Sun 24/06/12 00:39
I like it too.

I made it to the airport this morning on time. That is saying a lot considering what I have riding on this flight. After I did the math, I had to be up by at least 545 this morning, to get to the airport by 715.  I was a little nervous that I wouldn’t get up on time, but all is well and I’m sitting here waiting to board. Now I’m just waiting to see what else can go weird on me, maybe I fall and break my leg or something like that.

I’m now on the plane, and I want to make a note that the plane is about a quarter full, which means no one beside me, no one in front of me, and that is about perfect for me. There was about an hour delay leaving Bangkok due to engine problems, but we’re in the air right now and although not on schedule, we’re not really going to be that late landing in Yangon.

Okay, I’m in the hotel restaurant waiting for a cup of coffee and it’s kind of cool here, not the weather because it’s about as humid and warm as Dubai… well, maybe not as warm as Dubai, but close. My first impression of Myanmar is that I love it. It feels like a real country, not a consumer-rized version with some things specific to their region.  It feels exotic, and it’s exactly what I am hoping for. One of the fun things is that the taxi drivers have been trying to play me as a rookie, each time they back down and give me the price that I start with. It’s not that I’m doing anything unique, I just asked non-taxi people what I should pay, and then walk away if they want more. The drivers were even laughing how it worked, so that made it “fun” The first taxi agreed to 5000 and as we were walking to his taxi, he asked to see the address again, suddenly, like he just realized how far it actually was, said, “6000.” I stopped and started walking away and he then said, no 5000. The other drivers busted out laughing in the background. Almost the same exact thing happened a little bit later too, only the amount of money was different, and the other drivers were laughing in the background.

Speaking of taxis, the one that I was first in was straight out of some movie, it shook and swerved on it’s own, so bad in fact I made a point of seeing if one of the tires were square instead of a round one, but I forgot to check when I got out.  The seats were covered in a bedspread type of thing, and dirt was caked everywhere. All four windows were open and the driver seemed to honk his horn at nearly everything he saw. There were times that I think he was just honking to honk because we were the only ones around—definitely funny though, and lots of fun.

They don’t have ATMs here that work internationally, which may turn out to be a problem later. I’m pretty sure that I didn’t bring enough dollars to cover two weeks unless I really go light on the meals and no souvenirs. Wouldn’t that suck if I ran out of money?

I still haven’t been taking any pictures of my trip yet. It happens sometimes that I don’t get into the picture mood until a few days into the journey, so bear with me and I’ll have something to show soon, at least that’s the plan.

Sat 23/06/12 05:11
and what an adventure it is

 

It’s Saturday two days after I left Dubai and a lot has happened that I may or may not tell you about. It started as all trips start with the taxi ride to the airport, the hopes and the expectations of a great trip running through my head. I know that once I step out of the airport everything will be different, but I never know how much different the new country will be. The one thing that I do believe is that my first impression will usually determine whether I enjoy a country or not. It’s because of this that I always try to keep my mind open and look forward to every event. Sometimes bad events turn out to be not so bad, and a little hassle can be a good thing.

 

So why am I making such a big deal about this? Well I screwed up. I didn’t have the visa I needed to get to Myanmar so I’m in Bangkok right now. Not that that is such a bad thing, I love Bangkok, it has a vibrancy that kind of overwhelms but is also kind of welcoming. The problems have been with me trying to fix everything and still get to Myanmar by Sunday before my tour starts.

 

See, this is where I’ve debated whether or not to tell the story, it’s rather long and there is no doubt that most people reading it will find it funny, I am also convinced that it will sound as if I’m complaining, but this is furthest from the truth, like I mentioned I want to keep my mind open. So let me say that it was a “butterfly effect” when I lost my boarding pass in the Bangkok airport. I went to get a new one printed, but they wouldn’t print it because I didn’t have the right paperwork to enter Myanmar. So I went to get a Thailand visa so I could go to the Myanmar embassy, but then I remember that my bag is going on without out me. I manage to get them to stop it and send it to baggage claim, only they lose it for about an hour. So then I make it to the embassy and apply, which is a story in itself, but I get the big thing taken care of, now to find a hotel. I was settling into my room when I realized that I had to make a new flight reservation. Turns out that they were going to charge me full amount, which didn’t seem fair to me. So I make some new calls, and I get a partial refund of nearly two-thirds, only they don’t take credit cards and they close at 430, and at that time it was 4, but they were open until 11 the next morning. Since there wasn’t anything else I could do, I decided to have a beer and chill out. I fell asleep within 15 minutes, lasting maybe a total of a half of a beer was gone, and I woke up at 8 in the morning. I had been totally stressed, hadn’t eaten anything, and had only about 3 hours of sleep in the last 36 hours… my body just decided to shutdown.

 

I got up this morning well rested; in fact I spent about 5 minutes walking around my room mumbling that I couldn’t believe that I slept so long. J I didn’t really like the hotel that I was in, so I found a new one on the Internet that I stayed in before, and it said that they had three rooms available, so I pack my backpack and head to get my new ticket to Yangon. The taxi drops me off at the wrong place, but it was close, and after arguing with the security guard for 15 minutes, I finally call the airline again and she tells me that they’re around the corner. My bad. I even gave the taxi driver a huge tip because I thought that my problems were ending… I think if I had more money I’d have been throwing it out the window in shear joy that everything was turning out as it should. Stupid. So I get the ticket and get back to the hotel, grab my bag and catch a taxi to the new hotel, only they don’t have rooms. Hmmm… I wasn’t going to argue at this point, so I get online and find another, and that’s where I am now. I leave for Yangon tomorrow morning at 915 and meet up with my tour later on.  Oh, and as a side note, as I was unpacking at the new place my boarding pass that I thought I lost fell onto the bed. This was the boarding pass that started the “butterfly effect” when they wouldn’t print me out a new one. 

Thu 21/06/12 06:46
just killing time

The butterfly effect. I knew that the time was going to come when I’d be leaving for Myanmar, but like always, I’ve got the butterflies. I don’t know why but I guess I’m just prone to them. Did I pack everything? What about my computer… do I have the charger? What about my clothes, did I remember everything? The questions just circle around in my head, and probably will until I eventually land. My track record has been pretty good, I’ve yet to forget anything of real value, so let’s hope that my streak stays and I haven’t forgot anything.

The butterfly effect. I knew that the time was going to come when I’d be leaving for Myanmar, but like always, I’ve got the butterflies. I don’t know why but I guess I’m just prone to them. Did I pack everything? What about my computer… do I have the charger? What about my clothes, did I remember everything? The questions just circle around in my head, and probably will until I eventually land. My track record has been pretty good, I’ve yet to forget anything of real value, so let’s hope that my streak stays and I haven’t forgot anything.

So I’m going to make some last minute checks, and then head to the airport. I’ll probably finish this entry there…

Thu 17/05/12 02:58
The start of another great summer… I hope. :)

This year has been a little bit different than other years concerning my summer destination(s). The last couple of years I struggled to decide where I would go, but this year I pretty much knew where I am going, The only thing I have to decide is the logistics for the up to 60 days that I can take. I know that I will be going to Southeast Asia, and that I will be starting with a 14-day tour in Myanmar, but that’s where my plans end. I had decided that I was going to ride a bike from Bangkok to Ho Chi Minh City, but it looks like I won’t be able to do that. That leaves a trip down into Malaysia, Indonesia, or China, or/and Philippines. There are some things that I really want to see this year, and I will try really hard to see them.

The first is Angkor Wat. I’ve always wanted to see the temples and it’s been a “must see” item for me for years. The second is the Philippines. I’m not really sure why I feel a need to go there, maybe it’s just something from my childhood or possibly an impression from some old movie, but for some reason I really want to go.

My plane leaves Dubai on June 21

The tour starts on the 24th

That’s all I’ve got right now.