A real taste of local life: Northern Shan State, Myanmar

A fantastic couple of days We had a couple of hours to wander round the small town of Kyaukme before heading to bed to prepare ourselves for our five am start the next day. Five am seemed a little early even for an occasion as big as a wedding but for the people of Myanmar…Continue reading A real taste of local life: Northern Shan State, Myanmar

Monks, Monasteries and Moustaches: Mandalay, Myanmar

Learnings from a young monk  Once again the night bus dropped us off at a large bus station outside of town so a pricey taxi ride in was our only option. Daniel, who we had met in Bagan, had joined Jaimie, James and I to make four of us. He had already booked a room…Continue reading Monks, Monasteries and Moustaches: Mandalay, Myanmar

Three very different families: Bagan, Myanmar

A contrast between rich and poor  The events of the day unfolded in a way which to me, demonstrates the social and political problems Myanmar continues to suffer with an extreme gap between rich and poor. We met three families while exploring on ebikes, the first a painter and his son who lived in a…Continue reading Three very different families: Bagan, Myanmar

Cycling through 4000 temples: Bagan, Myanmar

Although our second night bus in Myanmar was less crowded than the first, the bumpy roads made it impossible to sleep as it felt like I was on a roller coaster. I should count myself lucky I don’t have the Asian gene which causes extreme travel sickness, with almost everyone on the bus throwing up…Continue reading Cycling through 4000 temples: Bagan, Myanmar