TravelBio

When I last left you, Joanna was the one who left me…well only for 9 days! Joanna flew to Thailand to meet up with her friends from back home, while I stayed in Myanmar for another week. We would soon reconvene, but for the time being I was on my own. It was quite strange, actually; aside from my short stop in Delhi, I’d been traveling with friends for nearly a month. Scene along the circular train; see the video below for a short clip On January 28 th , the day after Joanna left, I rode the circular train around Yangon. The ride has become a tourist attraction in itself, as it gives tourists a glimpse of life on the outskirts of the city and the much less developed parts of Yangon. For less than 50 cents you can do the entire three hour loop. The scenery quickly changes from urban Yangon to small villages and agricultural fields, and although the ride was a bit long, I was still glad to complete the loop. Halfway along the route I stopped off to see a war memorial ...

Myanmar: the only country in SE Asia, bar East Timor and Brunei, which I had yet to check off my list. My only regret during my 2013 trip through SE Asia was that I passed on Myanmar. This Chinese New Year (CNY) I wouldn’t make the same mistake. I took off the entire month of January, but for the other teachers at my school, their three week CNY break began on January 20th. Joanna and planned to travel for a week in Myanmar to start the vacation, and a week in Cambodia to finish. In the middle she would travel to Thailand to meet friends from England. As for me, I would stay in Myanmar and then meet her in Cambodia. From India I had to go first to Thailand, and then to Myanmar. Joanna and I planned to go to Mandalay, Bagan, and Yangon. Before I started my trip in Myanmar I first had to get there. I departed Delhi early afternoon on January 19 th , but didn’t arrive for nearly 24 hours. India and Myanmar share a land border, but I first had to transit through Thailand. ...