TravelStream™ news feed for member andrew.chudiak on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/andrew.chudiak en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Wed, 11 Feb 2009 10:38:48 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andrew.chudiak/1/1234193100/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andrew.chudiak/1/1234193100/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andrew.chudiak/1/1234193100/tpod.html Wed, 11 Feb 2009 10:38:48 -0500 Australia and Beyond...

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Bangkok, Thailand

Up early to catch my flight. 5:30am and at the airport for 6am, a day of passport checks, queuing and bad in flight food has begun.

The flight is only an hour and once we land in Bangkok, I leave my bag at the airport so I can travel around un-hindered. The bus takes me to Khao San, a familiar place now, I know exactly what I need to do and where to go.

I get breakfast and jump in a cab to take to Playground!, a shopping mall specialising in Japanese kitsch and toys. When we finally go down the street, it doesn't seem to be where my trusty Lonely Planet tells me it should be. I get decide to walk it and ask people on the way. 2 people point in the direction, but it is no-where to be seen. A group of moto-taxi drivers tell me it closed down a long time ago and now there is a Sony Style Centre and a Starbucks. Great!

I decide to go to Emporium, the posh shopping mall in Bangkok, to check some local designers and the movies. There is nothing on at the cinema so I start my souvenir shopping in Propaganda. Next it's back to Khao San, just as the night market starts, for the usual t-shirts and traditional gifts. I manage to fill my day right up until I get the bus back to the airport.

On the bus it hits me that I am leaving for the last time. It's sad, and although I am looking forward to seeing my friends and family, I feel like I could stay for longer. Seeing people just starting their trips, or over hearing a conversation between people who are planning a month in the south makes me jealous. It's hard to leave, but I have bill to pay and the next trip to save up for.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andrew.chudiak/1/1234105800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andrew.chudiak/1/1234105800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andrew.chudiak/1/1234105800/tpod.html Wed, 11 Feb 2009 10:22:07 -0500 Australia and Beyond...

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Yangon, Myanmar

Back for a day before I fly home. It feels sad to leave any country, but especially when i will be starting be starting my journey home.

I don't have allot to do here, but I am told to go to the riverside, which is a short walk away, by a guy who has family here. Local advice is always the best. I am also told to go up Sakura Tower for great views of the city. Sounds like a plan.

I am trying to access my email, but seems to harder than usual. Most places in places in Yangon block Yahoo, but there should be a few places that don't. Seems like the places I went last time have started to block them.

I give up after a while, I can do it in Bangkok.

After the sun goes down, it's time find some football and dinner. This is easy and I settle in for rice, beer and the North London Derby. On the way back some guys are playing football in the street. There is very little light and they are playing barefoot. The goals are simply bricks stood on one end and they invite me to play, as long as i am barefoot. It's great fun and, although they don't speak English, they do speak football. After half an hour, they go to watch the other football game on TV and I go back to my guesthouse. My feet are on fire after running on the asphalt for 30mins. I hope it's better before tomorrow.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andrew.chudiak/1/1234017720/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andrew.chudiak/1/1234017720/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andrew.chudiak/1/1234017720/tpod.html Wed, 11 Feb 2009 10:00:20 -0500 Australia and Beyond...

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Chaungtha, Myanmar

For the past 5 days, I have been hanging around the beach not doing anything. The idea is to get a sun tan before I leave to make everyone jealous back home. Clearly, I got burnt on the first day and had stay in the shade for 2 days so I could recover.

Still, the sun tan is back. I met up with the Aussie guys from Inle Lake. We spent some time playing guitar with a group of locals, drinking and laughing. They left after 3 days to go back home.

The beach is very quiet. There are hardly any tourists and those that are here are all staying in the same hotel/resort. There are some Myanmar tourists here though and, although they think we are mad for trying to get a sun tan, (and going into the sea with just shorts on), they are friendly enough and I end up playing beach football with a group of local guys for a couple of days.

My time here runs out and I head off back to Yangon for a couple of days before I fly home. This is probably the last sun I will see for a while.
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Chaungtha, Myanmar

The taxi picks me up at 5:30am and the bus station is 30mins away. Yangon looks different. The streets, usually busy with people and traffic, are calm and very few people are around.

Waiting at the bus stop for 30mins before a long and painful journey with my knees up to my chin for 8hrs. When we finally arrive, we are all dropped off at the same hotel. In reception there are 2 Aussies and their guides that I met in Lake Inle. We say hi and have the usual catching up conversation when we go out and buy a bottle of whiskey each and some coke. The Coke cost less than the whiskey (seriously) and we spend the rest of the day chatting, getting drunk and playing guitar.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andrew.chudiak/1/1233544800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andrew.chudiak/1/1233544800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andrew.chudiak/1/1233544800/tpod.html Fri, 06 Feb 2009 22:37:45 -0500 Australia and Beyond...

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Yangon, Myanmar

In Yangon, waiting for the bus to take me to Chaungtha for a few days
of relaxing by the beach. I have a few things which I need to do,
change flight details and book my bus ticket, and so off I go to do my
chores.



I had planned to go to the English class that I visited on my first
trip here, however, due to a lack of sleep I go back to my room for a
lie down. The next thing I know its 10pm and I am wide awake. I run off
to find somewhere to eat and go back to my room in a vein attempt to sleep. My bus is booked for 6:30am and so I am debating whether to try and sleep or just stay awake.

It's not my decision to make. The next thing I know it's 5:30am and the receptionist is knocking on my door to tell me my taxi is here.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andrew.chudiak/1/1233296280/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andrew.chudiak/1/1233296280/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andrew.chudiak/1/1233296280/tpod.html Fri, 06 Feb 2009 22:17:50 -0500 Australia and Beyond...

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Yangon, Myanmar

Today I am preparing for the longest bus ride in Myanmar. 16hrs to Yangon. The preparation consists of getting up as late as possible and doing as little as possible before the journey starts.

Breakfast, Internet, lunch and then hanging around my guest house until the bus turns ups is the idea. It works out rather well and I am crammed into a tiny seat for rest of the day.

One of the problems with these bus rides is that they do not cater for the tall European. It is not possible to get comfortable enough to sleep, although all the locals manage it within 5 minutes. This is annoying, but I have my iPod fully charged and I am able to entertain myself until I am so exhausted, it doesn't matter how uncomfortable I am, is fall asleep.

As usual, just as I fall asleep, the bus stops, the lights go on, and everyone files out for food and to use the toilet. Perfect.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andrew.chudiak/1/1233288840/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andrew.chudiak/1/1233288840/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andrew.chudiak/1/1233288840/tpod.html Sat, 31 Jan 2009 01:16:14 -0500 Australia and Beyond...

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Bagan, Myanmar

There are only so many temples you can see in one day. Bagan has over 4000 and so I start my day by narrowing down the ones I want to see.

I meet Don, a guy I met in Yangon. He's staying at my place and we decide to see the temples together, on bikes. We set off and it's not long before we find the first of what will be many temples throughout the day. I won't bore you with the details, however, each one is different in it's own way. Some have great paintings dating from thousands of years ago, some have huge (5storeys) statues of Buddha. We end up seeing at least 12 temples and finish the day watching the sunset over the mountains on one of the taller temples.

The Temples here are just as good as Angkor in Cambodia. Bagan is in a beautiful setting and it is definitely one of the highlights of my trip to Myanmar.

We return to the village for dinner and beer.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andrew.chudiak/1/1233201360/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andrew.chudiak/1/1233201360/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andrew.chudiak/1/1233201360/tpod.html Thu, 29 Jan 2009 23:06:53 -0500 Australia and Beyond...

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Bagan, Myanmar

The bus gets in at 6am and I find a place to stay and sleep. When I eventually wake up I decide to have a relaxing day and just walk around the town and take in the local temples. There is only one temple in walking distance that is worth seeing (I am told), so off I go.

The town is small with not allot happening. There are a few restaurants on the way and Internet places that aren't working (the electricity is out). The temple is new and looks very modern. This is not really in keeping with what I expect Bagan to be like. There should be temples and stupas over 1000 years old. This seems a but out of place. It is still pretty enough and after taking a few photos, I make my way over a tea shop for, er... tea.

The rest of the day is spent exploring the town and taking it easy. Dinner and playing pool with some locals ends my 26th birthday in a relaxed way. I guess I'll celebrate properly when I get back to England
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andrew.chudiak/1/1233053520/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andrew.chudiak/1/1233053520/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andrew.chudiak/1/1233053520/tpod.html Wed, 28 Jan 2009 06:07:03 -0500 Australia and Beyond...

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Pyin U Lwin, Myanmar

Day tripping is not easy in Myanmar. Most places are hours and hours away and so usually, involve a stop over night. Pyin U Lwin is (only) 3hrs away and so I get an early start in a shared taxi.

All the locals I have met say that I should go there. It was an old British Colonial Hill Station and many of the original buildings are still there. I have the time, so I decide, why not?

The trip up there is easy enough except the a local man will not stop talking to me about Pyin U Lwin and other old British colonies (he spent some time in India). Interesting as the conversation is, after 3 hrs I am ready to get out on my own and see the town.

There isn't really much to see here. Th Chinese Temple is interesting as it is the only one of it's kind in Myanmar. There are plenty of local tourists and Chinese tourists around and I have my picture taken several times. The old British buildings are nice and remind me of home. Some are being used by the Government as hotels, which is a shame. Most are used as houses in the residential area. I spend some time walking around the town before jumping into a Pick Up to take me back to Mandalay.

The journey is fine and I get back to my hotel to pick up my bag, get some dinner and then straight on the overnight bus to Bagan. The bus is usually meant for cargo and the aisle and foot wells in front of the chairs are filled with white sacks. This makes lying down easy and after the usual midnight stop, I get some sleep.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andrew.chudiak/1/1233028620/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andrew.chudiak/1/1233028620/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/andrew.chudiak/1/1233028620/tpod.html Mon, 26 Jan 2009 23:15:00 -0500 Australia and Beyond...

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Mandalay, Myanmar

The plan was to relax a little and see a couple more things before moving on. The day started perfectly (10:30am) and a relaxing morning was had before heading out on a pick up to Amarapura, an ancient city with the worlds longest Teak bridge (1.2kms).

The pick took 45mins. This involved me standing on the back and holding onto the roof. This is fine by me and a great way to see the city. I got looks of strange looks from the locals, but I'm getting used to that. At one point there was 5 people (including me) hanging off the back and 28 people sat inside. The pick up can comfortably sit 10.

Amarapura is nice enough, but I was here to see the bridge. Walking along, there are people playing football, listening to music out of their cars and a photo shoot for what appears to be either a calender or motorbike magazine. It's pleasant and I stop at the other side for tea and food. I walk back across when the sun goes down and get some excellent photos. A pick up back to town and then onto the Moustache Brothers.

A family run, traditional folk dance, music and comedy show, the Moustache Brothers appear to be very famous all over Myanmar and it is something that has to be done on any trip to Mandalay. The show is in their living room and involves one of the brothers telling jokes about is wife and the conditions in Myanmar. This is interspersed with dance routines from the other brother and cousin, as well as their sister and wives. It's very entertaining and they are able to make their points about Myanmar come across with humor and poignancy.

Once the show has finished, it's off to bed.
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