John and Diane's LAST Round the World Adventure

It looks like you will be traveling with a great group on your overland. I'm really looking forward to the reports if/when you have time. Will you have a private guide in Israel or touring with your group on your own? I can only imagine that being in Jerusalem on Easter will be incredibly memorable. Here's hoping all goes well. Cherie

A lot of WC cruisers would appreciate a duplicate here on the WC site. Thanks and Bon Voyage.

Tuesday, March 10, 2015 - Day 64

Yangon, Myanmar

What a wonderfully exhausting day we’ve had! Although we were supposed to dock at 6:00 this morning, it was more like 7:30, and after we had collected our passports, we found our guide, Moe, and our driver ready to take us on today’s adventure. With just five of us - Ann, Cathy, Jeff, John and I - we had lots of room in the 10-passenger van.

The drive into Yangon took about an hour, and when we arrived, our first stop was on bustling Strand Road at the old colonial Strand Hotel for a brief walkabout and bathroom stop. Then we visited Botathaung Pagoda, which is famous among Buddhists for containing two hairs from Buddha’s head - or at least that’s what is believed.

The highlight of the morning for me was our walk through the morning market, several streets jammed full of people selling produce, fish, chicken (including the feet), and all kinds of things. It was a peek into the daily life of the people in Myanmar, and it told us a great deal about them. One thing that shocked me was watching a man come out of a hole full of black, oily nastiness looking like one of the chimney sweeps in Victorian London - except wet. For most of these people, it’s a day-to-day existence, and a morning market is a place to buy the makings of their daily meals, since many do not have refrigeration.

At noon it was time to check into our beautiful, modern hotel, the Sule Shangri-La, where we ran into all kinds of friends from the ship, some because they’re staying the night and some because they were on an HAL tour and were having lunch here. We really, really wanted the air conditioning in the hotel after a morning of hundred-degree heat (and nearly that much humidity), so we just stayed in the huge lobby and ordered sandwiches from the Paradise Cafe menu.

At 3:00 it was time to continue our adventures, and we walked a few blocks to the Scott Market, a huge warehouse-like structure with all kinds of jewelry (including Burmese jade), handicrafts and souvenirs. John found a $5.00 tee-shirt, we bought a cute little purse for our granddaughter, and there was a small watercolor of monks in procession that I couldn’t resist - especially for $10.00.

Then it was time for the highlight of the day, the Shwedagon Pagoda, the #1 attraction in Yangon and a 2,600 year old series of structures that just take your breath away. The enormous stupa in the middle is covered with gold leaf and is crowned by a 76-carat diamond at the top. It’s surrounded by dozens and dozens of intricately decorated buildings, smaller pagodas, and statues. The shrine covers over 35 acres, and it was crowded with people from all over the world as well as many people from Myanmar. There were also dozens of Buddhist monks and nuns, some as young as 5, since every good Buddhist is supposed to serve at least a short period in this service. Moe, our guide, spent 2-1/2 months as a monk in his early 20’s, and his 7-year-old son has already done a three-day stint - which he loved. The Pagoda area itself was just amazing - it was almost like a Buddhist Disneyland, with all kinds of buildings, lots of gold, people worshipping and/or sightseeing, and it just blew me away. I think it’s on my top 10 list of places I’ve ever visited.

By the time we finished, washed our feet, put our shoes back on, and got into the van, it was a little after 6:00 and time to return to our beautiful hotel. We decided without much discussion at all that dinner would be a granola bar and a glass of wine, followed by a soak in the oversized tub and a good night’s sleep. After all, Moe is picking us up at 6:45 tomorrow morning for our flight to Bagan, so we’d better get some rest.

P. S. I picked up the new book club book yesterday afternoon. It’s The Paradise Guest House and it is centered around the terrorist bombing in Bali and its aftermath, focusing on one particular character. It’s short and I’ve brought it along for airplane reading.

Thank you for taking us on this overland journey. We visited there in

1986, and stayed at the Strand Hotel, one of two hotels for Westerners

in the city. Please to inquire, do you have a sight where you post your

pictures. We would be honoured to see them, and the changes. You

flight and site tomorrow is one of our favourites. We are so anxious, to hear of the changes as we probally will never visit there again. Again,

thanks.

Thanks for your nice comments. We are really enjoying Myanmar so far and would be happy to share the photos with you. They're on Facebook, and the site is:

dianeandjohn st john

Be sure to leave the spaces where indicated. John writes the short blog to accompany the photos. Hope you enjoy it.

Thanks for posting of FB - just terrific! Keep on enjoying...and posting.

Thanks for the facebook info. MB

Thanks for posting of FB - just terrific! Keep on enjoying...and posting.

Ditto

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

I did the Balloons over Bagan several years ago on a land tour - I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Bagan is such a special place.

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Bagan, Myanmar

We are truly in one of the most amazing places on earth. Bagan looks like Buddha flew over dropping mushroom seeds, and each of them grew up as a temple or pagoda. They are everywhere! In face, when you get off the plane, you must pay US$20 to enter an archeological site, because the whole area is one.

Most of the temples here were built in the 10th-12th centuries and were an outgrowth of the inhabitants’ strong Buddhist faith and the prosperity of the area. The development stopped in the 1200’s when Kubla Khan conquered the area, and we’re just happy that structures were not destroyed. We did learn some definitions here: a temple is a building that people may enter; a pagoda or stupa (same thing) is a solid building. Between the two, there are over 3,000 structures, and you really can’t turn around without seeing dozens.

We began our day with a smooth, short flight from Yangon on a fairly new airline called Yadanarpon (I know you’ve never heard of it). When we arrived, our new guide, Kin,

picked us up and, although we were supposed to go straight to the hotel, we were oohing and aahing so much over the number and beauty of the area that she had our driver stop several times for photos, and then she took us to Shwesandaw pagoda, where we climbed to the top for a phenomenal view over the countryside (and hundreds of pagodas and temples). It was five flights of stairs to the top, and I’ve never scaled stairs that steep in my life. Each one was probably 14-18” high, and if I thought going up was tough, going down was even tougher. We tried to wish the haze in the sky away, but it didn’t work.

We finally got to our hotel at about 11:00, and they were kind enough to check us right in. Our rooms are all in a row at the bottom of the hill and overlooking the Irrawaddy River - just a beautiful view. Because of the intense heat (about 102 today), we were on our own until 3:00, so we used the time for a brief attempt at a nap, some lunch in the open-air restaurant overlooking the river, and a quick swim. Since we’re in the middle of the old town, there are golden towers in almost every direction.

This afternoon consisted of visits to a few more temples and pagodas, the best being Ananda Temple which contains four huge standing Buddhas - all covered with gold leaf. We decided to end the day watching the sunset from another temple, but we became impatient and decided to head back to the hotel instead - where we missed sunset entirely. Oh well, tomorrow we’ll catch it at the hotel over the Irrawaddy.

After getting Jeff’s blog posted (using our computer as well as his), we all met for dinner at the same open-air restaurant and while we ate we watched the lights across the river as well as the lights on some small boats. It really was magical, and then at the end of the meal we celebrated Ann’s birthday with a cake that had been provided by the hotel.

It was a wonderful day, and I can only advise that if you come to Myanmar, you should spend a great deal of time in Bagan. Now it’s time for bed - we’re being picked up at 5:30 for our Balloons Over Bagan ride.

March 12, 2015 - I’ve lost track of days

Bagan, Myanmar

Once in a while, you have experiences that you know you’ll never forget, that are absolutely Top 10 on your list of life events. That happened this morning, when we woke up at 4:30, were collected at 5:30, and drove to a spot in Bagan to begin our Balloons over Bagan adventure. We’ve done a hot air balloon ride only once, in the chateau area of France, but that’s been a long time ago. That one was amazing, and this one is even more unforgettable.

For a place that’s as hot as this one, 5:30 in the morning is pretty chilly, so as we had coffee and tea and waited for our balloon assignments, we shivered a bit. Then two uniformed men called us together and gave us our assignments, 16 to a basket. We were assigned to Gavin, who looks about 16 but has been flying hot air balloons for three years in Myanmar and several more in England.

We watched as they pumped air into the balloon and then turned on the burners to heat the air, causing the balloons to rise. We climbed into the baskets, the ropes were loosed, and we were off. As we rose, there were dozens and dozens of temples and pagodas surrounded by early morning mist, as the sun rose in the east. We climbed to 1,000 feet and clicked away, taking between 400 and 500 photos between the two of us. I’m terrified of heights, but this was a completely different experience, causing me no concern at all. It was just magical, and as we went between a thousand feet and tree level, we saw a whole new view of the temples in the area. I cannot recommend this enough. If you check John’s Facebook post, you’ll see way too many photos of our experience.

Our landing was just a little rough - not too bad - and we were greeted by excellent French Champagne and pastries, along with a certificate (in Myanmar) stating that we had completed our balloon ride. The bus then took us back to our hotel in time for breakfast, and we were ready for another day of temple/pagoda visits.

We visited a few temples, one with paintings from the 12th century, but by noon we were ready to call it a day, so our driver took us back to the hotel for a blissful free afternoon to nap, swim, and do whatever we liked. Sunset on the river was wonderful, and now it’s almost time for dinner.

If you’ve ever contemplated a hot air balloon ride but were hesitant because of the height or the cost, just DO IT. It is absolutely worth it, and you will remember it forever.

What a breathtaking experience for you! The photos are beautiful - I can only imagine the sounds and smells you were experiencing as the world below began to wake up. The photos on FB are wonderful, thank you for sharing them.

I've had the opportunity to go up in a balloon a number of years ago to fly around our city and countryside and was amazed at how easy it was. There was no fear, as you didn't feel like you were flying.

Thank you again for taking us along on your wonderful adventure.

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

March 13, 2015

Inle Lake, Myanmar

We had never heard of Inle Lake before we planned our trip to Myanmar, and I’ll bet you haven’t either, but we have found it to be one of the most fascinating and unique places we’ve ever visited. It’s the second largest lake in Myanmar and visiting is almost like going to a different world or a different time. The lake is populated by long-tailed boats which are about four feet across and thirty feet long, and most of them are operated by Intha fishermen who are called “leg rowers.” They row standing up with one leg wrapped around a single oar, so that their hands are free to operate the fishing nets.

After being collected at the airport, we stopped at a monastery for young Buddhist monks. We were free to wander through the building, and when I began to enter their bed/living space, John said that we shouldn’t invade their privacy. I went in anyway, and found that the four young boys in there were in a tight little group - playing video games! It seemed incongruous while dressed in their burgundy monks’ robes.

It was a lovely hour ride on one of these long-tailed boats to arrive at our hotel, where the entire structure is built on stilts. It’s a bit like staying in an overwater in Bora Bora, but with brown water below us instead of turquoise. As soon as we got settled in, it was time to jump back in the boats (two of them for the six of us - including Nini, our guide) and headed for lunch. One thing that might convince you to come to Myanmar is the prices. After ordering drinks and main courses for five us us at lunch, the bill came to about $35.00. The mains averaged about $5.00 each and came with a local soup and a cabbage salad. Lunch was wonderful.

Afterwards, it was back into the boats where we continued with a visit to the “Long-Necked Ladies,” or women from the northern mountain tribes who put gold rings around their necks, one each year, to lengthen their necks and “beautify” themselves. The ones we saw had eight to twelve rings - and mighty long necks.

Then we were off to another monastery, followed by a boat ride through the floating gardens, where inhabitants of houses on stilts have added soil to the water until it forms rows and rows of agricultural land, interspersed with small canals of water. 65% of the people in the Shan province (where we are) are farmers, mostly at a subsistence level. Work is sunup to sundown, and it makes us appreciate all the more what we have. They seldom have running water or indoor plumbing, letting sewage simply drain into the lake or its tributaries. We often saw children playing in the water, people bathing in it, and even one young man brushing his teeth. I guess it’s just all what you’re used to.

Our last stop for the day was a village where we walked the streets, greeting adults and children, moving aside for the occasional motorbike, and then walking across about a half mile of rice paddies. In the middle of the paddies, we came across a farmer giving his water buffalo a bath - or rather letting the hard-working creature splash around in a small pond for a good long while.

Then it was time for our boats to take us across the lake again, under a beautiful bright red sunset, back to our hotel. A quick splash in the pool made us feel better, and a light dinner (after a big lunch) completed the day.

We’ll be picked up in our boats tomorrow morning at 8:30 for more adventures on the lake and then a late afternoon flight back to Yangon. I can’t say enough about our fascination with Inle Lake, but if you ever come to Myanmar, don’t miss it.

Another awesome report - thanks for sharing. What is the purpose of the white painted circles on the children's faces - 1 on the forehead and one on each cheek?

It is such a treat to read your adventures in Myanmar.

Thank you! The photos from your balloon ride are stunning, I've never had any real desire to visit region (west coaster like you, & I don't know if I could deal with actual humidity) but now, seeing your photos, I think I have a new item on my bucket list.

Another awesome report - thanks for sharing. What is the purpose of the white painted circles on the children's faces - 1 on the forehead and one on each cheek?

It's called thanaka and is made from bark. It is used for both cosmetic purposes on women and children and also as prevention against sunburn. When I visited Burma I often saw intricate leaf patterns used on cheeks.

My fault - lost Johnny & Diane's webpage. Would someone kindly re-post it.

Thanks.

My fault - lost Johnny & Diane's webpage. Would someone kindly re-post it.

Thanks.

DianeandJohn St John

On FB. Spelled out just like that.

March 14 and 15, 2015 -

Inle Lake to Yangon, Myanmar to New Delhi, India

What an amazing five days we’ve had in Myanmar. We’ve wanted to come here for quite some time, and as our friend and traveling companion Jeff said, “It has exceeded all expectations.” If we were to change anything, it would be to stay longer, provide a little more free time, and take the boat to Mandalay.

The culture here is quite unique. The common clothing is the lon gyi, which looks like a long skirt. On the men, it is tied in the front and worn to look like pants in the front and a skirt in the back. On women, it is tied on the side and looks just like a skirt. It is perfect apparel for the climate, being open and cool. One other unique cultural piece is thanakha, which one of my readers explained. It comes from the thanakha tree, and women buy it in what look like 6 or 8-inch pieces of a fat branch. They then scrape the interior bark area with a rock, adding water, and creating a paste. I was told by both male and female guides that the use of thanakha enhances beauty, protects from the sun and brings good luck. You see it on children as well as adults. And yes, the male guide said that women were more beautiful with thanakha.

Yesterday, we were awakened - and awakened - and awakened - by a series of loud longboat motors passing our overwater room on their way to the market which occurs every five days. We were lucky enough to be here for one, but I guess it was a mixed blessing. Oh well, we made it through just fine. After breakfast and checking out of our lovely hotel, we hopped into our longboats and headed to the market. We felt lucky enough to be here for the once every five days market held at a large temple, one which we had visited the day before.

Myanmar is a country of many cultures and tribes. There are the Shan, the Burmese, and many others. They can be identified by clothing and head coverings, and we saw several different groups represented at the market. The most common was the Shan, since we were in Shan state, and those women wore red patterned cloth wrapped around their heads. Others wore a variety of different outfits.

The market was a true local market, and when we arrived, we were the only five non-locals in the several acre area, but later were joined by a group of French tourists. We saw fruits, vegetables, dried fish, jewelry, fabric, clothing, and lots and lots more. It was a fascinating experience.

Next we were off to a hillside village which is the location of over 500 pagodas, built over a period of several hundred years. We hiked up hills and over areas which held dozens of these pagodas, some of which are crumbling, some have been rebuilt, and some just look brand new.

Then it was time to head back to the head of the lake where we had lunch and continued on to the airport. Right now we’re in Yangon at a hotel near the airport. We fly from here to Kuala Lumpur and then on to New Delhi (on Malaysian Airlines - send your good thoughts our way). It will be fascinating to compare the cultures here in Myanmar with that in India, and soon we’ll be on our way to do just that.

Thanks for the reports on Myanmar. The pictures were wonderful.

We so enjoyed seeing the area again. There area again, though

so much more traffic. Sorry that you didn't

get to Mandalay. Hopefully, you were able to get some of those

lovely little red things. Again, thanks for taking the time to post and

to give us a taste of your wonderful travels.

Diane I can't thank you, John, Jeff and our friends Ann and Cathy enough for taking us along on your journey through Myanmar (and indeed the whole world cruise). Your narratives, the facebook posts and Jeff and John's amazing pictures have enriched my life for sure.

March 16, 2015

Varanasi, India

India is a delight to senses or a sensory overload - or both at different times. We haven’t been here for a year, but we really love coming back. After our brief (11:00 PM to 7:00 AM) overnight at an airport hotel in New Delhi (and surviving Malaysian Airlines, which was wonderful), we took an early morning flight to Varanasi, the holiest city in the Hindu religion as well as near the site where Buddha preached his first sermon to his first five disciples.

Driving the 20 km from the airport to the hotel, we saw a brief microcosm of what India is like: cattle walking across the road, open front stores, trash everywhere, people everywhere, and motorbikes and tuk-tuks crowding the roads. It was wonderful, and our friends Ann and Cathy Scott, who’ve never been here before, weren’t even put off by it. It gives a whole new meaning to the term “sea of humanity.”

When we arrived at the hotel, we found that there would be a wait for our rooms, so John and I volunteered to wait for the rooms while Jeff and the sisters took a two-hour tour of the city and the river. If you’ve ever seen photos or video of cremations on the Ganges River, this is the place where it happens. About 250 cremations a DAY happen here, and our friends saw a half dozen of them.

After we were collected for our afternoon/evening tour, we drove to Sarnath, where the stupa and ruins are on the site of Buddha’s first sermon. Driving there was even more amazing than the drive to the hotel. There were cows and bulls everywhere, including groups lying in the middle of the road. We also saw perhaps two dozen pigs in the middle of piles of garbage. The green and yellow tuk tuks reminded us of Mumbai, and the bicycle rickshaw drivers and passengers take their lives in their hands every mile. There is constant noise, because cars and motorbikes honk whenever they want to pass (which is most of the time). Our guide, Santos, told us there are three things you need to drive in Varanasi: good brakes, a good horn and good luck. Complicating the driving even further is the fact that some streets are paved, some are not, and some were probably paved sometime in the early 20th century. One thing that I know for sure is that HAL will NEVER bring a shore excursion here. It makes Mumbai look calm by comparison. As fairly adventurous travelers, we don't feel that we need sanitized places and tours to make us happy. While we do enjoy the good life and beach resorts on Bali, we are still fascinated by the "down and dirty" real life here in India and we don't feel threatened by living conditions that are so very different from what most of us are used to.

After Sarnath we headed to the Ganges River to see as much as we could, both by foot and by boat. We could only drive so far in our van, so that was the time to change to bicycle rickshaws, two passengers each. Now that was an “E” ride at Disneyland! We rode over chuck holes the size of a small child and swerved rapidly to avoid being a victim of a motorbike, tuk tuk or a large bull. After about 20 minutes of that ride (which added a couple of years to us), we were dropped off for a ten-minute walk down to the river. What an amazing first impression. It’s probably 200 yards wide, and while there were some people on the other side, the area where we arrived was where the real action was. There’s concrete everywhere, from the stairs down to the platforms and then more stairs down to the water. There were thousands of people spread out along the river, most walking along but some swimming in the water - not something any of us were willing to try. After wandering for awhile, we boarded our small rowboat and our young man rowed us out into the middle of the river so we could collect containers of river water for Shiv and Made, two Hindu officers and friends on the ship. When Jeff took Ganges water from Varanasi to Shiv a couple of years ago, he was treated like he had given pure gold as a gift.

We continued rowing until we got to the area where most cremations take place. As we sat there, there were, by our count, 11 cremations taking place as well as four wrapped bodies waiting - covered by lots and lots of marigold blossoms. It was as unusual an activity as I’ve ever seen, but it’s an everyday event here. Santos, a Hindu, told us that the Hindu’s ultimate goal is to die in Varanasi, be cremated on the river bank, and have his/her ashes scattered in the Ganges. A really nice touch is that one can buy a small paper candle holder with a tea candle and marigolds for about 17 cents, light it in the boat and set it “out to sea” to memorialize those who were cremated.

There are also two ceremonies every night, in areas toward the middle and away from the cremations. Each one is run by Brahman priests (the highest caste) and is attended by thousands of people who sit in chairs or on steps. There is music and incense and it lasts for about 45 minutes. We watched from our boat for about 10 minutes but then decided that the mosquitos had won and we rowed to shore to begin our trip back to the hotel. It was even more crowded heading back on the tuk tuks, but we survived the trip and finally arrived back at the hotel at about 7:30, ready for a quick beer (and a shandy) in the hotel bar and then to bed, ready for our 5:00 wakeup call and another boat ride on the Ganges. As our friend Ann said, it is impossible to convey the reality of cities like Varanasi in movies; you just have to come here.

P. S. Thanks for the lovely comments - and John and Jeff thank you too. I do love comments, so anyone who has anything to say will make me very happy.

Your posts are so positive and interesting. Especially love to revisit places we have sailed on HAL through your eyes. The posts from this overland trip have been outstanding. You hit just the right balance between detail, opinion and travelogue! It is amazing how visual writing can be when the writer is as engaged as you are!

Your photos elsewhere have been a great addition of Jeff's and we thank you for taking the time to post!

Looking forward to more of India!

Having been only to Mumbai and Cochin, your descriptions of Varanasi (as well as Myanmar) are phenomenal and exceptional. What an amazing experience! Your writing is so excellent and detailed that I feel as though I am traveling with you in the crowds, on the tuk tuks, on the river and weaving around the animals in the streets. We love India and would love to do what you are doing now. Great photos on Facebook! Thank you!