A challenging drive to the Royal Cities around Mandalay Today was a fantastic day. However initially, it started wrong. I hired a blue taxi to take me to the three Royal Cities in the vicinity of Mandalay. So I end up in an old, rickety vehicle whose suspension has long since been abandoned. Sitting on a […]
An appealing offer to go relaxing at the lake The girl working at the bar of my guesthouse asked me yesterday if I wanted to join her and some friends on her free Sunday. The prospect of relaxing at the lake sounded appealing to me, so I agreed. She arranges a tuk-tuk for me. We drive to […]
Cycling along unpaved paths Today I enormously enjoyed the tranquility of rural Laos while taking a countryside trip around Vang Vieng. I rented a bicycle in the morning and drove to the Tham Chang cave, along unpaved paths. Upon arrival, I had to climb 150 steps have to reach the entrance of the cave. This […]
All flight information in Burmese After 2 days of wandering around in Yangon, I decided to move to Mandalay. The flight went smoothly. But it could have turned out different. The boarding gate displays nothing; when a plane leaves, someone with a sign walks through the hall, with all flight information in Burmese, of course. […]
Trying to catch a deal to guide us around in Siem Reap We woke up at 5.15 am to take the express boat to Siem Reap. Our motorcyclists are present at half past seven at the entrance of the hotel. The ship leaves at seven o’clock. One of the drivers asks me if he could assist […]
Joining a group for a Ha Long Bay boat sailing trip To reach Ha Long Bay from Hanoi, it takes a 3-hour bus trip. I am joining a Ha Long Bay boat sailing adventure with an international company of Canadians, Dutch, Scottish, and English people. All groups follow a more or less similar package. Therefore […]
Thai soup for breakfast Second day in Chiang Mai. Because of drinking late last night I wake up quite late. One of the staff told me yesterday she was going to make Thai soup for breakfast. When I arrive at the bar at half past eleven, I can still get a bowl. The soup is […]
Visiting the Shwedagon pilgrimage site Today in the afternoon I visited the Shwedagon pagoda. This is the most important temple in Myanmar. It contains one large stupa covered with gold leaves, and around it, you have numerous other temples and shrines. The complex is a representative pilgrimage site for the Burmese. Guided Buddhist initiation While I am […]
Cheap tuk-tuk fare to the inner city Early afternoon, after a break, I decided to go wandering the city. I am taking it easy today and want to visit some famous temples in the inner city. My guesthouse has its own tuk-tuk driver, for 40 baht he brings me anywhere I want to in the city. While […]
Gratitude to the goddess of water Some weeks ago it was time again for the Loy Krathong festival. This religious festival forms the annual gratitude of the Thai to the goddess of water – Mae Kong Ka, just after the rainy season. They thank this goddess for the abundant rainfall they received during the year because it brought […]