Well, I haven't really given you a wordy flavour thus far as to what Myanmar was really like (and you're probably quite thankful for it). To rectify that here's some prose. I cribbed it from an email I sent (with minor edits) so sorry if some references don't make too much sense.
Oh and I have spent a frikking age loading up a ton more pics on my Flickr photo site so if you want to feast your peepers some more...nothing's stopping ya!
Mandalay 5am, heading for an Irrawaddy Adventure - I popped outside to meet Mr Hat the trishaw man. Sure enough, there he was, fettling with ropes and specs. I strolled up and presented myself in the formal manner that befits such an august meeting. He simply stared at me and rubbed his eyes in amazement and blinked and gawped slack jawed (and other sure fire signs he had no idea who the devil I was). I explained I was his fare to the boat station. He takes a step back and looks long and hard and shakes his head. 'No really, I am!' Eventually he stammers that he does not believe I am the same person from the previous night. OK, so no-one looks their best in the morning, certainly not 5am, but had I really become Mr Hyde from Dr Jekyll? Amazing how being accompanied by a beautiful woman can get 'you' recognised more easily...hmmm. I guess we honkies all look the same in the dim light of early morning and without specs. He did say he & his wife would like me to stay with them on my return, which was very sweet.


So, up river we chugged at a ground speed somewhere around a slow jog (although water speed was faster as it was fairly gushing past). The Irrawaddy fanned out ahead of us in the morning light like a broad sheet of beaten bronze. By the way, did you know that Mandalay has a big Ferris wheel akin to the London Eye (but smaller...and probably from the early 60s)? No? Well it does, I saw it. Shame I didn't know before as a spin would have been capital fun!


The scenery and small fishing vessels rolled lazily by and the day passed with reading, taking pics, napping and being stared and giggled at (as well as offered food, which was very sweet).
After a pretty good nights sleep (8:30pm-5am) I was up again for day two of ???. I had noticed that the Burmese all seemed to wash from a big drum of river water at the back, maybe three times a day, and change their clothes. Naturally I had had a quick dab with a wet-wipe and was still attired in the same threads I had embarked in. It was at this point an old lady told me in forceful terms and gestures that I should wash. Partially out of embarrassment and also coz I could be on the boat for another 36hrs, I did as bid and joined in the river water wash down.


As it was, we landed at Kha Tha on the Sunday afternoon around five so all predictions had been awry. I was rather glad altho' the boat trip had been great. I think it was the perfect time, long enough to be an epic, short enough not to be overt endurance. Checked into the Irrawaddy Guest House over looking the 'dock' and went off for an explore.
Kha Tha is a great wee town. Sort of the equivalent of a UK market town off the beaten path but instead of the Yangon/Mandalay 60s time warp, this was definitely more like 1920s. After a summary reccy I found a great barbecue joint under a massive cloaking banyan tree that served up skewers of flattened pork, quails eggs and okra with chili dipping sauce for 200kyat (8p) a stick and glasses of beer for 500kyat (20p). Were it a gastro pub in Islington goodness only knows what flowery prose would describe the fayre and what eye wincing prices would accompany them.



Decided to make headway with my extra day and leave for Mandalay on Monday. Checked out the station in Kha Tha but there was one train a day to Naba at midnight. Did mean I got my bus ride as well as train, so all boxes ticked. Met up with a Burmese fellow with fascinating dentistry (as all seem to) who showed me the old British Club (now agric co-op) and working tennis court from Burmese Days and also George Orwell's old house. Also had a good chat with the guest house proprietor along the dissident lines (initiated by him).

Headed to the travel office with a young trishaw fella but it wasn't open til 9am so took tea and roti (pala?) with him and killed time. At the travel office they simply made a couple of calls and then said just rock up at the airport for 3pm and I'd be on the flight to Yangon that afternoon. Once again, the 'Somehow We Get You There Motto' applied. Enough time to grab a shower at the Royal Guest House and see some of the markets (buy a clean shirt!) and sample Nylon Ice Cream Parlour.


My last day in Yangon was pretty good. Got up early (product of 9:30 bedtime previous night) & hit the flower market to get...errr...some flowers for Andrew & Kelly whom I was to have dinner with that night. In my moochings also picked up a large parasol, a fair sized laquerware bowl and an oval tray without thinking about how I'm going to get them home. The things a boy gets up to with spare time and Kyat to kill. Hey ho as they say in the Inle Lake area.


Kelly and Andrew (my supposed doppelganger)
Watched the sunset from the roof of the guest house with a cold beer and then headed off to A&K's for dinner where I also met a chap Nikolai who was doing Dan's old job in Southern Sudan (I think) before heading to Cambodia with his girlfriend. He was doing some consultancy in Myanmar. Anyhow, had a fun old night and drank a little too much of course, especially with fine wine on offer! Made the 5:30am reveille a touch hard. And so ended my Burmese Days.