Mandalay City

... acabat engreixant els comptes dels membres de la junta militar).

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Getting to Mandalay on a night bus is not made for those with sensible spirit. The 14-hours long ride is completely unbearable: first the temperature is kept just above freezing point and I am wearing a swimming suit and secondly, even if one manages to sleep, the bus stops every couple of hours and they kick out everyone. On top of that, we should add the snoring of the ...

... dusty road and a score of longyi-clad men walking home from the match (Barcelona 2 - 0 Man. U.) - both separately in the middle of nowhere. We stop for the toilet, again in the middle of nowhere and even the blissfully sleeping aisle woman wakes up to use the facilities. We grind to a halt and 2 of the boys jump out with a jerry can for drinking water and a torch and fill up in the less than clean looking canal beside the road. And then, when we ...

... trip. After flying from Thailand to Kunmin, the capital of Yunnan Province in southwestern China, where I had met Tim, we had boarded a bus for a 20-hour overnight ride to western Yunnan, where we had planned to meet our Kachin contact. It was November 2008, and with the rainy season over, our trip stood a better chance of success. After crossing the river from China, we finally reached northern Myanmar, in the ...

... hold goods, toiletries,... It is like a mall. We found Eindawya Paya which has a Buddha with Naga protecting him and a large gold leaf zedi. Once again the camera is a big hit with some boys who were playing with pretend swords there. Nearby there is a couple of shops were monks can purchase the items they need. That was ...

... of a trishaw driver. It is why they ask questions about where you are staying and your comings and goings. Outside of the Guesthouse I was staying at was a boy dressed as a monk. Cute kid, with a kind face, and pretty good English. He was fake. It was a shame that he was not in school. Not terribly common, but anyone dressed as a monk that isn't wandering from door to door is fake. In the end, he asked me for money.

... so attainable. He asked for 6 dollars and we gave him the 2 he had quoted us earlier. There are 6 billion people in the world, a harsh reality and you can't help them all. It's a thought that often forces itself into my consciousness in order to justify my feeling of helplessness and lack of empathy for the desperation that is Asia. After a tour of Asia, it takes A LOT to make me feel sorry for someone.

... and to watch our valuable. Around the third circling around the tree and whilst heading back into the temple one the Natkadaw`s starting speaking to my guide. It turned out he was good family friend of my guide and also the third most respected Natkadaw in the country. The conversation continued each time he passed and we were told that we were invited to join him after the ceremony - cool! The anticipation was building up as it got nearer to the seventh circling and therefore the cutting ...

... their office innocently enough, just to see about delaying our departure from Yangon to Bangkok. Myanmar was going so much better than Thailand, why not maximize our time here? That was accomplished quickly, and our most gracious agent asked about our future plans. He was smooth. We later learned he was one of the "Seven Diamonds", managing family partners (Indian heritage, I think) in a chain of Travel Agencies around the country ...

... Brits for Xmas Eve. Needless to say we all had the same intentions of getting shittered. We hit our target. Due to the volume of driving and condition of the roads, Xmas day was to be spent driving. No sooner had we left our little village and Zol looked a bit concerned. Puncture. No worries, we bailed out put the temporary tyre on and drove to a shack that 'mends' tyres. Burma the way it is they don't replace ...