Dear readers, it has been an unusual amount of days since my last post. I hope you did not quit the feed meanwhile and started following any other hobby to waste your precious time..? Funny facts: 1) ''The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted'' 2) 1'000 blogs are created every hour 3) Chinese Government does not only strictly control Google, also it blocks pages like Facebook or Blogspot. The latter is the reason why this post was so far only on my Skydrive, waiting to reach you. To somewhat compensate, there will be two posts at once (now please a big 'hurray')! This will keep you posted in the usual bite size. So here is the first one: 'Contrasts' (referring to the vastly different worlds in Myanmar and China).PLUS, I am encountering some issues with the formatting on this Nepali-style computer here, some parts of the blog just won't get posted... hope that you can still enjoy the reading.
The overwhelming Myanmar embraced us with its friendly people and breathtaking scenery for two of the most beautiful weeks of the entire trip so far. Furthermore, Myanmar certainly was an easy start for Fred, who was totally new to Asia. Filled with welcoming places, historical sites and diverse landscapes, time went by even faster than an occasi(a)onal attack of the runs. Our night bus to Nyaungshwe greeted us with the daily evening prayer, which sprinkled on us through the dusty speakers. In contrast to the well intended words, our following ride was definitely less peaceful; we could hardly sleep a minute, especially after the tail pipe fell off - which resulted in our bus sounding like a monster truck. What should I complain, we are backpacking through Asia, episodes like such are definitely an enrichment to our trip.The four days around lake Inle were a pure delight. We spent our time riding bicycles, ferries and fisher boats, we explored floating gardens, local temples and monasteries. Highlights included a wine tasting in Myanmar's biggest winery (see picture), or me ending up in a show-fight against seven young novice monks. Usually our days ended with one or more glasses of either Beer Myanmar or Beer Mandalay, which are both to be recommended. Going hand in hand with the Burmese beers are the local cigars. These contain Tamarind and Banana-grass, which is making them taste deliciously sweet. Already wearing the Myanmar-style long skirt ''Longshi'' like every man, plus consuming healthy doses of local drugs - our way in to any bar conversation was a breeze. As a sort of cultural highlight, we were invited to attend a baptism ceremony of a local girl; music and dancing, until our ears and feet were numb.
The four days around lake Inle were a pure delight. We spent our time riding bicycles, ferries and fisher boats, we explored floating gardens, local temples and monasteries. Highlights included a wine tasting in Myanmar's biggest winery (see picture), or me ending up in a show-fight against seven young novice monks. Usually our days ended with one or more glasses of either Beer Myanmar or Beer Mandalay, which are both to be recommended. Going hand in hand with the Burmese beers are the local cigars. These contain Tamarind and Banana-grass, which is making them taste deliciously sweet. Already wearing the Myanmar-style long skirt ''Longshi'' like every man, plus consuming healthy doses of local drugs - our way in to any bar conversation was a breeze. As a sort of cultural highlight, we were invited to attend a baptism ceremony of a local girl; music and dancing, until our ears and feet were numb.
Could it get any better? Why not, our next stop was Bagan and its ca. 4'000 temples, pagodas and stupas - yet another milestone of my Asia trip. However, our enthusiasm was slowed down soon after arriving in Bagan. We found out that the long awaited sunrise flight with a balloon over Bagan could not take place, operations were shut down due to the low season... That was bad news of course, but we immediately started looking for alternatives, locations offering similarly jaw-dropping views. We found 2: (1) The Aureum Resort Hotel, a crazy, not-from-this-world, who da f* is Burj Al Arab, Hotel-tower and (2) Tant Kyi Taug Pagoda, which is a beautiful golden pagoda, located opposite the river, vis-à-vis old Bagan, offering an incredible view over the entire plateau. These two spots more than compensated for the balloon flight.
Only one day after, we left Myanmar with bottles of water and knifes in our bags, by plane towards China, Chengdu. Already the transit stop in Kunming delivered us a massive cultural shock, right into our Swiss rookie faces. Yes we were still in Asia, but we felt like teleported some 50-100 years into the future. Top notch facilities and highest standards of everything awaited us, China has arrived, long ago. All I knew about Chengdu was its 3 letter IATA code (CTU) and that it is famous for Pandas. However, I had not a single clue about the city's beauty and it's high standard. Coming along with a easy-going lifestyle, one could quickly feel home in CTU. In contrast to this stand the facts that barely anyone speaks English (even in such a metropolis) and that lots of online content are still blocked by the Chinese government. I am accessing the blogspot homepage with the kind assistance of a foreign proxy server, provided by our Tibet tour organizer.
Now, our backpacks are packed yet again, in a few hours an incredible train journey towards Lhasa will start. With oxygen masks provided in the train, we will climb over 5072 meters of altitude, on our way to the Tibetan capital. The next post will probably follow from Kathmandu, Nepal. Until then, 在這裡，我想在中國寫我的名字，但我不知道怎麼
The four days around lake Inle were a pure delight. We spent our time riding bicycles, ferries and fisher boats, we explored floating gardens, local temples and monasteries. Highlights included a wine tasting in Myanmar's biggest winery (see picture), or me ending up in a show-fight against seven young novice monks. Usually our days ended with one or more glasses of either Beer Myanmar or Beer Mandalay, which are both to be recommended. Going hand in hand with the Burmese beers are the local cigars. These contain Tamarind and Banana-grass, which is making them taste deliciously sweet. Already wearing the Myanmar-style long skirt ''Longshi'' like every man, plus consuming healthy doses of local drugs - our way in to any bar conversation was a breeze. As a sort of cultural highlight, we were invited to attend a baptism ceremony of a local girl; music and dancing, until our ears and feet were numb.
Could it get any better? Why not, our next stop was Bagan and its ca. 4'000 temples, pagodas and stupas - yet another milestone of my Asia trip. However, our enthusiasm was slowed down soon after arriving in Bagan. We found out that the long awaited sunrise flight with a balloon over Bagan could not take place, operations were shut down due to the low season... That was bad news of course, but we immediately started looking for alternatives, locations offering similarly jaw-dropping views. We found 2: (1) The Aureum Resort Hotel, a crazy, not-from-this-world, who da f* is Burj Al Arab, Hotel-tower and (2) Tant Kyi Taug Pagoda, which is a beautiful golden pagoda, located opposite the river, vis-à-vis old Bagan, offering an incredible view over the entire plateau. These two spots more than compensated for the balloon flight.
The current low season also had its benefits, on most of the temples and locations which we visited we were on our own, something unthinkable during the highly frequented months of January and February. Tired of endless hours in night buses built for short Asians, tall Fred and even taller me decided to take a plane for our last domestic leg in Myanmar. Air Mandalay flew us within 20min from Bagan to Mandalay for only a little more money compared to the bus alternative. An elderly fellow passenger with a strong French accent in his English was apparently not too comfortable with the entire flight; fully confused he kept on asking ground personnel after our landing, whether this is Mandalay now? As if the heavily oversized 'MANDALAY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT' sign was not big enough. We were convinced to be in Mandalay and hence left the plane and hopped in a cab heading towards central Mandalay. Our time in the former capital was limited, so we focused on the main sights: Royal Palace and Mandalay Hill.
Only one day after, we left Myanmar with bottles of water and knifes in our bags, by plane towards China, Chengdu. Already the transit stop in Kunming delivered us a massive cultural shock, right into our Swiss rookie faces. Yes we were still in Asia, but we felt like teleported some 50-100 years into the future. Top notch facilities and highest standards of everything awaited us, China has arrived, long ago. All I knew about Chengdu was its 3 letter IATA code (CTU) and that it is famous for Pandas. However, I had not a single clue about the city's beauty and it's high standard. Coming along with a easy-going lifestyle, one could quickly feel home in CTU. In contrast to this stand the facts that barely anyone speaks English (even in such a metropolis) and that lots of online content are still blocked by the Chinese government. I am accessing the blogspot homepage with the kind assistance of a foreign proxy server, provided by our Tibet tour organizer.
Now, our backpacks are packed yet again, in a few hours an incredible train journey towards Lhasa will start. With oxygen masks provided in the train, we will climb over 5072 meters of altitude, on our way to the Tibetan capital. The next post will probably follow from Kathmandu, Nepal. Until then, 在這裡，我想在中國寫我的名字，但我不知道怎麼
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