So where, you may ask, is Larry now?

If you drag out your dusty world atlases, which I am certain you have readily available, and look for Burma...

Oh, who am I kidding?

If you open up Google Maps on your web browser and search for either "Myanmar" or "Burma," you will probably find depicted there a chunk of geography in Southeast Asia shaped like a north-bound tadpole. This particular tadpole is bordered by Thailand, Lao (AKA, Laos), China, Bangladesh and the Andaman Sea (an offshoot of the Indian Ocean).

I said "probably" because as I write this, I have no immediate way to check it out.

Myanmar's government has throttled internet speeds and severely limited users' service options. It greatly stifles everyone's utilization of what has become a utility as vital as telephone service. When it is available, WiFi downloads resemble the dial-up speeds most of us endured during the last century's closing days. And the rulers refuse to let foreigners use cell service (such as AT&T) that they haven't directly sold you. Grrr!

If current trends continue, this will almost certainly improve over the next few years. But for now I lean on you, trusty readers, to perform the fact checking, at least for as long as these restrictions hobble my Google.

But that's where I am: In Myanmar, the land of Burmese (not Myanmar) tigers, Burmese (not Myanmar) rubies, and 19-foot-long Burmese (not Myanmar) pythons. Ah, nomenclature! Tradition can hang you up for generations, particularly when several powerful foreign powers (the USA among them) deny the rulers of Myanmar the right to cast off a colonial name imposed upon the country.

But what's in a name? I am having a ball in Yangon, which used to be called Rangoon. (Sorry. It's a difficult habit to break). Yangon is Myanmar's former capital and still its largest city. No matter where you look or listen, the city is bustling. I've uploaded some of my first photos (see below) to help introduce it to you.

It's difficult to ignore the city's slipshod infrastructure, the tattered old British colonial buildings that seem to be a science experiment in mildew culture, and the sardine-can transport that Yangon refers to as buses.

But thanks to Zoë's excellent directions, I have found my way around the city with ease. The atmosphere rings with pandemonium, but because the people tend to be patient with one another, a certain calm coexists with the chaos.

Watch for the news to come—complete with more photos.

Blog to you later!