Mandalay festival time

Mandalay. The place where I turned into the sweatiest version of myself within 5 minutes of setting foot on city grounds. I'm not ashamed to admit I spent every afternoon sitting in front the airconditioning of my room. I had no idea what else to do with myself. A fried brain, on the tipping point of delirium. In this heat, we got on bicycles to act all cool and ride around the city like it was nothing. After one hour of visiting pagodas, we got back to the guesthouse with faces fiery red. I'm not exaggerating when I say there was steam rising from my body under the cold shower. I might be exaggerating a tiny bit, but you get the point. 

The second day we were smarter and got a taxi with aircon to drive us around. All eight of us in the car. It was nice seeing the monks lining up for lunch, the city views and temples, but my favourite part of the trip was the unexpected festival. Imagine a guy on top of a bus, singing Bon Jovi covers. In Burmese. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so I cried with laughter. Sadly I didn't take pictures of this amazing event, I guess I was too busy enjoying whatever was happening on that stage. 

Exploring Inle Lake

After getting a taste of the city life in Yangon, I was ready to turn down the tempo. Inle Lake with its lovely little villages, artisan crafts and rice fields was our next destination. We arrived at 6 am, checked in at the Lady Princess hotel (partly because of the name, partly because we all secretly had a crush on the receptionist, a woman with literally the biggest smile I have ever seen), rented bikes and rode through rice paddies until we realised we were going the wrong way. And this wouldn't be the last time. 

After an amazing lunch of curry and extra plates of goodness covering the entire table, we decided the time had come for some serious wine tasting at the one and only vineyard in the area. Myanmar wine. We were curious and maybe a little bit too excited to see what it was all about. Imagine goon (shitty wine in a box), but then about ten times worse. It was hilarious. At least the view was stunning. As the sun was setting, we got back on the bikes. I'm still not sure whether it was the wine, the rain or the broken brakes, but only half of us made it back to Lady Princess in the ten minutes it actually took to get to the hotel. About an hour later, I found my way back and after two more minutes my roomie Els arrived.

We laughed and changed to dry clothes, ready to walk to the store for chocolate and chips. An early night with books and snacks was all we longed for after a long rainy bike ride. Instead we found a bar called One Owl Grill and that meant the end of our plan. Cocktails, pizza, humus, bruscetta, chocolate mousse with caramel sauce, it was like we hadn't seen Western food for years. We agreed we had to try everything on the menu. So the next couple of days, you know where we were at. 

The next morning we hopped on a boat for a daytrip on the lake. Mountains, temples, fishermen, floating gardens and villages, long neck women, traditional cigarette factory, lotus weavers, young monks, markets, my eyes could hardly keep up. Catching a glimpse of life on the water was fascinating, but I did feel like the ultimate tourist. Every stop was a souvenir shop in disguise. Still it was a nice experience. The village next to the lake is the place that stole a piece of my heart, though. Surrounded by beautiful nature, on the bike, the balcony or the terrace of the bar, I enjoyed every second in that area. Many travellers do a trek from Kalaw to Inle, another reason to go back to Myanmar, one day. :)

First days in Myanmar

I've always been the last-minute decision making kind. Impulsive trips, changes of plans and spontaneously saying YES to pretty much anything that comes my way, they happen on a daily basis. Which is nice because one moment you're dreaming of doing a yoga retreat on a Thai island and two minutes later you're booking a flight to Myanmar. The disadvantage of the forever last-minute state of mind, is the cost price. You pay a lot more for impulsivity than for well prepared, pre-organised travels. I'm as good at organising trips as a dysfunctional poodle, so I'm happy to pay the extra bucks. 

Myanmar it is. A country I knew nothing about (I consider research part of the organising process, plus I love to arrive somewhere with no expectations, ready to fill up the blank page). Arriving on the second day of monsoon season is of course all part of the non-existing plan. It is pouring down in Yangon, but I don't mind. The day before, Jessica messages me saying she moved to Yangon, so we should meet up. This makes my heart dance, because I met Jess in Kathmandu six years ago, where we lived together in the house of the loveliest Nepalese family. So Yangon is all about catching up over delicious food. Two of my favourite things in life!

When the sun comes out, we wander around the Sunday morning city streets. Red betelnut spit colours the pavement. Men smoking, chewing, giving us a black toothed smile. Small shops specialise in one item, selling a hundred pieces of the very same thing. Fried crickets, a goldfish in a plastic bag, a single cigarette, remote controls, padlocks, pigeon food, anything you can think of. I like it and so do the pigeons, happily sitting on the wires keeping Yangon in and out of electricity. 

The hostel I stay at, doesn't have electricity or running water at the time. It does have two of the most fabulous women I've ever met. A couple of awesome chicks who travel under the name 'Those Bucket Girls'. Within the first ten minutes, stories of shame are shared. Before I know it, we spend ten days together, driving through Myanmar on bicycles, scooters, boats, tuktuks and taxis. And the finest kind of nightbus I have ever laid eyes on. The one where you look around and realise you're actually on a business class plane - but then a bus! Hostess in beautiful purple outfit serving coffee, tea, crazy green spongecake and all. The real deal. So we leave Yangon in style. Smelling like dirty backpackers due to the lack of showers, but in style. 

Unholy Bagan

Mingalabar

she said, Burmese greetings

on a hot afternoon

the sweat was dripping 

she felt her face melting 

as she entered the temple

a man was sitting in the corner

facing Buddha, he said hello

softly and quickly 

she didn't look at him 

afraid to interrupt his prayers

instead she focused on the Buddha

whose smile looked like a frown

she wiped her forehead

returned to her thoughts

this is what she longed for

solitude and meditation

taking shelter in the heat of the day

a pagoda, one of thousands

to sit in silence

reflect on life

pray for growth

spiritual enlightenment

she took a deep breath

searched the empty floor

for the perfect spot

swiftly glanced over to the corner

to the man in position

of what seemed to be intense praying

but as she looked closer

her eyes adjusted to the dark

jeans on his anckles

eyes on the Buddha

and dick in his hand