Chiang Mai- pictures and such

My pictures of Chiang Mai is on my school computer so I have a separate post for that.  After four failed trip planning attempts for the senior class and after much frustration and disappointment on their part, we ended up with just seven seniors that signed up for the trip.  Since the numbers were so low- only one adult is assigned to go- winning!.  The boys were a pleasure and it was fun trying to balance giving them space and raining them in. We visited temples (of course), an elephant side show I regret horribly, and an amazing three D museum that if I can find a few investors- will make me rich in Vegas. My trip stopped there because one of the students had an accident and we spent 12 hours in the hospital and all the next day resting. I will stop there for privacy issues and post some pictures.


Temple in Chiang Mai

 Three- D museum

 Temple coins

 Temple doorway

 temple elephant

 Real elephants. Please do not visit these parks if you ever to SEAsia. Find the ones that are sanctuaries.  Seeing the elephants made to play soccer and paint pictures just wicked me.

 I guess I need to stay away from Riberia.

 And I will really stay away from red bean pie.

Trips mean airports...Airports Suck!! Bangkok, Siem Reap, Chiang Mai, Mandalay

Trips mean airports...Airports Suck.  February 19^th

So I am having quite a busy month of travel and frankly (I never thought I would say this) but I am soooooo tired of planning trips.  The way our schedule runs it seems as if a person comes home from one trip and has to begin planning another one. I know, I know…first world problems and all that, but when I get more than one screen opened on the computer my mind begins to reel. Also, there are so many rules to follow and time tables to look at. Let me just put it this way- I could probably go on two more trips for all the money I have wasted making mistakes booking online. Ok- I said it; I have revealed my weakness (one of many but will not go into them all).

February has had many opportunities for travel.  First, I had to get my Myanmar visa renewed in Bangkok.  I went alone for a quick trip- shopped a little, went to a hairdresser who could color my hair with a color I recognize, went to see American Sniper (why all the controversy?) and found the Garrett popcorn shop. I will skip discussing shopping because it is the same everywhere in SEA- huge multi-leveled malls with designer shops and people who have way too much money and time on their hands. I did, however, have a fabulous moment when I enter one of the malls and smelled the caramel corn. My food obsession reared its ugly head and I was like a bloodhound on the verge of ending a big hunt. Imagine my surprise when I saw the sign- Garrett’s. It might seem silly, but this made my day. I could write a whole blog entry on this wonderful find, but I will not.

Next, my hair appointment: All I will say is four hours and $275 later, I no longer had a skunk-line and my color looks natural. I cannot believe I paid that for a Tony and Guy shop, but the sacrifices one has to make for decent hair adds up. I will do it myself again before I return home so no more money will be spent on hair. I am so thankful for my hairdresser in Austin at Carter T. Lund Salon; Charlie never makes me feel guilty about how much hair I have, how long it takes to process and always makes sure she does not break my bank. I am so glad gray is in. I just might do it. My blog is getting boring when popcorn and hair appointments are the subjects at hand.

Well, Bangkok is Bangkok. Old men walking around with young ladies, cheap foot massages and great food.  I am sure if I took it in like a tourist, I would enjoy it but on a visa run the time is too short. I will have to admit I cannot believe that it was just a year and a half ago when I was clueless about the whole process. This time I ride the sky train from place to place without getting lost; I find the visa office and am the resident expert when it comes to answering questions from those about to embark on their trip to Myanmar. It feels good.  Jody informs me that I will go home without touring Bangkok and doing the castle, floating market and other things people come form all over the world to do.  I think about trying to stuff all that into this trip for about three seconds and I’m ok with not seeing all there is to see of Bangkok.

I come home on Tuesday night and go back to the airport the next morning to take seven boys to Chiang Mai, Thailand for their Week Without Walls trip. I will share pictures to tell all about this one.  I will say that to take these young men on a trip was a privilege.

I come home from Chiang Mai and teach for a few days and then am off again because we have a day vacation for Chinese New Years on Thursday and I take a personal day for Friday- this time- Siem Reap, Cambodia. It is amazingly historical and unique.  The first stop is the night market and I manage to fill up two shopping bags in two hours.  Of course I had to buy the bags- they are made from Portland cement bags and benefit the villagers. Next, Pub Street.  I picture Myanmar in ten years the way Siem Reap, Cambodia is now--which to me would be a shame. Yes, it is easy for tourists to take it all in (they even prefer US dollars to their own money), but one of the cool things about traveling in Myanmar is that it is still somewhat authentic. I manage to get “crunk” with the locals (or all the other tourists) and enjoy a dance or two. There is one little girl, 16 years old, selling bracelets from a plastic box. She is the one who gets a street party going all the while not once dropping her basket.  Two little kids who “are not asking for money, but for milk” approach Jody and me in the street.  How can a person refuse that especially when one of them has a two-month-old baby hanging on her hip?  We walk to the convenience store with them to buy them milk and then we realize they want formula. Well, at $24.00 a can we will split it between the two kids.  That’s when all hell breaks loose and we get that they are not together and the one is afraid the other “will not share.” I try to calm the situation by telling them I will split the can for them into two plastic bags and when that does not quash the debate I realize they have a pretty good little scheme on their hands.  After all, when we leave all they have to do is take back the can of formula and get their $24.00.  I promptly return the can myself, get my money back and am told to “Go fuck myself and return to your country” by the baby carrying young mom.  The little boy then flips me the bird and wonders off to find a new sucker. The incident bothers me all night.

We have a day of temple touring along with the other Asians that are on Chinese New Year break so it was quite crowded, but still amazing in scale and story. Things I loved about the trip include hearing “Country Road” among other American songs in an Asian accent, taking to my tuk tuk driver for an hour over coffee and learning about his family and life, the night market and most of all the fabulous Angkor Wat series of temples. Even though I am temple/pagoda/stupaed out- this site was worth the trip.

I return to Yangon, teach a week and then take off for Mandalay with three friends. Our destination is to take the “hair raising train ride” and go over the Goteik Viaduct that was built in 1899 by the American company of Pennsylvania and Maryland Bridge Company. It is said to be one of the tallest bridges in the world at 820 feet.  How a company thought it a good idea to build a bridge like this without side rails is beyond me.  Hair raising indeed when I looked at the connection between the two cars rocking back and forth by at least a foot. I am glad I did it.

Our next destination is to take pictures at the U Bein Bridge build in the 1850’s and it said to be the longest footbridge .75 miles; it is constructed from teak. It was a nice walk back and forth but since we did not go at the right time my sunset/sunrise pictures will just have to be something I look up on the Internet.

Other than that, Mandalay is not a place I would make as a must see destination, but because of the company, it is a good weekend. I will spare you my illness issues and leave it at that.

I teach a week and have company from Thursday to Sunday morning.  One of my past foreign exchange students and her sister visit and bring their boyfriends along.  It was great meeting Floor and seeing Irene again. Both are fun and such nice young ladies.

I will end here since I need to grade essays. Hopefully the pictures will paint a thousand words.

Reflections so Far:

1.    Tourism is a double-edged sword.  On one hand I want to see this nation flourish in the industry so that a more secure middle class can be formed.  On the other hand, I fear they will lose so much of their uniqueness and genuine concern for those they meet.  I twisted my ankle getting out of a cab the other day. As I tired to regain my balance, the Myanmar woman who was passing saw it and made sure I noticed every crack in the sidewalk and avoided the water in front of the door I was going into. Her concern was genuine; I was humbled.

2.    Progress is also so relative.  We travel through many small villages on the trains we take and it floors me how primitive their tools are. Yet as I think about it, I am reminded that these kinds of tools really do not break; they do not relay on electricity or anything besides pure man/woman/ox power. They are not pulling their hair out if the electricity goes down, or if the Internet is out.  Sometimes I am reminded that less is more.

3.    I love the relationships that I have formed that are nonverbal.  I have mentioned the man and his wife who haul grass down my road always using our front area as a resting place.  Well- they now have a wagon and no longer have to carry the bundles on their back. He was so proud the first morning that I noticed.  I clapped for him and asked to take his picture.  It might have been a little much, but I really wanted to hug him. I refrained.

4.    I am so glad I have booked my last flight.  For the last 25 days I have been in the air for 11 different flights. A visa renewal, a school trip and two long weekends and to tell you the truth- I have had my fill.  I guess too much of a good thing in any situation can get old.   My trips in the next two months include a five-day conference in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia at the end of March and then Australia in April. Then home sweet home in June. I can’t wait.  It will be hard to get me on a plane for a while (or off my couch for that matter.)

5.    I love the quip about living life backwards by Woody Allen (although I am not a big Woody Allen fan).  I thought of it while I was in Bangkok with Jody on our way home from Seim Reap.  We were at a beer station and two young men from Germany sat down beside us.  They were traveling for 10 weeks. Five in SE Asia and five in South America. They were right out of high school- 19 years old.  I wish I knew now…as the saying goes.  Here is Allen’s take on Life:

“In my next life I want to live my life backwards. You start out dead and get that out of the way. Then you wake up in an old people's home feeling better every day. You get kicked out for being too healthy, go collect your pension, and then when you start work, you get a gold watch and a party on your first day. You work for 40 years until you're young enough to enjoy your retirement. You party, drink alcohol, and are generally promiscuous, and then you are ready for high school. You then go to primary school, you become a kid, and you play. You have no responsibilities; you become a baby until you are born. And then you spend your last 9 months floating in luxurious spa-like conditions with central heating and room service on tap, larger quarters every day and then Voila! You finish off as an orgasm!”

Siem Reap- Pub Street

 Pub Street Musicians

 Cool Graffiti on Pub Street

 Dragon Dancers

 They are serious about taking care of the tourists

 A view of Pub Street

 The young lady who got the party started in Siem Reap

 Mode of transportation - Vaspa/scooter with a wagon attached

 OK- All the next photos are of the temples in Siem Reap.

 Much of the time these tuktuk drivers have is spent waiting. i am so impressed with their ingenuity.  Portable hammock.

 The locals use the mote around the what use to be a fort as a play ground/ bath.

 One man giving out blessings to the buddhists

 A big campaign in Bangkok about disrespecting Buddha.  As a matter of fact, we still have an acquaintance who is in jail in Yangon for making a flier for his bar with Buddha in headphones.


These next pictures are from the U Bein bridge.  I missed the sunset but still managed to get some good ones.

 Outside of mandalay was a cave full of Buddha statues

 Gardens in Pyin OoWin

 We are at the train station getting our tickets for the crazy train.

 Can he put anything else on this bike?

 They wanted to put us in first class- but we wanted to be ordinary. :)

 Interesting man.

 and woman

 the train , the train!

 My partners in crime

 A man having a shave before his trip via train.

 Our next type of transportation. Horse and buggy!

 I look out and a bunch of confused goats are jumping off of the train. I guess it is for more than taking tourists over the bridge.

 The countryside

 Halling veggies

 Look mom- no hands!

 A view of the bridge

 My next mode of transportation- motor bike taxi!

 Irene and Thomas paid me a visit- one of our nights out with 80 cent mojitos.

 One day off i took the Yangon circle train.  By the end of it, this lady and I were friends.  I helped her get her produce off as the train stops for maybe 2 minutes and it is a mad dash for loading and unloading. We had fun hang in out with the locals who were going through their daily routine.

 Here's my friend and his new cart. His workload dust got cut in half.