On the road to Burma
OK, so it was really not on the road and really not to Burma but the country now known as Myanmar. So we went from one gleaming new airport in Chiang Mai to a gleaming airport in Bangkok to a new gleaming airport in Yandon (Formerly Rangoon.) Pleasant flights aboard Boeing and Airbus planes.
Arriving in Myanmar's Yangon found a busy city of millions of people but compared to Thailand has a much more "Little India" flavor. Perhaps because it shares a border with India and Bangladesh. More cars, fewer motorcycles but still bicycle peddled richshaws for short trips. The sidecar is one passenger wide so if two passengers they sit back to back.
Another young country working hard to attract tourism but if you think the USA has a great disparity of wealth you should come here. Many of the country is poor as in bamboo roofs squatting on railroad land but courtesty seems to be plentiful.
I took the local circle railroad line which makes a circle in 3 hours from downtown Yangon to the near countryside with 39 stops in one circuit. (Less than 20 us cents for a ticket.)
All at grade railroad crossings have gates closed and opened by hand, vendors come on train for one stop to sell water, betel or food, open window and hot, vegetables grown near city and carried into city on the train, cell phones everywhere.
Small children seem to see us, stare and then run up, say "Hi" and when we answer with "Hi" they run back away laughing. Not many beards here and much fewer tourist than Thailand.
If you would like a much "chattier" account of our trip (and plenty of pictures) you can use Facebook to friend Denyse Herrmann. Probably the only Denyse on facebook.
Tonight (Saturday Night) we take a 10 hour bus ride to Bagon which is apparently full of Buddhist temples.
Arriving in Myanmar's Yangon found a busy city of millions of people but compared to Thailand has a much more "Little India" flavor. Perhaps because it shares a border with India and Bangladesh. More cars, fewer motorcycles but still bicycle peddled richshaws for short trips. The sidecar is one passenger wide so if two passengers they sit back to back.
Another young country working hard to attract tourism but if you think the USA has a great disparity of wealth you should come here. Many of the country is poor as in bamboo roofs squatting on railroad land but courtesty seems to be plentiful.
I took the local circle railroad line which makes a circle in 3 hours from downtown Yangon to the near countryside with 39 stops in one circuit. (Less than 20 us cents for a ticket.)
All at grade railroad crossings have gates closed and opened by hand, vendors come on train for one stop to sell water, betel or food, open window and hot, vegetables grown near city and carried into city on the train, cell phones everywhere.
Small children seem to see us, stare and then run up, say "Hi" and when we answer with "Hi" they run back away laughing. Not many beards here and much fewer tourist than Thailand.
If you would like a much "chattier" account of our trip (and plenty of pictures) you can use Facebook to friend Denyse Herrmann. Probably the only Denyse on facebook.
Tonight (Saturday Night) we take a 10 hour bus ride to Bagon which is apparently full of Buddhist temples.
Comments
I'm glad your beard is playing well. It reminds me of when I was in Taiwan and visited the very southern tip where very few Americans visit. My traveling partner and I are both well over 6 feet tall, and the children loved to stand next to us and giggle with their friends. Our interpreter said they liked being with the "giants."
Travel safe!