Bangkok

Time to go home! This trip was certainly a kaleidoscope of experiences, stunningly beautiful, incredibly challenging and frustrating, inspiring, freezing cold, sweltering and unbearingly hot, bucolic, urban...it certainly stretched us!

We have been privileged to be invited in the home of lovely and vivacious Tharee (whom we had met in Dan Sai) and her specially inspiring and generous husband Wichai. 

It has been quite an experience living in her lovely home (a quiet oasis in the midst of traffic and tall skyscrapers) and finding our way around using local buses and boats. We ve become experts at finding our way around...

Koh Bulon

We met Rositha again!

We had met her first at Chiang Khan, then twice at Sang Khom and while we were in Myanmar she travelled in Cambodia and Vientiane. And here she was again, on Samsen road! After sharing our mutual needs for relaxation, she mentioned Koh Bulon, a small undeveloped island with jungle and beaches off Trang, nearly in the border with Malaysia. 

So we spent 4 days there...a little paradise

Happy daze

A very helpful lady at a vegetarian restaurant on Samsen Rd suggested we go to Suriraj hospital, where the King goes. After taking the boat a couple of stops we eventually found the Trauma department where a team of (trainees?) doctors saw me, right hand was xrayed and it was pronounced my wrists were NOT BROKEN! 

Bagan crush

All was going well (apart from having to cycle back in the dark after supper, we had forgotten to take the front lights), we were going for a last relaxing time at the breezy little restaurant by the Irrawaddy (delicious coffee and sumptuous ginger tea), I stopped to take photo of picturesque cow

Starting tandem we suddenly got bogged down in sand, wheel jammed sideways, John managed to get off tandem ok but I fell sideways, using my wrists to save hitting my face. Mercifully the road wasn't tarred but noneless, the sand was pretty compact where I hit it. I felt a bit dazed, but more cross than in pain and we did go for that coffee and ginger tea to try to recover...we somehow managed to cycle back to guesthouse, load our bag, reach the Black Bamboo for lunch, but by that time I was in agony. John went to look for a splint and bandages and we at last reached the train station where I nearly collapsed with pain. By the time we reached Yangon, 18 hours later, the pain hadn't subsided and John decided we should abandon Myanmar and fly to Bangkok.

Tandem on van who took us through busy Yangon to airport. Bought a last minute flight ($150 each, leaving in a couple of hours time), John had difficulties to pack the tandem on his own. A good angel appeared in the guise of a most helpful German man

And we arrived in Bangkok by 5pm, John wheeled tandem (on two trolleys) to left luggage, we indulged in a taxi and we arrived in Bangkok house just before receptionist was leaving and yes! they had a room!

Bagan IV

Temples temples beautiful temples...

Stopped for lunch in small village and looked at looms and spinning being done

And more temples in the afternoon

Bagan III

Still didn't manage to get up for sunrise (that means not only getting up in the dark but also cycling in the dark on sandy paths..) but spent another beautiful day exploring the temples. Went to train station again (12km away) to try and sort out ticket to Yangon

Even managed staying for the sunset and avoid crowds

Bagan II

With so many temples to visit John made a schedule of temples we should visit. I got a bit homesick for a latté, we had a bit of an argument and after a latté and a large bill we visited some stunning sites

Bagan

Talked with Martin from Austria who was doing a PhD in Physics. He had travelled to many countries and we talked about Europe's strengths and weaknesses and he shared his reservations about Muslim integrations and refugee problems.

Checked into Winner Guesthouse, a cheaper option and had an early night after visiting our first temple:

Schwezigon Pagoda, golden and stunning in the evening light

Next morning off to the temples. What an overwhelming sight! Neither of us were prepared for the sheer number of beautiful ruins dotted here and there in the countryside (about 3000?)

Visited Ananda Phato, probably one of the most important temples, where four 10m high Buddhas stand in an inner sanctum guarded by graceful sentinels (the hands mean stop and wait)

Yoe Yoe Lay

Arrived in Mandalay after dark, carrying tandem and bags over another two boats. Not the easiest landing! Then back to friendly Nonbue who gave us a room with attached bathroom for the same price as our old one without and decided to take a minibus to Bagan at 9am rather than wake up at 3am to catch boat (we don't have enough time to cycle there. So lovely to be at Yoe Yoe Lay again and see the friendly girls and have generous breakfast!