Bangladesh,
Myanmar,
Thailand,
& Japan

LIFE IS NOT ABOUT THE DESTINATION BUT THE JOURNEY!!!!
Our latest adventure begins today after a horrible night at the Hampton Inn in Charlotte. I have never had to complain about the Hampton before but this one was awful. When we walked in the room the beds looked like a topographical map of the Appalachians. When we got in bed these lumpy duvets weighed about 20 lbs. and were most uncomfortable to sleep (or try too) under. No sleep and up at 3:30 am is not the way to start but we were optimistic and soon were in the vacation mode. Our flight to Dulles was easy and on time and we spent our layover in the United Club which was very comfortable and served a nice breakfast. When it was time to check in for our flight to Tokyo we did so with great ease and soon found ourselves drinking champagne and settling into our first class seats. This 15 hour portion of the journey was a breeze and we ate a delicious meal and enjoyed our ice cream sundaes for dessert. We were both so tired that we did not even watch a movie but brushed our teeth and prepared for sleep. I read for a while as did Hugh but soon we were both nodding off. We slept very well and soon the lights were coming on for breakfast service. After washing up we ate and soon we were on the ground. Tokyo always has a security check but this time it went fast and we were at the gate in plenty of time. No first class seats were available but we have bulkhead seats with lots of legroom. I sat next to a Thai gentleman who lives in Virginia Beach but maintains his residence in Bangkok. He gave me his phone number and invited us to come see his house which is on the river. He also made some recommendations about things to do while we are there. We landed in Bangkok a little early and cleared immigration without too much hassle. Our bag arrived and we found a taxi and soon we were on our way to the Le Meridien. This hotel is on an out of the way street and it took our driver several tries before he made the correct turn even though we could see the hotel. This is one gorgeous hotel and is only 2 mos. old. The adorable girl that checked us in walked us to our room and showed us all the amenities. Our room was very lovely and huge. Our bodies had no idea what time it was so we were not sleepy even though it was after midnight. I soaked in the beautiful soaker tub and then read before falling into a deep sleep.

Hugh slept well also. We got up at our usual 7 am and showered and packed before heading to breakfast. We had time to walk the premises and enjoy the beauty before heading to the airport on the hotel shuttle. We thought we had plenty of time but in the end it took so long at passport control that we had to hustle. This was our first Thai airlines flight and the service was good but the legroom was cramped. The guy next to me slept instantly and snored so loudly that everyone in our section was laughing out loud. We were late leaving Bangkok but the flight was easy and after a slow immigration line we claimed our bag, changed some money, and met Salman who will be our guide this trip. He called for our car which is a compact ( we will need to store the duffel while we are here, and soon we were on our way to explore Dhaka. This is a busy city but is much more third world than we were expecting and Salman told us this is the most advanced area in the country. This is setting up to be an extremely interesting trip. Our first stop was our hotel and it is not the Le Meridien but it is clean and safe. We stashed our bags and started out on a walking tour of some of the city. Our first stop was a four story handicraft store which had some lovely things but we thought we would shop after we saw the country. We then walked to the Tongi area of Dhaka to see all the people here for the yearly Tabig Tamat Gathering called Bishwa Esteme. This area reminds me of Soweto and Salman told us there are over 2 million Muslims gathered here, camping and fellowshipping. There are a tremendous number of stalls and carts and a very large produce market setup for this. We were not welcome in some areas but we were allowed to make pictures. Everyone we have come in contact with has been so friendly and love to say hi or hello and have you answer them. We are definitely the odd people on the block and get lots of attention. We took rickshaws as we negotiated our way to an ATM to get the final payment on our trip and Mr. Khan told us there are 1.3 million rickshaws in Dhaka. We did our banking and then walked back to the hotel. We checked email and then met Salman for dinner. We walked to a traditional Bangladesh restaurant where we had spicy fish and rice. The food was delicious and we hope we can stay well and still enjoy the food. Salman gave us some insight into his life. He is a gradate student at University in Anthropology. It is a great field for him because the people of his country are his passion. He hopes to be involved with the development of his country when he graduates in May. He has already done work in surveying and mapping out deficiencies in the educational system. After dinner we walked back to the hotel and made plans to meet at 7. Hugh and I hope to get a good night's sleep and awake to find our systems on local time. Click here to see Pictures of my first day in Dhaka

Today started out a little rough; although we both slept very well. We woke early showered and dressed, and Hugh read the news. There was a bus burning overnight in Dhaka and streets are filled with the extra 3 million people that are arriving for the Muslim gathering which has its largest gathering for prayer today at noon. We went down to breakfast early and had a great breakfast while we waited for Salman. We were getting a little concerned when 7:30 came and still no guide. He arrived shortly after and explained that the streets are blocked and he could not get a car to us from his side of town so he walked and then got a driver from our side of the city. After a quick cup of coffee for Salman we met our driver and started out. Before I go further I need to mention some outstanding facts that seem to be citywide: there are too many people, even more rickshaws, cars, trucks and tuk-tuks and this city is on my list as craziest place to drive. No one here pays any attention to traffic lights, signs, or street markings; streets with 3 lanes have 7 lanes of vehicles, blinkers are none existent, no one slows for anything except a stopped vehicle, and yet, no one screams or gives obscene gestures and everyone seems to get where they are going. Enough of my traffic report and on to our first stop which was one of our favorites. Salman took us to the Airport Railway Station. You might not get excited about this but you cannot imagine what we saw. The station was super crowded because of people coming to the Muslim gathering so we climbed to the crossover bridge and claimed our vantage spot. There was one other photographer there and he told us he had won third prize in Trains magazine for a photograph from this station. We watched in amazement as a train completely filled with people and completely covered outside with people chugged into the station. Salman called it the people train and it truly was. They were sitting, standing, climbing, and just hanging on to every surface, even the engine. It was amazing. We had seen this on buses but never on the train. We made hundreds of photos which we will have a hard time editing down because it was so unique!!! When we finally tore ourselves away (the train left) we then headed to Old Dhaka and the port area called Shadarghat. This was a much longer trek than I expected and we got to see a lot of this very large city. The traffic was even more congested in the narrower streets of the old city. Salman said at the port we would see Bangladesh Venice. We got to the harbor and there were so many people! Everyday 250,000 to 500,000 people come in and out of here. The boats arrive full in the morning, get cleaned up and stocked, and leave full in the evening. There are a few boats that do shorter sails and go out at other times. We were able to walk and make photos and at the end of the walkway were hundreds of small boats that were transporting goods and people and this was Venice! It was colorful on the water and on the shore. We walked from the port to the market area where the goods that come into port are sold. We spent several hours walking through, making people pictures and showing the subjects their photos. It was so much fun and everyone was friendly and anxious to be in a photo. I even got to pose with a basket on my head. We slowly made our way out of the market and took a walk to Ahsan Manzil, the Pink Palace. This was owned by the Manzil family and it was the first in the city to have electricity and also a usable sewage system and it is now a museum. We enjoyed walking through and it was larger than we expected. A lot of history here. On our way back we walked through the Shakhari bazaar which was in the Hindu area. This area is famous for its bangles carved from shells. We met our driver and drove the crowded streets to the Ninob Hotel where we had lunch. This restaurant was almost empty when we arrived but Salman informed us that we were early for lunch….it was only 1:30. By the time we had tasted a multitude of different dishes, they were clamoring for our seats. They eat late in Bangladesh! Our next stop was the Fine Arts College and Gallery of Dhaka University. We got to see some great art and also walk the campus and see the students at work. Then it was on to the National Museum. This was 3 floors of Bangladesh history and Art and it was almost overwhelming in scope. We enjoyed as much as we could handle and then it was off to the Parliament building. This was a very modern looking building but Salman said it was older than him… at least 26 years. We were all weary and started back to the hotel from there but after an hour it was evident that the traffic was at a total stand still. Streets were still blocked off for the Muslim pilgrims to exit the city. We decided to make the 10 minute walk to the hotel and let the driver go home. We stopped for cookies and cokes and told Salman we were staying in for dinner. Back in our room it had gotten much cooler and Hugh went down to the desk for extra blankets as the room did not have heat. We showered and started working on pictures but both of us were bleary eyed and soon were asleep… good thing because we had to get up for an early departure. Click here to see Railway Station Pictures
Click here to see Port Market pictures
Click here to see Dhaka Port pictures
Click here to see today's other Dhaka pictures

Guess who started their day with the 5:30 am call to prayer? Yep that was us!!!! We got up and dressed, packed and we were having our coffee when Salman arrived. The hotel management was nice enough to let us store our duffle until we come back to Dhaka so our 2 small bags fit well in the compact car. Today we drove to Rangpur with several sights along the way. We had less problem with traffic getting out of the city than I expected but it was still slow going. We got an early start so we could get to our destination before dark because of the political unrest and transportation strike. We have not seen protesters but there is always a threat. We made it to a small town before we stopped for breakfast. We stopped in a bakery for a sweet that this store is famous for called CHAM CHAM. We took our box of sweets to a small restaurant where we had a spicy veggie dish, a scrambled egg with peppers, and a delicious bread. Hugh and Salman liked the CHAM CHAM best but I liked the bread. After breakfast we drove along a highway with lines of people walking to work in the many garment and textile factories we are passing. A lot of these are women and Salman told us the working conditions are good and well regulated…much better than the brick foundries that also dot the landscape. He says that brick work is much more dangerous and less regulated. I noticed the buildings are modern and there is ventilation noticeable in the factories.. We continued our journey to the Jumuna Bridge which is the 11th longest in the world. This was a day filled with small villages, brick foundries, sugar cane fields, rice fields, and Bangladeshi people at work and play. It was colorful, hectic, and a great way to acquaint ourselves with their everyday life away from the city. We stopped on a bridge to see the dam and watch some fishermen and for a late lunch we stopped at a hotel restaurant for dal and rice, veggies and chicken curry. After our late lunch we travelled onward to the Kantajee Temple. This was a very large Hindu temple and because of the unrest not many visitors were there. There was a group of young men and Hugh helped them get a group picture and then they wanted a picture with us. They were friendly and fun and we told them to party on and they immediately starting using the phrase. We made lots of pictures and then it was on to our hotel in Rangpur. We were trying to beat the evening but failed to arrive before dark. The journey was nerve racking as so many rickshaw and tuk-tuks , bikers and walkers do not have lights or reflectors. We were constantly dodging them and our driver is quite the race car driver so it was all done at full speed. It was a white knuckle trip for me but Hugh fell asleep! After checking in to the hotel we met Salman for dinner. His dad who runs the travel company called to make sure we had arrived safely. We talked photography at dinner and then Hugh and I headed to our room to work on our pictures and journal. The weather is cold and the rooms not heated but they brought us a small heater that had us toasty in no time. This is not a fancy hotel, clean and safe, but if you want American stay in America! Click here to see today's pictures of our trip from Dhaka to Rangpur
Click here to see Kantanagar Temple pictures

We slept well and awoke refreshed and ready to go. After showers we headed to the restaurant for breakfast. We were greeted with smiles and everyone is interested in "what is your country?". We were served spicy omelets and delicious thin bread and veggies. The coffee was wonderful and the food great and soon we were ready for our day. Salman showed up as we finished and had some breakfast while we discussed our day and the political condition. When we arrived at the car it was very foggy and this limited our picture taking for the morning. We are hoping that the sun will come out soon and burn off the fog and mist especially before we get to our first stop. On our drive we made a rest stop in a town and had a lot of fun. We were barely out of the car before a crowd had gathered. Hugh started talking to someone on a motorcycle and I made pictures and played with the babies. A very nice gentleman started a fire for us to warm up and several ladies wanted us to see their restaurant and their home. The cook for the restaurant was hard at work with a big pot while the sous chef washed the veggies under the pump. Cows were housed in the back of the restaurant. The woman’s house was one large room with a bed, a chair, and a large chest. It had a ceiling fan but no kitchen….not sure about bath. She was very proud. From here we drove on a good distance before making another stop in a village. We visited the shops and watched the people at work. I loved the baskets. There was such skill and speed as they wove and decorated these very large baskets. Everyone uses baskets for shopping, carrying goods to market, feeding the animal, etc. The sizes range from hand size to the very large ones they carry on their heads. Our next stop was Paharpur, the world’s largest Buddhist Monastery from the 8th century. We first visited the museum with the artifacts from the excavations. We then went out to climb among the ruins. There is a lot of excavation and restoration going on. This is an amazing site to see and it is no wonder it is now a World Heritage site. We met a lovely German couple who are traveling around as we are. They are friendly and have daughters that live in Hickory, NC. We climbed to the top and then went to see the excavation sites where we met people from Sri Lanka who are in country for a year to work. We made a stop for lunch and then traveled to the Museum at Mahasthangarth. We enjoyed the artifacts and then walked across the street to the Archeological site known as Govinda Bhita. There is not much left as the artifacts dating from 2nd century BC to Mohammedan occupation are all in museums. From here our next stop was Mahasthangarh , a walled feudal city. Then we visited the well of living water, and a sacrifice site, and a Hindu temple and monument. There was also a thousand year old tree that was worshipped. Everywhere we have been today we have had rock star status. Here we had teenagers and small children who wanted their pictures made with us. We are on a lot of Facebook pages and cell phones in Bangladesh! The sun was setting as we drove to our hotel and checked in. We had dinner with Salman and then retired to edit pictures and journal. Click here to see today's traveling pictures
Click here to see Paharpur Monastery pictures

Today we woke up early and nothing seemed to go right. We were afraid we would not have a hot shower but that was soon put to rest. Then my blow dryer would not work and smoked when we tried. It was 42 degrees and I had wet hair. We finally worked on it and we were ready for breakfast on time. When Salman arrived he was not sure what we would be able to do today because of rioting and more intense strikes in the area. His dad had recommended we stay put in Bogra. The police came and it was decided we would make our tour with their guidance and protection. It was foggy to start but as we drove the sun burned off the mist and for the first time in several days we saw the full sun before noon. Our first stop was at a palace that is now used as office buildings. It is called Puthia kings house and it is quite lovely. It was called Puthia Rajbari when it was built in 1895. Our police escort seemed to enjoy it also. We traveled through the countryside with bright green rice paddies, fields of yellow flowers which are mustard plants, and huge areas with sugar cane and bananas. People are busy everywhere we look. There is no feeling of idleness here. Traffic is not as hectic this morning because of the strikes. As we travel in Bangladesh we notice several things; Police are more like soldiers not traffic patrolmen, ambulances use their sirens to maneuver whether or not they have a patient, and the people care greatly for their animals, every cow and goat have on coats made of jute or sweaters. As we get to more and more rice paddies it is easy to forget where you are; but for the faces and clothes this could easily be Viet Nam or Cambodia. There are certain differences: 1. We see more tractors than oxen in the paddies 2. More brick buildings and foundries scattered throughout the landscape. We were asking Salman questions as we drove and he told us that the rice we see is for feeding the people and they also import even more. He also said that they export fruits and vegetable, jute, fish, shrimp, crab, eels, garments,and spices including cinnamon, salt, turmeric, and cardamon. Our next stop was in a village for their famous “kacha Golla” and “shondesh” which is only available here. We watch it being made and while they are packaging ours we walk to a nearby Hindu temple where we saw men making ornamentation for statues that will be fired and painted for temples and homes. There was one man gently applying the ornamentation to the statues. We walked back to the sweet shop and got our order and we also purchased some for our police friends. The police are very friendly to us and in each zone we are passed off to the local police like unwanted orphans. Although after I watched them laughing and talking at each stop I think this is a very easy tour of duty to them. Today is much warmer than it has been and we are shedding layers as we go. This is the first day we have seen dung drying for fuel. It is on sticks and in some cases in the disc form like in India. In the countryside we see most of the men in the lungi (skirts for guys) just like in Myanmar. Salman says they are very comfortable but he has trouble tying them. Nearing noon we stop at at Puthia town where there are a lot of archeological sites to see. We first went to a huge Hindu temple with the largest siva in the world. We were able to see it and the attendant even let us make a picture. We walked from there to a palace and on to more temples. These are truly beautiful but have not been restored. That is a very real problem in poor countries, these sights get desecrated before they are recognized for their importance. We met Hanna and Gerhard there and had a group photo made. We had a guide that opened these areas to us and you can tell that they are trying to preserve what is left. We drove from the sights to a new restaurant in the area. The food was good but the service was very slow. Salman was not happy with what the owner tried to charge because he kept bringing out food we did not order and saying try this and then want money for it. The restaurant was located above a clinic and we were able to see in one of the wards. Very sad conditions but definitely better than nothing. After lunch we drove to Rajshadi with our escort and Hanna and Gerhard’s car was in the procession. We made a stop at the Sopura Silk Factory and Showroom. This is a wholesale establishment and the products go out to all over the world. We went through the whole silk making process before we made it to the shopping. I bought 4 scarves to give to friends as a treat from Bangladesh! From here we went to the river for the sunset. It is a popular area and we had our pictures made so many times I lost count. The water is low but the sunset was lovely and it was funny to think that on the opposite bank is India. Our police friends have had a nice touristy day and have big smiles as they drop us off at our hotel. Same hotel chain and same accommodations, not great but clean. We met Salman for dinner and while we ate we talked about our train trip tomorrow. We are taking the train as road travel is not safe during the heightened time of the strike. Then it was time for the old folks to head up. We found we did not have wifi in our room so before bed we went to the lobby to catch up. At bed time we stayed up and edited some pictures before falling into a deep sleep. Click here to see Puthia pictures
Click here to see today's travel pictures

Today we were up very early to head for the train. We made it downstairs in time to check emails before Salman arrived. It was a short drive to the train station and it was already busy when we arrived. Our train was there and we had first class tickets. We went into the car we thought was ours and and found reclining cushy seats but in a crowded environment but were soon directed to a private car with a bath. Bench seats with upper berths and 11 people in the car. This was not the people train but was very crowded and we were the oddity that everyone wanted to see. People would open our door and look in to see the tourists. We were the focus of many cellphone cameras. There was a gentleman who went around shining shoes and 2 gentlemen in our car took advantage. Hanna and Gerhard were our traveling companions. It was a 7.5 hours journey and Salman had brought us breakfast sandwiches and they served tea. They also came around with candy and snacks but we had our own stash. We edited pictures until our battery died and then we listened to books on our iPods. When we arrived at the station in Khulna we were able to get our luggage off easily, pays to pack lightly. Hanna and Gerhard had large suitcases and carryons and had to wait for porters. Salman negotiated a tuk tuk for us and we made our first stop at a great restaurant. We had chicken birany and to drink we had bore-honey. The chicken and rice were both flavorful and spicy, some of the best we have eaten anywhere. The drink was sour and spicy and a little went a long way. After lunch another tuk tuk took us to the river where we crossed on a small boat. Salman negotiated one for just us so we were able to look around as we crossed without all the crowds on the other boats. On the other side we arrived at a bus terminal and the buses were running even though the strike doesn’t end until 6 pm tonight. We took another tuk tuk and it was a long journey to the grave and monument of the holy man Khanjahan Ali. We were not welcome here but we got to see what we wanted to before a man shooed us away. We then traveled to the Bach Bibli mosque and on to the 60 domed Mosque. The 60 domed mosque is a world heritage site and it was nice to see preservation work being done. As we were walking in the gardens here we had many requests for pictures and I have decided on this journey I would not like to be a rock star or celebrity!! We then took a 40 km tuk-tuk ride (because of the strike no cars were available) and by the time we reached our hotel Hugh and I both were headachy and my neck was killing me. We checked in and had a very light dinner of chicken and vegetable soup, very delicious and french-fries. We both were a little dehydrated and the cokes in a bottle tasted fabulous. We made plans to go to the boat at 8 am and have breakfast on board before we headed up to upload pictures and rest. We both took Motrin and listened to our iPods before falling into a deep sleep. Click here to see today's long journey pictures

We slept in this morning and met Salman at 8 to head to the boat. We had porters to walk with us and carry our bags which made it so much easier as the path was mud. We boarded a small ferry type boat and we made our way across the river to our home for the next 3 days. Not sure what I expected but this turned out to be great. We have the run of the boat and our accommodations are comfortable. All of the other tourists booked on the boat cancelled because of the violent transportation strike. We settled in and had breakfast of toast and eggs and hot coffee. We were sailing in the larger part of the river and we saw fishing boats and container type ships. We stopped to pick up the Park Ranger that will accompany us and while we waited we were able to see river dolphin playing boat side. The morning passed quietly and was so pleasant. Lovely temperature and smooth ride. We stayed on top the whole time, and as we were being lazy our captain pointed out some monkeys playing in the trees. Salman saw a deer but Hugh and I missed it but he assures us we will see many more! We saw a large crocodile, a wild boar, a huge stork, and several other types of birds. For lunch we were served fish curry, chicken curry, spinach, and rice. It was delicious!! Everyone went to nap after lunch but I stayed up on top. The captain and I saw a school of dolphin playing in one of the channels. When everyone was up we had a snack of singara, a curry filled fried dumpling and papaya. We spent the afternoon watching for the elusive tiger and enjoying our sail through the narrow channel. At dinner time we anchored at the Bay of Bengal and had a delicious meal. After dinner we sat on deck and looked at the millions of stars we could see. A wonderful day!! Tomorrow we start at 6 am in hopes of seeing more animals. My night wasn’t as nice as my day. At bedtime I had a severe attack of the Bangladesh version of Montezuma’s revenge. Up all night; fortunately the bathroom is only down the hall. Felt sorry for Salman as his room was next to the toilet and I’m sure he heard me. Click here to see today's pictures

Not my finest day! I got up and had some bread for breakfast and started on saline bottles. No energy and had to go back to bed. I ended up staying in bed all morning but in the afternoon I went on a short boat ride and a walk. We saw deer, wild boar, and unfortunately before the end I was weak kneed and we had to turn around. Back to bed for me but the guys went out 2 more times. I will turn this story over to Hugh so you will know what I missed.
Hugh’s story: "At dawn we headed out on our small wooden boat to a ranger station at Katka. We first walked along the Bay of Bengal and saw the unusual feature that the trees had been trimmed to a level equaling the highest the deer could reach standing on their hind feet. There were elevated walkways to explore the mangrove forest. We could see deer and boar in the distance watching us. Then a guide climbed a tree and tore loose some branches and dropped them into a pile on the ground. We backed off and watched dozens of deer come pick the branches clean. Most of these deer have antlers. The boar came to watch the commotion then wandered off. We then walked into the mangrove forest and our armed ranger Kartik pointed out birds and where to stay clear of tigers. In the afternoon Susan felt some better and we explored the estuary by wooden sculling boat and took a walk and photographed birds and different terrain. Of course what we most wanted to see (from a distance of course) was the Royal Bengal Tiger. The Sunderbans is recognized as the best chance to see these nocturnal animals. We had to cut the walk short to get Susan back to the boat and eat lunch. Later we started out on more wooden boat exploration of small water channels where we saw very large lizards, kingfishers, 2 kinds of eagles, and of course more boar and deer. We took a long walk that would end after dark looking for any chance of seeing a tiger. A local ranger said the last sighting was 9 days ago and the local tigers are solitary and have to travel to all parts of their large territories to mark them to keep other tigers out. They did say that the tiger only eats every 6 or 7 days and on days when he isn’t hunting can be seen out in the open a lot. Our small boat was late meeting us at the pickup point and you could see the ranger and guides were getting very uncomfortable being in tiger territory after dark! On board Salman & I were served excellent fried fresh water fish, curried vegetables and chicken, local flat bread, and Coke. Susan was better and Salman gave her some Flagyl to take" Click here to see today's Sundarbans pictures

Up early for a walk at sunrise. Felt wonderful today and we made a short boat ride before getting out to walk. We saw lots of deer, wild boar, and beautiful birds. We saw tiger tracks and followed them for a long while but no tiger. We got to eat crab apples growing wild, play with weavers nest, and even saw the remains of a small camp where men making a documentary on the Sundarban tigers stayed. We were able to see colorful kingfishers, there are 4 different types found here. After our walk we made our way back to the boat against the incoming tide. Hugh even picked up a paddle to help! We had a light breakfast and then began our journey back to Mongla. We saw 2 large crocodiles swimming as we made our way in the wide portion of the river. We sat on the front of the boat for a while but it was too cool so we came to the back and journaled and edited pictures until we made our way to the narrow channels. There was not a lot to see today but the trip was very pleasant. We were going with the tide and there was no wind so we made a fast trip back. Soon we were at the ranger station and our faithful gun toting ranger left us. We had a group picture before we said goodbye. We made the short trip into Mongla and the river traffic picked up. We saw everything from small fisherman boats to large container ships. The ones I like to watch best are the small ferry boats. This is an oversized row boat style wooden boat with a small motor and everyone stands up. They file on, stand for the trip, and file off on the other side without any shoving, falling, or big production and it doesn’t seem to matter their age. We took our small boat into the port and walked around the market. As usual the cell phones came out and we were the center of attention. The funniest thing about the trip was how we had forgotten how to maneuver in this kind of traffic in just 3 days. We rowed back to our boat and watched some dolphins at play. I have felt much better today but have watched my eating and kept it light. Tonight we had a barbecue and the chicken was delicious. Hugh did not eat much because he was feeling a little nauseous. After dinner we handed out cards and tips to the staff and then headed to the hotel. We checked in easily and we were able to get hot showers. It was great on the boat but I did miss a shower. We laid out our clothes for the morning and journaled and Hugh typed his travel tips for Bangladesh. It was an early bedtime because we meet at 6 am for a 1.5 hour tuk-tuk ride to get to Morretgone to catch our paddle steamer to Dhaka. Click here to see Sundarbans to Mongla pictures

We were up early, 5:30 am, dressed and ready when Salman came at 6. We looked for a tuk-tuk outside but were told we had to cross the river. We boarded a small ferry with 3 bicyclists and stood for our trip across. At the land we found our tuk-tuk waiting and after a bit of a struggle to get everything secure we headed off into the sunrise, literally! These were some of the roughest roads we have ever encountered on any of the seven continents. We went on back roads through tiny villages to avoid the violence. The strike is all over the country and cars are not available. All of us and all our luggage was covered in a fine dusting of red and I felt bad that I had wasted a clean set of clothes. We had a slow go because of pot holes large enough to swallow us and raised bridges where we had to get out and walk. When we arrived in Morretgone it was no more than a small village and the “rocket boat” was waiting. Our ship is an old paddle boat that was built in 1928 and converted to diesel in 1995. It is rusty on the outside and the gangway is a board that we have to balance on. We were escorted to our cabin and it is a small square room with 2 beds separated by a desk. We have a sink but have to go down the hall to the bathroom. We left the dock on time and Salman took us on a tour of the boat. Hugh was fascinated by the engine room. We spent some time sitting on the chairs at the front of the first-class section and Salman came to tell us he had been moved to first-class also. Hugh and I decided to give our tummies a rest and only had bananas, granola bars, and crackers for the trip. Salman had brought us plenty of water and cokes so we were set. We had not slept well the night before so we isolated ourselves in our cabin and read, talked, and napped. Salman came by frequently to check on us and we were happy to tell him we were fine. We were up until 10 and then we both slept soundly until Salman gave us the heads up as we came into Dhaka. Click here to see Morretgone & Paddlewheeler pictures

We arrived in Dhaka just as the 5:30 call to prayer was sounded. It was a cacophony of sound as we passed several large mosques. We arrive at Dhaka port and because we were a government boat the private ferries had to move to give us berth. We quickly joined the throngs of people in the harbor and on the street. Salman was able to secure a car here and because of the early hour we were able to get to the hotel in record time. They did not have a room ready so we sat in the lobby and drank coffee, did computer work, and then had breakfast. We were shown to a king room which was very nice but when I went to shower it did not have hot water; I mean it did not have plumbing for hot water! I quickly went to the desk and asked to be moved to a hot water room and several hours later they moved us. Our new room is great and we relaxed and journaled and edited pictures until time to meet Salman at 1. For lunch today he is taking us for pizza! We went downstairs and Salman was waiting for us. He was excited to take us to his favorite pizza. We walked and the only problem we have walking is crossing the largest street. Salman almost has to take us by the hand to get us out in the traffic. They do not stop for pedestrians. We arrived at the restaurant and it was Pizza Inn. Not at all like ours but the same company. We had great pizza and conversation and soon it was later than we thought. I did not want to shop so Hugh and I made our way back to the hotel and gave Salman the night off. I showered and did my hair while Hugh uploaded pictures. We read news, journaled, and looked at pictures until bedtime, having only a slice of pizza for dinner…just right. We both worried about the hardness of the bed but we were asleep soon after the lights went out.

Our last day in Bangladesh and we were up early. We got everything ready for our day, showered, and went down for breakfast. We took our time and then we ended up late meeting Salman but no worries! Our first stop was the ATM for tip money and then we stopped at BFC (Best Fried Chicken) for a takeaway lunch. We then made our way to the National Martyrs’ Memorial in the Savar district of Dhaka. It is a beautiful and peaceful place. This monument is on all the money used in Bangladesh. From there we made our way to Salman’s university. This the largest public university in Bangladesh and is a nature preserve. We walked through the botanical gardens and then we went to his men's dormitory. We went to his band mate’s room for a mini concert. In the guest room (men and women cannot fraternize in the dorms)we met one of his best friends a very lovely young lady. We sat and talked for a while before several more friends joined us and we walked to the auditorium. We sat on some stairs and the group serenaded us. We had lunch together, tea, and more music. It was a wonderful way to spend the afternoon. Hugh and Salman played basketball in the gym and we girls talked old movies, seems Bangladeshi girls like the same chick flicks Americans do. Soon it was time to head to Salman parent’s home for dinner. It was sad saying goodbye to our new friends. We arrived at his home and Mr. and Mrs. Khan and Hopsa (sister) were ready for us. We had time for more guitar before we sat down for a delicious meal. The Khans did not join us as they like to eat very late (10pm) but Salman did. After dinner we talked a little more and then it was back to the hotel to pack. Again sad to say goodbye to our great guide and friend but tomorrow finds us on our way to Bangkok. We packed, showered, and rehashed all the great things we had seen in Bangladesh. A trip to Bangladesh is a five senses experience; beautiful and unusual sights to see, a cacophony of sounds, the smell of spices, the taste of delicious food, and the handshakes of many new friends. Is it an easy trip….no, but well worth the effort! The first day we arrived we saw a travel poster in the Airport that read: "SEE BANGLADESH BEFORE THE TOURIST!" And we did!!!!! Click here to see today's pictures

This morning we woke up at 7 and readied ourselves for our last Bangladeshi meal, breakfast. At 10:30 we head to the airport for our flight to Bangkok. We had our coffee and finished some computer work and headed downstairs. The ride to the airport was eventful as we had to go through several police checkpoints. Our driver said we got through when all other cars were turned back because of us, they love the foreign visitors. We got to the airport and checked in with Thai Air and soon found ourselves with time to kill. We had a chocolate bar and a sprite and Hugh bought a tee shirt with the last 200 taka. We walked a bit and finally they posted our gate. We made our way through security and were at the gate just as the plane arrived. Our flight was uneventful. We cleared immigrations without too much delay and our bag was already off the turn-style and waiting for us. We made our way to the cab stand and were soon on the road to Bangkok. Our hotel is on the river and very impressive as we drove up. We checked in without difficulty and decided to stay with our upgraded room for the whole time. Once up in our room we quickly opened up the suitcases and unpacked what we needed and then hit the streets to explore. We walked the area around the hotel before deciding to take the boat shuttle up to Asiatique, a cool boardwalk type place with shops and restaurants. We looked around a bit before settling on pizza for dinner. We sat outside and enjoyed a leisurely meal before getting the shuttle back and relaxing in the soaker tub for me and a long shower for Hugh. It was late when we turned off the lights.

Oh what a beautiful morning. We woke up late after a wonderful night’s sleep on a soft bed in an air conditioned room.We awoke to the beautiful view of the river from our huge picture window. We took some time to pack one of the roll a-boards full, yes full, of filthy clothes. We then showered and headed to the laundry that was recommended on Trip Advisor. The price for hotel laundry would have been over $100 but we got it done for $30 and it was ready same day. Once we disposed of the dirty clothes we headed to the Starbucks for a light breakfast. It was nice to have some at leisure time. We then explored some of the local area and looked in a grocery store and department store. This hotel is in a great area for exploring! At lunch we went back to the hotel and had our leftover pizza and fruit for lunch. We then used the computer to map our way to the closest Health Land Spa. We walked all the way and made it in good time. We spent the next 3 hours being pampered with a one hour foot massage and a 2 hour Thai massage. We were feeling great when we left. We got a tuk-tuk to go back but traffic was so bad we finally got out and walked so we could get back in time to get the laundry. We got there just as they were closing; our laundry was all folded and packaged! Now we have clean clothes for the next part of the adventure. We decided to eat lightly for dinner and went back for tom yom goung at the first restaurant we ever had it many years ago! It was still delicious, but the bowl was much smaller. From there we headed to the boat shuttle and back to the Asiatique. We explored for a bit and had homemade ice cream before heading back. What a great day! No pictures to process and no timetable! Click here to see Bangkok pictures

Up early this morning and we had yogurt and coffee before we headed to the lobby to get a cab. Today we are going on the north bound train to the bridge over the River Kwai. The taxi dropped us off at the station and we were shocked to see that the train was a non air conditioned open window one. We thought we had left those in Bangladesh! It was almost 3 hours to our stop and we changed engines once and had several longer than expected stops along the way. When we got off the train we could see the bridge and we immediately wondered what we would do for the next 3.5 hours until the return train left. We took our time making pictures and walking over the bridge. There is not as much to do as we expected. We got some ice cream bars before we headed to the museum. This was not as interesting as we expected and it was so very hot! We walked in search of a breeze and close to train time we went to buy our return tickets. The sales office was closed and we were told that the train was delayed 1 hour, come back at 3:30. We again headed out in search of some air and walked the bridge a second time, and then a third time. At 3:30 we showed up but no agent and the shop owner next door called someone and then said no train until 4:15. We sat, walked, ate chips and drank cokes, and waited some more. This would not have been as big an issue but we had dinner plans with our friend Chakritt whom we travelled with through Laos, Cambodia, and Viet Nam and we had no way of contacting him. The train finally arrived at 4:35 and we were off. It moved at what seemed a faster pace but when we arrived back in Bangkok it was over 3 hours later. We could not get a cab but we caught a tuk-tuk and this guy was amazing. Using blinkers, obeying traffic rules, and not honking his horn he had us quickly back at our hotel! We were filthy, hot, and tired but Chakritt had waited on us so we again headed out. Before we left he introduced us to our guide for this trip who is a friend of his. We walked to a great restaurant called Romantique and had a fabulous dinner complete with great catch-up conversation. What a day!! Chakritt left us at the corner to catch the metro and we walked back to the hotel! Cool showers and bed!! Click here to see River Kwai Bridge pictures

Up at 7 and down to breakfast! We spent part of the time eating and the other guessing who was in our travel group with Viking. We met our group at 9 and realized it was a bigger group than expected and the ages vary a lot. We had our orientation with Tan and then we boarded a boat for a trip up river to the Imperial Palace. We have been here several times so we did not make so many pictures but just enjoyed the beauty and all the hordes of people. We were here for several hours and then it was back on the boat for the trip back to the hotel. A lot of people were jet lagged and did not have plans for the afternoon. Hugh and I walked to the Dairy Queen for a dipped cone for lunch. What a treat! We then went to the hotel and reorganized our bags so we could leave a roll-aboard at the hotel with winter clothes for Japan. Then it was off to explore. It is Sunday and a lot of small shops were closed. I was still suffering some Delhi-belly and I opted to go back to the hotel and Hugh got a foot massage. When Hugh came back we took our time showering and dressing for our dinner at one of the nicest restaurants in Bangkok. We enjoyed every morsel and the evening was clear! We could see across the river to the palace and also a multitude of stars. The dinner drug a bit at the end for those who had just arrived and we made a quicker trip back to the hotel well after 10. We packed our bags and got ready to head to Myanmar tomorrow! Click here to see Bangkok & Imperial Palace pictures

This morning we put our bags out before heading to breakfast. We sat outside and enjoyed the cooler temps of the morning. After busing the room we grabbed our carryon bag ad headed to the lobby. We had to leave for the airport at 10:30 because of the traffic. We arrived at the terminal and Tan got us lined up for group check-in. Very slow service at Bangkok Air. Once we cleared the immigration we headed to the lounge and had time to check email and enjoy snacks; I had popcorn, yummy! We boarded our flight and we were served lunch even though it was a short flight. The food was not appealing but we were not hungry anyway. We landed and had to be bussed to the terminal. It was very slow going through immigration but the Viking staff had our bags off the rounder and headed to the bus by the time we were through. Soon we were on our buses headed into Yangon and the Sule Shangri-La. Checkin was a breeze and our bags were in our rooms shortly. We took some time learning that in Burma the greeting is minglaba. We then went to the dining room for a huge buffet that ended with strawberry ice cream! Most everyone headed to their rooms but Hugh and I decided to walk around the neighborhood, the temp was pleasant and the street not too crowded. We made a huge circle and ended up at the hotel at bedtime!

Up early today and enjoyed a delicious buffet breakfast. We have our first organized tour to the Shwedagon Pagoda. The traffic is not horrible and we arrived at the southern entrance in good time. Temperature is nice today and the light is good. We made a pact to not overdo on the pictures but there were a lot of opportunities to get people shots. This was a morning that was not so crowded because it is a full moon night and everyone will come then. Even though this is my third time it is still overwhelming! From here we travelled to the Botataung Pagoda and had time to wander the golden maze to observe the Buddha relics. This was much more impressive on the inside than the outside. On our way back to the hotel we drove by the port, the Victory Park, and the Strand Hotel. Once back we headed out for ice cream and then walked to the train station for Hugh to get his pictures. The heat and humidity drained us of energy and we headed back to the A/C to rest. After a nice rest we headed out to explore. Our first stop was the Sule Pagoda and then it was on to Victory Park. We made a bet that Queen Victoria had something to do with this monument but we could not tell as everything was in Burmese. We walked around photographing old Colonial buildings and ended up at the Strand Hotel which was built by the Raffle brothers. It was beautiful inside but only has 37 rooms and is quite expensive. We slowly made our way back to the hotel enjoying the street life as everyone is stopping for dinner. We showered and went to a late dinner buffet where we were joined by some new friends. Then it was off to pack and prepare for the 7 hour bus ride in the am. Click here to see Yangon pictures
Click here to see Shwedagon Pagoda pictures
Click here to see Botataung Pagoda pictures

Up early this morning to get the bags out at 7. After breakfast we identified our luggage and still had time to go up and brush teeth before we boarded the bus. Traffic was very slow and it took the first hour or so just to get across Yangon to the Lady’s House. You could not see much because of the fencing but the story of her long house arrest is an interesting one. Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace laureate was held here for decades. She is now a member of parliament. From there it was on to the War Memorial Cemetery which is a good 2 hours away. The road is not great but compared to Bangladesh it is a super highway! We have been here before but we still walked around and made new pictures. I also purchased a painting of a monk with his rice bowl…dollar well spent! The rest of the afternoon was spent at rest stops with squatters and on the bus. Everyone was thrilled when we reach Pyay and saw the boat. A few of the travelers were expecting something more grand but we knew it was like our Pandaw boat on the Mekong…and it is. We watched the guys and girls unload our luggage and soon everything was unpacked and pressed and ready for the next 11 days. We took a walk into town with some friends and arrived back on the boat just in time for the introduction of the officers and our safety briefing. We also had our daily briefing on the next day’s agenda. Then it was off to dinner and then to rest. Bus rides wear us out more than they used to. Click here to see Yangon to Pyay pictures

We slept great and Hugh got up and ran while I showered. We made it to breakfast just in time to finish before we had to board our bus for our daily excursion. The first stop today is a 4th century pagoda that is brick… very impressive. On our way to the Archeological Museum Tom told us the pagodas shape came from the folded Banyan leaf. The Banyan tree is considered the sacred tree of the Buddha. The archaeological museum had Pyu civilization artefacts from the 2nd to 4th century A.D. It was very interesting and we laughed that if it wasn’t for farmers so much of this stuff would never be uncovered! The farmers are the best archaeologists in this part of the world! From the museum we stopped at a large stupa in the town and there were a tremendous number of very large Buddha statues. We had to take a lift to the platform and it allowed us a great view of the countryside. From here it was back to the boat for sail away and our first Burmese language lesson. We enjoyed this and then it was off to lunch. Today I had spaghetti noodles with garlic butter sauce and it was delicious! We had time to journal and rest before we headed out at 3:30 for our next excursion. Rested for a bit and then sat outside and watched as we made our way to the village where we are visiting the school. We pulled up to this high bank and in just a short time they had a gangway up and people lining the path to help us. It was much easier than it looked and soon we were seated at the school and ready for the performance of the school children. The girls performed in age groups starting with the spirit dance by the 12-13 year olds. All the girls were lovely and very enthusiastic performers with beautifully delicate hand movements. After the performances we moved to the monastery where we were treated to snacks and more singing, even the boys joined in. They asked us to sing and we did a round of Row Row Row Your Boat and then the children sang it for us. They also did Old MacDonald and Baa Baa Black Sheep. We then did the Hokey Pokey for them and they had not seen this before! We then made our way back to the ship and continued on down the Irrawaddy! I showered and Hugh uploaded pictures! Beautiful sunset tonight!!! We joined everyone on the sundeck for cocktail hour and then our daily briefing. Then it was off to the dining room for our traditional Burmese “family style” dinner. We had a lively table and enjoyed each dish as it was presented. After dinner we went to the family room for the BBC presentation on “Life of Buddha”. It was only an hour but there were a lot of nappers in the audience. Off to bed!! Click here to see Pyay pictures
Click here to see Kan Nee pictures

Up at 7 and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast. We went to the sundeck early and enjoyed the views while we waited for our Burmese Culture presentation. This was a lot of fun as Willy and Tom showed us about Thanaka, the traditional makeup we see on all the girls and women and even some men. It is made from a bark and ground on a stone. It is mixed with water and then applied as a paste. We looked lovely and even the guys got painted! We also received Longyis as gifts and we had a fun lesson in how to tie them! We were a colorful group and had fun with our group picture. We had pasta Bolognese for lunch and it was delicious. We had time for rest, reading, etc before our 3 pm excursion in to visit an Italian-built fort built to protect Royal Burma from the British in the 3rd Anglo-Burmese War! We also walked through the village of Minhla where we stopped for some of the people to try the beetle-nut that everyone in Myanmar chews. It stains the teeth red and uses tobacco also. I did not try it and Hugh abstained also. We slowly made our way back to the ship and were soon on our way to Magway. We had time to shower before joining everyone for cocktails and our daily briefing with Tom and Willy. Dinner was good but we tried not to overeat. We sat and talked for a long while and thought we were late for the movie. Tonight’s presentation is “The Lady” the story about Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the Noble Peace prize winner! It was a fabulous movie! Time for bed! Click here to see Minhla pictures

Up early this morning and met several cruisers for a walk across the bridge, 4 KM. The temp was cool and the humidity low. We walked and still made it back to breakfast and had time to clean up before our shore excursion at 8:30. Today we walked into Magway and Willy and Tom gave us money and an item that we had to bargain for. It was fun and Hugh and I were able to get the help we needed to locate our veggie. After the market we had a trishaw trip around the city ending at the Mya Tha Lon Pagoda. There were over 100 steps up and a group took the trishaws back to the boat. The pagoda was newly uncovered from being gold plated and was sparkling in the sun. There was a lovely view of the river also. Shops lined the stairways and the marble was cool under our feet. A great visit. We then washed our feet, donned our shoes, and found our trishaw driver and headed back to the boat. It was a great morning and we just had time to wash up before the lunch gong! Lunch was filled with lively conversation and lasted well into the afternoon. Hugh went to rest and I journaled and enjoyed my book on the sundeck! At 4 we all met on the sundeck to enjoy a presentation on the veggies and fruits we had purchased in the market. There were so many ones we were not familiar with and Willy and Tom told us how they were used… Willy’s favorite term was yummy, yummy! The Sous Chef in charge of salads made a ginger salad for us and the first version had no chilies and was good but the second version with the chilies was fabulous! After this we showered and readied for dinner. At 6:45 we had our daily briefing and then dinner. We had a lively group and it was one of our new friends birthday and he was serenaded by the Captain and we all had birthday cake. Dinner ran long and we decided to skip trivia and edit pictures and read before sleep! Click here to see Magway and May Tha Lon Pagoda pictures
Click here to see Myanmar Vegetables pictures

Up very early this morning because of the noise from the anchor being pulled. Hugh stayed in bed but I dressed and went to the sundeck for coffee and wi-fi. It was very chilly and I needed my long sleeves. The sunrise was beautiful and before long it was breakfast time. Hugh was up and we ate and finished just in time to change into cooler clothing and then head out on our morning excursion. We had a walking tour of a colonial town called Sale. It had some lovely old buildings and we were able to go into one of the old large homes. We got to interact with the locals and everyone was full of smiles and waves. We were fortunate to see a celebration advertising the hundredth birthday of the Lady’s father who is the George Washington of Myanmar! We also visited a beautiful teak Monastery and several others. We purchased a painting from a gentleman who used a razor blade. The buildings were beautiful and our last pagoda housed a huge golden Buddha image that had been recovered floating in the river. We walked backed to the boat and everyone was commenting on what a great morning they had. We had time to freshen up and then it was lunch time. The scenery is constantly changing as we sail toward Bagan. With nothing scheduled until 4 Hugh is backing up files and resting in the sun and I am journaling and listening to my book lounging on the sun deck. At 4 the boat docked at Tan Kyi Taung village and we walked to chairs set up under a Banyan tree to watch the traditional Elephant Dance. There is competition among the villages and this group has been the champions for several years. Initially it looks to be a very simple thing but as it progressed it was easy to see how complicated the actual manipulation of the large costume is. We were able to try to pick up just the head and it was quite heavy. We walked some and then it was back on board for a rattan demonstration and market. We had fun examining the wares and ended up purchasing a bread/fruit basket for 3 dollars. When the market folks disembarked we started our sail across the river to the ancient city of Bagan, one of the highlights of this cruise. In the distance we could see the spires of the pagodas and more and more became visible as we drew closer. This area is about 16 square miles and at one time had a population of 200,000. This was a wealthy area and there were up to 4,400 pagodas before time and nature took their toll. We docked at a small village where the ferry comes in and there is a lots of activity; we expected the noise to be significant and it was. After a lovely dinner we went to the common room for a lecture by professors Willy and Tom on the area and it was wonderfully informative. Then it was off to bed; tomorrow we start at 6 for our sunrise pagoda walk. Click here to see Tan Chi Village pictures

Today we met our early risers for a walk in the dark to see the sunrise over Bagan. It was cool and required our fleece for the first time in a while. We grabbed our flashlights and cameras and up the hill we went. There was so much to see as we walked but not good for photos in the dark. We arrived at the Mimalaungkyaung Pagoda where we climbed the steps and had a 360 degree view of the area. We spent a lot of time making pictures of the same areas as the light continued to change. This session will require some picking and choosing; wont need a dozen of each thing! On the walk back we were able to get photos of the lovely pagodas that we had seen in the dark. It was a wonderful morning and we enjoyed the exercise as well as the view. We arrived back just in time for breakfast and enough time for a quick shower before our 9 am excursion. Batteries charged and very anxious we started out to explore the richest archeological site in Southeast Asia. We had many photo stops and at each one we found dozens of photo opportunities. This will be a difficult photo editing day!!! We ended our morning session at the Ananda Temple which houses 4 several story Buddha images, 2 are from the 12th century and original and 2 are from the 18th century. Tom discussed the differences in them including the fact that the original look more Indian and have downcast eyes and ear lobes that do not touch the shoulders. These were very lovely and each were carved out of a single piece of teak. From here we went to a small pagoda with beautiful murals. No photographing was allowed! Our next stop was Htilominlo Guphaya. Here there was a sitting Buddha image to be seen but most people enjoyed the sand painting exhibition and the long-necked ladies from the hill country. They were making and selling wares at a stall. People did shopping here. This port has been different for us in the fact that this is much more a tourist area and there are vendors everywhere. They follow the buses on motor-scooters and you can not get rid of them. Back at the boat we found the same ones we had seen all morning. Back on board we cleaned up for lunch and then spent some time discarding some of the morning photos that were obviously bad. At 3 we started out for our afternoon excursion to the lacquer ware factory and then on to the sunset pagoda for the sunset. Hugh and I both purchased elephant pants from a little girl that had followed us all morning. The lacquer ware factory was similar to those we have seen elsewhere and I was not tempted to buy but enjoyed looking. We had a smaller group this afternoon but the shop did a good business. We left for the pagoda earlier than we thought we needed to but were surprised to see several buses already there and the top tier already too crowded. We made the difficult climb up to the 2nd tier and marked our spots. The view was incredible and everywhere you looked were pagodas. The sunset was slow and just to the side of a large pagoda giving us an incredible view. The light stayed good for our climb down and soon we were searching for our shoes and heading back to the bus. Bus 2 had taken everyone who did not want to climb the pagoda back to the boat and we did not even fill bus 1. We showered and then headed to cocktail hour. We wore our new pants and felt very comfortable. Dinner was fun with lively conversation and more new friends. Then it was up to the sundeck for a string puppet show. The puppets were handmade and beautiful. This was a family troupe and had 3 puppeteers, mom, son, and daughter. We enjoyed the show very much but by the end most of us were ready for bed. It had been an exciting and long day! Click here to see Bagan Sunrise pictures
Click here to see Bagan Temples pictures
Click here to see Bagan Sunset pictures
Click here to see Lacquer Ware tour pictures
Click here to see Bagan Puppet Show pictures

We awoke this morning at 6 to the sounds of the anchor chain coming up. We dressed quickly and went to the sun deck to see the sail away and balloons over Bagan. The light was harsh but we still drank our tea and shot away. Then it was off to breakfast but my stomach turned on me and I went to the room. Hugh ate and then joined me until time for our morning excursion at 9:45, the village of Ohn ne Chaung. I felt fine by this time and we donned our quiet boxes, grabbed our cameras, and started out. We quickly climbed the hill and found ourselves in a small farming village. There the houses were surrounded by fencing, some bamboo and others sticks with thorns to keep the animals out. There were chickens, cow, pigs, and even some goats. We saw a monastery and got to interact with several of the novice monks. We enjoyed seeing the children that were just getting out of school. Tom talked to a little girl that was about 6 yrs old and she read the ABC’s for us in English and she was so proud of herself. All the kids like to get their pictures made. We stopped at a home where everyone was working. This family had 12 acres and raised beans for bean curd and we saw the just harvested ones and the ones already drying. They also had a large patch of chillies drying and several cows and chickens around. The house was simple but had all they needed. We continued our walk and just enjoyed interacting with the people, everyone was friendly, there were even ladies from a neighboring village selling blankets! By the time we made it back to the ship we were thirsty and headed to the sun deck for a soda before heading to the cabin to freshen up. Soon it was time for another meal and we joined some new friends for a pizza lunch. The food has been great and today’s soup, chicken coconut was fabulous. We don’t have another excursion until 4:30 so we edited pictures, journaled, slept, and sunned until time to head out again. This afternoon’s village was Yandabo and it is famous for its production of terracotta pottery from the river bank clay. It is also the village where the peace treaty was signed between the Burmese king and the British after the first Anglo-Burmese War. The first thing we saw as we climbed the bank was a very large sow with a bunch of piglets. She was very frustrated with them running about among strangers and was scolding them loudly! The village was very dusty and there were family pottery businesses everywhere. We stopped to watch for about 10 minutes and one lady made four very different pots from one lump of clay. She was so efficient and had her daughter helping by keeping the wheel turning. We went to several homes to see different parts of the process including the shaping and stamping. One young women who was shaping was a school teacher, degrees in economics, who had trouble making a living on a teacher’s low salary and came home to work in the family business. She was using her entrepreneurial skills and was selling tee shirts with her picture on them and the name of the village. Hugh bought one of course!! Back on the boat we were hot and thirty and went to the sundeck for soda before showering but ended up staying for the Viking Society cocktail party and then heading on to dinner without even getting to the cabin. One of the great things about this cruise is it is very casual and bare feet are the norm. After dinner we had a Burmese dance class and everyone went to their cabins and donned their longyi. I have trouble with getting mine to stay on so I made one out of a scarf and Hugh used mine as a head piece to balance a basket. We had a lot of laughs during our dance class and even more when we had to do the fashion show. I won 2nd place in the women’s division and Hugh won most creative in the men’s. It was a lot of fun and it was late when we headed to bed. Click here to see Ohe ne Chaung Village pictures
Click here to see Yandabo Village and Pottery Making pictures

This is our last cruising day before we reach Mandalay where we will spend 3 nights on the boat. We slept in this morning and joined our Florida friends for breakfast. Hugh and I journaled and edited until 10 and our lecture on Myanmar with Tom and Willy. Our guides gave us a good history of Myanmar and also discussed the political issues facing the country now. We discussed education, very high attrition rate before high school, also we discussed taxes, land rights, and the upcoming election. This was very informative and makes one wonder what good, if any, the immediate future holds for the people. Our discussion ended at lunchtime and Hugh and I ate with Tom and Willy. We edited and journaled until the scenery started to change as we headed into the Singaing province where we will dock for 3 nights. There are pagodas everywhere you look and some of the complexes are huge. There is nowhere to look that doesn’t have something large white and golden on it. We are soon docked near our sister ship and disembarking for our 3 o’clock shore excursion. We drove into Amarapura to the silk factory. Here we saw the weaving process and had time to shop. Hugh and I made purchases, very unusual. I got the Burmese jacket and Hugh got a Burmese shirt, both of them are silk and cotton and washable! From here we travelled to U Bein, the world’s longest Teak Wood Bridge. We walked on the bridge and then boarded gondolas for a sunset sail on Taung Tha Man Lake. Our program directors and some ship crew came around in a gondola and served us wine. We had a lot of fun and felt very pampered. We had our daily briefing on the bus and arrived at the boat in time for a quick shower before dinner. After dinner we went to the sundeck for a Burmese classical dance performance by students and teachers from the Mandalay University of Arts. The dancers were beautiful and their costumes colorful. Soon it was off to bed….Hugh was tired and thought he was getting a sore throat. Click here to see Amarapura pictures

Up earlier than I wanted to be but happy to find that Hugh is feeling well. Dressed and packed for the day we headed out for a light breakfast. We had time for an extra cup of tea before our 9 am excursion into Mandalay. Our first stop was at the Mandalay Royal Palace, Mya Nan San Kyaw. This is a reproduction from the 50’s because the original was bombed by the allies. It was very well done and there was a great view from the observation tower. On the top of the buildings were little wooden cabins for the eunuch’s to live in. From here we travelled to a Rest Station for a loo break. Next stop was a beautiful wooden monastery, Shwe Nan Daw Kyaung. This was all teak with glorious carvings everywhere you looked. It is not well preserved but there is much beauty inside and out. From here we journey to the Kutho Daw Pagoda. This is actually 260 small pagodas housing tablets that hold the Buddhist bible. This is considered the World’s Largest Book! Each of the 260 large tablets is inscribed on both sides. This was a beautiful pagoda complex and I just knew that there will be many photos to edit tonight. At our next stop, an orphanage for boys run by a monk, we were able to walk around and see the facilities but not much was going on as it was a National holiday. The youngest boys they take are 5 and they go up through high school. No adoption from this orphanage because the monks want to educate the boys and take care of them. Not sure of this philosophy but that is the way it is. There was a beautiful young woman and her wedding party who brought delicious food for the boys as their wedding donation! It was lunch time and we joined Willy’s group at the Royal Mandalay restaurant for a family style dinner served on lazy Susans. There were so many dishes that you could not enjoy but a bite of each. The food was good and everyone was stuffed when we left. After lunch we travelled to King Galon Gold Leaf Workshop where young strong men pound gold into gold leaf by hand. The gold ends up so thin that a sneeze will blow it away. I held the hammer and it was very heavy and they do this 6 hours a day. We were given a square of gold leaf to put on the Buddha but we will not do this! We made our next stop at the Maha Muni Paya. Here we saw a Buddha image that is attributed to 554 BC. The temple itself, reconstructed in the late 1800’s after the original burned, is ornate and filled with worshippers. Women are not allowed to approach the Buddha beyond a certain point, but the weirdest part is that men are allowed to touch the Buddha image and constantly apply gold leaf (they even brush the Buddha’s teeth each morning) and all this gold leaf has distorted the image so much it does not even look like the original. We found an ATM here and were able to get our tip money, very thankful! Our next stop was the Aung Nan Craft Market where we saw puppetry, beadwork, carving, and painting. No shopping for us but they did well with some of our group. Back on the boat we had time for showers and then it was time for our daily briefing and then dinner. As usual conversation was lively and we were late getting to the sundeck for the evening performance, a quartet of young people singing western style songs. They were extremely talented but the pronunciation of the words caused a little chuckle every now and then (they do not end words with consonant sounds). We were sad to see this end and slowly made our way to our cabin. Click here to see Mandalay pictures

Up and dressed and off to breakfast. Today is our last day in Myanmar and we are going to Ava for a horse-cart ride through the countryside. We boarded our buses for a short ride to the ferry. Along the way Tom warned us about persistent vendors and how extremely bumpy this ride will be. In spite of the warning we are excited for the adventure. We arrived at the ferry and there were the sweetest girls selling jewelry and wanting to practice their English. I had one named Ae Ae who kept saying "you think about it, maybe later. I wait for you." We walked down the hill and boarded the small ferries and made our way upstream to Ava. We climbed the hill and were met by stalls of art and locals out to see us. We walked into the village where our horse-carts were waiting. We boarded one, 2 to each cart, and Tom and James came around to make our pictures. Soon we were trotting down a dusty path to the Mahar Aung Mye Bon San Monastery built in 1822. This building had a beautiful roof line and when we went inside it was easy to see that it had been built as a fortress also, the walls and beams were extremely thick. We had time to walk-around the area and even to the river which was down a hill behind the building complex. From the monastery we walked through the village and saw how the people live. We reboarded our carts for a 45 minute ride around the countryside where se saw the leaning tower (palace tower leaning from earthquake), a swimming pool, and the Bagaya Monastery. Our carts let us off in town at a hotel for happy break and then it was back on the ferry to our bus. Before we went to the boat we stopped at U BA MHIN DAW KHIN LAY silversmiths. We saw all the silver work processes and the merchandise was lovely. From here we went to a local market but the smell from the fish was too much and everyone was ready to get to the bus. Back on board we had the afternoon at leisure to pack, say goodbyes, and catch up on journaling. We had a great dinner and everyone sat around reminiscing about our adventure. We went up to the sundeck for the crew farewell and we danced and shook hands and felt sad to be leaving this great crew. They have pampered us so much it will be hard not to have someone greet us each morning with "Minglaba" and and a big smile! Click here to see Ava and Amarapura pictures

This is a travel day and they are throwing us off the boat! Bags out before breakfast and then out of our cabin by 9:30. We did not leave for the airport until 11 so we sat on the sundeck and talked with everyone and exchanged cards. When we left the boat the whole crew came out to shake hands and say goodbye and I think most of us were very sad to leave this hardworking crew behind. We will definitely miss their attention to detail and the friendly smiles. On the bus it was a short drive to the Mandalay airport which is not particularly large. Tom got us organized us and we gave him a big hug as we enter the security area. It was sad to say goodbye because he was an integral part of our great trip. We checked in easily and had time to use our snack coupon and Hugh even had time to use his last bahts for a couple of tee shirts. Our flight was delayed over an hour and that made us get to Bangkok much later than we expected. By the time we met Tan at the baggage claim everyone was tired and ready to get to the hotel. Not much activity planned for tonight as most people will be rearranging suitcases and preparing for their flights home. Hugh and I walked to the ice cream shop and had a large DQ, yep that’s right, they have Dairy Queen in Bangkok. We then headed back to the hotel and prepared for our flight to Tokyo and our 3:30 am wake up call. After a long bath in the soaker tub….did I mention how much I love the Shangri La... we headed to bed.

Up at 3:30 am and collected our breakfast box and ate quickly as the bus left at 4:15. We made it to the airport with time to spare, checked in, and had time to shop and walk before boarding our flight. We tried to sleep on this 7 hour journey but it was difficult. We arrived in Tokyo 30 minutes early, cleared immigration in record time (they ran us through the Asian line as they were not prepared for the early arrival), claimed our baggage, and exited to find our escort waiting for us. We were soon in the van and headed to our hotel. The ride from the airport is about 50 minutes so it was late afternoon before we arrived at the Strings by Intercontinental Hotel. Check-in was a breeze and soon we were admiring our view from the top floor. This is a great hotel, small and efficient. The lobby is on the 26th floor and we are on the 32nd. We quickly unpacked, pressed our winter duds, and were ready for our 5 day stay. We sat looking out over the city, Hugh looking at the trains coming into Shinagawa Station next door and me enjoying the Tokyo Tower. Hugh noticed a sign that looked familiar and got out his binoculars. Yes indeed it was a TGIF. We donned our coats and made our way through the station across the shopping area, and up several crosswalks to find this haven of American food. We had both been wanting some familiar food since we left Bangladesh. Hugh had ribs and I had a burger and fries, both were delicious! A Japanese gentleman invited us to join him and he was so friendly even though we could only understand about 25% of what he said. Hugh bought him a beer and he bought me a drink so that the bartender would put on his Tom Cruise (Cocktail) act for us. We had a great time and it was late when we made it back to our room tired and ready for bed.

Up early as we have a city tour at 7:55. My first order of business was to enjoy the view from our window. Good morning Tokyo! We had a great breakfast and made our way to the pickup point at the Prince Hotel. We were met by our tour company and transferred to the bus terminal where we met our guide, Ninja, aka Kionii. On our bus we drove through town past the Tokyo Tower and the Twin Towers before arriving at the Meijijingu Shrine. As we were walking in the garden we saw barrels of Sake wrapped in straw donated by the brewers in honor of the spirits enshrined here (also good advertisement as each one had the brewers mark on it). There were also barrels of wine from Burgundy in France donated for the same reason. This Shinto shrine is dedicated to the late 19th-century emperor who opened Japan to the West. We crossed under the 40 foot high Torii gate, stopped at the cleansing station to watch the people cleanse their hands and mouth, then on to the wooden tablets (Ema votive tablets) to see the people write their prayer request, before we climbed the steps to the temple. Here the people bow their head twice, clap twice, and then bow once more. We returned to the bus by a different route allowing us to see more of the grounds. As we made our way to our next stop we passed by the Imperial Palace, the government building which were old and lovely. Our stop was at the Palace gardens and here we could see the old wall, the moat, and the guard house. This was a popular area and there were school children jogging for PE and young families out for a stroll. Back on the bus we continued our journey around town. We stopped for pictures at the Central Train Station and we saw the Tokyo Tower Tree. Our next stop was the Asakusa Kannon Temple (also called Sensoji) which is the oldest temple in Tokyo. Its history goes back to the 7th century. It was built to enshrine and worship the Kannon statue (Kannon, Goddess of Mercy). To get to this temple we had to make our way up the Asakusa Nakamise Shopping Street filled with vendors and restaurants. This temple is very well maintained and quite flashy with a lot of red and gold. We saw the 5 storied pagoda founded in 942 and reconstructed in 1973. There is a bone relic of the Buddha on the top story. Near the bus we found the bronze statue of a Kabuki actor who was supposed to have been very famous and as we drove off we saw the Kabuki Theater where this type of entertainment continues today. We stopped at the Seaside Hotel for lunch and we expected a traditional Japanese lunch but were served a 4 course meal including soup, salad, steak, and dessert. The view of the harbor was lovely and we sat for a while and enjoyed it and our wine. From the hotel it was a short journey to the harbor where we boarded the Moderna, a Symphony ship, for our cruise around the harbor. Even though the temperature was in the low 50’s the sun felt good and we spent a lot of time on the open deck. This is a busy harbor and we had a great view of the city skyline. Back on the bus we made our way to the newest area of the city to see the Statue of Liberty. This area is called Odaiba and it is a large artificial island in Tokyo Bay; connected to Tokyo by the Rainbow Bridge. The Statue of Liberty was a temporary feature for The French Year of Japan in 1998-1999 but was brought back by popular demand. Odaiba will be a major venue for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. We had time to walk through a shopping mall before we boarded our bus back to the bus terminal. There was no hotel drop-off so Hugh and I decided to walk the 3 miles back to our hotel. We stopped for a light dinner on our way and arrive back happy but weary. It gets cold in the evening and we were glad we had our long-johns and down jackets. I need to say several things about the Japanese culture before we go any further. I love this place; the people are so orderly and service minded, also small framed and short. There is great attention to detail. When you go to eat, whether fast food or restaurant, you are given a wet towel to wash your hands. They are very attentive to diners meeting each need as it arrises. But my favorite thing I have found is the heated toilet seat, yes that's right, I like a warm bum. These can be found in the airport, the bus terminals, the train stations, and my favorite, in my room! Click here to see Tokyo pictures

Up early again today and very excited for our train trip to Kyoto. We had our breakfast and headed out in the rain and sleet to the pickup point. We arrived at the bus terminal and were expertly processed and handed over to Honda who got us to the train station and safely on the bullet train to Kyoto. Hugh was in heaven and made pictures of all the trains and scenery as we passed by at 320 km/hr. Kyoto was the 4th stop on the 2 hour journey and we were met quickly by another travel-guide and taken to the hotel Miyaoko for lunch. We again had a steak with buffet salad and dessert. After lunch Hugh and I walked around the area for a while before time to meet our guide and begin our tour. Our guide told us that Kyoto served as the capital and the emperor’s residence from 794 to 1868. It is now the country’s 7th largest city with a population of 1.4 million. Countless temples, shrines, and other historically priceless structures survive in the city today. Our first stop of the day is at the Heian Jingu Shrine. As we are walking into the shrine we saw the same display of straw wrapped Sake barrels that we saw yesterday. This shrine has a relatively short history, dating back just over a hundred years to 1895. The shrine was built on the occasion of the 1100th anniversary of the capital’s foundation in Kyoto and is dedicated to the spirits of the first and last emperors who reigned from the city. Heian is the former name of Kyoto. There is a huge orange torii gate as you enter and the shrine is colorful and well used. One thing I found interesting was that there were shops selling fortunes. If you like your fortune you keep it with you always but if you do not like it you tie it to a tree at the shrine and the enshrined spirits will take care of it. From the shrine we travelled across Kyoto to the Sanjusangendo Temple, established in the 12th century. This temple houses 1001 carved wooden statues of Kannon the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy. They are set in rank in the main hall: 500, in ten rows of 50, on each side of the seated figure of Senju Kannon. The 1001 images are 167 cm tall and are carved of Japanese cypress. Sanjusangendo is also known for the Toshiya (archery contest) that takes place behind the temple in January. From here we drove through the Gion district noted for its Geisha’s who are young girls that are sent to Kyoto at about 13-14 years of age to be trained. They work as apprentices until they are 20 and during that time they are taken care of by an older geisha who pays for everything giving the girls an allowance. We saw some but were not allowed to make pictures. We visited the famous Kiyomizu-Dera Buddhist Temple. This was founded in the 8th century and rebuilt in the 17th century. It is high on a hill and one of the temples here is one of the symbols of Kyoto. To get to the temple you have to walk up a long street which is a hill and on each side are many vendors and restaurants. This area is noted for its ceramics and its green tea ice cream. The climb was easy but negotiating the people to keep up with our guide took skill. The temple was colorful and lovely. A lot is under scaffolding as they try to maintain these old buildings. We got some great shots of the city from the top. It was a lovely walk back down to the vendors and there were kimono-clad girls everywhere you looked. We had plenty of time to shop and we looked in all the ceramic shops and did not purchase but we succumbed to a Kokeshi, a Japanese doll handmade from wood with a simple trunk, an enlarged head with a painted face, and a trunk with no arms or legs but a painted kimono with sleeves. She is adorable and will look great with my other dolls. On the bus we travelled back to the train station where we were met by our travel coordinator and taken on a tour of the central train station. This is a huge production and includes a complete mall, 100’s of restaurants and even some banks and other businesses. Our guy told us that the people usually do not drive in the city and use the train station as their local meeting and shopping place as well as their transportation. We bought sandwiches for our trip and had to wait just a short time before our train arrived. Trains to Tokyo run every 10 minutes! We got on our train at 6:15 and were back in Tokyo by 9, weary and ready for bed. We were able to get off at Shinawaga so we only had a short walk to our hotel. Click here to see Kyoto & Bullet Train pictures

Slept late this morning and had to rush to make the breakfast. We lingered over coffee and really have no plans for the day. It is very cold and rainy here and we decide to stay in at least for the morning and catch up on pictures and journaling. Also there is the need to get the bags in order as we head home tomorrow. After journaling and editing until early afternoon we headed out for a walk. It is pouring rain and quite cold. We explored until time for an early dinner and then stopped in a Japanese restaurant for a great meal, Hugh had pork and I had stir-fried beef. We then made our way back to our room to warm up. We read and edited my journal before soaking in the wonderful tub. I edited my journal and Hugh finished up the pictures for the trip. We have all morning to play tomorrow but the cameras are packed. This has been a trip to remember as it included adventure, luxury, new friends, and oh so many new places.

Salam-alaikum, Sawasdee, Minglaba, Konnichiwa, Good Morning!
Today we slept in until almost 9 and then showered and went to breakfast before packing our few winter things. We have 2 pm check-out and also airport pick up so we have some time to explore. The weather is sunny today and much warmer with an expected high of 57. We went exploring this morning and even went into some of the local department stores. There are some really cute things here if you want to pay the price. We took a long brisk walk and stopped for cocoa before we went back to the hotel to finalize our checkout. The limo company called and they are running late so we have about 10 extra minutes. Checkout was easy and soon we were waiting by the door. The van was full and traffic was bad but we made it to the airport and got to our gate with 45 minutes before boarding. The Japanese move so quickly downtown Tokyo but are like slugs when in a line for security. Our flight is on time at this point and we are in first class on a 747-400. Plan on getting some sleep as we have a very busy week ahead starting early in the morning! The temperatures at home and in Chicago where we change planes are at 100-year lows.

This has been an adventure! We took a trip on the road less travelled, collected tons of memories, returned thousands of smiles, said good-morning/hello in 5 different languages, and... stepped out of our comfort zone and experienced life!
/susan