Asia

Day 12: On the Road in Thandwe

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Every year on the night of the full moon in November, everyone in Myanmar celebrates Ta Zaung Dine, a festival of light.  Away from the glare of the neon lights, the big orange moon shines extra bright. Each house was lit up by candles,  lanterns, and strings of colorful lights.  People of all ages gathered to see the paper lanterns floating down the river.  Occasionally fireworks and sparklers would go up to the cheering crowds.  By the market, the atmosphere is even more festive where families bring their kids out to eat, buy new clothes and play games.

Day 11: On the Road in Ngapali

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After traveling for 11 days, we were ready for some R&R at the beach.  Arriving at the beautiful Hilton Resort in Ngapali, we were pleasantly surprised that our status as a Gold member got us upgraded to a villa with a private pool facing the ocean.  This sleepy fishing village is everything that we could hope for, crystal clear ocean, fine white sand, and peace and quiet to recharge for a few days before heading back to work.

Day 10: On the Road in Bagan

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This morning Fausto had a little celebrity moment when he came out of the temple and ran into a bus load of locals on their way in.  They were quite excited to see a white person, so they started to shake his hand and take pictures of him.  Then everyone wanted to be in the photo with him.  One lady took possession of his arm and wouldn’t let go.  I was relegated to the sideline while Fausto soaked in the limelight.  Then another white guy walked by and they couldn’t decide who to take pictures with, so they got both of them to pose together.  It was a little surreal, we were not sure what was going on, but I think Fausto enjoyed himself.

Day 9: On the Road in Bagan

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This morning we woke up early and rode our bikes out to one of the temples to watch the sunrise, and were rewarded with the sight above. The hot air balloons rising over the temples of Bagan in the early morning makes for a magnificent sight.  In addition, with the thick fog rolling in from the river, it also creates a sense of mystique to the whole shot. 

Day 7: On the Road in Mingun

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In the small village of Mingun, just an hour boat ride north of Mandalay, you can catch an ox cart taxi to take you around town.  Even though the town is small, it is famous for the unfinished Pahtodawgyi Pagoda.  The King at the time wanted to build the largest temple in the world that would rival the Great Pyramids of Giza.  His ambitious project drained local resources and was an unpopular undertaking. When he passed away, the pagoda was left unfinished and currently stands as an impressively gigantic dilapidated pile of bricks.

Day 4: On the Road in In Dain

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We were fortunate to be visiting In Dain during a festival. People traveled from villages all over the Inle lake  region to congregate at the temple. Women got dressed up in their finest garb; men set up the family shrine and sat back and had drinks with their friends; while kids ran around in excitement.  The mood was festive.  As the afternoon approached, the sound of the drums got louder.  Monks from all around came and joined the procession going from the top of the temple down to the market area.  As they walked by, bowls of alms filled with rice are offered to the Buddhist monks, some of whom are quite young.

Day 3: On the Road in Inle

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Today we headed north to Inle Lake, an area full of small fishing villages. While visiting one of the villages on the lake, we saw a procession of children.  School had just let out and they walked across the bridge to the dock where they waited to be picked up by boat to go home.  Like children everywhere, these kids were quite happy to be done with school for the day.