Dear Emily: For almost 2.5 months of zig-zagging around Asia, you’ve held it together through many really awesome highs and a few unfortunate but worth-the-experience lows, all of which you’ve shrugged off and laughed about in a way that you never could have in your past life. It’s been quite a journey, and you know for sure [...]
Day 61: British, No, AMERICAN Engineering
12 March, 2013 By 2 Comments
I took the train through the mountains from Hsipaw to Pyin Oo Lwin primarily to see the Goteik viaduct. It’s an impressive 2,260 ft-long bridge over a very deep valley. Built in 1900, it holds just one railroad track. The crossing is very slow and pretty terrifying. If you suffer from vertigo, DON’T LOOK DOWN. [...]
Days 52-53: Finding the Charm of Inle Lake
11 March, 2013 By 1 Comment
Harrowing journey to Nyuangshwe aside, Inle Lake was a lovely way to follow up on my great experience in Yangon. The general sentiment among travelers I’ve encountered in Myanmar and through online forums is “oh, Inle is SO touristy” — but the reality is that “touristy” is relative. Compared to Thailand, everything in Myanmar seems [...]
Day 49: The Circle Train
5 March, 2013 By 5 Comments
It’s easy, when in a city, to get caught up in urban life. There’s certainly enough to do in Yangon for days, even weeks, without venturing beyond the city limits. But spend a few hours on the train — any train, really — and it’s possible to see a totally different side of Myanmar. The Circle [...]
Days 47-48: Thank You for Visiting Yangon
4 March, 2013 By 2 Comments
I fell in love with Myanmar within about an hour of getting off the plane from Bangkok, and nearly two weeks into my time here, that feeling hasn’t changed a bit. Let’s start from the very beginning. Yangon and Mandalay are the gateways to the country for most travelers, and I chose the former for no real reason [...]
Days 50-51: Yangon to Inle in 33 Hours
1 March, 2013 By 3 Comments
At the halfway point of my trip, I still hadn’t had many opportunities to travel by train. I zig-zagged up through Malaysia on buses and island-hopped in Thailand on a lot of buses and boats, and Cambodia has no functioning rail system. But Myanmar — Myanmar is probably best seen by train, and that was exactly how I wanted [...]
Dispatches from BurMyanmar*
28 February, 2013 By 2 Comments
My internet access has been less than regular so far in Myanmar, but lack of connectivity has in no way been a hindrance to ongoing adventures. It’s not far off to say that Myanmar is the country I planned most of my trip around. I knew it would be a challenge, an adventure, an expense, [...]
Day 46: Fight Night in Bangkok
20 February, 2013 By 1 Comment
After markets, a great way to get to know a community is through sports. Soccer is obviously a good bet anywhere in the world, and I’ve encountered some great local games in my travels. When in Bangkok, spectating a muay thai fight is an absolute must. Lumpini and Ratchadamnoen stadiums are the venues of choice [...]
Because I’ve Been Asked More Than Once
19 February, 2013 By 3 Comments
Day 41: The Elephant Valley Project
18 February, 2013 By 1 Comment
In the first draft of my adventure list, I wrote down “ride an elephant.” But the more research I did on how to make it happen, the more I realized that this is the last thing you should attempt to do when you visit Asia. Trekking and tourist camps are everywhere, even at Angkor Wat, [...]
