Stumbling into an outdoor night market after strolling through the dimly lit streets of Nyaungshe we spotted a number of food vendors. One caught our eye - vividly so with the disco ball throwing orbs of bright light in all directions and the nearly blown out speaker playing everything from American folk songs to Myanmar pop songs. Oh and the smells coming from the BBQ including a number of intestinal products, locally caught fish and a variety … [Read more...]
Blessing of New House Ceremony by Monks, Thailand
Family and friends began gathering the day before this auspicious date. The music started quietly at first but with the giant speakers waiting to be fully utilized, the sound was quickly turned up. This was not a quiet event but a 2 day chance to party! Dishes, utensils, pots and pans were all brought in from the nearby temple and a number of village elders showed up to help chop, dice, slice and prepare a huge feast. The music carried on … [Read more...]
Impressions: Ulanbaatar, Mongolia
I landed in Ulanbaatar in the very early am. My pre-arranged ride was not waiting at airport so I found a taxi who promptly delivered me to my guest house, 20 mins to town w/o traffic. Two story guesthouse. I ended up on the second floor - frustrated because the inside door to the guesthouse was locked and it was 430am. Knocking over and over again resulted in no action from within. I began to prep a rudimentary sleeping arrangement in the … [Read more...]
Wineries in Thailand? Yes! A Visit to Thailand’s Smallest Winery, Alcidini Winery
Compared to our time intensive work of visiting hundreds of wineries in the world famous Napa Valley, visiting wineries in Thailand is a fairly straight forward endeavor. We were told there are only 6 wineries in the entire country, 4 of which are in the vicinity of Khao Yai; without spending much time at all, we have already visited 50% of the countries wineries. Our latest winery visit was to Alcidini (the latin name for a local Kingfisher … [Read more...]
A Perfect Vibe, Koh Mak, Thailand
A number of islands in Thailand or beach destinations, especially in the southern part of the country can be over tourist-ed at times and or are destinations for travelers who want to party. For many years I've been attracted to some of the islands in the north closer to the Cambodian border including one of my favorite islands in Thailand, Koh Kood. However, recently I made the trip to Koh Mak, a tiny neighboring island accessible via one of two … [Read more...]
Visiting Bagan, Myanmar
Bagan is the land of ancient temples - these stone spires dot the dusty landscape of what is called the Bagan Plains. We are visiting in the middle of winter, yet the temperatures are very warm during the day and pleasant at night; apparently rain has not fallen here for weeks. Coming from Inle Lake, some 6 hours away by bus we were startled by the dramatic difference in landscape. Inle Lake has plenty of water - in fact villages are built above … [Read more...]
Glimpses of Inle Lake, A must visit when in Myanmar
My formula for epic trips is something like this: travel with friends, seek out a diversity of unique and fun experiences, enjoy a bit of adventure, always imbibe in a bit of alcohol, find a balance between the natural and urban worlds, find good value for the money and meet other travelers. When Bohemian Vagabond suggested we visited Myanmar, I admit I wasn't super excited - having only visited once before near the Thai border and never … [Read more...]
The Evolution of Travel
Travel has changed so much in the past few years - during my latest trip abroad, this time to Myanmar, some of these changes were quite noticeable. Long gone are the days of Internet cafes where one would see travelers hunched over keypads staring at klutzy box like computer screens - often in the mornings or evenings after spending the day sightseeing. Today one is more likely to see one staring at a mobile phone - with travelers having … [Read more...]
Enjoying a Diversity of Experiences in Yangon, Myanmar
After landing at the modern airport in Yangon we quickly purchased a sim card with a local phone number. We were told that in the last few years the price of Internet and cell phones have dropped dramatically. One tour guide told us that in the last 10 years mobile phones have gone from costing more then $1000 to now being relatively affordable. Our taxi driver informed us that traffic in Yangon can be intense - horrific at times - traffic … [Read more...]
Wine Tasting in Myanmar
When traveling abroad, I always seek out wineries whenever possible. To some, going wine tasting in Myanmar might be somewhat of a surprise - an anomaly and to an extent it is. However, there are two wineries in the country, (Aythaya Vineyard and Red Mountain Estate) both in the vicinity of Inle Lake. Red Mountain Estate Winery is located on the outskirts of the small town of Nyaungshe. As one arrives, one quickly sees vineyards lining the … [Read more...]
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