flight(s) home

it may not seem like it from the last month of posts

but steven and i returned to the USA safely at the end of september.

we had very little access to internet in myanmar so our posts 

had to wait until we were back.

it was quite an epic journey

and it seemed as though we were gone forever,

though our friends and family have said it felt like we just left.

we flew back into san francisco 

and have only made it as far as arcata ca.

we have yet to see many of our friends and family in the seattle area.

i feel as though our trip won't feel complete until i get to hug my mom and dad.

here are some pictures from our flights back.

most notable was the airport in taiwan

where each little waiting area was themed. 

it was amazing.

somehow i only seemed to really photograph the

hello kitty room...

-e

when is a waiting area at an airport ever this empty? at 8am at the yangon international airport.

the library themed waiting room at the taiwan airport

hello kitty room. the best

hello kitty time zones

every waiting room was this elaborate. it was so great.

well hello san francisco. 

a day of travel in myanmar

traveling from city to city in myanmar was

interesting.

to start with, the taxis within bigger cities

are- if you're lucky- old toyotas 

that are being held together with ducked tape and wires.

the roofs leak water when it rains

and it wasn't uncommon to see the ground moving 

through holes beneath your feet.

if you weren't as lucky

the taxi was a little motor bike 

which costs nearly the same as a car

but was putting your life in much more danger

as the driver weaved in and out of the chaotic traffic.

for longer rides we usually 

ended up on a large passenger bus 

with reclining seats and tv's 

for watching burmese music videos at full volume for 13 hours.

there was no such bus to take us from mandalay 

to our next destination of inle lake so we had to get creative.

we first took a three hour train from mandalay to thazi.

it was one of the best travel experiences,

not due the comfort of the ride (as it was absolutely not comfortable)

but for the incredible scenery we got to witness as we slowly passed by.

we got to thazi much sooner than we had anticipated

so instead of spending the night and catching another train in the morning

we hopped on a horse drawn carriage that took us to "the bus station"

where "the bus manager" arranged for a "bus" to pick us up and take us to inle lake. 

this "bus" turned out to be a truck, it's bed covered and packed with burmese travelers.

the roof was piled high with luggage and food (think ikea volkswagon bug).

we got the "special front seats" (we were crammed in the front of a manual truck with the driver)

and spent to next seven hours vowing we would never ever ever do this again.

but when we got to inle lake and saw how beautiful our surroundings were,

we stopped complaining...

-e

our train. we paid $7 for first class seats

leaving the city of mandalay

riding the train

rice fields from the train window

once you get to the smaller towns in myanmar, this is a major form of transportation 

the "bus" we spent 7 hours in

the view from our window at inle lake...

t-minus {2 months}

in exactly two months

on august 8th 2012

we will board a plane in San Francisco 

bound for Tokyo...

so how am i celebrating this special moment?

starting my typhoid vaccine!

it's a silly process of taking a series of four pills every 48 hours.

you must have an empty stomach (haven't eaten for 2 hours and won't eat for another hour). 

have lot's of water but it cannot be warm.

not easy for some one (me) who eats constantly throughout the day...

and i have a tiny bladder. 

so i've been going to the bathroom every half hour...

-e

 my schedule. so i wouldn't forget...

 the process.

 and finally @ 9:20... a treat!

our "plan"

 

wondering what our "plan" is for this crazy adventure?

a bit small and very homemade

but

you get the point...

we begin our adventure in Tokyo, Japan.

Japan was at the top of both our must see lists so we knew we had to go there.

since it's (by FAR) the most expensive of our desitnations,

we decided to visit first

from there the trip is very loosly planned,

but here is a general overview

fly into Phuket Thailand and explore Ko Phi Phi and Krabi

get ourselves over to Ko Pha Ngan

then head up to Bangkok!  

from there we can get into Myanmar (labeled as Burma on this map) 

and explore as much as we can for 800 very crisp and brand new United States Dollars (the most you can bring into this country)

we'll head back into Thailand as there are only a couple cities where you can get in/out of Myanmar

after we've exhausted out tourist visa in Thailand we'll head over to Nepal.

then fly home through New Delhi...

any suggestions for additional must visit destinations while we're in the area? 

-e