and so it begins.....RTW16

[JoePDX]

I absolutely love reading your blog! My partner and I decided that we would try to maintain a positive attitude while we travel! We have managed to do this for 39 years of adventures! We count our blessings everyday! Whether you see the glass as half full or half empty doesn't matter! It means there is always room for more wine!! Continue to enjoy this journey !

 

My husband and I try to do the same! We just consider ourselves lucky to be out and about....

[2onboardagain]

might be a while until i can post again....

 

we're heading out in just a few minutes to get the water taxi to take us to the Male, Maldives airport to fly to Sri Lanka, then to Delhi, for 4 days/3 nights overland to Taj Mahal.

 

We think about 60 of us are taking the shorex overland. We're all pretty excited about this. We see a sunset and a sunrise at the Taj, see the Fort, see things in Delhi and rejoin the ship at Cochin.

 

I'll see what the internet is like at the hotels, but pretty much every waking moment (and some of the moments begin at 4:30am) will be spent traveling.

 

Same with the blog....we'll just have to see what we can do.

 

Off we go......cool water taxi! c

You will find that the internet is quite good in the hotels but you should spend your limited time traveling and seeing India.

[cbb]

Overland Excursion to Taj Mahal with O: Tuesday, March 1

 

We flew from Male, Maldives to Colombo, Sri Lanka and then to N Delhi, arriving around 7:00 to spend the night at the Oberoi, New Delhi. It was a very long day but Sri Lanka Airlines was efficient and the saris of the flight attendants were stunning.

 

We took the water taxi from the ship to the airport so that was a very cool start to our adventure.

 

Dinner was at the Connaught, a roof top restaurant, where we had drinks first and then dinner. What a beautiful ending to our long first day!

 

Day 2:

After breakfast, we boarded our pre-assigned buses (Big Red 1!!) and were on our way to Agra by 8am on a new expressway for a drive of 3+ hrs. Some other people had been to Agra via NDelhi and we were assured that our trip was much shorter since the new expressway had been built.

 

The countryside was amazing. The people use cow dung as their heating and fuel source so the men and women scour the area, find the "patties", press them into flat circles, and lay them on small lanes or fields to dry in the sun.

 

Then they are stacked in overlapping rows into a bee-hive shape that is probably the height of an adult man.

 

Huts are built, often at the edge of fields or roads, with rush roofs and sides. The rush, is also collected from the fields, and the dried dung is stored inside.

 

Picture men and women out in the fields working, but because the women take great pride in their personal appearance they wear their most beautiful saris--so there are these bright spots of color throughout the fields --amazing scene.

 

The same thing happens out in the potato producing fields. Men and women (yes, again with the saris!) sitting on the ground sorting or sacking potatoes.

 

We saw many, many wooden carts pulled by tractors, oxen, horses, even camels (a fave of the Muslim farmers) filled with orange and white sacks of potatoes that are then loaded into large trucks. Except for the tractors, you know that they have been doing it this way for centuries.

 

We saw lines of these trucks in towns waiting their turn to put their loads in cold storage.

 

More and more of the rural population of India is moving to the urban areas and the population of Delhi is over 18.5 million people.

 

We arrived at the ITC Mughal hotel, checked in and had a buffet lunch with wine & beer included. All of our food is Indian buffet, which means we get a wide variety of offerings, but Mr. Wonderful is already looking forward to visiting Waves when he re-boards!

 

Our afternoon options were a)visit the Agra Fort or b) visit the marble inlay factory and the Kohinoor Jewelers. We opted for the Fort since we needed neither marble nor jewels.

 

I highly recommend visiting the Agra Fort. It is a red sandstone fortress built in the 16th century and is in wonderful condition, in large part because it IS built of sandstone--a tough and durable stone.

 

This World Heritage Site has buildings that include fabulous rooms, palaces, great halls, courtyards filled with flowers, and intricate carvings on the walls. Some of the buildings are of white marble. Truly a gorgeous place and several people said they liked it better than the Taj because of all the different parts of the Fort.

 

Sensing some of our people were not ready to return to the hotel, and wanted to visit the marble factory or jewelers the buses detoured to those places. Few people got off at the jewelers but everyone was interested in the marble factory.

 

It wasn't really a "factory" but more of a demonstration of how the inlays are created and then there were several showrooms. Some people ordered custom items that will be shipped home.

 

At 4pm we all rejoined our buses and took off for the Taj Mahal and a sunset viewing.

 

We could not take in food items, weapons of any kind, liquids except water, and had to be dressed respectfully so no short shorts and no sleeveless tops although some of our women had sleeveless tops they were not refused admission.

 

We were herded into 2 lines by gender and were wanded by an official that matched our gender. It was crowded, numbering in the thousands and thousands but the grounds could hold that number of people.

 

You know....you've seen pictures, you've seen it on TV and yet nothing really prepares you for your first glimpse.

 

We walked up a broad sidewalk, turned the corner and saw another sandstone building with a Moorish style arch and we walked part way through the arch.

 

There was an audible gasp by every single person when we caught our first glimpse --simply breath-taking--literally!

 

The white marble, the fine carved details, the workmanship is amazing. It is also much bigger than I imagined. I can't do it justice so I'll quit trying.

 

The grounds were immaculate, there was no litter, and people walked around picking up stray bits of trash that had fallen from pockets. 3 of the 4 towers were covered by scaffolding as they undergo repair and restoration to be finished in July and we were told the main building is next. If you plan on going, you might want to google the scaffolding situation.

 

By 7pm we were back at the hotel having an Indian (!!) buffet dinner. O people again were the only ones in the room so we didn't have to sit with strangers. Pre-selected wines and beer were part of dinner and no one counted how many glasses they poured.

 

The classical dance of "Kathak" was performed while we ate. A man and a woman performed and a man and woman played instruments and the second woman sang "back up."

 

This dance and singing developed both under the influence of Hindu and Moslem cultures. There was intricate footwork and hand movements and a repetition of music motif throughout. The music became... well..... repetitious.

 

We'd had a long day and bed beckoned as it does tonight here on our home on Insignia....good night from somewhere in the Indian Ocean.

[TenerifeSharon]

Your observations and descriptions are simply wonderful! Thanks so much for taking us along with you.

 

Sleep well...

[Paulchili]

cbb,

continuing to enjoy your reports and pictures!

Please keep it up. :)

Paulchili

[globevest]

cbb.....27 years ago I visited Agra and the Taj. Many times I have described that first sight of the Taj to my wife and friends. It is one of my 5 places in the world that I describe as "wow! places". By that I mean they bring out an automatic gasp at first sight.

I have just read your stunning first sight description to my wife and I feel as though my visit to the Taj Mahal was yesterday.

Thank you very much.

Barry

[Paulchili]

cbb.....27 years ago I visited Agra and the Taj. Many times I have described that first sight of the Taj to my wife and friends. It is one of my 5 places in the world that I describe as "wow! places". By that I mean they bring out an automatic gasp at first sight.

I have just read your stunning first sight description to my wife and I feel as though my visit to the Taj Mahal was yesterday.

Thank you very much.

Barry

 

Just out of curiosity - what are your other 4 "wow" places? :)

[RachelG]

Very much enjoying your blog and posts. I have not been to India, but Agra and the taj are on my bucket list.

[cbb]

Day 3 Thursday Mar 3

 

5:30am coffee, tea and cookies were served in the hotel lobby before we boarded the bus for a sunrise visit to the Taj.

 

We were there shortly after 6, went through the obligatory search, and given the time, there were far fewer people there but they probably still numbered in the hundreds.

 

One side of the monument was already lightly turning pink--reflecting the sun's color on the marble eastern walls.

 

We hurried through the various buildings snapping pictures before those darned tourists arrived just to get in our pictures!

 

The day was clear...well as clear as the sky could be in a city of several thousands. People build fires, ride in buses, cars, motor bikes and tuk tuks. There seems to be a constant haze over Agra and Delhi area.

 

Driving in either Delhi or Agra is not for the faint-hearted. Our guide said that there are only 2 things one needs to drive in India: brakes and a good horn! (notice he did not say "good brakes"...just brakes...the horn evidently is the most important thing. Everyone drives with one finger on the horn!)

 

Sunrise was spectacular and we were so lucky to have good weather and to have gotten there early. Disney experts know the mantra "arrive early, arrive early, arrive early"....well, it applies here as well!

 

We returned to the hotel for an English/American/Indian buffet breakfast and departed by bus for Delhi by 9:45.

 

After a pit-stop we arrived back at our Dehli hotel and had a buffet lunch--yes, Indian food plus wine and beer.

 

At 3:00pm we faced two more options; an orientation tour of the city's highlights and to visit Humayun's Tomb or all of the above plus Qutub Minar--one of the world's largest minarets.

 

We chose, like the vast majority, #1 since it was 1 hr shorter ride and we were beginning to feel a little fatigued.

 

Humayun's Tomb is a must see in Dehli, in our opinion. He died in 1556 and his "senior widow" began construction of the red sand stone tomb in 1569 using Mughal and Persian architecture. This tomb, architecturally, was a forerunner of the Taj.

 

The tomb, like the Taj Mahal, stands in the middle of gardens and has water channels which reflect much of the tomb. Some of the domes were covered with lapis---stunning.

 

An interesting side note is that his barber/hairdresser got a lovely tomb building as well. Nice!

 

As we returned to the buses we were offered a visit to a Kashmir place selling pashminas. We declined and headed to the hotel for a shower and a couple of hours of down time, really the only down time in the whole excursion. I had debated taking a swim suit and rejected the idea, however, if that appeals to you, this would be the only time you could wear it.

 

Dinner was again on the roof top but on the opposite side of the building. It didn't matter which side we dined on, as it was absolutely lovely to sit above the din.

 

Day 4

 

Our bags were outside the room by 3:30 am, juices, tea, and coffee were served in the lobby restaurant at 4 and we departed the hotel at 4:15 for the drive to the airport.

 

At 6:30 am our Indigo Airlines flight took off. I wish I could say nice things about the Delhi Airport but there was so much wasted time there. We waited for at least 15 minutes while the scanners were not used on baggage.

 

Everything was at a standstill and suddenly through side doors strode 20-30 young uniformed people...kinda scared some of us until we realized "shift change."

 

Each of us were wanded again, by gender, in cubicles and then we attempted to get to our gate. Stopped again, because we could not enter until exactly 1 hour before lift-off...so there we all were milling around with no real place to go.

 

Periodically one of our group would go lay their boarding pass on the scanner only to be rewarded with a flashing red light. Finally, we flashed green and off we went to board our plane....flying back home to our ship.

 

Upon arrival in Cochin, I could not find my boarding pass. Some of our group had actually thrown theirs away with their snacks remains. Calls had to be made to assure officials that we were supposed to depart the ship--all part of the anti-terrorism campaign, but it would have been nice to have been forewarned to keep them. Of course, we later found mine being used as a bookmark in his book!

 

Upon arrival in Cochin, (Kochi) India, we were given a city tour which we really appreciated. We thought perhaps we would be taken directly to the ship and we had made no plans to see the city, not knowing how tired we would be.

 

We saw the famous Chinese fishing nets which are very graphic against the sky, especially when you see a whole line of them hoisted above the water. We walked through a market place selling a wide variety of tourist items.

 

We also visited the St. Francis church, built by Portuguese Franciscans in 1503, and is India's "oldest European-built church." The church held the remains of Vasco da Gama, who died in Cochin in 1524, until they were removed 14 years later to Lisbon, Portugal.

 

This is a very unusual southwestern coastal town and it was important to many European powers during the spice trade days. It has a very old synagogue, mosques, Chinese nets, Portuguese churches, Dutch influences, houses built by the British during the Empire days, as well as being a major port for the Indian Navy today. It is a popular city for beach-seeking tourists.

 

We then returned to the port, went through a quick immigration check by the Indian government officials and re-boarded the Insignia.

 

There is terrible poverty in the Agra and Delhi areas. All of our Indian guides kept repeating the same thing, "there are just too many people in India."

 

Currently the population is over 1.3 billion and more and more are coming into the cities and the cities just can't handle many more. Social services are strained and garbage pick-up in poor areas appears to be non-existent.

 

People washed their clothing in rivers and laid them on the riverbanks to dry. Others washed their clothing and themselves from hoses in the streets.

 

The dwellings I'm used to seeing built by the homeless in the U.S. appear to be permanent housing for many Indian families. Whole streets appear this way, but there are also hopeful signs.

 

I saw little kids emerge from one of these side streets in clean, pressed school uniforms with bulging backpacks on their way to free public school.

 

Agra and Delhi are noisy, the air pollution is a real problem, the places we visited are extraordinary, the countryside is lovely, and the people are very sweet. I'm so glad I got to see the parts of India I saw but I don't know if I'll hurry back.

 

Tonight was another dinner for the Around the World passengers. Half were in Toscana, half in Polo, with identical menu. Mr Wonderful and I dined at the Captain's table with others that we have gotten to know so well.

 

The Captain is in good spirits but will be leaving us soon and we. are. not. happy. He is a wonderful gentleman but we know he needs to rest having put up with us for 63 days! He will rejoin the ship in a few months.

 

Another sea day tomorrow and then we dock in Yangoon, Myanmar (or "Burma" if you are the opposition party or the US State Department, neither of whom recognizes "Myanmar.")

 

Good night from the lovely Insignia somewhere in the middle of the Bay of Bengal....

[deus]

I so appreciate you taking the time to write. You are such a beautiful writer - so peaceful. Thank you

 

Lauren

[TenerifeSharon]

Dear Cynthia...

Where, oh where, do you find the time and energy to write these wonderful reports of your adventures?? Very grateful that you are doing so! :)

[smoothsailors]

I'm exhausted just reading your itinerary...but what an incredible experience and it's so generous of you to take so many of us along on your journey!!! Your photos were beautiful...specially the close-up ones you were able to get showing the inlay work on the Taj façade.

 

Coincidentally, the day you left for Delhi we watched a travelogue show on Wealth TV about Agra that featured both your hotel and the marble guild workshop and really complemented your blog report. (It was a Lux Lifestyle segment and is also on YouTube and Vimeo.)

 

Know what you mean about the poverty...we were in Egypt in 1980 and were overwhelmed by the lack of basic sanitation and housing. At least today they have air-conditioned buses but then there were only open trams crowded with donkeys and goats as well as people! But our "WOW" moment was at the Sound & Light show at the Sphinx: sitting out on the sand in the same armchairs that Frank Sinatra had used for his concert there, with the Sphinx and pyramids lit up...an awesome moment when you realize that you are actually THERE!

 

Please relax and rest up...looking forward to your next set of adventures!

 

Sandi & Mel

[no fuss travel]

A mask would be a good thing while visiting Bagan. Lots of smoke in the air from farmers burning their corn and sugar fields. Through most of the temples, dirt roads, so very dusty. Fascinating though. Sunsets and sunrises were spoiled by the amount of smoke in the air. The sun just disappeared or appeared and there was not that beautiful glow to the sky. A fair number of people on our river cruise had difficulties with allergies, the smoke was so bad. Unless it has rained, it could be bad. Enjoy your time in Bagan.

[cbb]

Thought I'd post last night's dinner menu: perhaps it will make your oatmeal or whatever you're having for dinner taste better! It was amazing!

 

Terrine of Two Salmon with Toasted Brioche and Caviar Cream

 

Risotto Primavera

 

Sesame & Mango Crust Roasted Black Cod with Vanilla-Saffron Beurre Blanc

 

OR

 

Veal Medallion, Shallots-Pears Cream Sauce, Crushed Potatoes & Truffle Shaving

 

"Mystere", Vanilla Ice Cream, Heart of Meringue and Roasted Praline

 

Wines:

Professor Black Sauvignon Blanc, Warwick

Backhouse, Pinot Noir, California

 

Bon Appetite....Bon Voyage!!

 

nofusstravel: thanks for the heads-up on the mask--I'll spread the word!

[cbb]

bits and pieces of info:

 

while we were in Dehli/Agra, the ship underwent a major deep cleaning, starting, I've heard, at Horizons and descending from there.

 

All cabins were stripped of all linens, even those that had just been replaced before we left that morning.

 

Everything that could be washed, disinfected, etc was. I heard the crew worked 14 hr days and some worked through the night cleaning common rooms while passengers slept.

 

We are still in Noro situation but I've heard that no new cases have been reported for a while. Just when we think we're out of the woods, someone goes to medical complaining and we start the count over again. No word on whether the complaints manifest into Noro.

 

We are also no longer on Pirate watch!

 

Trivia this afternoon early with Peter Guttman, one of the enrichment speakers. It was mostly on US History and Geography and it was not easy!

 

Regular trivia now is calling...let's hope I do better! Lots of fun things going on board that keeps many busy and happy.

 

We will have a few hours cut from our 3 days/2 nights in Yangon and there were complaints until the Captain explained that we must work with the tides....no more complaints!!

[jakes47]

I am very much enjoying your reports - thanks so much for sharing.

Wishing you and your cruising companions a safe, happy and healthy journey.

It is my dream to dream do a world cruise - but just need to convince my dear DH :rolleyes:.

Bev

[cbb]

jakes47,

 

I don't know that i can say i speak for everyone doing the RTW16 cruise, but i do know that if this is something you really, really want to do, then you should do it....before you can't.

 

We have seen some situations that makes me even happier that we are doing this.

 

I encourage you to tell him that it is a dream of yours and could he possibly do this with you.

 

So far, Day 64, no cruise fatigue on our part; each day is an affirmation that we are doing the right thing.....for us.

 

We have each other.... it's all good.

[SellaVee]

Cynthia, your Indian excursion sounds exhausting but oh so fascinating. Thanks for the heads up on the Taj Mahal scaffolding :). I loved your pictures on the blog.

 

You will be pinching yourselves for years to come when you think of all that you've done, and have still to do on this trip.

 

We leave for our land tour of India later this month and although we will see a lot more of the country than we would on a cruise I will so miss returning "home" to Insignia each night.

 

It was sensible of them to do the deep clean while some of the passengers were staying ashore. I hope you get the all clear soon.

 

Sella

[no fuss travel]

If you have antihistamines with you, take them with you as a precaution. That way if the smoke bothers you, you can take preventative measures. Inside some of the temples is some incredible artwork. Enjoy.

 

At just about every major temple, there are vendors. Most of the goods sold in Bagan are locally made and not imported from China. At least that is what our tour guide told us. You can bargain. We picked up excellent books on archeology for our daughter. They started out at $10US and we bargained them down to $7US. Our tour guide told me I could have got them down to $6, but I felt $7 was a good price. At the actual temples, we found that the vendors were not high pressure and just let you look instead of haggling you to buy. If you go to the market in Bagan, watch out for the lady selling their sun screen, she won't give up easily and before you know it, you have some of the guck on your face. She moves fast.

 

Additional Bagan information

Edited March 7, 2016 by no fuss travel
want to add a word

[cwn]

cbb...I enjoyed your report on India. We were there a couple of years ago, spending a week with a hired car and driver doing the Golden Triangle. So glad you got to see the Taj at sunrise. I love your picture with the sun rising behind the building. Thoes pictures were some of our favorites along with that first stunning view from the arched opening.

 

I know you are going to love Burma...we did a short river cruise and land trip as part of our rtw trip last year. We were there in late March 2015...I have asthma, but smoke was not a problem for us at that time. Though Bagan was dry and dusty.

 

If you have time and interest in tribal fabrics and things made from them, I suggest you make a stop at Yoyomay in Scotts Market in Yangon if you can.

 

There is a picture of the shop and the owner in my blog, but below is the write up. I found some wonderful woven pieces there! The shop is on the side of the building just around the front right hand corner (as you face the front of the building). There is a narrow interior stair way in that corner leading to the second floor and the shop is just a few steps away on the side of the building. If she remembers the US couple (lady with walking sticks) from last year, tell her Hi for us. I have received many compliments on the pieces I bought and my granddaughters loved the small purses.

 

"Scotts Market or Bogyoke Aung San Market. The British Name (Scott Market) is more familiar than the Burmese name for this sprawling indoor 75 year old market, which contains over 2000 individual shops. It was built during the British rule. It is an old, colonial, two-level market building with small rooms opening onto open air verandas around the building. Plus, there are the vendors who don’t have rooms and are selling from the open air verandas. Chaos! Fortunately, Carolyn has the name and general location of the target shop, Yoyomay which specializes in Burmese tribal textiles. It is on the first (Europe), second (or upper floor US) floor and sells the fabrics woven by the women of the hill tribes of Myanma. It was created to help promote an improvement in their lives. We find it and have the store and its proprietor to ourselves. We pass a pleasant 45 minutes visiting with her, she has very good English and is eager to tell us about the history of her shop and the tribes especially the ones who made the various pieces Carolyn likes. We select several large pieces to take with us, plus some souvenir type pieces. The total is 84,000k ($84US) and that is more than we have but Dick saw an ATM on the way through the market and soon returns with an additional 100,000k. Bill paid, we return to our car."

 

One other suggestion for shopping and site seeing in Yangon is the Strand Hotel. It is a great old colonial dame..we stayed there. Worth a stop for tea or just a coke in the dinning room, a stole through the shops which were filled with many small local made goodies at very reasonable prices and a look at the interesting museum/art gallery, all in air conditioned comfort!

 

Have a great time in Burma!!!

[cbb]

great advice everyone....unfortunately, our timetable doesn't look like we visit the Scott's market unless we can mutiny on the bus!!

 

We had planned on trying to get to the Strand but the independent people as well as the shorex people have been told that the Strand is currently undergoing reno; I don't know about the hotel part but evidently the bar area is closed to us.

 

have passed the word re: dusty air...thanks!!!

 

Many on board are taking a shorex tonight called "Shwedagon by Night" since getting to and from Yangoon from where we're docked could prove to be difficult this afternoon.

 

Hoping that today is the last day for Noro protocol. Still see people trying to reach through the sneeze guards in Terrace to grab the mustard, mayo, or bread products....because waiting 15 sec for a crew member to help you would just ruin your carefully scheduled sea day! (jeez...)

[Emma Chisit]

 

If you have time and interest in tribal fabrics and things made from them, I suggest you make a stop at Yoyomay in Scotts Market in Yangon if you can.

 

 

Hi cwn, thanks so much for the information. I had just read another recommendation for Yoyomay on Trip Advisor, but without details on how to get there. However, with your directions, and after checking with our tour guide, we were able to find it. Doubt we would have managed otherwise as it isn't a shop you would just stumble upon. What a treasure trove! I used to collect textiles, nowadays not so much - but I too bought some little purses for our grand-daughters. And yes, the lady did remember you. Wish we could have stayed longer, but we were on a shore excursion. Next time - and there will be a next time for Myanmar for us. Time to research and finally book that river cruise.

[cwn]

Hi Emma,

 

I am so glad my suggestion helped and you found the shop! We had such a nice visit with the owner, nice to know she remembers us. I love the pieces I bought. I am using the throw as I type!

 

Do go back and soon as it is changing fast. We would definitely go back for another River Cruise and more time on Inle Lake. those were my favorites..if we could figure out how to get there without the long flights! The people were all most gracious and the country is do interesting!

 

You cruise sounds wonderful! I am loving the two blogs. What all did you do while in port? Go to Bagan? Of the two trips that would have been my pick.

 

Carolyn

[cbb]

emma chisit: so glad you found the fabric shop. You didn't mention your purchases when we saw each other at lunch....i guess we were more interested in talking about one of you meditating!!

 

Seeing the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon at night should be on everyone's to-see list and do go at night. The colors are unbelievable, the floors and temperatures are much cooler (you must remove shoes and socks) and seeing the locals participate in their beliefs is lovely. The "ick" factor of walking around without shoes didn't bother me as much I thought it might...packaged wipes were handed out to our group and used!

 

Bagan overland; destination services often gets ripped in threads but we thought they did an amazing job on this tour. Buses to airports, flights, buses from airports, tour guides, hotels, meals and restaurants, and then the destinations themselves--the men and women of the Insignia's destination services attention to detail was wonderful! I know much would have been planned by Miami office, but the Insignia people were at Ground Zero! Good job!

 

Bagan is magical and while I thought that I might tire of seeing so many temples, each was so different from the others that it was just unbelievable. Seriously, there are thousands of temples of all sizes and colors, but the most fantastic ones are the ones covered wholly or partially in gold leaf.

 

This overland is not for those who tire easily. There is a lot of getting on and off vehicles, climbing stairs, taking shoes on and off and simply dodging other people.

 

It was exhausting after having gotten up before 3am to get the transfer to the Yangon Airport at 4am but we're so glad we took this overland. Fortunately, downtime was factored into the itinerary and I took a 1 1/2 hr nap in the middle of the afternoon in a huge bed in a gorgeous a/c room.

 

We all dined under the stars at the hotel last night and had a buffet of Myanmar food. I would wager that for most of us that it was lights out by 9:30pm!

 

Early start again today with our transfer to the airport scheduled for 7am. Breakfast buffet with some American/European choices as well as Myanmar choices....fried noodles and veggies, anyone!!??

 

We also visited a lacquerware workshop and while I didn't buy anything, some of our group did enrich the local economy!

 

We visited Nyaung U Market early Day 1 and it was cool to mingle with the local population as they bought eggs, fruits, vegetables, spices, tea, etc. which seemed to be on the perimeter of the very very large market.

 

Some of us went deeper into the market and I dragged Mr. Wonderful in with me and was able to make small purchases for the munchkin and myself (it IS all about me!) (sorry, rest of family)

 

One very nice lady wanted $45US for 1 pair of earrings but I told her "too much" and started to walk away, so she asked me to "make an offer" so I said "$15US" and she said "no, no" so I got 2 pair for $25!! We were both very satisfied!!!

 

It is amazing for a country that was "locked down" for so many years, how quickly the locals have acquired the fundamentals of English and great market skills. They are all budding capitalists!!! Seriously, their work ethic is scary.

 

We also got to see some of the many, many temples and pagodas dotting the brown landscape by pony cart. Think of a small 2-person cart, with 2 large wheels, harnessed to a horse (not pony, in our case)

 

Most of the carts were painted with bright colors and had plushy fabrics for the bed of the cart. I sat in the plushness taking pictures out the back, while he sat in front with the driver taking pictures. We have lots of pictures (she said dryly!) Our driver inherited his horse from his dad and would stop and point out great vantage points to take pictures.

 

Speaking of dry, it was indeed dry rural area. The horse kicked up red dust, there was dust in the air, and the trees and shrubs seemed droopy. It wasn't the rainy season so no monsoons kept us from seeing Bagan.

 

A couple of interesting notes: several women in our bus bought black and gold woven lacquer handbags from one young woman peddling as the buses came in. Thereafter, every stop we'd make, there she was...arriving before us every time! This morning, as we were pulling out of the hotel parking lot....in the dark....before 7am....there she was.... smiling and waving good bye!.....quite endearing!!!

 

2nd note: our guide (bus 2) charmed us with stories and his English, while quite good, was also cute. It took me a few minutes to understand "electric city" was the word "electricity" because he was saying it as he had sounded it out...i thought perhaps Bagan was an "electric city" in some way!! But my favorite, because it is so apt in current events for the US..... was "demo crazy." Our demo cracy...is indeed "crazy" and many of us chortled...quietly!!! (and no....we're not missing the primary season, at all!)

 

We had a great time in Myanmar. I told our guide that I loved the Myanmar people. They were so forgiving of us, blundering past them trying to keep up with companions or guide and taking pictures as they prayed or made offerings.

 

Their children are absolutely adorable and I would smile, and give little hand waves at them and their little faces would just open up and grin. Then their parents would look at them, see the faces of their children, would turn and look at smiling me, and their lovely smiles would just bloom!

 

We'd all turn and look at the kids and say "ta ta", (goodbye), I'd wave, the kids would wave, or little hands were moved in a wave and it was just a sweet, sweet moment.

 

Please go to Myanmar. The people are such hard workers and want so much for their children and for themselves. There is such hope for the democracy movement and we can support these efforts just by visiting.

[RachelG]

Just catching up to your trip. I am exhausted reading about it, but it sounds fabulous. Not sure I would be able to get George off the ship in India, as he hated the pollution and trash in Egypt, but I do want to see the Taj Mahal someday.