Sunday, January 27, 2013

Unspoiled beautiful golden Myanmar

Myanmar the country of gold, the country of pagodas, monks, lovely people, beautiful nature, more pagodas, more monks, tea, quite some rubbish everywhere around you, very very slow trains, Buddism, longyi, guesthouse Mr Kid, vomit bags, winery, some English but mainly sign language for tourists, Mandalay, Inle Lake, Bagan, Yangon or Rangoon.

And did I mention unspoiled? Within 24 hours somebody had asked me if the mobile phone I was carrying was an Iphone5. 'You know Iphone5? It is the newest version of Apple's smart phone. It is really fast, slim, light.' ehhhhh how come YOU know about the existence of Apple and Iphone at all. I thought this country was still untouched by western marketing…. apparently not. But that doesn't make this paradise less interesting. 

Mountains, valleys, many many yellow flowers, amazing sun sets, terrific sun rises, dogs and dogs and dogs, incomprehensible script, meditation, saddle pain, intestines for dinner, no cash machines what results in black markets to change your dollars, Infinity Buddha Power pills, Golden Rock, Pakokku, Hsipaw, Amarapura.

A country you really should go to! Especially if you love the challenge of finding your way around and the uncertainty of having a nice bed each night. In that case, please go as soon as possible. Since 2012 tourism is exploding; the number of hotels and buses is growing. One time I had to pay for a - what they called - a 'toilet'. Myanmar still has the charm of Buddhism and peacefulness