Thailand and Laos (pt 1). Happy Christmas and New Year to all of our Followers

We arrived back to Bangkok from Myanmar on 16th November and a few days later I said goodbye to Nic and headed home to the UK for 2 weeks. My 90 year old Nan had been ill for a while and I decided to go home to spend some time with her. After being with Nic everyday for over 2 years it felt very weird leaving him behind.

I had a wonderful time on my first week at home, I got to spend some time with my lovely Nan, as well as some very dear close friends and my wonderful family. On the second week my Nan's health went down hill rapidly and she sadly passed away. She died in her own home with her family around her, which is how she wanted to go. The Priest said that "if my Nan doesn't get into heaven God help the rest of us". RIP Nan. Thanks for all the love and the laughter (and the knitted jumpers).

Whilst I was away Nic decided to go to Kanchanaburi. He went on the train which made it's way very slowly through the flooded outskirts of Bangkok. Here are some people living on the train station platform.




At one point the train track were completely under water:


Nic didn't think much of Kanchanaburi as it was too westernised, although he did get a great pie and mash! He headed to Chiang Mai in the north and I met him there a few days later. It was so lovely to be together again.

We really liked Chiang Mai with it's cooler, fresher climate and we found a hospital where I could get some physical therapy to straighten my arm. The nurses at the hospital were very sweet but I didn't like it when they giggled when I was in pain!!! Sadists.

In between hospital visits and eating, we managed to do a little bit of sightseeing:



Me doing my Harry Potter impression:



Due to my Nan's health deteriorating so rapidly, my Uncle Jeff rushed back from Australia to be with her. Jeff was due to marry Yvonne in Thailand the following week but ended up cancelling both the wedding and the honeymoon. Sadly he was unable to get a refund for the Banyan Tree in Bangkok and so he offered Nic and I a 3 nights, all-expenses paid, treat.

We got the night train from Chiang Mai and checked into the hotel at 10.30am on Thursday 15th December and we did not leave the hotel until 6pm the following Sunday. All the food and drink was paid for and we definitely made the most of our stay.

We were very sad that Jeff and Yvonne weren't on their honeymoon there but at least it didn't go to waste. Thank you so much and good luck with the wedding plans.



Then we got back to earth with a very large bump and got the night train to Nong Kwai (near Laos). Here's me settling in for the night:


Next we got our new visa, crossed the border in Laos and headed to the capital Veintiane.

We'll be in Vientiane for a few weeks as I'm still having (very painful) physio on my arm. We found a great French clinic and the guy there really knows what he's doing, so fingers crossed I should be better soon.

Vientiane is a really nice laid back place, here's a few snaps from today:



So this is where we'll be for Christmas and New Year. We're going to meet up with some Hash House Harriers on Christmas Eve so we can feel a bit more festive (drunk).

What a mad year it's been for us. We left Australia in March, cycled through parts of Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and some of Thailand, and visited Sumatra and Myanmar. We've seen wild Orangutans, wonderful marine life, ancient temples and so much more. We've met some very kind, wonderful people. I broke my elbow and we waved goodbye to our bikes. I said my final goodbye to my amazing Nan. Let's hope 2012 teaches us more lessons and takes good care of us.

HOPE YOU HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR

LOVE JEANETTE AND NIC XXX

Goodbye Myanmar (Part 6 - Bago and Yangon), Hello Bangkok

We flew into Yangon and then got a bus to Bago. Bago's hotels are located on the crazy busy highway, so it's not exactly quiet! We checked into a ropey hotel and decided that we'd have a morning sight seeing and then get back to Yangon.

We hired a tuktuk and a guide and set off at 7am the following morning.

We had a whirl-wind tour and saw 5 sights before breakfast, including this 55 metre reclining Buddha, which had birds nesting in his mouth and nose!:


We also visited the very impressive Shwemawdaw Paya with its large chunk of old the zedi's spire that was toppled by the 1917 earthquake:


Look at the scaffolding and workmen on this pagoda:



We also went to see an even bigger reclining Buddha. You can just see me at the bottom of the photo:



The massive python bellow, is the reincarnation of a monk and much revered:



We think this is a statue of the monk that is now the snake. Someone had given him a gift of a lighted cigarette:

Our guide took us to one of the biggest monasteries in Myanmar, where he'd actually lived for 5 years. Around 1000 monks live here and there were another 1000 visiting as there was a festival on. At 10.30 everyday there is a free lunch that everyone is welcome to join. We sat and ate amongst the monks and visitors and it was a very enjoyable experience.


At the monastery there is a statue of Aung San. The authorities wanted to relocate this statue but the monks ensured that it stayed put.

After our morning of sight seeing, we collected our bags from the hotel and went to the train station. We'd decided to get the train back to Yangon but we ended up waiting at the station for hours. You don't feel confident about your train arriving when there are cows, goats and dogs wandering around on the tracks!


The train was packed and we were glad that we'd paid extra to get a seat. From the train we saw people living in real poverty and it certainly made us remember how lucky we are. We stopped en route at a small village and the village children stood next to the train looking up at us as. Many of them were collecting plastic bottles. The boy behind me gave his toy car to one of the village boys, which was a very sweet thing to do.

We had a few more days in Yangon and then we flew back to Bangkok.

Myanmar is the most interesting country that we've visited so far and it's been very moving learning about Aung San and his daughter Aung San Suu Kyi. We've also enjoyed learning more about Buddhism. People in Myanmar want there kids to get qualifications but they also want them to be good human beings i.e. caring, thoughtful and kind to the poor and the weak. This is how we found the Burmese people to be.

The government has a shocking history of human rights abuses but despite all that the people have suffered they've never given up hope that one day they'll have democracy. Aung San Suu Kyi was released from house arrest one year ago, she is in dialogue with the new government and changes are occurring. Today we heard that Hilary Clinton is due to visit Myanmar.

We will watch closely as events unfold and hope and pray that the wonderful people of Myanmar get the country that they deserve.

Myanmar Part 5 - Lake Inle

We arrived at Lake Inle at 6am after traveling for 12 hours and felt totally exhausted. I was full of cold and Nic had food poisoning. We collapsed into bed but unfortunately our hotel was right next to the very busy canal and the motors on the longtail boats were stupidly loud.

The people at the guest house were so nice that they made up for the constant drone of the engines. Plus, from our balcony, we could watch all the franetic activity along the canal and wave at all the Myanmar tourists in the boats. We'd come to Lake Inle for the beautiful scenety, cooler air and the famous Balloon Festival in nearby Taunggyi.

Once we'd spent a few days sleeping and recovering from our illnesses we had went on a longtail boat trip. The views were amazing and it was great to see all the local fishermen and villages on stilts. The guy below with the hamster-cheeks is chewing his Betel nut.



We went to a market that also had a monastery.


We saw these 2 ladies, wearing their traditional clothes, having a great gossip:


We went to see lots of small factories making various local crafts and I bought a traditional hand-woven bag that the Shan state is famous for. The lady/girl below wearing the traditional clothes and neck/leg rings are from the Padaung tribe in the Kayah state. They start wearing the rings around their necks from the age of 9 and increase the number every year for 10 years. The weight of the neck rings is around 7kg. It lengthens the neck and they never take them off. Very bizarre.



We visited a local village and saw some locals and animals cooling down in the river:



This dog was blending into the background when we walked around a pagoda:


The Shan state is also famous for its leg-rowing fishermen. They twist the oar around their leg so that they can hold the net with both hands. It looks very awkward but they have the most incredible balance.


We went to see some cigars being rolled and had a smoke. The cigars were very nice and cost 3p each.


Next we went to a very busy pagoda and hung out with the Myanmar tourists. Below are some Buddha relics that are covered in gold balls. The balls have grown and become odd shapes due to the amount of gold leaf that has been applied to them over the years. Only men are allowed to go near them.


Below is a lady monk. Ladies are not expected to become monks but we saw plenty of them in Myanmar. The men are expected to become a monk 3 times; one as a child, once as a young man and once as an older man. Most of the young men that we met had had 2 separate weeks as a monk but we also met some that were around 18 and had been monks for 10 years.



It was very peaceful being in the amazing villages on stilts, such a strange place to grow-up:


We went to a monastery to see the famous jumping cats but as it was late in the day when we arrived the cats didn't seem to have much enthusiasm left and the show was rather disappointing.



Some of the many very happy Myanmar tourists that we waved to during our trip:



During our stay in Lake Inle we went to the final night of the Balloon Festival, when it was full moon. I cannot describe how hilarious, crazy, dangerous and completely wonderful this experience was. We've put a video on YouTube to give you a clue. If you listen cloasely you can hear Hiro, a Japanese man that was with us, screaming when he got burnt on the face by a firework and me saying "my hair's been singed".

http://www.youtube.com/user/JeanetteGurney?feature=mheeat

Nic, Hiro, me and Scott, an Englishman that lives in Yangon and who also came with us, all survived the night and had a total blast along with the hundreds and thousands of other people that were there.


You can just see Scott in the background:




Each time a balloon goes up there is music and dancing. Nic and I had a great time dancing to the great Bhangra music that these guys blasted out:


The festivities go on for hours but we left around midnight. Our driver drove right through a massive crowd that was watching a band on a stage. I'll never forget the surprised looks that we got as our mini bus ploughed through!

After recovering from out insane night we had a peaceful canoe trip around some of the quiet villages on stilts.



We then said goodbye to the wonderful Lake Inle and the smiling hosts at the guest house.

Because there were so many visitors all the buses out of Lake Inle were full for days so we decided to save ourselves a long wait and another long bus journey and fly back to Yangon.

Myanmar Part 4 - Mandalay

In very polluted, crazy Mandalay we had 2 days of sight seeing. On the first day we went to a puppet making factory:



and then we went to see the 10.30 am lunch at Ganayon Kyaung (monastery). Every day hundreds of monks queue up here for a free meal. Unfortunately it was a bit touristy.


Next we went to see some Longyi's (traditional skirt worn by men and women) being weaved. Here's a photo of some bridal wear that takes weeks to make:


Next we had a hot sweaty climb up Sagaing Hill to see the pagoda and the great views.


Next we carried on to Inwa, which is cut off by rivers and canals. We traveled around by horse cart and the track was horrendous. The locals live as they must have done for centuries and they were very welcoming.



This is a 27 metre clocktower, which leans precariously but can still be climbed:



I had great fun playing with these cute kids:


Next we made out way to Amarapura for the sunset. The 'city of immortality' is famed for the U Beins Bridge, the world's longest teak bridge at 1.2 km. It's 200 years old and has 1060 teak posts. We strolled along the bridge with the locals, monks and other tourists. Then we had an amazing coincidence. A young Burmese man started chatting to us so he could practice his English and he turned out to be the brother of Aung Zaw, our horse cart driver in Bagan. We invited him and his friend to join us on our boat trip.

We had an amazing sunset and here our some of our photos:




Aung's brother is on the right:


Here is our rower:

We had a day off and then had another sight seeing day. We visited Mahamuni Paya , which was cast in the 1st century AD and has a Buddha covered in 6 inches of gold leaf.

There's also some huge Buddha's flip flops here:


They also have some bronze Khmer figures, war booty from Angkor Wat. You can rub their body parts in order to heal yourself. I rubbed his nose as I had a cold. I couldn't run his elbow as he doesn't have one. Also, his crotch seems to have been rubbed away (pre-Viagra!)


We also visited a very peaceful and beautiful teak monastery (Shwe In Bin Kyaung) and saw this monk catching up on the football. They are obsessed with the Premier League here.


At the end of our busy day we climbed Mandalay Hill, which is 230 metres high, in our bare feet for the sunset. Most of the tourists drive to the top (lazy buggers!). Here's are little blue taxi at the base. These little, ancient Mazda 600 cc pick-ups are the main mode of transport. Quite a bumpy ride!

This is one way of carrying your spare tyre:



One of the places we visited was a small factory making gold-leaf, which is very much in demand in Myanmar as people love to cover their favourite Buddhas with it. It's an unbelievably labour-intensive process. They take a gold nugget (1 oz) and turn it into around 2000 gold leaves - BY HAND! They roll it out and cut it into small strips and then men with use huge hammers and a lot of energy bash it for a total of 5 hours.



This lady works in a small, hot air less cell hammering bamboo paper to make it thinner. The gold leaf is packaged using this paper. I didn't like to ask how much they got paid but we know that the ladies working in the fields in the rural areas only get about $2 a day.


This cow lived around the corner from our hotel and often was decorated with coloured paint. I know he's loved but he doesn't look too happy, although his owner does.


We then got the night bus to Lake Inle, another 12 hour bumpy ride. The bus was packed to the rafters and one poor man had to sit in the aisle on a tiny plastic chair. The only people you here complaining here are westerners. We have no idea how spoilt we are!