November 4-6, 2014
Fortunately our departure from Siem Reap was a whole lot easier than getting there, which took us 13 hours from the time we left our hotel in Yangon to when we finally arrived at our hotel in Cambodia.
But, after a very long day in the Bangkok airport, our two and a half days in Siem Reap visiting Anghor Wat flew by.
Anghor Wat became a Unesco World Heritage site twenty years ago, but did not really come into its own as a tourist destination until a decade ago, as it took that first ten years for the infrastructure to develop. And 20 years ago, Siem Reap was probably like Myanmar is now. Today it is tourist central with hoards of tourists from all over, but especially from the nearby Asian countries. Our Odysseys' tour guide Bunrit suggested we get started early on Thursday morning, but getting to the entrance gate before 8:00am did not mean that we were the first to arrive. At that time of the morning, it is already fairly hot and humid and the crowds have started to appear. And so began our two days encountering many Chinese tourists, who, to a person were rude and pushy.
The Khmer Empire began around 802, reached its height in the 11th and 12th centuries and by 1325 was in steep decline. During the 500 years it was a driving force in Southeast Asia, there were two Kings, who were chiefly responsible for much of the building of the empire. Suryavarman II, ruled from 1130-1150, and Jayavarman VII, one hundred years later from 1181-1220.
Suryavarman expanded the Khmer empire to include most of what is now Thailand. Jayavarman further expanded the Khmer empire to include parts of what is now South Vietnam. Both rulers constructed magnificent temples, with the earlier ruler constructing Hindu temples and the later ruler building temples with Buddhist orientation. Many countries, through UNESCO, including the US, Japan and China have played a role and contributed funds to the restoration of this site which covers about 100 square miles. During our two day visit we visited about 6 of them. Anghor Wat, the original temple on the site and the largest, is Hindu in its iconography and symbols, others were either Buddhist or Hindu, depending upon when they were constructed.
Elsa and I were both skeptical at first about whether Anghor Wat (which is what the entire site is referred to but is also the name of the largest temple) would be any different than the many temples and pagodas we had already visited in Myanmar and that I had visited previously in India. But we were both awed. One of my favorites was Bayon which had been built by Jayavarman VII and had amazing reliefs depicting the lives of everyday people. It helped to have an excellent guide who was able to deftly explain what we were looking at. I had read in one of the guide books about the Chams, but had not really figured out who they were. This guide explained as he pointed out key story elements in the relief. The Chams of the Champa empire had defeated Anghor in 1177. The Champa empire was in what is now South Vietnam, in an area which was a stop on the East West trade route from China. The word "Chams", according to the guide, means Chinese Muslims. Javayarman VII defeated the Chams and scenes of the battles as well as other everyday historical scenes are depicted.
In addition to Bayon, we toured the Anghor Wat temple, which is dedicated to Vishnu and has beautiful scenes from the Mahabharata and Ramayana epics. The five soaring towers, with the largest in the middle representing Mount Meru, the mountaintop residence of the Hindu gods, have been beautifully restored. There was a Hindu nun sitting across from the large shrine of Vishnu at the Temple. Elsa and I each gave her money and she held our hands (one at a time) and chanted a blessing. In its intonation, I could hear our priestly blessing..May The Lord keep you and bless you and grant you peace...We visited this temple just before dusk, so we were able to get some lovely photos as the sun was setting.
We also visited Banteay Srei, a temple built for the Hindu god Shiva. And, we wondered out loud whether our Jewish tradition of sitting shiva was derived in any way from the Hindu god Shiva who is described as the destroyer of life, but is also described as transcendent and limitless. Shiva is worshipped through the linga (penis) and there were also linga throughout the temple.
The other two temples we visited were Preah Kan, built by Jayavaraman VII in memory of his father and Ta Prohm, built by the same ruler to honor his mother. The former is currently being restored by the World Monument Fund, the latter has not been touched and is a wonderful example of what all of the temples looked like before restoration began. Ta Prohm, a decaying Buddhist shrine has been overtaken by the jungle and there are massive tree roots strangling many different walls of the temple. Great photo ops. And many aggressive Chinese tourists who were not all that interested in taking turns. Elsa and I patiently waited our turn as one large family took pictures. After they were done we started to take our pics, but they apparently were not finished and they returned and tried to stand in front of us to resume their picture taking. We were not terribly inclined to let them do so.
We took a tuk tuk ( bicycle driven cart) to the old market on our last day in Siem Reap. The driver was nice enough to arrange a time to return for us, and the cost was minimal at $2 each way. The market provided some good picture taking ops, but not much to buy. We ended our stay in Cambodia lounging at the pool, a very civilized way to wind down.
Friday, November 7, 2014
Thursday, November 6, 2014
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Be It Ever So Humble
Our home from home in Cambodia: taking it easy at the Sofitel pool before our flight to Hong Kong this afternoon. We'll be at the swim-up bar in minutes, even only for some Diet Cokes.
It was 34 degrees here Celsius yesterday and I finally looked up the Fahrenheit conversion, which was 93.2 degrees. It felt every degree, especially since the humidity had to have been nearly as high. Given that, the pool is singing a siren song that's impossible to resist.
Elsa
It was 34 degrees here Celsius yesterday and I finally looked up the Fahrenheit conversion, which was 93.2 degrees. It felt every degree, especially since the humidity had to have been nearly as high. Given that, the pool is singing a siren song that's impossible to resist.
Elsa
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Why did the water buffalo cross the road?
Because Rick Scott won and Mitch McConnell will be the new Majority Leader of the Senate.
The monkeys and cows aren't happy, either.
I sent in an absentee ballot before I left the country and I'm not pleased now that CNN is showing a sea of red states on its US map.
-Elsa Black
The monkeys and cows aren't happy, either.
I sent in an absentee ballot before I left the country and I'm not pleased now that CNN is showing a sea of red states on its US map.
-Elsa Black
Ann & Elsa at Angkor Watt
The last capital of the Khmers, nearly 1,000 years old. The babes pictured below are several years younger than the gods behind them.
Monday, November 3, 2014
Leaving Myanmar and on to Cambodia. -AHS
As we checked our bags at Yangon International Airport, one of the female airline clerks gave me a warm, beautiful smile to which I responded "Mingelaba", which means good day in Burmese. She responded by saying that all you need to connect with our people is three words. - Mingelaba - good day; Jesuba -thank you; and Anate - no thank you. Elsa and I both laughed as those were the three words we had mastered during our travels in Myanmar. And those words had stood us in very good stead wherever we had gone. In our two weeks of travel and six internal flights visiting five different locations, the Burmese people were gracious, warm an d welcoming throughout. Nary a cross word or nasty or comment.
As we walked through Yangon International Airport with it's LED screens and spacious waiting areas we were being prepared for our return to more developed surroundings. The local airports in Myanmar, including the domestic terminal at Yangon, were all much more basic with bullhorns rather than sophisticated screens the mode for alerting passengers of their flights.
We are flying from Yangon through Bangkok to Siem Reap, Cambodia. Just before landing we checked our boarding passes for our next flight. We thought we had an hour or so layover in Bangkok, but our boarding passes had a different flight number and a much later take off time than the information Odysseys had given us previously, including our e ticket Chang had given us this morning. We checked the flights once we landed in Bangkok and learned that our original flight at 1:45 had been cancelled and we are now on the 5:30 flight. So we are wiling away the afternoon in the Bangkok airport shopping and drinking Jasmine tea. And we have learned, or more aptly said, we are trying to learn thank you in Thai, which is "Khob Kun Ka".
So now with plenty of time and no excuse not to write, a few words on our last day and a half in Yangon.
We arrived in Yangon Saturday afternoon. Our flight had been delayed about an hour so we asked Chang privately what he was planning to do for the afternoon. The itinerary for the afternoon included a visit to a museum on the history of Myanmar followed by a trip to Scott Market, the big market with stalls in Yangon. His understanding was that our afternoon was free and that we were returning to the hotel for lunch on our own. He then fished out his copy of the itinerary to confirm his understanding and we showed him ours. And sure enough, they said two different things. Elsa and I said that we did not care about going to the museum but that we would like to go to the market. Ten minutes later, he got on the microphone on the bus to tell all of us we would be going to the museum and market. He had checked with his office and apparently he had been given the wrong information. I loved how seamlessly he handled this situation.
We appeared to be the only ones in the museum and the air conditioning was meager at best, so it was really hot, but complaints aside, it was very interesting. Chang gave us the one hour tour and we saw the throne of the last king of Burma. After Burma was defeated by the British in the mid-1800's, and the king deposed and forced into exile, the British carted the throne and other royal treasures to London to display in the Victoria and Albert Museum. After gaining its independence in 1948, the Burmese prevailed upon the British to return the throne and some of its treasures to Burma (some still reside in the Victoria and Albert Museum). The museum recreates the original throne room, with the throne in the middle of the room, and replicas of the kings other thrones used in his various palaces for different purposes (receiving signatories, meeting out awards and punishments, etc.), displayed in cases around the perimeter of the room. Unfortunately, cameras were not permitted in the museum.
Lunch in a Burmese style coffee shop followed with light fare, which was a welcome change from our multi course lunches. Elsa and I had grilled cheese sandwiches, which Burmese style had fried egg on the bottom. Steve's ham and cheese sandwich was more akin to our version save the crustless white toast (a bit of English influence, maybe?).
The Scott Market was fun, save for the unbearable heat. We were all drenched by the time we headed back to the hotel.
Our farewell Dinner, as Steve described in detail, was at a French restaurant with beautiful outdoor landscaping. It really felt like we had already moved onto another venue!
Some final morning site seeing, including a visit to the huge reclining Buddha and stop at Aung San Suu Kyi's home (from a safe distance of course without traversing the lake on which it is located), followed by another trip to the market for Elsa and me to finish purchasing beads for Ellen took up the better part of our last day in Yangon. Two of our group members departed mid-afternoon, and Steve and the other three in our group took off after dinner. Elsa and I began our journey onward this morning.
We are now sitting the airport food court. I balked at getting a Starbuck's coffee so we got Jasmine tea and a vanilla muffin from Ritazza, which is based in London (we think). We are sitting in front of the Dairy Queen, just steps away from the Burger King and across from the Subway! Oh what we Americans export!!
I just got up to check on our flights and walked past the Thai monks at the table next to us. But unlike the Burmese monks we encountered, these guys would not look my way as I passed. Welcome back to the tourist "friendly" developed world!
Our 5pm flight finally took off at 7:30 and fortunately the Odysseys guide was waiting for us at the airport in Siem Reap. By the time we got to our hotel we had been in transit for well over 10 hours - not very good for what should have been a short travel day. But after a good night's sleep we are ready to embark on our Ankgor Wat adventure.
As we walked through Yangon International Airport with it's LED screens and spacious waiting areas we were being prepared for our return to more developed surroundings. The local airports in Myanmar, including the domestic terminal at Yangon, were all much more basic with bullhorns rather than sophisticated screens the mode for alerting passengers of their flights.
We are flying from Yangon through Bangkok to Siem Reap, Cambodia. Just before landing we checked our boarding passes for our next flight. We thought we had an hour or so layover in Bangkok, but our boarding passes had a different flight number and a much later take off time than the information Odysseys had given us previously, including our e ticket Chang had given us this morning. We checked the flights once we landed in Bangkok and learned that our original flight at 1:45 had been cancelled and we are now on the 5:30 flight. So we are wiling away the afternoon in the Bangkok airport shopping and drinking Jasmine tea. And we have learned, or more aptly said, we are trying to learn thank you in Thai, which is "Khob Kun Ka".
So now with plenty of time and no excuse not to write, a few words on our last day and a half in Yangon.
We arrived in Yangon Saturday afternoon. Our flight had been delayed about an hour so we asked Chang privately what he was planning to do for the afternoon. The itinerary for the afternoon included a visit to a museum on the history of Myanmar followed by a trip to Scott Market, the big market with stalls in Yangon. His understanding was that our afternoon was free and that we were returning to the hotel for lunch on our own. He then fished out his copy of the itinerary to confirm his understanding and we showed him ours. And sure enough, they said two different things. Elsa and I said that we did not care about going to the museum but that we would like to go to the market. Ten minutes later, he got on the microphone on the bus to tell all of us we would be going to the museum and market. He had checked with his office and apparently he had been given the wrong information. I loved how seamlessly he handled this situation.
We appeared to be the only ones in the museum and the air conditioning was meager at best, so it was really hot, but complaints aside, it was very interesting. Chang gave us the one hour tour and we saw the throne of the last king of Burma. After Burma was defeated by the British in the mid-1800's, and the king deposed and forced into exile, the British carted the throne and other royal treasures to London to display in the Victoria and Albert Museum. After gaining its independence in 1948, the Burmese prevailed upon the British to return the throne and some of its treasures to Burma (some still reside in the Victoria and Albert Museum). The museum recreates the original throne room, with the throne in the middle of the room, and replicas of the kings other thrones used in his various palaces for different purposes (receiving signatories, meeting out awards and punishments, etc.), displayed in cases around the perimeter of the room. Unfortunately, cameras were not permitted in the museum.
Lunch in a Burmese style coffee shop followed with light fare, which was a welcome change from our multi course lunches. Elsa and I had grilled cheese sandwiches, which Burmese style had fried egg on the bottom. Steve's ham and cheese sandwich was more akin to our version save the crustless white toast (a bit of English influence, maybe?).
The Scott Market was fun, save for the unbearable heat. We were all drenched by the time we headed back to the hotel.
Our farewell Dinner, as Steve described in detail, was at a French restaurant with beautiful outdoor landscaping. It really felt like we had already moved onto another venue!
Some final morning site seeing, including a visit to the huge reclining Buddha and stop at Aung San Suu Kyi's home (from a safe distance of course without traversing the lake on which it is located), followed by another trip to the market for Elsa and me to finish purchasing beads for Ellen took up the better part of our last day in Yangon. Two of our group members departed mid-afternoon, and Steve and the other three in our group took off after dinner. Elsa and I began our journey onward this morning.
We are now sitting the airport food court. I balked at getting a Starbuck's coffee so we got Jasmine tea and a vanilla muffin from Ritazza, which is based in London (we think). We are sitting in front of the Dairy Queen, just steps away from the Burger King and across from the Subway! Oh what we Americans export!!
I just got up to check on our flights and walked past the Thai monks at the table next to us. But unlike the Burmese monks we encountered, these guys would not look my way as I passed. Welcome back to the tourist "friendly" developed world!
Our 5pm flight finally took off at 7:30 and fortunately the Odysseys guide was waiting for us at the airport in Siem Reap. By the time we got to our hotel we had been in transit for well over 10 hours - not very good for what should have been a short travel day. But after a good night's sleep we are ready to embark on our Ankgor Wat adventure.
Sunday, November 2, 2014
Last day in Yangon
Dinner last night at a very fancy French restaurant. The food was good but presented stupendously. Each dish was served covered, and then the waiters on command stepped between us and lifted the covers simultaneously. Very cute. Unfortunately, we were outside with candle light, so there was no way to take a picture. The fish was grouper with a somewhat spicy crust. Actually very good.
This morning at breakfast, we had a birthday cake for Ann, and we sang. The staff of the hotel had a signed card as well as one from Chang and all of our group. I commented that my gift to her was that I was leaving her!
We piled onto the bus for one last trip around the city. We went to see the giant lying Buddha. It is 165 feet long and about 30 feet high. It was built in 1907 by some businessman. Totally huge. It was also our last "shoes off" site. Many of the pagodas and temples here require us to be barefoot. Not always a pleasant experience.
We went to the city center to see city hall which was an old British building. We took a walk to see other old colonial buildings and wound up at the Strand Hotel, a famous old place from colonial times. We found some puppies along the way and of course stopped for more pictures. I'll try to get some of them up as well.
After we dropped Ann and Elsa off back at the Scott market for more shopping, we came back to the hotel. We wished Earl and Aloma goodbye as they were leaving this afternoon.
The room wasn't ready, so I wandered back down to the lobby, and ran into a wedding. The bride and her maids were in peach, and the groom was a naval officer, in uniform. As in Delhi, they invited me in and I took lovely pictures of them and the ceremony. Very cool. They even gave me a party favor.
I'm now awaiting for dinner then to the airport for my 1am flight to Hong Kong. Tomorrow will be a never ending day, 20 hours in the air, 8 hours or more in airports, 13 time zones, and I get home to DC at 6 PM. Blecch.
This morning at breakfast, we had a birthday cake for Ann, and we sang. The staff of the hotel had a signed card as well as one from Chang and all of our group. I commented that my gift to her was that I was leaving her!
We piled onto the bus for one last trip around the city. We went to see the giant lying Buddha. It is 165 feet long and about 30 feet high. It was built in 1907 by some businessman. Totally huge. It was also our last "shoes off" site. Many of the pagodas and temples here require us to be barefoot. Not always a pleasant experience.
We went to the city center to see city hall which was an old British building. We took a walk to see other old colonial buildings and wound up at the Strand Hotel, a famous old place from colonial times. We found some puppies along the way and of course stopped for more pictures. I'll try to get some of them up as well.
After we dropped Ann and Elsa off back at the Scott market for more shopping, we came back to the hotel. We wished Earl and Aloma goodbye as they were leaving this afternoon.
The room wasn't ready, so I wandered back down to the lobby, and ran into a wedding. The bride and her maids were in peach, and the groom was a naval officer, in uniform. As in Delhi, they invited me in and I took lovely pictures of them and the ceremony. Very cool. They even gave me a party favor.
I'm now awaiting for dinner then to the airport for my 1am flight to Hong Kong. Tomorrow will be a never ending day, 20 hours in the air, 8 hours or more in airports, 13 time zones, and I get home to DC at 6 PM. Blecch.
Saturday, November 1, 2014
Inle to Yangon
We went back to the Heho airport to wait for the plane to Yangon. And wait. And wait. Our 8:30 flight became 10:30. For a 1 hour flight. Such is life here.
Back in Yangon, we went to the National Museum. No pictures allowed, but I'm not sure why. Everyplace else in this country, there is a fee for cameras, but here we were even patted down. Nevertheless, in our first room, there was someone taking pictures. I guess that only applies to foreigners (who had our own marked bathrooms!).
The museum had the original throne of King Mindon from the 1880s. Not just a chair, but a 15 foot high raised dais with ornamental gold and figures. This was the "lion" throne, from which he gave legal pronouncements. There were reproductions of 7 other similar thrones which were used for other purposes. There were examples of the Royal crowns, jewelry, and other gold items. They literally were behind bars. In another room was mannequins with the ceremonial dress of 40 of the 135 different ethnic groups of this country. This really is a hodge podge of groups, trying to be one country. The Burmese are the largest group, and they are in control. The Shan are the next largest, and they struggle for recognition. The others all do the same. It's the same the world over. They don't want to break up into smaller states (a la Yugoslavia -"All Slavs") as they realize they would be even more powerless to the behemoths of China and India in the region. But those in power want to keep it for themselves and their own group, and let the others pound sand. As is usual in many places in the world, nothing gets accomplished officially without some "show of appreciation", so it is not just about being in charge, it is also enrichment.
Back to the museum, they also had room of some of the natural history, with old dinosaur bones, cave paintings, and artifacts from 10,000 to 2,000 years ago. Ann found rooms of jewelry and clothing. Overall, interesting, even if presented in a less than optimal fashion.
Then to the Scott market. This is a huge conglomeration of stalls in large warehouses for jewelry, clothing, food, and what-have-you. Ann was on a mission to get beads for Ellen; I was totally bored. There wasn't even much to take photos of, as it was dark. And hot. The only interesting thing was the piles of bugs for sale. They looked like grasshoppers, but I wasn't exactly sure. Yum.
Back in Yangon, we went to the National Museum. No pictures allowed, but I'm not sure why. Everyplace else in this country, there is a fee for cameras, but here we were even patted down. Nevertheless, in our first room, there was someone taking pictures. I guess that only applies to foreigners (who had our own marked bathrooms!).
The museum had the original throne of King Mindon from the 1880s. Not just a chair, but a 15 foot high raised dais with ornamental gold and figures. This was the "lion" throne, from which he gave legal pronouncements. There were reproductions of 7 other similar thrones which were used for other purposes. There were examples of the Royal crowns, jewelry, and other gold items. They literally were behind bars. In another room was mannequins with the ceremonial dress of 40 of the 135 different ethnic groups of this country. This really is a hodge podge of groups, trying to be one country. The Burmese are the largest group, and they are in control. The Shan are the next largest, and they struggle for recognition. The others all do the same. It's the same the world over. They don't want to break up into smaller states (a la Yugoslavia -"All Slavs") as they realize they would be even more powerless to the behemoths of China and India in the region. But those in power want to keep it for themselves and their own group, and let the others pound sand. As is usual in many places in the world, nothing gets accomplished officially without some "show of appreciation", so it is not just about being in charge, it is also enrichment.
Back to the museum, they also had room of some of the natural history, with old dinosaur bones, cave paintings, and artifacts from 10,000 to 2,000 years ago. Ann found rooms of jewelry and clothing. Overall, interesting, even if presented in a less than optimal fashion.
Then to the Scott market. This is a huge conglomeration of stalls in large warehouses for jewelry, clothing, food, and what-have-you. Ann was on a mission to get beads for Ellen; I was totally bored. There wasn't even much to take photos of, as it was dark. And hot. The only interesting thing was the piles of bugs for sale. They looked like grasshoppers, but I wasn't exactly sure. Yum.
Last Day at Inle Lake. - AHS
November 1, 2014
Our time at Inle Lake has been a highlight of our stay in Myanmar. Traveling to our destinations each day by motor powered boat has been fun. Although the lake is only 22 miles long, it has taken about an hour each morning to get to our first stop, which yesterday, our second and last full day at Inle Lake, was the five day market. We shopped at the market which had both crafts and fruit, vegetables and fish. From there we went to Inn Dein Pagoda which dates from the 11th and 12th centuries. Some of the early Pagoda ruins have been restored but much of the site has not. The walk to the pagoda area and back tho the lake was quite a hike fir me; a good 20 minute walk, but I made it without too much difficulty, cane in hand.
From there, a quick stop at a silver smith workshop where we had a chance to see the locals ply their trade. And, of course, there was a shop connected to it. But nothing much to purchase, especially in comparison to our metal smith's work.
Lunch followed at a restaurant connected to lotus and silk weaving workshops and a "Sales Center". Food was Chinese, with lots of very good vegetable and noodle dishes. After lunch we toured the weaving workshops where women were demonstrating how they use the stem of the lotus plant to weave fabric. Fascinating! Then the chance to shop - where they did have beautiful silk and silk and lotus scarves in a wide variety of colors. Signs all over in different languages saying "fixed price" so my attempt to bargain was rebuffed.
On the boat ride back to the hotel, we encountered the end of Monsoon season as a huge cloud enveloped the part of the sky in the direction we were traveling. Thanks to umbrellas for each of us on the boat which provided cover and served as a sail, we were well protected from the storm we rode into. By the time we reached shore, the rain had passed. And, yesterday evening, the sunset from the balcony of our room was spectacular!
We were able to leave Inle Lake by bus instead of by boat, who was the way we had entered. After an hour long bus ride back to Heho airport, we are now awaiting our flight back to Yangon for our final days Myanmar.
Our time at Inle Lake has been a highlight of our stay in Myanmar. Traveling to our destinations each day by motor powered boat has been fun. Although the lake is only 22 miles long, it has taken about an hour each morning to get to our first stop, which yesterday, our second and last full day at Inle Lake, was the five day market. We shopped at the market which had both crafts and fruit, vegetables and fish. From there we went to Inn Dein Pagoda which dates from the 11th and 12th centuries. Some of the early Pagoda ruins have been restored but much of the site has not. The walk to the pagoda area and back tho the lake was quite a hike fir me; a good 20 minute walk, but I made it without too much difficulty, cane in hand.
From there, a quick stop at a silver smith workshop where we had a chance to see the locals ply their trade. And, of course, there was a shop connected to it. But nothing much to purchase, especially in comparison to our metal smith's work.
Lunch followed at a restaurant connected to lotus and silk weaving workshops and a "Sales Center". Food was Chinese, with lots of very good vegetable and noodle dishes. After lunch we toured the weaving workshops where women were demonstrating how they use the stem of the lotus plant to weave fabric. Fascinating! Then the chance to shop - where they did have beautiful silk and silk and lotus scarves in a wide variety of colors. Signs all over in different languages saying "fixed price" so my attempt to bargain was rebuffed.
On the boat ride back to the hotel, we encountered the end of Monsoon season as a huge cloud enveloped the part of the sky in the direction we were traveling. Thanks to umbrellas for each of us on the boat which provided cover and served as a sail, we were well protected from the storm we rode into. By the time we reached shore, the rain had passed. And, yesterday evening, the sunset from the balcony of our room was spectacular!
We were able to leave Inle Lake by bus instead of by boat, who was the way we had entered. After an hour long bus ride back to Heho airport, we are now awaiting our flight back to Yangon for our final days Myanmar.
Kalaw and Inle Lake - AHS
10/30/14
The best thing about Kalaw, which we left this morning after a one night stay, were our meals that day. Kalaw is located in the Shan state. And we had an absolutely delicious lunch of Shan food at a restaurant called Dream Restaurant. An apt name as the photos on the wall were almost all of The Lady Aung San Suu Kyi (which is what the Burmese people call her). And she was pictured with Obama, Hillary, Cameron and other dignitaries. Since the Shan state is next to Thailand, there is a strong Thai influence in the food. Lunch started with pumpkin soup with lemongrass. Among the many dishes we were served was a steamed fish that was almost like a mousse in texture and really good. The curried vegetable dish was also noteworthy. And there was flan for dessert which was a big hit. After lunch we headed for Kalaw which was an outpost for the British during colonial times. Since it is up in the mountains (actually only at an elevation of 4000 ft), it provided a respite from the otherwise hot climate. Apart from the fact that the British had been here, there wasn't a whole lot else to recommend it. We stayed at the Hilltop Villa, which reminded both of us of the cabins at Powhatan. Our Odysseys' itinerary had allowed that the hotel was not of the caliber of the other! And they were true to their word. Dinner was again delicious. This time an Indian meal. Among the noteworthy dishes were a barbecued pork dish like spare ribs (the only kind of pork I will eat other than bacon on occasion). And various meat and vegetable curries which were very good.
We left Kalaw early Wednesday morning for our hour and a half drive to Inle Lake. On the way we stopped at a little town to watch a parade of families whose young sons would be entering the monastery as novitiates for a 3 day stay. Waiting for the parade was great people watching with the opportunity to take lots of good photos of the locals going about their daily activities. We also made a stop at a monastery - yet another opportunity to take off our shoes and walk through the holy site barefoot. Inside one portion of the monastery which had cave like rooms which led to others, there were lots of little Buddhas in small alcoves, each with the names of the donors, a few of which were from the U.S. Inside we also had some great photo ops with some young monks who were as interested in taking our picture as we were in taking theirs. From there on to a pizza and pasta lunch on our way to our destination. Not bad, but not nearly as good as my homemade pizza.
Arriving at Inle Lake, we (9 of us) and all of our baggage were loaded onto 2 motor powered canoes, our mode of transportation while we are here. There are over 100,00 people who make their homes on the lake. The communities are located on little inlets, with homes on stilts. We are staying at a lovely resort called Inle Lake View Resort. The management was taken over by a Frenchman about 2 months ago, and one of the owners is also French ( a husband wife team--the wife is Burmese and the husband French). So the resort has some lovely French touches. The presentation of the food is very elegant, with the food itself being Burmese with a French flare. But the wait staff are still trying to figure it all out. Steve ordered a ham and cheese omelet for breakfast. First he got two pieces of cheese and a piece of ham. Then they brought 4 pieces of cheese and two pieces of ham. Finally they
brought him a plain omelet which he proceeded to eat with his him and cheese. It was all pretty funny!
After breakfast we took off by boat to our destinations for the day. We visited yet another monastery and we added another pagoda to the list of Buddha shrines we have visited. Then on to lunch at the home of Ms. Ann. She still resides in her family home where both she (and her siblings ) and her father and his 18 siblings had been raised. She is a successful entrepreneur and owns two hotels and a restaurant on the lake, and she was a very gracious host. When we asked her how many children she has she told us 80 - her 80 employees. Her commitment, she said, is to support her community. The rest of her family has left the region. Her brother now lives in Yangon and her sister in Thailand. Again a multi course meal - delicious, but way too much food for the middle of the day.
Tomorrow is our last day on the lake, and then on Saturday we drive back to Heho for the flight to Yangon where we wind up our stay in Myanmar. From there Steve heads home, and Elsa and I head on to Anghor Wat and Hong Kong before
The best thing about Kalaw, which we left this morning after a one night stay, were our meals that day. Kalaw is located in the Shan state. And we had an absolutely delicious lunch of Shan food at a restaurant called Dream Restaurant. An apt name as the photos on the wall were almost all of The Lady Aung San Suu Kyi (which is what the Burmese people call her). And she was pictured with Obama, Hillary, Cameron and other dignitaries. Since the Shan state is next to Thailand, there is a strong Thai influence in the food. Lunch started with pumpkin soup with lemongrass. Among the many dishes we were served was a steamed fish that was almost like a mousse in texture and really good. The curried vegetable dish was also noteworthy. And there was flan for dessert which was a big hit. After lunch we headed for Kalaw which was an outpost for the British during colonial times. Since it is up in the mountains (actually only at an elevation of 4000 ft), it provided a respite from the otherwise hot climate. Apart from the fact that the British had been here, there wasn't a whole lot else to recommend it. We stayed at the Hilltop Villa, which reminded both of us of the cabins at Powhatan. Our Odysseys' itinerary had allowed that the hotel was not of the caliber of the other! And they were true to their word. Dinner was again delicious. This time an Indian meal. Among the noteworthy dishes were a barbecued pork dish like spare ribs (the only kind of pork I will eat other than bacon on occasion). And various meat and vegetable curries which were very good.
We left Kalaw early Wednesday morning for our hour and a half drive to Inle Lake. On the way we stopped at a little town to watch a parade of families whose young sons would be entering the monastery as novitiates for a 3 day stay. Waiting for the parade was great people watching with the opportunity to take lots of good photos of the locals going about their daily activities. We also made a stop at a monastery - yet another opportunity to take off our shoes and walk through the holy site barefoot. Inside one portion of the monastery which had cave like rooms which led to others, there were lots of little Buddhas in small alcoves, each with the names of the donors, a few of which were from the U.S. Inside we also had some great photo ops with some young monks who were as interested in taking our picture as we were in taking theirs. From there on to a pizza and pasta lunch on our way to our destination. Not bad, but not nearly as good as my homemade pizza.
Arriving at Inle Lake, we (9 of us) and all of our baggage were loaded onto 2 motor powered canoes, our mode of transportation while we are here. There are over 100,00 people who make their homes on the lake. The communities are located on little inlets, with homes on stilts. We are staying at a lovely resort called Inle Lake View Resort. The management was taken over by a Frenchman about 2 months ago, and one of the owners is also French ( a husband wife team--the wife is Burmese and the husband French). So the resort has some lovely French touches. The presentation of the food is very elegant, with the food itself being Burmese with a French flare. But the wait staff are still trying to figure it all out. Steve ordered a ham and cheese omelet for breakfast. First he got two pieces of cheese and a piece of ham. Then they brought 4 pieces of cheese and two pieces of ham. Finally they
brought him a plain omelet which he proceeded to eat with his him and cheese. It was all pretty funny!
After breakfast we took off by boat to our destinations for the day. We visited yet another monastery and we added another pagoda to the list of Buddha shrines we have visited. Then on to lunch at the home of Ms. Ann. She still resides in her family home where both she (and her siblings ) and her father and his 18 siblings had been raised. She is a successful entrepreneur and owns two hotels and a restaurant on the lake, and she was a very gracious host. When we asked her how many children she has she told us 80 - her 80 employees. Her commitment, she said, is to support her community. The rest of her family has left the region. Her brother now lives in Yangon and her sister in Thailand. Again a multi course meal - delicious, but way too much food for the middle of the day.
Tomorrow is our last day on the lake, and then on Saturday we drive back to Heho for the flight to Yangon where we wind up our stay in Myanmar. From there Steve heads home, and Elsa and I head on to Anghor Wat and Hong Kong before
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