Day 28 of 61.
A bit later start for us today, but on the buses around 8:00 and off in a different direction for a shorter tour. We travelled through the countryside and urban area for about 1 1/2 hours and you would think we were in a different country than yesterday! The litter situation is gone and it was like any tropical country anywhere in the world. Almost.
Burma recognizes that the mess their country is in is a problem for tourism. Thailand, right next door has some lovely beaches and has about 20,000,000 tourists per year, it however does not have the garbage situation that its neighbour, Burma has, which only has about 2,000,000 visitors. Burma also has some lovely beaches.
I think there is hope in the youth of the country, but it will be an uphill grind. Those 50 years of Military Dictatorship has had its toll.
Our day was quite diversified: a run to the town of Dal, crossing the Yangon River by local ferryboat, a Tri-Shaw ride to a Pagoda where we visited, then back to the ferry for the ride across again, a luncheon snack in town at a British Era Hotel and then the bus ride back to the ship.
While at the Pagoda stop we had to take our shoes and socks off again! I hate walking barefoot, let alone on tiles where other barefoot people are walking, along with the damn dogs that seem to love places like that. Besides, the concrete path was not finished, it was often lumpy. The toilet was nowhere near where we took of our shoes off, however I walked the long bumpy, icky path to the toilet, looked in and decided that there was no way in the bloody world was I going to stand bare feet in puddles of piss, at a squat toilet. I would rather die!
[In case women don't know it is impossible to stand at a urinal without standing in some sort of liquid!]
[In case women don't know it is impossible to stand at a urinal without standing in some sort of liquid!]
Jim however, one day, may show you the interesting photo he took in there!
Yesterday, after the monastery trip, I had to peel some unidentified substance off the sole of my foot before putting my socks back on!!! I told myself that it was rice, but I knew that it wasn't. [I scrubbed the remainder off in the shower when we got back.] I should have told Buddha about that I guess.
We had a great day today and I took more pictures today than any day so far. Jim and I had a sauna and shower minutes after coming back on board around 1:30 this afternoon. Great to feel really clean again
The fellow British passengers are rather a funny lot, I think. Nothing seems to bother them and they take the lumps and bumps of foreign travel in true British style, observing and asking questions of the guide in what I consider a rather cute way. However, some of the elderly British Ladies are more like characters from an Agatha Christie movie than real people. I find it a bit charming.
I also find it a bit weird that here are Fellette and I, in our stateroom, tied up in old Rangoon and Fellette is reading and I am doing the blog each with a cup of tea. Have we been Englishified? I quite enjoyed it to tell you the truth. Maybe it is time to slow down and smell the roses!
We are at a new table in the dining room now. We have only sat with fellow passengers for one night since we came aboard 21 days ago. Tonight we had a great time with two British couples who are travelling separately. It is nice to be with people again at the end of the day.
We are at a new table in the dining room now. We have only sat with fellow passengers for one night since we came aboard 21 days ago. Tonight we had a great time with two British couples who are travelling separately. It is nice to be with people again at the end of the day.
A puppet at the Folkloric show that Fellette, Gail and Jim attended last night.
On board the Ferry crossing the Yangon river.
Local water taxi service here as well.
Leftover from the British Days do you think, or just Burmese courtesy? We whites are not really used to the denseness of people in some crowded situations in Asia.
Hordes of foreigners here!
Taxi?
More taxis.
My wife in her Tri-Shaw.
Gail and Jim awaiting the 'Go' signal and off we go, about 40 people each with a peddler.
Your author, dressed appropriately, for a while. If you cannot see the mouth it is hard to project a smile, which usually gets a smile in return.
Pagoda Town.
A 150 year old mummified monk is in there. At this point I was in bare feet and more interested in what I was stepping in!
Three kids give me and passers by a wave. There is hope.
Two more hopes for the world.
"Be it ever so humble..."
Corner store!
That novice monk is about six years old, out with his Begging Bowl early in the morning.
A cross-river ferry with the 'African Queen' tied up alongside.
Signs of improvement, a restored building.
And look, a real bank Building, things are improving.
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You may have noticed that I have given up with the words, Burma, Myanmar, Rangoon and Yangon. I am going back to what I was taught in school. Burma and Rangoon.
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