trying to get to his room. Joey and I decided not to go any further because we didn't want to disturb anyone. Next thing we know our monk friend is running after us!
He invited us into his room and we showed him all the pictures we took of Myanmar. We also showed him pictures of our travels in Cambodia and Vietnam. He was especially interested in the temple pictures. Burmese people can have no dreams of traveling because most of them are either not allowed to leave the country, or don't have the money to do so. Joey and I decided we would show him what we had seen, and even some pictures of Canada. He was very happy. By the end we even had an audience of novice monks who came to look at the pictures. It was really fun.
We said goodbye to monk friend because we had to get ready for our flight the next day and he had to go to prayer. It was quite sad because we truly felt like we made a friend in a foreign country. We also felt sad because we wanted to show him the world and what else is out there. It felt silly to say "Any time when you're in Canada give us a call." It's just not simple like that with the Burmese which is sad.
That night Joey and I got ready to leave Myanmar. Both of us felt like we could have spent more time there, but with Joey's work 2 weeks was all it could be. Maybe one day we will visit this country again and come see our monk friend in his old age. I hope so.
We went over to his monastery to find him but he wasn't there. So we hung out in a tea shop from across the street hoping we could see him walking there before his polyscript class in the afternoon. We finally found out from another monk that he was sleeping! So we waited a bit more and then decided to brave the monastery. We accidentally interrupted a prayer class trying to get to his room. Joey and I decided not to go any further because we didn't want to disturb anyone. Next thing we know our monk friend is running after us!
He invited us into his room and we showed him all the pictures we took of Myanmar. We also showed him pictures of our travels in Cambodia and Vietnam. He was especially interested in the temple pictures. Burmese people can have no dreams of traveling because most of them are either not allowed to leave the country, or don't have the money to do so. Joey and I decided we would show him what we had seen, and even some pictures of Canada. He was very happy. By the end we even had an audience of novice monks who came to look at the pictures. It was really fun.
We said goodbye to monk friend because we had to get ready for our flight the next day and he had to go to prayer. It was quite sad because we truly felt like we made a friend in a foreign country. We also felt sad because we wanted to show him the world and what else is out there. It felt silly to say "Any time when you're in Canada give us a call." It's just not simple like that with the Burmese which is sad.
That night Joey and I got ready to leave Myanmar. Both of us felt like we could have spent more time there, but with Joey's work 2 weeks was all it could be. Maybe one day we will visit this country again and come see our monk friend in his old age. I hope so.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Sorry for being tardy on blog posts
Hey everyone,
I just wanted to apologize for being behind on the blogs. In Burma I wasn't able to write on the blog because it was blocked and I kind of got out the routine. Also, I've been really busy applying for Universities which as taken up a lot more of my time than expected. I will try to get back on track! Just bear with me.
Cheers!
I just wanted to apologize for being behind on the blogs. In Burma I wasn't able to write on the blog because it was blocked and I kind of got out the routine. Also, I've been really busy applying for Universities which as taken up a lot more of my time than expected. I will try to get back on track! Just bear with me.
Cheers!
Mandalay to Inle Lake
After all the temple fun in Bagan we headed to Mandalay where we parted ways with Andrew, Germaine and Eugenie. We arrived quite late but didn't have trouble finding a place to stay. We decided to check out a food stall mentioned in our Lonely Planet called the Chapati Stand. Oh my, was I ever glad that we did. It was just a couple of cooks cooking outside in a make shift kitchen with a bunch of children's plastic chairs scattered around the side walk. Nothing too fancy that is for sure. The food itself was absolutely amazing. We got chapatis, curried chicken and bottomless dhal. We were in heaven. Along with a Myanmar beer, our meal cost us less than $5.
The next day Joey and I did not do much. Most of the sights to see in Mandalay you have to pay a fee. This fee goes straight into the government's pocket. This is something we would rather avoid. So instead, we walked around in the less touristy places of Mandalay and looked through markets scattered around the city. I could see that Mandalay was not as friendly as Yangon, and it was certainly more dirty. We sort of wished that we had gone to see the Amanpura bridge, but we were feeling cheap and didn't want to risk getting caught without a ticket issued by the government.
That night we left on a sleeper bus. All throughout Asia the word "sleeper bus" has it's own meaning. In Vietnam the buses actually had beds, Cambodia had really soft and cushy chairs with blankets and pillows, Thailand had hard chairs that recline really far and sometimes with a pillow... Myanmar, I don't think got the memo. It was pretty much an old transit bus from Korea. The seats were so tiny and they didn't even have a head rest. It's great if you're a midget, but it's a real neck breaker for tall people like us. haha.
We watched a Burmese movie for 2 hours at a very loud volume. We felt kind of left out because the whole bus was laughing quite hard. Joey and I took a couple of sleeping pills and we were out like lights. It was probably the bumpiest ride we have been on and probably the least comfortable. We were glad to have reached the outskirts of Inle Lake at 4 am which was 3 hours earlier than expected. What we didn't expect was the absolute FREEZING cold. Both wearing shorts and a t-shirt with sandals we got out of the bus to catch a songtheaw (a truck taxi with seats in the back box) where we attempted to put on every piece of warm clothing we owned in the pitch black.
The taxi driver drove us around town trying to find a place that would take us in this early in the morning. Unfortunately this involved waking up a lot of people. We finally found a place that had a room available for us. We were so so so glad to be laying our heads down on a bed.
The next morning we walked around the cute town in Inle Lake. It was quite small and not much to see. Joey was glad that they had an internet cafe with internet that wasn't entirely slow. Internet in Myanmar is still agonizingly slow, but it was almost bearable at this one place.
We found a longboat driver to take us for a tour of Inle Lake the next day. He was pretty excited because he hadn't had a customer for 7 days. We promised to meet him in the morning at 8am.
We set off with our boat driver the next morning. It was quite cold so we were bundled up with hoodies and scarves. We first went to the floating gardens which were pretty impressively. Basically they are gardens that float on water. Our driver didn't speak English very well so we never actually learned why they floated like that. It was definitely neat to see all their veggies, herbs and flowers floating beds. It would be be a cool thing to attempt at home but I think it would take practice.
After that we checked out some silver and silk shops. We watched them make silk scarves and silver jewellery. I was more interested in the silk but most of it was quite expensive. The silver jewellery was nothing special. After that we went to a cigarette making place. Joey and I had already bought a big pack of cigarettes from the market to share with all our smoking relatives (you know who you are haha). They are made out of grape leafs, tabacco, bamboo filter and glutinous rice glue to keep it together. We bought 20 or 30 of them for 20 cents. At the cigarette making place they wanted $4 and they were the exact same brand.
We finished the day with a temple and headed back home. All along the way we saw fisherman using different techniques to catch fish. Some of them were even rowing the boats with their legs, which was quite impressive.
That night we had a tasty dinner at a tea shop and went to bed early because we had a flight back to Yangon the next day.
The next day Joey and I did not do much. Most of the sights to see in Mandalay you have to pay a fee. This fee goes straight into the government's pocket. This is something we would rather avoid. So instead, we walked around in the less touristy places of Mandalay and looked through markets scattered around the city. I could see that Mandalay was not as friendly as Yangon, and it was certainly more dirty. We sort of wished that we had gone to see the Amanpura bridge, but we were feeling cheap and didn't want to risk getting caught without a ticket issued by the government.
That night we left on a sleeper bus. All throughout Asia the word "sleeper bus" has it's own meaning. In Vietnam the buses actually had beds, Cambodia had really soft and cushy chairs with blankets and pillows, Thailand had hard chairs that recline really far and sometimes with a pillow... Myanmar, I don't think got the memo. It was pretty much an old transit bus from Korea. The seats were so tiny and they didn't even have a head rest. It's great if you're a midget, but it's a real neck breaker for tall people like us. haha.
We watched a Burmese movie for 2 hours at a very loud volume. We felt kind of left out because the whole bus was laughing quite hard. Joey and I took a couple of sleeping pills and we were out like lights. It was probably the bumpiest ride we have been on and probably the least comfortable. We were glad to have reached the outskirts of Inle Lake at 4 am which was 3 hours earlier than expected. What we didn't expect was the absolute FREEZING cold. Both wearing shorts and a t-shirt with sandals we got out of the bus to catch a songtheaw (a truck taxi with seats in the back box) where we attempted to put on every piece of warm clothing we owned in the pitch black.
The taxi driver drove us around town trying to find a place that would take us in this early in the morning. Unfortunately this involved waking up a lot of people. We finally found a place that had a room available for us. We were so so so glad to be laying our heads down on a bed.
The next morning we walked around the cute town in Inle Lake. It was quite small and not much to see. Joey was glad that they had an internet cafe with internet that wasn't entirely slow. Internet in Myanmar is still agonizingly slow, but it was almost bearable at this one place.
We found a longboat driver to take us for a tour of Inle Lake the next day. He was pretty excited because he hadn't had a customer for 7 days. We promised to meet him in the morning at 8am.
We set off with our boat driver the next morning. It was quite cold so we were bundled up with hoodies and scarves. We first went to the floating gardens which were pretty impressively. Basically they are gardens that float on water. Our driver didn't speak English very well so we never actually learned why they floated like that. It was definitely neat to see all their veggies, herbs and flowers floating beds. It would be be a cool thing to attempt at home but I think it would take practice.
After that we checked out some silver and silk shops. We watched them make silk scarves and silver jewellery. I was more interested in the silk but most of it was quite expensive. The silver jewellery was nothing special. After that we went to a cigarette making place. Joey and I had already bought a big pack of cigarettes from the market to share with all our smoking relatives (you know who you are haha). They are made out of grape leafs, tabacco, bamboo filter and glutinous rice glue to keep it together. We bought 20 or 30 of them for 20 cents. At the cigarette making place they wanted $4 and they were the exact same brand.
We finished the day with a temple and headed back home. All along the way we saw fisherman using different techniques to catch fish. Some of them were even rowing the boats with their legs, which was quite impressive.
That night we had a tasty dinner at a tea shop and went to bed early because we had a flight back to Yangon the next day.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Bagan
Tuangoo wasn't much of a town. It was a typical Burmese city with tons of tea shops lining the side of the highway. We quickly settled into our hotel, and made our way to a restaurant. Joey was itching to do some work. With our luck, the power turned off and none of the town had light. We thought the only internet cafe in Tuangoo would have a generator.. Much to our dismay, it did not. We would have to sit in the dark for the rest of the night. Sometimes the lights would flicker on. To my terror, when I was going pee with the light out, when the light turned on there was a gecko on my leg. I flipped out. Not because I was scared of the cute little thing but because when you pick them up their tails fall off. I called Joey into save me and he got the thing off with a shampoo bottle.
The next day we all were treated to a free breakfast at the hotel. Getting free breakfast at a hotel in the morning is always a treat, especially if it's different than your typical baguette and eggs. We were in for a treat because the breakfast involved pancakes and a traditional rice and bean pancake topped with shredded coconut and brown sugar. YUMMMY.
It wasn't too long until we got to Bagan. Within 6 hours we were there. When we arrived we stopped at several hotels trying to find one that was decently priced and not so scary looking. We ended up finding a room for $10 a night that included free breakfast. All of us were pretty stoked that we waited to find a good deal. The rooms were dark and kind of gross, but hey, at $10 you can't really complain.
Joey and I wandered the streets looking for a restaurant to eat at. In Burma, most of the food is of Chinese influence. Not in a good way. Its the obscure chinese food most westerners would rather not dabble with. It'd only been a couple of days and we were already getting sick of fried rice. Joey was also trying to avoid meat because of getting sick from eating at another restaurant in Yangon. We were approached by a man in the street who wanted to show us his favourite restaurant. He started giving us the "I have 3 kids at home and am poor" spiel. If you want money, simply ask for it. Instead this guy had the audacity to sit in the restaurant with us, wait for food he ordered and then leave... saying thank you because we just unknowingly bought it for him. I was quite annoyed that he didn't just ask for food, instead he did it so sneakily. The people at the restaurant were embarrassed and didn't charge us for it.
The next day we had a day full of exploring temples. Bagan has the most temples in a certain square kilometres (can't remember the number but its not very big). All you can see is temples as far as the eye can see. Some are gold, some are limestone, brick. Some are immaculate, some are new and some are ancient and barely standing. It was so diverse. We enjoyed ourselves more than Angkor Wat because there were barely any tourists. The only thing that was rough was all the people trying to sell you stuff. It was really hard to say no to people because you know they are so poor. Joey and I actually found it quite intense. These people were intent on selling you their stuff for way less than it cost just so they could feed their families. Children were everywhere begging for money, food, shampoo, anything. It was very overwhelming because we knew the lives that these people lead and it's not easy being from Burma. We wish we could help everyone but we are not made of money even though the colour of our skin may make them think we do.
At sunset we went to the biggest temple to watch the sun set on the valley of temples. It was an incredible sight to see. Some temples were glimmering with gold and the sheer size of some was really impressive.
The next day we did more temples. Unlike Angor Wat in Cambodia these ones were a lot more interesting because they were more pristine. Some had beautiful cotton paintings on the wall that told stories. We even went into a temple that had a meditation cave. It was like a dungeon underground. It was really neat. It was nice to have a sense of adventure in these caves.
The next day we all were treated to a free breakfast at the hotel. Getting free breakfast at a hotel in the morning is always a treat, especially if it's different than your typical baguette and eggs. We were in for a treat because the breakfast involved pancakes and a traditional rice and bean pancake topped with shredded coconut and brown sugar. YUMMMY.
It wasn't too long until we got to Bagan. Within 6 hours we were there. When we arrived we stopped at several hotels trying to find one that was decently priced and not so scary looking. We ended up finding a room for $10 a night that included free breakfast. All of us were pretty stoked that we waited to find a good deal. The rooms were dark and kind of gross, but hey, at $10 you can't really complain.
Joey and I wandered the streets looking for a restaurant to eat at. In Burma, most of the food is of Chinese influence. Not in a good way. Its the obscure chinese food most westerners would rather not dabble with. It'd only been a couple of days and we were already getting sick of fried rice. Joey was also trying to avoid meat because of getting sick from eating at another restaurant in Yangon. We were approached by a man in the street who wanted to show us his favourite restaurant. He started giving us the "I have 3 kids at home and am poor" spiel. If you want money, simply ask for it. Instead this guy had the audacity to sit in the restaurant with us, wait for food he ordered and then leave... saying thank you because we just unknowingly bought it for him. I was quite annoyed that he didn't just ask for food, instead he did it so sneakily. The people at the restaurant were embarrassed and didn't charge us for it.
The next day we had a day full of exploring temples. Bagan has the most temples in a certain square kilometres (can't remember the number but its not very big). All you can see is temples as far as the eye can see. Some are gold, some are limestone, brick. Some are immaculate, some are new and some are ancient and barely standing. It was so diverse. We enjoyed ourselves more than Angkor Wat because there were barely any tourists. The only thing that was rough was all the people trying to sell you stuff. It was really hard to say no to people because you know they are so poor. Joey and I actually found it quite intense. These people were intent on selling you their stuff for way less than it cost just so they could feed their families. Children were everywhere begging for money, food, shampoo, anything. It was very overwhelming because we knew the lives that these people lead and it's not easy being from Burma. We wish we could help everyone but we are not made of money even though the colour of our skin may make them think we do.
At sunset we went to the biggest temple to watch the sun set on the valley of temples. It was an incredible sight to see. Some temples were glimmering with gold and the sheer size of some was really impressive.
The next day we did more temples. Unlike Angor Wat in Cambodia these ones were a lot more interesting because they were more pristine. Some had beautiful cotton paintings on the wall that told stories. We even went into a temple that had a meditation cave. It was like a dungeon underground. It was really neat. It was nice to have a sense of adventure in these caves.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Yangon
After the VISA ordeal we were on our way to Burma. We had to take a 4am shuttle bus to the airport in order to catch the 7:30 plane. Joey and I both were so tired and annoyed with the disorganization of the mini bus. There were a few other people on the mini bus with us at 4 am, but we waited around for other people who were late until 4:30. At one point this Polish guy starts yelling at the driver "I don't care if some drunks slept in or missed their alarm. I don't want to miss my flight, so let's f***ing go! One thing you don't do in any South East Asia country is yell and get your temper up. People generally don't take it well. It embarrasses them and they usually will laugh or not do what you said, just to spite you. I am glad this wasn't the case. The driver ended up leaving without the other people and we were on our way to the Bangkok airport.
Joey and I had already made reservations at a guesthouse called Motherland 2. I was so happy to see they were waiting for us at the airport holding a sign with our names on it. In a continent where no one knows you, seeing your name on a sign is a nice surprise. The guesthouse was on the outskirts of central Yangon, which meant that it wasn't a very touristy area. Our first impression of Myanmar was that it was a dirty and smelly place. What was even more scary was that most of the men had bright red mouths as if they had been sucking blood like vampires throughout the night and have just returned to their day jobs. We would later find out that the red mouth is caused by the chewing of the betel leaf with tabacco and some other kind of nut. When chewed it turns your mouth red and it also is a stimulant to the chewer.
In most countries we have been so far the dress and makeup has been very similar. Most people in the other countries do not wear traditional dress/clothes or makeup. In Myanmar, the most certainly do. The women wear a clay like lotion on their face in all types of designs. This makeup is meant to moisturize, and most importantly act as sunscreen from the hot Myanmar sun. Many children also wear the white makeup. Most men don't, but what is interesting about the men is that they wear a sarong like thing called a Longyi. Most men don't wear pants, they wear skirts. Who would have thought?
After getting settled in our room we decided it was a good idea to wander around our neck of the woods in Yangon. Not too long into our walk we were approached by a monk named Ashinsandarbartha and his non monk friend,Tun Tun. They were so happy to see foreigners and were excited to practice their english with us. They were so excited that they invited us for tea. Over tea we struggled to make conversation because of their lack of english, but it was still a lot of fun, especially because you could see how happy it made them. In Myanmar when someone asks you out for tea, it means that they want to pay for you. I thought it was really sweet that they paid for us. Joey on the other hand, really wanted to pay because we both know that these people don't have a lot of money.
Joey and I had been on our way to the Shwedagon Pagoda so we invited the two to come with us in hopes they could be our personal tour guides. The pagoda was absolutely amazing. Everything was detailed with gold and shiny stuff. There were more buddhas then I could count. Most importantly you could see this is where locals come. Unlike a lot of other temples we have been to, there were barely any tourists. I think the other tourists were jealous we had a monk as a tour guide. Muahahhaha. It was weird explaining in very few words to a monk that I am not religious. To someone who has dedicated their lives to their religion it's incomprehensible that someone has no faith. I don't not believe in anything. I just don't know what I believe. I wasn't brought up in a religious family. I'm open to ideas and I like a lot of aspects of all different religions, but for now I will remain agnostic. While we were in the pagoda the monk insisted that we go in front of the buddha statues and pray/bow 3 times. Both of us not being buddhist, this felt a bit weird. Especially because there were locals (real buddhists) watching us. It was definitely interesting but it got tiring after the 12th buddha statue.
The monk (That's what I am going to call him because his name is too long and hard to pronounce) and Tun Tun then invited us for dinner. People paying for his food is Joey's worst nightmare. It's insulting not to go for dinner with someone if they invite you. They told us about this great little place they like to go to. It's funny because the monk can't eat unless it's before 11am. He had to watch us eat food. They ordered us so so so much food. Joey and I could barely walk afterwards because we stuffed ourselves so much as to not be rude. Once again they paid, and Joey was bothered. Bothered, but also amazed. These people have no money, but are so overjoyed to spend it on foreigners (who are millionaires compared to them) in exchange for friendship and teaching them English. Myanmar is a very fascinating place.
Then then... you guessed it... invited us for breakfast. Oh no! Haha. We met them in the morning for another meal at a tea shop. They ordered us so much food that we could barely stomach it. At this point we didnt mean to be rude but there was no way I could eat another weird Burmese dumpling. After breakfast we wandered around town and I got to listen to Tun Tun's music while Joey and the monk talked. Tun Tun showed me some Burmese music as well as some kick ass 90's soft rock. Him and I had a great time listening to music. It was nice to take a break from trying to talk in English. Also, at breakfast he had given Joey and I a written note saying that we are very good looking and nice, also that he will miss us when we are gone and that he hopes to see us again. It must have taken him atleast an hour to write. It was the sweetest thing ever.
Judging from our first real experience in Burma, Joey and I were excited to see what was to come. We were also feeling sad that we only had 12 days to discover this country and it's amazing people. We talked to Zaw Zaw at our hotel and he helped us arrange a minivan rental with another couple from France named Erginee and Jermain. We were to rent the van for 5 days all the way until Mandalay where we would part ways.
The next day we met our driver, Andrew and set off for Tuangoo. It was a long ride but we got to stop off in Bago and see some of the amazing temples. Most of Bago's temples and sights are owned by the government, which means we were supposed to pay $10 to see them. We decided to stick with the free temples instead of giving the oppressive government a hand out. We were saving up our sightseeing eyes for Bagan, which is the land of temples.
Joey and I had already made reservations at a guesthouse called Motherland 2. I was so happy to see they were waiting for us at the airport holding a sign with our names on it. In a continent where no one knows you, seeing your name on a sign is a nice surprise. The guesthouse was on the outskirts of central Yangon, which meant that it wasn't a very touristy area. Our first impression of Myanmar was that it was a dirty and smelly place. What was even more scary was that most of the men had bright red mouths as if they had been sucking blood like vampires throughout the night and have just returned to their day jobs. We would later find out that the red mouth is caused by the chewing of the betel leaf with tabacco and some other kind of nut. When chewed it turns your mouth red and it also is a stimulant to the chewer.
In most countries we have been so far the dress and makeup has been very similar. Most people in the other countries do not wear traditional dress/clothes or makeup. In Myanmar, the most certainly do. The women wear a clay like lotion on their face in all types of designs. This makeup is meant to moisturize, and most importantly act as sunscreen from the hot Myanmar sun. Many children also wear the white makeup. Most men don't, but what is interesting about the men is that they wear a sarong like thing called a Longyi. Most men don't wear pants, they wear skirts. Who would have thought?
After getting settled in our room we decided it was a good idea to wander around our neck of the woods in Yangon. Not too long into our walk we were approached by a monk named Ashinsandarbartha and his non monk friend,Tun Tun. They were so happy to see foreigners and were excited to practice their english with us. They were so excited that they invited us for tea. Over tea we struggled to make conversation because of their lack of english, but it was still a lot of fun, especially because you could see how happy it made them. In Myanmar when someone asks you out for tea, it means that they want to pay for you. I thought it was really sweet that they paid for us. Joey on the other hand, really wanted to pay because we both know that these people don't have a lot of money.
Joey and I had been on our way to the Shwedagon Pagoda so we invited the two to come with us in hopes they could be our personal tour guides. The pagoda was absolutely amazing. Everything was detailed with gold and shiny stuff. There were more buddhas then I could count. Most importantly you could see this is where locals come. Unlike a lot of other temples we have been to, there were barely any tourists. I think the other tourists were jealous we had a monk as a tour guide. Muahahhaha. It was weird explaining in very few words to a monk that I am not religious. To someone who has dedicated their lives to their religion it's incomprehensible that someone has no faith. I don't not believe in anything. I just don't know what I believe. I wasn't brought up in a religious family. I'm open to ideas and I like a lot of aspects of all different religions, but for now I will remain agnostic. While we were in the pagoda the monk insisted that we go in front of the buddha statues and pray/bow 3 times. Both of us not being buddhist, this felt a bit weird. Especially because there were locals (real buddhists) watching us. It was definitely interesting but it got tiring after the 12th buddha statue.
The monk (That's what I am going to call him because his name is too long and hard to pronounce) and Tun Tun then invited us for dinner. People paying for his food is Joey's worst nightmare. It's insulting not to go for dinner with someone if they invite you. They told us about this great little place they like to go to. It's funny because the monk can't eat unless it's before 11am. He had to watch us eat food. They ordered us so so so much food. Joey and I could barely walk afterwards because we stuffed ourselves so much as to not be rude. Once again they paid, and Joey was bothered. Bothered, but also amazed. These people have no money, but are so overjoyed to spend it on foreigners (who are millionaires compared to them) in exchange for friendship and teaching them English. Myanmar is a very fascinating place.
Then then... you guessed it... invited us for breakfast. Oh no! Haha. We met them in the morning for another meal at a tea shop. They ordered us so much food that we could barely stomach it. At this point we didnt mean to be rude but there was no way I could eat another weird Burmese dumpling. After breakfast we wandered around town and I got to listen to Tun Tun's music while Joey and the monk talked. Tun Tun showed me some Burmese music as well as some kick ass 90's soft rock. Him and I had a great time listening to music. It was nice to take a break from trying to talk in English. Also, at breakfast he had given Joey and I a written note saying that we are very good looking and nice, also that he will miss us when we are gone and that he hopes to see us again. It must have taken him atleast an hour to write. It was the sweetest thing ever.
Judging from our first real experience in Burma, Joey and I were excited to see what was to come. We were also feeling sad that we only had 12 days to discover this country and it's amazing people. We talked to Zaw Zaw at our hotel and he helped us arrange a minivan rental with another couple from France named Erginee and Jermain. We were to rent the van for 5 days all the way until Mandalay where we would part ways.
The next day we met our driver, Andrew and set off for Tuangoo. It was a long ride but we got to stop off in Bago and see some of the amazing temples. Most of Bago's temples and sights are owned by the government, which means we were supposed to pay $10 to see them. We decided to stick with the free temples instead of giving the oppressive government a hand out. We were saving up our sightseeing eyes for Bagan, which is the land of temples.
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