This morning we flew from Bagan to Mandalay. Our first activity here was to watch 1500 monks gather for their mid-day meal. It was rather embarassing as there were nearly as many tourists as monks, and it seemed rather rude to be staring at them as they came to eat. However, it was interesting to see how 1500 people are fed every day. Many of the monks are quite young as you can see in the photo. From the monastery we made a stop at the Saunder's Weaving Schoo...

Easy day today. We rented bikes and rode around the village near us. It was interesting to see women washing clothes in the river, pigs in the back yards, and life in rural Bagan. After visiting a couple more temples we decided to have a relaxing afternoon around our pool. Bagan is a magical place which rivals Angkor Wat on scale and impressiveness. The stone carvings are not as intricate as Angkor Wat, but the many Buddha statues in the temples are perfectly p...

What a great day! Today we had a horse cart and young driver who drove us around Bagan to visit more temples. Our driver was great - fun and very accommodating - even if his teeth were stained black from chewing betel nuts! We visited at least 20 sites all together. Many had death-defying stairs leading up to narrow outer walkways which were missing bricks in strategic places. However, the great views of the area made the challenges worthwhile. For lunch we ha...

The train finally arrived 4 hours late in Bagan. Ron figures that the train ride was the most dangerous ride of any kind that we have ever taken, but we did arrive safely - if somewhat battered - and saw a fascinating glimpse of simple rural life. When he met us, our guide said, "Not many tourists take the train." Now we know why! Bagan - a magical place with temples and stupas as far as you can see, dating from the 11th century. There are over 2000 in total. Th...

Here we are in Myanmar after a brief stop in Bangkok - just long enough to see the flooding, have some great street food and enjoy a decadent massage. Yangon is a city that must have once been grand, but has seen better days. The old colonial buildings are still standing, but most need a lot of help to bring them back to what they once were. Our hotel was once grand and the inside is still quite luxurious, but Ron winces when he looks at the needed maintenance ...