From Golden Pagodas to Sandy Beaches

I could have easily spent an entire day at Yangon's Shwedagon pagoda complex. But we had to get out to hunt something to eat. And that is not an easy task in Burma if you are vegetarian. Or at least if you want to eat something tasty, not just to fill your stomach. We ended up to the Strand, which is a elegant Victorian-style hotel. We decided that we have earned this luxury and spent our last dollars in delicious meals.

One major difference I noticed in Yangon (Rangoon) after fifteen years is that the soldiers with their machine guns, are no longer on the streets. And people talk proudly about Aung San Suu Kyi and have her picture visible. That could not have been possible few years back. There's certainly a big hope in the air, things are getting to the better direction.

When we flew back to Bangkok, the city of 4000 Seven Eleven -shops, it was like entering a western world. It seemed so organized, easy and familiar. But don't get me wrong; I loved Burma once again and would have liked to stay there longer, explore the other parts of the country, especially the countryside. Next time, then.

This morning in Bangkok I saw my husband off back to Finland. After I had cried my eyes off, I packed my backpack and left to a small island of Koh Samet. I have four more months to travel before returning back home.

In Koh Samet I got a (highly overpriced) room or actually a bungalow for two nights, and I hope I don't need to camp on the beach at New Year's Eve since every place seems to be full. But my home is where the way is... as what Snufkin (Nuuskamuikkunen) says.

Happy New Year!

 

Incredible Inle Lake

Inle Lake is high up from the sea level (1300 meters) what makes it very, very cold in the evenings, night and morning. Our hotel didn't have heating, but plenty of blankets for the nights and warm jackets to wear when we went boating early in the morning. The wind was freezing until the sun started warming - and burning. The lake is famous for the fishermen who have a very special way of rowing using their legs. We were boating through the floating villages, canals, floating gardens, markets and monasteries and were able to follow various tribal people's daily life. Once again everybody were welcoming and friendly.

Our stay in Inle Lake had a tragic end. On early Christmas morning we took a one hour taxi ride to the Heho airport. Our flight was expected to start boarding, when all airport staff started yelling and running and left all us passenger alone at the terminal. We smelled smoke and the electricity went off. It was a total chaos. People started panicking. The airport staff didn't give any information at all at any time. We heard different stories from other passengers what might have happened. It was the most unorganized thing we have never been involved with.

We heard that a plane had crashed when landing, and many people had injured and some possibly killed. Passengers walked in and out from the terminal, even to the runway. The airport staff were confused, didn't seem to have any idea how to work in that kind of situation. We saw some people who had been able to escape from the burning plane, they were in shock and in pain, we gave them all our pain killers we had.

When we finally arrived Yangon (Rangoon) in the evening, we were tired, quiet and confused. We were sad for what had happened, but thankful to be alive. And isn't that a miracle that so many were able to escape and survive.

Later we found out that at least two people had been killed and several seriously injured. The plane was broken at tale and totally burned. Even the formal news tell different information. Here is a link to the Finnish news site: http://yle.fi/uutiset/kaksi_kuoli_lentokoneen_laskeuduttua_riisipellolle/6428871 and the international site:  http://www.ttrweekly.com/site/2012/12/heho-crash-investigation-begins/

Back to Bagan

People ask me often if there's any place in the world I would like to return back one day. Even though I have kept going back to India and other countries, Myanmar (Burma) has always had a special place in my travel memories. And I have always remembered Bagan as something very special, like an open air museum, where I wandered around almost alone, surrounded by thousands of deserted and ruined temples, pagodas and stupas.

And it didn't let me down when I returned back, it is still so unbelievable, that no words or pictures can describe it. You have to live it yourself, cycle around the dusty fields, get happily lost and have a flat tire, chat with the young postcard sellers, be amazed by the ancient monuments from the 11th century AD, tell people million times what's your name and where do you come from...

As you have seen in these pictures, Burmese people have this fascinating face painting tradition. Women, children and sometimes also men paint their faces, sometimes their arms and legs too with this paste, made from some tree. It has a cooling effect and it also works as a sun screen. I tried that too, and my new make up style received compliments from the local people.

There's more travelers now and the prices have gone up crazy (for tourists), my 5 dollar guesthouse is now 50 dollars, and I am not kidding! The travel industry is not owned by the government anymore and people here are learning and developing the tourism, so sometimes the situations are amusing and sometimes annoying. Be understanding and patient when traveling in Burma!

I am so happy to be able to share the unique experiences of this wonderful country with my husband who is now travelling with me. Because the internet connections here are not always so reliable, I take the opportunity now to wish you all Very Happy Holidays!

 

 

 

Traveling Back in Time

If 15 years ago people in Mandalay seemed to be living the life of the 1920's, now it seems to be like 1940's. The bicycles have changed into motorbikes and the pollution has increased remarkably. But the people are still the same, smiling and friendly... You can hear people calling you, staring, pointing, but all that curiosity has a good meaning.

The downside is still the drug and alcohol problem, and majority of the people chew betel nut that colours the mouth and damages the theet, permanently. Betel nut chewing is very common tradition in South Asia, in India it is called "paan" if I remember it right. The nut slices together with spices are wrapped in betel leaves and then chewed. I guess that betel nut has same kind of stimulant effect as chewing coca leaves in Peru or using snus in Scandinavia. For us it is hard to see beautiful people, even young children, having their teeth compleatly gone. One serious disadvantage of the usage is that betel nut may cause cancer. And what is really discussing is the spitting. We happened to meet a woman who said that somebody had accidentally spit on her feet two weeks ago and her toes are still stained... Yikes!

The air was so polluted and dusty, that we decided to hire an a/c car and a driver in Mandalay. That also saved us time because we decided to leave earlier to Bagan. We also decided to to take a boat instead of flying. Fifteen years ago I took buses, usually at night time, but remembering the bumpy rides, no thanks, that's done and seen...

On The Move

It feels good to be on the move again. We left Koh Samui's sympathetic open air airport when it was raining heavily and after a short flight arrived the busy Bangkok. We visited a local street festival and it was nice to see and do ordinary Thai things, not just something made for the tourists.

Today we learnt how to cook Tom Yam Soup, Fried Vegetables with Ginger and Cashew Nuts, Pad Thai, Massaman Curry, Green Thai Curry, Pumpkin Humus and few other delicious vegetarian Thai food items - and we also ate them all!

Here's a recipe for the easy vegetarian Tom Yam Soup (1 portion), cooking time is only 5 minutes (it doesn't include the time when you are looking for the galangal roots...):

Step 1: In the wok, boil 1 soup bowlful of water (300 ml).

Step 2: 2 cut kaffir lime leaves, 2 slices of galangal, 2 half-inch pieces of lemon grass

Step 3: 1 tablespoon chopped carrot, 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped onion, 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped tomato, 1 tablespoon tofu, 1 small handful of mixed vegetables (mushroom, baby corn, broccoli, cabbage..)

Step 4: Once boiling, add 1 tablespoon dark soya sauce, 1 table spoon light soya sauce, 1 table spoon brown sugar. Turn off the heat once the vegetables are tender, but before water is all gone. 

Step 5: Add 1 tablespoon of mixed chopped spring onions and coriander leaves, 1 teaspoon lime juice, 1 teaspoon Tom Yam chili paste, 1 tablespoon coconut milk. You can add 1 tablespoon of fresh chili and 1 teaspoon of fresh garlic for a stronger and spicier flavor.

We will travel next to Myanmar (Burma), where I traveled fifteen years ago. I am excited to see how it must have changed over the years. It was the time when Aung San Suu Kyi was still in a house arrest, just recently things have changed into slightly more positive direction.

Here are some pictures of the beach vendors in Koh Samui and street vendors of Bangkok:

A Night Out

My husband brought me down to earth from all that spirituality. Or what do you think of Mojitos, Thai Boxing and late night dancing in the bars of Chaweng Beach? We started our night out in small street bars, which means a small stall or a pick up car, big loud speakers and local guys juggling and shaking the bottles (including God only knows what). After the Thai boxing we rode with motor bike taxis around the beach to find the best music to dance. We had so much fun!

We have settled in Koh Samui for a week. We have a lovely top end hotel and we are doing all the typical tourist things, driving a scooter around the island, walking on the beach, enjoying the pool etc., we even had pizzas today instead of noodles or rice. But, I have experienced that the service in small midrange and budget hotels or guesthouses is often more genuine and the food is better in street kitchens, compared to the more expensive tourist choices. I have a simple taste.

And I have to admit that I am getting a bit anxious for adventures, oddities and strangeness I usually meet when I travel, very often in India. But we enjoy this easy and relaxing living now. That is what I wanted, after rather overdoing things back home, I just wanted to rest and have it smooth. It doesn't always need to be rough, does it?

We are treating ourselves with staying at this resort



I am getting a nice pink colour

Levitating on the water

Island hopping

This is my "Eat, Pray, Love" journeys part "Love". You all have read the book or seen the movie, right? It is the one, where Julia Roberts travels in Italy, India and Bali - her skin is never sweaty and shiny, her dress is never wrinkled, she is never weary and tired of traveling. So is Julia Roberts Swedish? Because all Swedish people I have met somewhere here are exactly like from Miika Nousiainen's book "Vadelmavenepakolainen": flawless tan, glossy hair, always happy... Not fair! :-)

Anyways: now it is time for Love. Unconditioned love. I have needed this to time travel alone but it is always fun to travel with someone you know and trust. My husband will travel with me one month.

I welcomed my husband to Bangkok and now we are already in Koh Tao, a small island with a beautiful sunset. I had already spent a week in Bangkok and felt very happy to leave someplace less crowded and polluted. Koh Tao is nothing like an authentic or untouched paradise island, it seems that the restaurant workers are from Myanmar and the island is packed with diving schools. But it is a relaxed, sunny and friendly place. Good for us right now. Tomorrow we will take a boat to the island of Koh Phangan and from there to Koh Samui.

Due to the weak Internet connections I haven't been able to post new messages or attach pictures for some time, but here are some pictures of the recent moments.