When I heard the warning from fellow backpackers in Yangon about the long bus trips necessary to get from destination to destination, I feared the worst on my 14 hour overnight journey to Bagan. I think I must have lucked out because the ride was relatively comfortable and routine aside from when I was just dozing off, I was shook awake to have my passport checked at the military checkpoint. Luckily, there was only one.
Arrival in the Golden Land!
March 28, 2010 By 1 Comment
The first thing I noticed upon leaving the Yangon airport was an intense blast of heat which seemed to stick with my entire time in the country as my body struggled to find a way to acclimatise.
Once I arrived at the very popular motherland guesthouse and gobbled down a large breakfast of toast,eggs,coffee, and cake, yes cake for breakfast, I was due for a nap. After all, it was just too damn hot to do anything. When I woke and had a refreshing cold shower, I headed over to Shwedagon Pagoda, the epicenter of relgious belief in Myanmar. Having traveled Bhutan, India and Tibet I am more than a little jaded when it comes to my opinions of great temples, but dare I say it, Shwedagon might be the grandest I have come across yet!
Buzzing Around Bangkok
March 26, 2010 By 3 Comments
*sorry to anyone wh’os been regularly checking the blog. I haven’t been able to post due to the lack of interent in Myanmar but will try to get everything updated over the next week or so.
I arrived in Bangkok at midnight but luckily had no issues getting to Brad’s apartment and Sophit, who lives next door was able to give me the key as soon as I got in.
Hanging out with the Hanging Coffins
March 18, 2010 By 11 Comments
After my trekking in Kalinga I had to back track to Bontoc to catch the next bus to Sagada. Sagada is definitely “on the tourist trail” but sees far fewer visitors than Banaue or Batad. Actually, when I first arrived I had to ask myself if this was the right place because barely anyone was around.
Keeping My Head in Kalinga!
March 15, 2010 By 8 Comments
I decided to ignore any warnings from the Philippino’s in Banaue telling me that Kalinga was an evil place where tribal war, animal sacrifice and headhunting still happens. Infact this only intrigued me more as I boarded a bus to Bontoc and after spending a night there, found another bus to headed into Kalinga province.
Stairways to Heaven!
March 14, 2010 By 4 Comments
Having said a heart felt goodbye to Lianna as she was headed back to Canada the following morning, I jumped on a bus headed North. It took over nine hours to travel 350 km winding along the mountain roads to reach Banaue.
Some Parting Words With Lianna
March 8, 2010 By 12 Comments
When some friends asked us approximately how long we think the average destination requires, I replied that a good average is 3-4 days, but that I just get a feeling when I know it’s time to move on. I now have that feeling, but instead of moving on to the next destination I just know that it’s time for me to go home.
Feeling Small in Donsol!
March 3, 2010 By 10 Comments
Our journey overland from Malapascua to Leyte, then on to Samar was meant to take 2 days but instead lasted 3. We seemed to have always just missed that bus or jeepney and much of the time was spent frustratingly waiting around for our transport to fill with passengers. Samar and Leyte have some of the most beautiful countryside we have seen yet in the Philippines but we did not stop to appreciate it for long, we had lots of ground to cover, our travel days lasting at least 8 hours. A final Jeepney and tricycle ride and we had finally reached the place we had come all this way for.
