Nomadical Travels

Make someone happy. Yangon Myanmar.

robynomadical — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 21:05:52 -0500

Make someone happy. Yangon Myanmar.

Myanmar

robynomadical — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 18:43:07 -0500

November 2012 I visited Myanmar with my husband. We traveled around the country for about 3 weeks. Myanmar’s people are unique in that they are not yet spoiled by the tourist industry. People are incredibly welcoming and enjoy making conversation with foreigners. I fear one day that as Myanmar opens up to the world this will change as more and more tourists are coming every year. When I think of Myanmar I see and hear the noise of busy streets, colorful longyi’s, smiling cheeks full of thanakha make-up, nun’s singing as they collect alms, porcelain cups clanging in a tea shop, incense burning, dogs sunning, dogs barking, Buddha always watching, betel nut teeth, steaming bowl of noodle soup, bright pinks and reds of the hilltribe women, lucky money, bashful monk, teakwood creaking under my feet, and the soft ringing of bells on top of many stupas.

Tread lightly if you go there I don’t want it to change.

The cool kids. Monywa Myanmar. We had so much fun taking photos...

robynomadical — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 18:38:52 -0500

The cool kids. Monywa Myanmar. We had so much fun taking photos for the people while we waited for the bus to leave. We had people of all ages posing for photos.

Monkey stalking me for food. No food for you crazy monkey!

robynomadical — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 18:35:39 -0500

Monkey stalking me for food. No food for you crazy monkey!

Lean cow, Myanmar

robynomadical — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 18:32:31 -0500

Lean cow, Myanmar

Non-jumping cats. There is a monastery on Inle Lake that the...

robynomadical — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 09:53:20 -0500

Non-jumping cats. There is a monastery on Inle Lake that the monks have taught cats to jump through hoops for treats. Tourists used to be able to catch a demonstration of this, but now that tourist numbers have exploded in Myanmar, cat jumping shows are very limited. We were told that too many tourists were coming wanting a cat shows all day long and it wasn’t good for the cats or the monks. I’m glad they are not forced to please tourists and look out for the well-being of the cats too.

Myanmar is filled with sizzling street eats. Make sure you give...

robynomadical — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 09:42:47 -0500

Myanmar is filled with sizzling street eats. Make sure you give some a try. In this photo the lady is frying quail eggs in batter. Very tasty.

Myanmar girl.

robynomadical — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 09:36:37 -0500

Myanmar girl.

Buddha murals in a Bagan temple.

robynomadical — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 09:33:57 -0500

Buddha murals in a Bagan temple.

Lonely Water Buffalo.

robynomadical — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 09:30:19 -0500

Lonely Water Buffalo.

Yangon mother and daughter. I gave them a portrait of themselves...

robynomadical — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 17:26:00 -0500

Yangon mother and daughter. I gave them a portrait of themselves using my polaroid camera and the mother was so touched by this that she teared up. I highly recommend taking an instant camera with you. Photographs make great gifts.

Teak monastery near Mandalay. What a nice retreat this was away...

robynomadical — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 14:23:00 -0500

Teak monastery near Mandalay. What a nice retreat this was away from the noisy streets of Mandalay. It’s walled in with many shady trees and when we were there we didn’t see any other tourists. There was a meditation session going on in one of the neighboring buildings so everything was quite peaceful.

Guardians in a Bagan temple. These two dogs were perfectly...

robynomadical — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 14:19:00 -0500

Guardians in a Bagan temple. These two dogs were perfectly perched between the stairway to the upper level of this temple. I was a little nervous to walk between them but they did not stir.

Hiking around Kalaw, Myanmar. Once you get out of the forest and...

robynomadical — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 14:16:00 -0500

Hiking around Kalaw, Myanmar. Once you get out of the forest and away from the leeches you are on top of the mountain where you see endless green mountains before you. You hike past a few hilltribe villages, but they are pretty quiet. Most of the people are out tending their crops or away from the village. We did meet a few children.

Riding a moped on a narrow muddy trail of a steep mountain side....

robynomadical — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 14:13:00 -0500

Riding a moped on a narrow muddy trail of a steep mountain side. We were about to get soaked as shortly after this photo was taken a rain storm moved in. Oh how fast the weather changes! We went from sunny blue skies to dark clouds heavy with rain. The mountain trail is already muddy and when the rains came they turned into a river. I was amazed how well a little Honda Dream moved through the muddy path as these two boys demonstrate. Just make sure your not standing by a muddy puddle when they go by.

Monkeys snacking. We did not give the monkeys food. They sell...

robynomadical — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 14:09:00 -0500

Monkeys snacking. We did not give the monkeys food. They sell treats and there were some Burmese college students feeding them, but the monkeys seemed to aggressive to be trusted. Hoards of them would surround a person with food and jump on them to snatch the treat away. I didn’t want to risk a monkey bite or scratch in Myanmar. Taken at Hpo Win Duang Caves.

The beauty of Bagan never ends. I could upload endless pictures...

robynomadical — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 14:07:00 -0500

The beauty of Bagan never ends. I could upload endless pictures of red brick temples at different times of the day. The wonderful part is how alone you can be here. It is a popular place for tourists to go, but it’s so big that you never feel crowded.

U Bein Bridge daylight. I loved spending the evening walking...

robynomadical — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 14:04:00 -0500

U Bein Bridge daylight. I loved spending the evening walking the length of the bridge and even climbing down to the patches of land below and watching people pass above. Some spots of the bridge are slightly intimidating, but only because you can feel the bridge move and some of the boards are wearing away or gone. No railings on most of it, and I wondered if tourists ever fell off. Locals are quite comfortable on it even real little children. I’m glad I avoided a clumsy accident or loosing my flip flop in between the boards.

Hand drawn postcards for sale in Bagan Myanmar. They know how to...

robynomadical — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 14:02:00 -0500

Hand drawn postcards for sale in Bagan Myanmar. They know how to pull those heart strings when they got the idea to have children draw pictures to sell.

Nilar Biryani & Cold Drink. We ate here as recommended by...

robynomadical — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 08:43:00 -0500

Nilar Biryani & Cold Drink. We ate here as recommended by LP. We both ordered Chicken Biryani and it was incredible. Huge cauldrons for rice and broth bubble away near the sidewalk while wait staff rush to an fro serving delicious plates. It’s always busy.