Myanmar – latest info
Burma has over several decades changed its name, its flag, the side of the road they drive on, and the location of its capital – but very little else. Until a year ago. Now the country is being accepted back into the international community, things are changing at breakneck speed. The biggest impact on tourists […]
The Road to Mandalay
Back in 1890, a young 24 year-old named Rudyard Kipling was making his way back to England from India when his ship made an unscheduled stop in Moulmein, the previous capital of British Burma. He was reportedly so impressed by the looks and confidence of the Burmese women he saw that he was motivated to […]
Myanmar Visa in Bangkok
Myanmar is an increasingly popular destination. Although there has been much talk of a Visa on Arrival system (with or without pre-approval) this still does not operate for tourist single visits. So a visa application must be made and a visa entered into your passport. Outside Bangkok, this requires mailing your passport, application and fee […]
Nats, Caves, and Giant Spiders
There is some kind of serendipity that visits on occasions when I travel – and usually more often than not when I’m in company with my travel companion, Karyna. This time, none of the six internal airlines in Myanmar had any places to fly from Bagan to Inle Lake. Much research revealed the possibility of […]
Weaving, water, and wineries
Inle Lake in the early dawn is magical. A gentle mist rises, the sky goes from indigo to mauve to blue, and as a backdrop there lie the mountains that cover so much of Shan State. In the far distance is China. And occasionally into view comes a fisherman setting up for the day. No […]
Tea for one
I’ve never seen tea on bushes before today. And when those bushes carpet every spare corner of the rolling hillsides in the pleasantly cool atmosphere at about 5000 feet up in the Sri Lankan mountains, it’s extremely refreshing. Nearly as good as a cup (Liptons of course, since Sir Thomas founded his […]
By the old Moulmein pagoda
This is slightly disconcerting, because as I write this, I have an audience of hotel employees standing behind me watching. I’m in Moulmein where there is simply no internet, and I’ve yet to see a mobile phone. The buses are old Chevy trucks with a roof built over the load area, and about one person […]
Mindblowing Myanmar
Words fail me – well nearly! This is the most stupendous traveling experience I have had in a very long time.Whatever else the governing generals may have done, their policies have effectively placed Myanmar (only the British decided it should be called Burma) in a time-capsule. No credit cards, no ATM’s, no mobile phones, hardly […]
Rural Cambodia
Battambang, though the second city of Cambodia, is like a French provincial town with Asian overtones. The neighbourhoods are still rural with houses in the very traditional style. The temples are almost unvisited – possibly with reason given that the little red sign on the left of the very long staircase to this one […]