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.