Myanmore Myanmar, Cè-Zù-Bèh!

The internet, man.

J. Peterman can probably be thanked for my initial introduction to Myanmar... and I've been dreaming of visiting ever since those magical '90's. Oh wait, no. Maybe the country piqued my interest while pursuing a Geography degree?...Although I honestly haven't retained much from those years, so that can't be it either. So, maybe I've been following the evolving political situation for years and finally felt like it was time to check it out firsthand. But that's not true either.
The truth is, I didn't even know where or what a Myanmar was (Geography can really mean so many different things -_-) until we moved to Asia. Since then (and only then) secondhand travel stories, pictures and a growing buzz have made us want to check out this beautiful corner of the world, and after 5 years of casually checking on flights, we were itching to go! So after a terrifyingly sudden change in altitude and feeling like we had lived through our aviation nightmares, we happily landed in tact in lovely, lovely Yangon. Checking into our cheap n' cheerful hotel, featuring basement karaoke and $3 massages, we ventured out for a peek, pretty void of any preconceived notions.

So a very brief, breezy and incomplete note about Myanmar's recent history. They've had some growing pains (but who hasn't?); In the 1960's the army took over the government creating a single-party state called 'the Socialist Programme Party', after ensuring corruption was rife and society was stifled, a slew of other ill-appointed 'leaders' took the reins until things started to boil over. Currency was devalued, riots and protests started, martial law was implemented....aaannnd groups started to advocate for democracy. Among
these groups was the National League for Democracy lead by humanitarian Aung San Suu Kyi. Despite topping the polls in the 1990's, election results were ignored, and Aung San Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest by the state law intermittently for the next 20 years. For the decades to follow, Myanmar rode the wave of ongoing negotiations, demonstrations, further corruption, natural disasters, violence and international outcry. Upon Aung San Suu Kyi's release, she advocated (among many things) for a democratic election and greater transparency, and in 2015 the National League for Democracy won control of the government in Myanmar. And although Aung San Suu Kyi is not eligible to be president, as her children and husband are foreign born, her influences and values based on peace and democracy have not been lost. So is Myanmar resembling a family that has just emerged from a multi-generational restorative hug? -No. However, despite civil unrest continuing to wage on in areas of the country, things are moving in the right direction. As for the tourist side of things, we are permitted to travel in particular areas of the country only, and in those areas the best sides of the country are highlighted (in our humble opinion).

We spent our first night in Yangon typically eating (what I think was a fried bat) and drinking copious amounts of Myanmar beer. The city was bustling on a micro-scale with street food and markets. We rambled around, hitting the 'backpacker area', 19th Street. As the tourism industry is continuing to develop, 19th Street in Myanmar resembles what you would expect Jalan Alor in KL, or Khoa San Rd in Bangkok to look like years ago when things were just getting rolling. More or less the same, just on a smaller, less florescent scale.
We wandered around the next day checking out pagodas, peeking on kanoodling teens in the park, marveling at the gigantic fruit and veg everywhere and noting the colonial buildings nearly as impressive as the Burmese sights. By the time the sun was setting, we were ready to board the overnighter bus bound for Bagan, armed with neckpillows and a mini cooler full of Bailey's and Baby Bells...always a winning combo! Paired with a 3am truck-stop insect-fried rice...Now we're livin'!

Rolling up to our Bagan hotel at 5am wondering if they do early check-in was a bit of a stretch...and I think we knew that. However, while waiting for a room we wandered up to the roof and took in our first of the infamous sunrises over the Pagodas of Bagan. After the Bailey's made its final appearance and we polished off a couple omelets we were ready for a sleep.

When we woke up later that morning we were ready to hit the pagodas and temples hard, and that we did...as hard as an e-bike riding through sand with two healthy Canadians on the back could hit anything. We had a blast spinning down serpentine pathways, stopping off to have a peak at whatever pagoda came next. With some 2200 pagodas, the trail was endless. Many of the big pagodas are the 'must-sees', but there are seriously pagodas everywhere. Some of the coolest ones were the tiny, supposedly haunted, bat-filled edifices with the dark passageways up to the top...being more spooked by creepy-crawlies, we were constantly on the look-out for sun-baking snakes!

Total posers!...Altho some of us more enthusiastically than others.

By the next morning we were poppin' wheelies and racing our comically gutless, mute mini bikes through the moonlit trails to catch the sunrise over the Bagan Valley. We made it to watch the hot air balloons take off and billow past us over the misty pagodas below. Truly, one of the most beautiful scenes we've ever seen. And to cap it off , nothing starts a day off better than holding your breath for a ballooner-eclipse, and then collectively high-fiving and cheering with your new sunrise BFFs when that cheeky little guy gets it just right. Well done, Balloonie, you've made us all very proud.

So we're obviously super experienced travelers who do their research and generally just have it all figured out....and THAT'S why we very cleverly arrived at the famous Buledi pagoda pre-sunset. We rolled up around 4pm and noted that the views were pretty spectacular. We also noticed it was getting later in the day, and thought we'd better stick around to see where this setting sun was going to take us. Having our choice of spots, we sat down front and centre and congratulated ourselves on our impeccable timing and general lot in life (still riding that sunrise high). We were very quickly confronted with the crashing realization that we were so, so wrong. It turned out that a very large contingent of over-zealous camera-clad tourists decided that unless you had multiple tripods, insanely sized lens, camera gloves(?) and a snappy hiking ensemble, there was no need for you to be there. To their utter and obvious dismay, our measly camera-phones left us painfully under-qualified to enjoy the sunset. I mean, come on, how are you even going to know you saw the sunset, let alone enjoyed it if you don't take 500, 1000...ONE BILLION photos!? So after all kinds of Kindergarten rules about personal space had been broken and I thought the sun might actually set, I looked down to see a man crouching between my legs to get that perfect shot. Through my legs. It was as if I was birthing a child documenting their own emergence into the world. So yes, the sunset was beautiful, and we got A great pic BUT what was even better was the next evening finding a smaller pagoda to perch on, having a laugh with a few local ladies with the perfect amount of sass and soaking up the final rays of the day. Just.Us.Two.
...And then the e-bike ran out of battery, c'est la vie!

Besides the pagodas, Bagan was a lovely little spot! Good food, good vibe, good people, can't really ask for anything more. We whizzed around the old town on our battery jet packs, checking out the river front, palatial buildings, handicrafts and playing poker poolside at the flashest hotel in town (where we weren't staying). We spent our evenings eating a healthy mix Burmese curries and pizzas (...I know, pizza in Myanmar? But com'on, we live in Asia). After another overnight bus ride back to Yangon, we checked into the Vintage Luxury Yacht Hotel (that's the real name) for a few more days of Burmese charm while staying on a perma-docked cruise ship that was seriously committed to the its  treasure island theme.

Yangon was a big walking city for us; it felt great wandering through alley after alley, playing arcade games and eating little bits of mystery along the way. The highlight was probably the impressive Shwedagon Pagoda. After being swaddled in our newly acquired, ill-fitting traditional dress, having a reasonable photo-shoot with locals, we set off for a wander. Shwedagon Pagoda is a 99 meter golden structure, studded with thousands of diamonds and rubies - tipped with a 76 carrot diamond...Ohh la la! Legend has it, there are strands of hair, bits of robes and other relics from previous Buddhas installed in the original Pagoda. The whole complex has oodles of amazing statues and art work, and is an all round pretty awesome symbol of devotion!

After ten days of city and country, luxury and all-nighter buses, cruising and moving we left Myanmar finally having our curiosity satisfied, and (more importantly) a massive appreciation for all the beauty its landscapes have to offer...Cè-Zù-Bèh, Burma!

Last but Not Least: Varanasi with a Touch of the Taj

Varanasi, India's holy city lying on the Ganges River was the end of the spice road for us. After one final 15 hour train ride, we rolled into my most anticipated stop of the trip. Varanasi has been a place I've seen pictures of and always wondered about, so it was time to find out. Leaving the train station and striking off across the insane chaotic traffic, things looked a bit grimmer than I had imagined. I guess I had conjured up images of serene holy men bathing in the Ganges, gurus floating around in robes spouting philosophy, cows adorned with

Errm...Nope!

flower garlands and The Beatles playing the sitar. After checking into our hotel and vowing that I'd taken my last cold shower in India, we struck out to eat. This is where morale hit an all-time low as I hastily ordered vegetable lasagna....In India -_- In hopes of bouncing back, Ty and I headed for the main attraction, the Ghats along the Ganges.

Annnnnddd, WoW! The energy on the river banks was impressive. It was quiet, bright, unimposing...all words I would not use to generally describe India. We stood in awe. While in Varanasi we became obsessed with what was going in the river, on the banks of the river and in the name of the river: The River Ganga is personified and worshiped as the Hindu goddess Mother Ganga and is considered the river of life. Besides being one of the most polluted, contaminated rivers in the world, there was life happening everywhere (ironic?..I will never know). People were bathing, doing their laundry and drinking the water, animals were grazing, snake charmers and Holy Men were dancing, and as death and a funeral in the Holy City means salvation, people were cremated and laid to rest in the river. As spiritually curious and open-minded people, Tyler and I were lapping it up. Lining the banks of the river are ghats, tall, once-grand bath houses, temples and private residences stacked on top of long sets of stairs that lead into the river. Ideal spots for a hot chai, intense people watching and some inner reflection-- With life and death literally all around you, it's hard not to gaze into the sunset and get a bit introspective.

As it is often the case, it's recommended that watching the sunrise on the ghats is the cat's pyjamas. As we rolled out in our Rajastani toques we were a bit disappointed to see the cool air had brought heaps of heavy fog and no hint of the sun at all. Although we didn't see the sunrise, we watched shadows of boats and ghosts of people wade through the morning mist and into the river. It was beautiful and eerie all the same.

Besides the constant hum of activity on the banks of the river, the old laneways, shops and buildings were an easy way to get lost. Varanasi is considered one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world (although I have heard this claim about numerous cities..) with a serious puzzle of narrow passageways and alleys. We spent hours haggling over jingle jangles, eating dosai, skirting cows and evading clingy salesmen.

Oh, and on the way to Varanasi we also hit up the ol' Taj in Agra, ordering an indulgent amount of room service on Christmas Day. Followed by days of rambling around the insane and intricate laneways of Old Delhi with butter chicken  perma-stained lips and nails...wasn't a bland moment!

A final homage to the best food on Earth!

Living like Rajas in Rajasthan

Next stop, a three day camel trek and home-stay in the Thar Desert. Following a 17 hour train ride, Tyler and I arrived in a small town in Rajasthan called Osyian. After coming from the sunny metropolis of Mumbai, stepping off the train in Osyian was a bit of a shock. Dawn was just breaking, and everything and everyone looked a bit dusty and weathered (ourselves included). As we did a 3/60, we were in immediate envy of those walking around wrapped-up in wool blankets, tuques and scarves; The desert is cold. Although we had checked the weather beforehand, our recollection of chilly weather has been seriously skewed by three years in the tropics. With temperatures dipping to 5°C , our Malaysian attire wasn't cutting it. We made our way through town on the hunt for warmth. We found it in the form of a seemingly second-hand tuque and a couple scarves that we would later fashion in every way possible. After getting our minimal kit, we wandered up to the town square to wait for our ride. While waiting, we began to get the mixed up feelings that accompany culture shock; Bug-eyed wonderment, curiosity and excitement...followed up by a touch of 'What the hell?' Luckily it seemed to be a two-way street that morning, as we were getting the hard stare from every man and his goat in town- Ever notice how freaky goats' eyes are?

From the town square we drove into the countryside where we would meet our camels. Sally and Joe Camel would be our faithful, seemingly spaced out and gluttonous steads for the next couple of days. The plan was to stay with one family the first night, and trek onto the next the following night. The first family we stayed with were living in a jhumpa home. This included four circular huts (mud floor, sand stone slab walls and thatched roof) with a central 'courtyard'-no electricity, no running water.The huts were situated in a circle and comprised of four different buildings; One for cooking, one for grain storage and two for sleeping. It was an amazing experience to see how the multi-generational family functioned and what their day-to-day looked like. After poking about the area, playing with the kids, passing the peace pipe with the elders,  getting a good nap in and catching a beauty of a sunset, the darkness fell and the stars shone bright. Come dinner time we all gathered in the cooking hut where Mom was rolling out the chapati over the fire and stewing up curried potatoes. As we sat on the floor wrapped in blankets it was interesting to see the order of things; Guests eat, men eat, children eat, women eat. When we are done, we go to bed. Tucked into our thatched roof hut, under a mountain of blankets, Ty and I felt pretty far from home. Nonetheless we were so appreciative of the day's experiences, our lot in life, and each other....mmaawwww, sleep tight Jagdish ♥

Early to bed, early to rise; The next day we rode the camels for way too long- Them camels are wide, boy howdy! Upon regaining feeling in my legs and shaking our camel toes (Hehe), we spent a second night with a second family. This family had a similar set up, but a separate sleeping area and washroom for the guests. The second family spoke a bit more English so we had a chance to warm up by the fire and chat. We learned that the Thar Desert, or the Great Indian Desert is the most densely populated desert in the world. It becomes super lush and fertile during the monsoon season, growing crops such as mustard seed, wheat and castor oil.  The water table is currently sinking, which is a big challenge they are facing..... Again, a fantastic family meal of curried buffalo yogurt, chapati and potatoes, followed by early bedtime, on account of the lack of electricity- Another tidbit, the Indian government plans to have the entire nation accessing electricity within their homes by 2018. Bonne Chance! The beauty of an early bedtime, no excuse not to see the sunrise. The desert is a beautiful place!

From Osyian, we made our way to probably our favourite of the places we visited, Jodhpur (although  how can you really choose?!). Jodhpur was not really on our radar as it was meant to be just a quick stop-over in order to grab the train to Jaipur. What it turned into was a fantastic day of touring the most amazing fort, dodging the dodgy, taking in views of the 'blue city' and having the most romantic dinner- yep, all while wearing our desert filth.

Our Indian Orientation- Kochi, Goa, Mumbai

After sending our students packing for the holidays, one final poker game of 2015, a couple hours of sleep and a short but very early flight to Kochin, we had our feet firmly planted on Indian ground for the next three weeks. As catching a glimpse of India has been a life-long travel dream for me, we had our sights set on seeing as much of the country as reasonably possible within our Christmas vacation. With that in mind, we clocked in with three flights, eight cities, fifty-four butter chickens (a low-ball estimate), seventy-five hours on the train, a hundred cups of chai and just over 4000 km of land travel.

Hanging around Kochi and waking up in our little train nook!

We landed in Kochi, in the South of India, ready to get our first taste of India (figuratively and literally) before boarding the night-train bound for Goa. We had an amazing day strolling the waterfront, stalking the free-roaming cows and gawking at the gaggles of beautifully sari clad women. It was a good day. However, as we were wandering the quaint, clean streets of Kochi we found ourselves often alone, no throngs of people, no animals, no chaos. Had all the fictional books set in India that I'd read been wrong? Nahhh, patience young grasshopper.

 That night we spent 15 hours on the train (of which I slept an amazing 10) to get to the beach. We spent a few nights in a beach hut with intermittent electricity, no wifi, easy access to butter masala and an ongoing parade of yoga posing beach-goers. Agonda Beach in Goa is the perfect mix of nothing going on, tiki bars and simply watching the cows come home. Although we could have easily whiled away our vacation at the beach, that was not the plan....onward to Mumbai!

Nothing to do but squat in a boat!

 As we rolled into Bollywood in the early morn, we were feeling a bit nervous about what was to unfold. Mumbai is a huge city and again our imaginations were running wild with the sights and scenes that danced in our heads (along with sugarplums..tis/twas the season). We checked in, had some sort of meal that was served on the hallway floor and hit the sights by foot. Amazingly, unlike the South, Mumbai is an absolute perfect temperature so we were happy to stroll around town all day and night--the pedometre was bouncing off the charts. We mainly stayed in the southern area of Mumbai called Colaba, the old British part of the city where the colonial architecture was oh so grand, grand, grand!  Besides strolling the streets, hitting up the monuments, the hectic Crawford market and ....Madonna themed slot machines, we spent our time declining roles in Bollywood films and posing for pictures--We couldn't help ourselves-- It's been awhile since we've felt the pseudo-fame that accompanies being in, but not a member of a mono-culture.
One of the best things we did in Mumbai was visit the Hanging Gardens in the late afternoon. Although the gardens themselves are nice to walk around, they are not overly impressive. They are however on top of a hill offering a sweet view of the stretching coastline of Mumbai. After grabbing a walking-chai and samosa to see us through until our next curry, we meandered back down the hill to catch the sunset along the coast, followed by a beautiful stroll home on Marine Drive. It was such a breath of fresh air to be in a city where the temperatures and sidewalks were made for walking. We enjoyed ourselves and the views so much that the next night we hit a rooftop and splashed out a bit. What a view, and a perfect example of the stark disparity in India; Life is moving in a million different directions in the same space and no one seems to notice. Bravo, to the clean, cosmopolitan *side of* Mumbai- We'll be back for our Bollywood film cameo :)

We briefly took a break from eating to check out the sights!

After clean, big-city bliss, relaxing beach-time and what felt like a good orientation to India, we had become (somewhat) accustomed to the constant honking, and lost the fear of food poisoning (clearly); We were poised to head north into Rajasthan looking for new landscapes, people and scenes!

Chiang Mai, Oh Mai!

For our first school break of the year Tyler and I uncharacteristically veered away from the beaches and headed for the hills, first landing in the mountains surrounding, then in the city of Chiang Mai, Thailand. As word-of-mouth reviews go, Chiang Mai was scoring off the charts, and the promise of cool, fresh mountain air was something our haze-huffing hurting lungs were looking for.

We spent the first couple of days outside the city in a very quiet, very green villa at the base of the mountains. Although the cool mist rolled around and it drizzled the entire time, we were happier than Ned Flanders on a fog-walk. Books were read (for an entertaining read check out The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair), naps were taken and misadventures were found on the ol' two-wheelers. Tyler and I have a knack for biting off more than we can chew about an hour before nightfall...As if the bicycle breakdown and good samaritan curbside service wasn't an indication that we should cut our tour short, we continued the wobbly ride to a roadside resty. After having an amazing Thai basil and chili ridden claypot and beer (which only later added to the comedy of errors), we struck off on our way home...but which way was home? Despite the impressive display of fireflies doing their best to light the way, rice paddies and jungle tend to all look the same after dark.

After spending a couple days in the mountains we headed back into the city where we continued to chill out, which is so incredibly easy to do in Chiang Mai. Again we were loving the drizzle and took the opportunity to buy a sweater (yay!), wandering the old part of the city, popping into temples and cafes. At night we perused the night markets, which were amazing! Yes, for the most part, they were selling merchandise that could be found in any S.E Asian market, but the beautiful thing was no one was yelling at you, no one was touching you, and we could actually fain interest without being immediately asked "You want, how much?" We were more than happy to spend the evenings strolling, getting refitted for tailored clothing, ducking in for a massage er two and watching Muay Thai of varying degrees and quality in venues of equal of lesser quality; From 14 year old Thai boys choreographing a fight in a Ladyboy Bar, to a scrappy Westerner getting chirped by the Thai cabbies in a makeshift ring behind a food-court. Entertainment is always easy to come by in Thailand.

I will say that although everything I had heard about Chiang Mai had met and exceeded expectations, I was, with increasing frustration searching for amazing Thai food and coming up short (I'm sure it's everywhere in Chiang Mai, we just weren't hitting the right spots.) So we made it ourselves; We spent an afternoon and evening grinding our own curry pastes, wielding cleavers and working the woks at a great cooking class. The best Pad Thai, coconut sticky rice, tom yam soup, spring rolls and green curry I ate all week came from our own efforts, which was almost worth the wait. If you want a recipe, let me know!

When on the last day we woke up and saw the sun shining, we headed straight for the pool and did not move until it was time to head for the airport. Although sunscreen would have been a responsible choice, we left Chiang Mai super relaxed and ready to head back to KL.

We weren't in KL a week before a crew hit the road to the food-famous island of Penang. Although great food is usually at the forefront of our missions, it was Oktoberfest that drew us in this particular weekend. Having never been to an Oktoberfest (in Germany or otherwise) we thought it was essential that we throw together some sort of German look...and intuition is rarely wrong. Admittedly, there was a split-second of self-doubt when we realized no one else had dressed up, it quickly dissipated as the steins and bratwurst started flowing and the dosey-doe-ing and arm wrestling got a bit out of hand. Overall, a solid, solid night...Followed by an expected lazy, lazy day at the beach. Happy Birthday Bridgey!

And finally, I am so happy to announce, that on the last day of the month, Tyler and I eloped!



Kidding....but it was another great Halloween  filled with ghouls, goblins, witches (good and evil) and this random couple that fell out of the sixties ;)