Myanmar

Of all the countries we have visited, Myanmar was the biggest unknown for us. To be honest, we didn't know much about the country except that it was under military rule until 2011, when it was still known as Burma. We were surprised and delighted to find a country filled with friendly, hospitable people. Actually I would go as far to say that the Burmese are the friendliest people in Southeast Asia. They are also very happy and carefree, often breaking into song in public places. 

Since the tourism industry is still being established, Yangon doesn't have the usual designated backpackers area. We decided to stay near Chinatown, which is always a great area for food and markets. The first thing that struck us on our way from the airport was the lack of motorbikes. The rest of Southeast Asia heavily relies on motorbikes for transportation of people and goods, but it turns out that they are banned in the Yangon city limits. 

Even without the motorbikes, Yangon is a very busy city. The traffic is horrible, and the drivers don't respect crosswalks or stop signs. You have to be smart to cross the road, but it is still more manageable than Vietnam. A few times we were escorted across a busy intersection by a local that spotted our hesitation. 

The main attraction in Yangon is the Shwedagon Pagoda, located in the centre of the city. It's an absolutely huge religious complex with dozens of different temples. The Burmese are very religious with 89% of people being devout Buddhists. The majority of people also still wear traditional clothing which consists of long colourful sarongs worn by men and women. 

The pagoda complex was a great place to observe Burmese rituals. Worshippers kneel in front of a specific animal depending on the day of the week they were born (there are 8 days, with Wednesday morning and afternoon being separated). They then either light candles or these black bowls that contain oil.  

This charismatic man was our guide of the Shwedagon Complex. It was oppressively hot, and he insisted that I follow him under his umbrella. We followed him around for 2 hours, listening to stories about the pagoda and Myanmar. He then brought us to a tiny restaurant for a Burmese feast, that cost us about $2. We met him again in the evening when it was cooler to hear more stories and see the pagoda illuminated by floodlights.  

When the sun began to set, groups of women began circling the main pagoda with brooms and mops. They weren't in uniforms like the people working at the complex, so we assumed they were volunteers. The whole thing looked like some kind of ritual, with people following the cleaners in silent prayer.

The best thing we did in Yangon was ride the train that does a loop of the city and its suburbs. It's by far the cheapest way to get around, but the comfort level is low: the benches are hard, the ride is bumpy, and the hot sun pierces through the open windows. Once it reaches the outskirts of the city, the train goes through small rice fields and farms. 

We took the train in the afternoon, just when all the market vendors were on their way home with their unsold goods. The train doesn't actually come to a full stop at most stations, so it's a mad rush to get all their bags and crates on board. At one point, people were jumping through the windows as the train slowed through the station. 

After spending a few days in Yangon, we took an overnight bus to Bagan, the cultural centre of Myanmar, and known for it's countless temples. We arrived on the morning of Aaran's birthday, and immediately went to one of the temples to watch the sunrise. After checking in to our hotel, we rented bicycles and explored the nearby sites. 

The Bagan Archaeological Region was so much fun to explore, because there are new temples to see every few minutes. Some of them are similar, but because they were built over a few hundred years, most of them have a very unique style. The best ones to explore are the ones with tiny stair passages that lead to the top of the stupa.

The views were wonderful in every direction. The best thing about having small groups of temples spread out everywhere is that we rarely came across other people. Most of the time it felt like we had the place all to ourselves. 

The highlight of all the temples in Bagan is the Shwezigon Pagoda. It is a tall golden monument that is similar to the one in Yangon. The only downside of of visiting the more popular temples is that people often follow you around, trying to sell you souvenirs or offering to be your guide. We much preferred wandering around the less popular sites that were quiet and peaceful.

We spent 3 days in Bagan, exploring as many temples as we could. I think we actually managed to see the majority of the main sites, but it would be impossible to see all of the many scattered temples. It wouldn't be so bad if there were some trees in the area, offering shade while cycling around. The heat made it very difficult to spend the afternoon outside, leaving us only morning and evening to visit the sites. 

On our last day in Bagan we visited a small village that still lives a very traditional life. This kind woman showed us around the different bamboo houses, and demonstrated daily tasks undertaken by the villagers. The most impressive thing is watching the women carrying water from the well nearby. It's a hard task that has to be done twice every day. The only modern feature of this village were the few solar panels used to power lights in the evening.

This is the very curious daughter of our guide. On her face is yellow chalk, used by almost all women and children as sunscreen. Because this area is still new to tourists, the whole family was fascinated by our camera. They were eager to look at our pictures and couldn't stop giggling at the idea of having their photo taken.

Our short time in Myanmar was simply magic. We loved every second of it. There was a perfect mixture of beautiful places to explore, and delicious food to eat. It's a simple country that still leads a very traditional daily life. We feel very privileged to have visited it before it has been taken over by the tourism industry. 

What are we doing with our lives?

Whether we're sitting on a crowded bus being pushed and shoved, or relaxing on a beautiful beach drinking $0.50 beers, we always think to ourselves... What are we doing with our lives? We do realize how ridiculous it sounds to quit your job and travel for a year, but for us the timing was right. Aaran was about to finish his graduate program, and we thought it would be nice to take a break and go to Asia for 3 months. As we were planning the trip, 3 months became 7 months, and then somehow it turned into a whole year. The more we researched the more we realised that there was so much we wanted to see. Our goal is not to see everything, just to sample as much as we can. We have no kids and no mortgage, so for us it was now or never. Saving money was key, we moved to a town where we didn't know anyone, and for over a year we saved every spare penny. 

When you're travelling for a long time you can't afford to do expensive tourist activities. We often have to content ourselves by wandering in the streets and finding things to do that won't kill our budget. So far, in Asia, we are able to live comfortably with less than $40 US per day.  That includes our accommodation, all meals, afternoon coffee, museum entrance and the occasional bus ride. In Myanmar, we spent a hot afternoon riding the local train around the city of Yangon. The tickets were about $1 each and we got to watch local life go by for about 3 hours. 

To save money we avoid taking taxis at all costs. Usually it's easy enough to find a local bus when you get off the plane or train. Last week when we arrived in the province of Goa, India, we took 3 different local buses to get to our beach hostel. It took 2 hours and cost less than $5. A taxi would have taken 45 minutes but would have cost us $18. One of the downsides of taking public transportation is that it's often incredibly crowded and with our big backpacks it's a bit of a pain. Our bags weigh about 25 lbs each and take up a lot of room in a small bus. People usually roll their eyes when they see us pushing through our big bags.

 If it looks like we're always wearing the same clothes, it's because we are! We have 5 t-shirts and a few pairs of shorts/pants. Laundry can cost as little as $2 per load, or $14 when they impose western standards, and decide to charge per item.  We have a few toiletries and some basic medications. The other day I bought a small bottle of conditioner for $1, a total luxury! We also carry around a notebook to record all of our costs. 

An alternative to public transportation is taking the popular tuk-tuk. They look cool, but are very uncomfortable on bumpy roads. The plus side is that they are much cheaper than a taxi, and will take you right to your destination, not like a bus. When we find a driver that we like we usually get his number and arrange for him to bring us somewhere the next day. 

We spend a lot of our time waiting around. Every 3-4 days we go to a new city so we have to take a bus/train/plane quite often. We don't like leaving things up to chance, so we are always much earlier than we need to be. This gives us a chance to look through our notes and decide what to do when we arrive. We also spend a lot of time reading. Thanks to hostels that have free book exchanges, I always have a new book to read.

A major challenge with travelling to a new city every few days is learning to navigate your new surroundings. If Aaran wasn't here I would probably still be in Indonesia, lost in a rice field somewhere. It takes me a good 2 days to remember where everything is and how to get there. Usually we look at a map and find a few reference points near our accommodation. Somehow Aaran is then able to find every museum and market without looking at the map a second time.

I think the biggest thing that we take for granted at home is having access to clean water out of the tap. Every sip of water that have taken in 11 weeks we have had to purchase. Not only that but we have to use bottled water to brush our teeth. I was use to this in Korea, but it's very different when you don't have your own apartment to store bottles. Also, I'm not quite sure why there is a picture of me drinking water, Aaran takes very random photos.. 

There is nothing luxurious about travelling on a budget. We rarely get given any towels, and sometimes have to buy our own toilet paper. For the past 11 weeks I can't remember seeing a bathroom that had a separate shower and toilet. This picture is actually one of the nicer toilets we've had. Usually all you have is a hose that you have to hold over yourself (almost always with cold water). The annoying thing is that once you've taken a shower, the entire bathroom is soaking wet for hours. 

It's not all bad. Because we're always on the move we never have time to get bored. Our favourite thing to do is find out the local dishes and eat as many as we can. I don't think we've been disappointed with any local food yet. 

At least once a week I'm approached by a group of giggling girls who want to hold my hand and take a picture with me. Aaran is no help during these situations and, if anything, he gives the girls tips on where to stand for the best lighting. Finally, last week, Aaran was asked by an Indian man to sit on a rock and take a picture with him. 

One thing that we do a lot of is walking. There's no better way to get to know a city than to just walk around. We play a game where we start at a particular point of interest and then turn left and right at alternating corners. Most of the time it takes you to places you wouldn't have otherwise seen if you were just following a map. A few times we ended up on streets that we would rather have avoided. 

It's incredible how easy it has been to get use to this lifestyle. It's a lot of hard work, sometimes just trying to find a pharmacy or an ATM that works takes us half a day.  Most of the time though it's very easygoing. We have the freedom to do what we want and try new things on a daily basis. Every day we meet knew people, locals and other travellers and we hear about their lives. We are constantly reminded how similar all humans are. 

Cambodia

We arrived in Cambodia on a 7 hour bus from Vietnam. Crossing an international border by land is always interesting. A man took our passports and $70 from us when we first got on the bus, and then raced off on a motorbike.  A few hours later when we reached the checkpoint he was waiting for us at a picnic table with another guy who was signing our visas. We had no problems crossing the border, so I guess it was legitimate. 

Our first stop was the capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh. Our first impressions weren't great. Our hostel was in a bit of a run down area that has been taken over by tourists who are clearly taking advantage of Cambodia's drug industry. We did our best to spend as little time around there as possible.  This is a street next to our hostel being used to cleverly hang laundry. One thing that has been a constant in our travels is that people will hang their laundry anywhere there is a bit of sun. 

The main thing we did in the city was visit the Royal Palace, a huge temple complex that also acts as the royal residence for the king of Cambodia. They are very strict about clothing requirements here and many people were being turned back because they were wearing shorts or sleeveless shirts. I had to buy a t-shirt because they wouldn't let me in with my scarf wrapped around my shoulders.

The complex was absolutely beautiful and extremely well maintained. While we were amazed by the sites we couldn't help but think that it was all a waste in a country were the majority of the population is extremely impoverished. 

After spending a day in Phnom Penh we headed to the quiet town of Battambang. I think this is our favourite destination so far. All the locals were friendly and every kid under the age of ten would wave and yell HELLO! as we walked or cycled by. Because our guesthouse was a bit out of town they let us borrow bicycles for free which we fully took advantage of. 

There are dozens of temples around Battambang, each one built in a slightly different style. What was unique about the temples here is that they not only housed monks, but also served as schools and shelters for the poor. The monks work as teachers, and teach the kids to speak English. I saw a chalkboard translating how to tell a tourist where to find the post office. This temple was under construction when we visited. The scaffolding was being held together by torn up bits of monks' robes. 

We were in Cambodia during the dry season, which means that all the rivers were running very low. During this time the fishermen have a hard time catching fish so they have to earn money in other ways. Here the villagers used the fertile land on the dry riverbed to grow chilli peppers. Across the river they were growing peanuts. 

We visited the Banan Temple just 30 minutes outside of Battambang. It was built during the 12th century and hasn't undergone much maintenance. The bricks look like they might fall apart at any moment, but people still use it to give offerings and prayers. 

When we first got off the bus in Battambang we met a tuk-tuk driver who offered to bring us to our guesthouse for free if we booked a tour with him. We took his deal and the next day he brought us to the unbelievable Bat Cave. Just as the sun is setting every night you can hear the bats start to wake up. They just kind of fly around the cave for a while until one of them decides it's time to go. Then they all follow in a long black stream. We watched them coming out for about 20 minutes then our guide brought us to a rice field were you can see them from a distance. 

One of the must-do things in Battambang is ride the bamboo train. The train is basically just a small bamboo platform operated with a lawn mower engine. Before they got the engines they were moved along the track using a long bamboo pole. 

We rode through farms and rice fields and got off at a small village where women were selling scarves and clothing. On the way back we had to stop several times since there were incoming bamboo trains. Each time the drivers have to take their platforms off the tracks, let the other one pass and then place their cart back on the tracks. 

A popular snack in Cambodia is these tiny snails, fried in sea salt and chilli. They also do the same with really small clams. The sidewalks are covered in discarded shells. 

We found this tiny Chinese restaurant on one of the side streets in the main town centre of Battambang. The dedicated owner stands outside and rolls out the dough for noodles and dumplings fresh to order. 

We started with some amazing fried dumplings and tea while we waited for our noodles. We were then both given huge bowls of noodles that we could barely finish. The whole thing cost us about $4. 

A man chopping up coconuts at the market to make coconut milk. He gives the small pieces of flesh to a girl who presses them into a machine and starts turning a wheel, a few minutes later the fresh coconut milk start to pour out. 

We bought a bag of the coconut milk for our cooking class. We made this delicious local dish called fish amok. The fish is placed in a small boat that we folded from a banana leaf. We then put the boat in a steamer to let it cook for 45 minutes. 

The main attraction in Cambodia is the ancient ruins of Angkor Wat. It was built in the 12th century and was initially a Hindu complex but later was converted into a Buddhist area. It's suppose to be the largest religious monument in the world. To access the ruins you have get to the nearby town of Siem Reap. You then have the choice of visiting the ruins by bicycle, tuk-tuk, taxi or tour bus. We decided to take a tuk-tuk for the first day to get a feel for the area and then rent bicycles on our second day. 

We brought a picnic from the market with us because the price of food near the ruins is ridiculously high. Thankfully it's easy to find baguettes and fruit to stuff into your bag.

Hundreds of people eagerly waiting for the sun to rise behind Angkor Wat. We only stayed for a short while because people were getting aggressive. They were all worried that they would miss the best photo opportunity when someone would walk in front of them. We decided to walk around the temple to watch the sun rise in peace. 

The sweat marks don't even begin to cover how oppressively hot it was. On top of the heat we were covered in dirt that stuck to our sunscreen. The only bright side was that everyone else was just as incredibly wet and dirty as us. 

There are so many temples to visit that it would be impossible to see them all on the 3 day pass that they sell at the entrance. Because each site was built by a different king during different centuries, each temple has unique features. 

A detailed carving that lines the outside gallery of Angkor Wat. These carvings each tell a story of battle and go on for at least 100 meters. You can see the parts that have been damaged and were removed for rehabilitation. 

Not all the buildings are in good condition. Some of them have crumbled and are slowly being reconstructed. 

At each of the temples there are vendors selling handmade goods. Here a man was selling gorgeous paintings. Unfortunately we have no room in our luggage to bring them home with us. 

After 3 days of exploring these ancient ruins we were completely spent. We honestly could have used a weekend of sitting around, but we had our flight booked for Myanmar the next day.