Mingalabar Myanmar!

After what felt like the longest journey up from Koh Phangan, ferrys and sleeper trains and busses included, we finally ended up in Bangkok. Had a Korean reunion and met up with Jason for the first time in 5 months! We quickly got to work on our Myanmar visas and were off to Yangon. The sad thing about traveling is that you're seeing people off all the time... This time was my two Canadians Alysse and Ronak. We'd spent a ton of time together since meeting in Kuala Lumpur so it was a little sad going our separate ways but an adventure nonetheless.

Our 8 days in Burma started a little rocky as Jason got a weird sickness.. A teeny bit worrying when that happens in South East Asia. After a couple of days he was back to normal though, just in time to explore the most amount of temples I've ever seen in my life. We flew into Yangon and made sure we went to the amazing Shwedagon Pagoda. It was pretty incredible. Some parts made from solid gold it almost blinded you if you looked directly at it. We also got really really 'shwedy' too in our skirts. Yip, boys wear them too. We had lunch at the palace on the water boat thing and got back to get on a night bus to Bagan.

Bagan was a whole different Burma from Yangon. We stayed in the small town of Nyaung-U. Our days consisted of renting bicycles and riding the temple streets stopping over and climbing up some of them to get a better view. We got electric bicycles for one of the days. The highest powered vehicle foreigners are allowed to rent. Makes sense if foreigners and motorbikes are anything like Thailand. I still managed to fall off the electric bike though, highly embarrassing.. Meryl and vehicles of any kinds don't mesh so well..
Pictures of Bagan really don't do it justice at all. Being there really was something else. To see temples and pagodas that go on forever as far as the eye can see, temples that have been there for centuries, temples that are occasionally restored but for the most part have been left as once were. It was really quite spectacular. The only downside was not seeing a hot air balloon as shown in every Googled picture of Bagan ever.

Myanmar was really different to places I've visited so far. The tourism industry is still growing and things aren't as convenient to find and do. Seven Elevens and Mcdonalds are mystery words. But it is definitely becoming more and more popular. The people are fantastic though, super friendly and accommodating, made being away from everything for a while pretty nice:)