My Myanmar Adventure

The week of Thanksgiving I traveled to Myanmar for an Adventure Race.  A few other friends from the running club on base also went.  I roomed with my friend Merri, and she was a great travel partner.  It was an 8 day trip for us, and I was so grateful to Eric for holding down the fort while I was gone.

Merri and I flew out a day early to be able to deliver pads for the Pad Project to an orphanage.  We had an 8 hour layover in Taiwan where we tried to get a little sleep on some couches.  Once we arrived in Yangon, Myanmar we bargained for a taxi and were off to the hotel.  We grabbed lunch, and Merri arranged for another taxi to the orphanage.  Driving through the streets of Yangon was quite an experience, and I thought we might hit a bus head on more than once!  Once we found the orphanage, Love Children's Home, we met with the girls, and Merri gave a talk on the pads we were delivering.  The Pad Project makes washable, re-usable maxi pads for girls and women in impoverished areas.  This helps them continue school or work during their periods.  A friend on base holds monthly workshops at the church to make these pads to be delivered to countries in need.  For more information on this organization check out their web-site http://toolittlechildren.org/.  We delivered 3 large suitcases filled with pads.  The girls were so happy and appreciative to receive the pads.  When we said goodbye each girl hugged us both.  It was a very humbling experience and one I will never forget.  You can find out more info on the orphanage or sponsor a child at http://lovechildrenshome.org/.

 We had another exciting taxi ride back to the hotel where we were able to check in with our tour company, Albatros Adventures, and check in to our room.  We were both exhausted from our travel so we had dinner at the hotel and headed to bed early.  The rest of the trip was planned out by our tour group.  Day 2 we had an early breakfast and then jumped on a bus to see the Schwedagon Pagoda which is considered to be the "Heart of Myanmar."  It is more than 2500 years old and surrounded by dozens of intricately decorated buildings and statues.  From there we visited the Karaweik Royal Barge on the lake and the Chauk Htat Gyi Pagoda to see the large reclining buddha.  After we enjoyed lunch at a nearby restaurant where we sampled some local Myanmar cuisine and beer.

Me at the Schwedagon Pagoda

Buddhas everywhere

Karaweik Royal Barge

Chauk Htat Gyi Pagoda

This Buddha was huge!

Nicely painted toenails!

Myanmar beer is not bad!

After lunch we headed to the airport to catch a flight to Bagan.  It was a quick flight on a very small plane.  Once we got settled at our hotel, Merri and I ventured out into the local town to find dinner.  We settled on Aye Mya Thida.  The food was good and cheap.  We sampled quite a few dishes and still paid less than $20 for everything.

The next morning we rented e-bikes to go to a temple to see the sunrise.  We asked the e-bike rental place if they could lead us to one of the best spots.  I wasn't quite ready to drive an e-bike so I rode on the back with Merri.  The morning views were awesome and we were able to see all the hot air balloons take off in the distance.  During this time I sat on my phone and cracked my screen which was the start of a whole other adventure in itself.

Eline, Merri, Ang, and Amanda

After the sunrise we headed back to the hotel for breakfast.  There was another tour day planned but Merri and I decided to try to find a place to fix my cracked screen.  The phone would not unlock and it was unusable.  Being so far away from Eric and the boys I was pretty stressed about not having communication.  There were many phone shops in Bagan but none of them serviced I-phones.  Some would tell us they could only to come back an hour later to find out they could not.  After stopping at about 8 shops we finally found one that could overnight the screen.  I hesitantly left my phone with the shop and prayed it would be fixed.  One positive that came out of the day was I conquered my fear of driving the e-bike.  I was literally shaking like a leaf when we first started but  Merri was very encouraging and led the way around town as I have no sense of direction.

I sent this photo to Eric and his first response was "where is your helmet!"  We were such rebels.  :)

When you need to pee and there is no western toilet in sight....you settle for a dirty hole in the ground.

We did stop at a couple temple markets to shop in between searching for phone shops.

Loved these beautiful handmade fans.  I bought a couple to bring home.

Just hanging with some monks at the temple

After an exhausting day in town we attended a spaghetti dinner and then rested up for our big race day.  Without my phone I could not take my own photos or listen to music during the race but my friends made sure to send me photos after.  I ran the 10k race which was the shortest distance option.  I really only trained up to 4 miles so I was a little nervous about the 6.2 miles.  Overall I was happy with my time.  The course was really beautiful.  After I finished, I sat by the finish line waiting to cheer on my friends doing the half marathon and full marathon.

At the hotel waiting for the bus

At the start!

Me and Eline on the course just getting started

10k finisher!

All the girls after the race

After the race we relaxed by the pool.  Merri offered to go pick my phone up for me and I was so happy when it came back in perfect working condition!  Now I could really relax for the rest of the trip.  :)

The next day we decided to all rent e-bikes again and explore Bagan.  By this point I felt like a pro on the e-bike so I was really able to enjoy the temple sites and views.

We even did a little off roading!

No shoes and shoulders and knees covered in the temples

That night we had a surprise evening planned out by our tour group.  The bus took us to a marina where we caught a party boat.  We had drinks and appetizers on the boat and enjoyed watching the sunset.  The boat took us to a private island for dinner and entertainment.  Some of the tour group got a little crazy but we took the early boat back.  My days of dancing on tables is over.

Our last day in Bagan was extended due to a delayed flight so Merri and I decided to grab a horse cart for one last excursion.  Our guide took us to an old monastery still in use.  It was a great way to end our time in Bagan.

 We took another tiny flight back to Yangon later in the day.  Most flew on to their final destination but we stayed an extra night.  The Pope was flying in right around the same time so we saw lines of people waiting to get a view of him on our drive back to the hotel.  We didn't see the Pope but we were able to hang by the hotel pool for the afternoon.  Later we took a taxi to the Hard Rock Cafe in Yangon for dinner.

The next morning we had a flight out of Yangon.  We had a 24 hour layover in Taipei, Taiwan so we found a hotel near the airport and ventured out to one of the night markets.  We shopped and sampled some food.  The only thing I found safe to eat were the Hello Kitty pancakes and a watermelon smoothie.  I ordered room service when we got back to the room.

Taipei, Taiwan

Raohe St. Night Market

Never would I have ever thought I would be doing a trip to Myanmar.  Honestly I had to look the place up on the map when we started talking about it.  Being in Japan has opened up a lot of possibilities for us as a family but has also pushed me out of my comfort zone in many ways.  It was definitely hard being away from Eric and the boys and it may take a while before I would ever do a trip like this again.  Looking back it was an experience of a lifetime and one I will never forget.  I am grateful to have had such a great travel partner in Merri.  Her confidence and prayers are what got me through the tough moments of the trip.  Eric is now looking into a medical mission trip in Myanmar and if at all possible I would love to go with him and show him all my favorite spots.  It would even be nice to teach him how to ride an e-bike.