Our Time in Myanmar - Cut Short

As most of you have probably seen on the news, Myanmar is in disarray right now with the monks protesting in the streets and the outbreaks of violence by the "government." But Lani and I had already forged the path into the country before the violent uprisings started and we luckily left Yangon/Rangoon the day that actual deaths occurred. However, our time in the country was still cut short and it will be a place I have to return to one day to fully understand, appreciate and explore. With my brief experience, I did fall in love with the people. The men all stroll the streets in serongs and to be more beautiful, the women wear paint on their faces. When walking down the streets, everyone just stares at you and I've felt a little bit like a freak and a celebrity at the same time. So regardless of the endless gawking, they are absolutely lovely and given their hopeless situation with the government, I am more than impressed to see the wide smiles on their faces and what appears to be, happiness.


The rest of the country however, leaves a little bit to be desired. The roads are rough; the taxis are in terrible condition (we're talking cracker boxes with their doors falling off, that need to be jump started, and may just kill in the middle of an intersection); the streets are filled with potholes (you gotta stare at your feet when walking to avoid a broken ankle); their isn't money for power to light the streets at night so it feels quite strange even going out after dark. But I guess these are the interesting things that make traveling an experience.

As for our time in Myanmar, we spent a day and a half in Yangon, wandering the streets and visiting the Schwedagon Pagoda. That is where the thousands of monks gathered in the afternoon to protest, so we tried to avoid too much time in the area. We hopped a miserably long and hot 19 hour bus ride north to Inle Lake, Lani got hit with nausea and when we arrived in Inle, she spent the next 2 days in bed. The day she got better, I decided it was my turn to be sick. And fortunatetly for me, we'd decided to only take a 12 hour bus ride that day to Mandalay. And given the fact that Myanmar is like taking a major step back in time, the bus was extremely unpleasant and I was unable to get comfortable with my body aching and alternating between the chills and a fever. We arrived in Mandalay early in the morning and I spent the next 3 days in bed. Lani did a little exploring by herself, but given the fact that both of us had been weakened by sickness and the country can be challenging to get through, we decided it was best to book a quick flight to Bangkok and head to a doctor, where conditions would be better.

On a more positive note, like I said, the people in Myanmar are incredible! We had such good experiences interacting with them and I'm happy we got a small glimpse into their culture. My boat trip on Inle Lake was beautiful and I fell in love with our boatmen, Myasa and Meento, who were the cutest father-son duo I've ever met.



Meento is only 12 years old and was just as much a captain as his dad. And when Lani was feeling better, she wanted to hit the lake up as well, so I went again to accompany her and we had the same guides. And this time, we were lucky enough to have Myasa take us to his home - which was such a special experience to be welcomed into this family's home and meet his wife and children and share a cup of tea, sitting cross legged on a bamboo mat on their floor. The children loved having pictures taken of themselves and this experience with the family was definitely the highlight for me during my brief Myanmar experience!