Market in Bagan: Betel nuts and new unit of measurement
The morning starts with a market tour, which I always like because there are always new vegetables and strange things to discover. The market in Bagan is, like in any other Asian country, a very hectic place where people trade quite loudly with each other. First we learn
500000 Buddhas in a single temple
The Thanboddhay Pagoda is a beautiful temple complex at the foot of a hill, which was built over 10 years ago. No wonder, considering that there are 500,000 Buddha statues and lots of gold to see. As soon as we arrive, the pagoda magically attracts us. The
The Giant Buddha in Monywa: The most beautiful detour off the beaten track
Actually, Monywa wasn’t on our itinerary. Since we want to show our gratitude to our taxi driver, who brought back the Burmese monthly salary in the form of our mobile phone, we decide to engage our taxi driver instead of the bus for the way from Mandalay to Bagan. For
Cycle tour of horror
In the morning we meet our driver at 7am sharp. He actually came back and he actually has the cell phone we thought we had lost! It’s hard to believe how honest these people are. In Europe, I wouldn’t have dreamed someone would bring it back.
Our driver also tells us a
Pagodas, Mandalay hill and other wonders
Sight seeing in Mandalay
First we visit the Kuthodaw Pagoda, which houses about 800 small white pagodas next to a big golden stupa. The construction is simply impressive and it is wonderfully peaceful here. Accompanied by romantic birdsong and dramatic cloud formations we make our rounds here
The search for the Royal Palace
Due to the jetlag the night in the queen size bed is already over for me at 4:57 o’clock and I can’t expect to finally get under a warm shower. After I felt 30 minutes longing for warm water I have to realize that the shower will stay cold and turn my relaxing bath into
Entry and experiments with the power supply
Travel preparations
This time we really want to make a journey off the beaten track. The undiscovered corners of Southeast Asia are rare and North Korea is probably still at the top of the list. In view of the recent nuclear bomb test, however, this year we are opting for the somewhat less