Adventures In Asia

My adventures in Asia

A Glimpse Into Rural Burmese Life

May 20, 2013

The city of Mandalay itself doesn’t have too many tourist attractions. The royal palace is supposed to be amazing, but it’s a reconstruction. The original was destroyed in World War 2. It was also constructed using forced labor, so I didn’t visit. There is an important pagoda, said to be the second most important after Shwedagon Pagoda [...]

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2 Burmese Monks, No Common Language, Tons Of Fun

May 15, 2013

As I explored Bagan by bike, I was going to a particular temple next to the river. On my way I saw a beautiful temple and decided to stop for a minute to see it. I didn’t go inside but the sign said it was from the year 1215. Wow. At the entrance there were [...]

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Burmese Kindness Series: Six Simple Words From An Angel

May 13, 2013

Myanmar, without a doubt, was one of the most interesting places I have visited. Apart from the beauty of the countryside and omnipresent temples, the wonderful people make this place unforgettable. In this series of five articles, I share five short stories of small acts of kindness to give an insight into the heart of [...]

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What Almost Ruined My Trip To Myanmar

May 11, 2013

I arrived in Bagan after a long night bus ride from Yangon. I arrived at 5am with no hotel reservation. I got on a horse cart and was taken to several places. All were full. But finally we stopped at Pann Cherry Guest House and I was lucky enough to get the cheapest room during [...]

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Bagan – Land Of 13,000 Temples

May 6, 2013

Bagan is a special place. It’s not just that it’s home to the densest concentration of temples, pagodas, and stupas in the world, many from the 11th and 12th centuries. It’s just the place itself. It’s so laid back, so truly Burmese, it’s a visual feast for the eyes and all the senses. It’s similar [...]

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Sunrise Over Bagan

May 1, 2013

I arrived in Bagan at 5am without a hotel reservation. Bad move, but after 30 minutes on a horse cart going from place to place, I was lucky enough to find a place to stay. After that was all settled, it was time to head off by horse cart to take in the sunrise over [...]

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Burmese Kindness Series: Where The Heck Is General Aung San’s House?

April 29, 2013

Myanmar, without a doubt, was one of the most interesting places I have visited. Apart from the beauty of the countryside and omnipresent temples, the wonderful people make this place unforgettable. In this series of five articles, I share five short stories of small acts of kindness to give an insight into the heart of [...]

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Shwedagon Pagoda – The Most Beautiful Pagoda In The World

April 24, 2013

Shwedagon Pagoda is the world’s oldest pagoda. It is said to have eight of Buddha’s hairs and various other relics. It’s 99m/325ft tall, 2600 years old, and contains literally tons and tons of gold. It is, without a doubt, the symbol of Yangon. I went here on my first day in Myanmar. Apart from being [...]

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Cultural Incompatibility: Hitting Children

April 13, 2013

I hesitate even calling this a cultural incompatibility because this is a behavior, or dare I say, a parenting style that cuts across all cultures. It’s not like machismo, which is widespread throughout Latin America, but male chauvinism varies from place to place. In all of Scandinavia I am pretty sure it’s illegal to hit [...]

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