More resources and reflections.......

Obviously the impact of our adventures will continue as many of the 'sisterhood' have been mulling over the enxt steps and sharing of insights and resources.

Here's some additional resources from Sue H.

'Edible Gold leaf tips

http://www.goldleafsupplies.co.uk/acatalog/Edible_Gold_Leaf_Transfer.html

http://candy.about.com/od/workingwithchocolate/r/How-To-Apply-Edible-Gold-Leaf.htm

 

Meditation/ guided relaxation on Forgiveness- I can highly recommend this. It was released for World Day of Peace last year, and I have found it profound and worth revisiting.

http://www.monroeinstitute.org/resources/downloads/cat/forgiveness-meditation

 

The words of Wisdom for Kim from the Head Nun;

For Unity- to be united at work-  you need patience & forgiveness of mistakes, and understanding each other.

Understanding, patience, unity, forgiveness- work hard at these.'

 Thanks Sue

And from the other Sue (Ieraci): A beautiful and insightful article that merges the themes of courage and forgiveness: themes that emerged from Kim's session and the words of the head nun at the Nunnery School.

The article is on MJA Insight at http://www.mjainsight.com.au/ - but you need a log-on to read it. Anyone can sign on if you want to access the site.

The last blog...maybe

We all managed to survive the 3 hour flight to Singapore where we revived ourselves with coffee and Dunkin' Donuts before making a mad dash to catch the midnight plane to Melbourne.

The question remains : how did Kate and Jan manage to get a lift in an electric car to our Gate (which of course was the furthest away!) when the rest of us had to do high speed walking to get there in time?

I was met by an airline official who informed me that the plane was full and my seat no longer existed, but I would have a seat. To which I replied "Does that mean I have to sit on someone's knee all of the way home??" He found this very funny and we finally sorted out that I did in fact have my own seat. Thank God!

So this is the last blog as we have now safely navigated our way through Myanmar and Vietnam and have returned home in one piece.

Firstly I am sorry about the lack of photos but I will insert lots over the next couple of weeks so it will be a complete blog soon. I have also updated a lot of the recent posts especially the Tips and Slogans ones so feel free to re-read them.

Secondly, if you know of anyone who is going to Myanmar and you think that the blog would be of use them, feel free to give them the blogspot address.

Thirdly, here is a list of all of the books I own about Myanmar. For those who travelled with me, if you're interested in reading any of them post the visit just let me know.

Burma: A Nation at the Crossroads (published June 2012): Benedict Rogers
To Myanmar with Love Edited by Morgan Edwardson
The Piano Tuner: Daniel Mason
Burma Chronicles:
Lonely Planet Myanmar (Burma)
Burmese Days: George Orwell
Finding George Orwell in Burma: Emma Larkin
Flame Tree: Keith Dahlberg

Fourthly, I will sort out a Photo book on Snapfish at some stage and will let you know when it is done. You can print a copy if you want a hard copy ( it's a very easy way of showing people where you've been) or you can modify my version with your own photos and get it printed, or you can just have a look at it online. I will email everyone and give you the logon details when I have finished it.

So that's it, except to thank all of my fellow travellers whose enthusiasm, resilience and humour made the trip truly memorable,

 

I particularly love this photo as it sums up the courage and the contentment of Mynamar for me.

 A young man sitting meditating in front of a huge golden buddha, many centuries old, wearing an Aung San Suu Kyi t-shirt.

 

 Honouring the old and hoping for the new.

 

May we never forget Myanmar.

Dianne

Homeward bound

I am writing this waiting for the plane to take off from Da Nang Airport on the first leg of the journey home. By the time I am able to download it into the blog we will probably be home.

We've had an interesting last day, which commenced with significant rain overnight heralding the arrival of the predicted storm.

It didn't deter Jan and I from one last swim in the pool with occasional rain and some rather odd looks from the security guy wearing a large rain jacket. He probably thought we were mad.

So amidst the last mad rushes to various shops to collect orders of jewellery, shoes, bags and clothes we had to navigate the rain which occurs quickly and heavily for short periods of time. Often with bursts of wind, just enough to turn the umbrellas inside out.

The locals suddenly appear in matching plastic pants, hats and ponchos in bright colours. Sandbags on roofs and work on drains seemed to imply that it would be a serious storm. Some of the local stallholders were praying too.

At some point we all managed to congregate at The Brothers cafe for a last iced coffee and a view of the turbulent river.

The last task was to work out whether we needed to post our new purchases home: fortunately we had a 30 kgm baggage allowance. Some people headed for the Post Office or had clothes posted home from A Dong or Yaly. Kerryn's travel scales were a huge hit as we had no idea!

Then more massages and facials and last Vietnamese banana flower salads, and finally we jumped on the bus at 3.30pm to head for the Da Nang Airport

We were hopeful that our flight wouldn't be delayed and when we reached the airport some flights had been cancelled due to bad weather.

Despite some lightning and the world’s slowest check in process (and my luggage weighing a mere 30.5kgms!) we finally boarded the plane and here I am.

At the same time, sad and delighted to be going home.

Your weary traveller correspondent

Dianne

The complexity of massages in far off climes.....

It has been suggested to me that the topic of massages requires a blog all of its own.

It would be fair to say that we have used all opportunities to avail ourselves of a range of massages and here are the outstanding experiences:

• The unexpected nature of the massages commenced with a few of our number booking in for a session with blind masseurs and the full essential oils on skin experience. In fact they were deaf and dumb masseurs and our colleagues were fully clothed whilst they were massaged. Somebody had their wires crossed!
•  Several forms of massage were outstanding until the unexpected moment when the masseurs actually crawled up our backs applying pressure through their forearms and shins. It felt great but the concept of someone balancing and crawling and pressing all at the same time was quite a surprise.
• There was also some disregard for private parts: it would be fair to say that everyone had a moment when they just thought...really?!
• Ursula enjoyed the experience of her caesarean scar being massaged, although that almost verged on the realms of too much detail!
• Kim risked life and limb when, in the depths of heat exhaustion, she wandered into a massage place on the street (after persistent nagging by the masseur and chatting to her dog),  and reluctantly agreed to a foot massage only. Her comment is that " A foot massage is not always a foot massage."  She was a little suspicious when her face was covered with a towel and the massage moved from her feet northwards to her hips. Eventually she decided she'd had enough and left. I think the overzealous masseur was going to give her a complete massage in the hope that seven of her friends  would book in too.
• Yesterday, a couple of us went for a peppermint foot reflexology massage, which, whilst fabulous , involved no peppermint and no reflexology. Interesting...!?
• When themasseurs ask you to go and have a shower after you have been exfoliated make sure you spend some time in there scrubbing yourself, otherwise you will be ordered back and/or you will have an assistant helping you shower properly!
• Our skins have never felt as smooth and silky as they did after the Thanaka massages: we may have all looked slightly yellow, because of the fine layer of thanaka powder left on our skin, but we kept stroking our skin enjoying the feeling of it being as smooth as a baby's bum!

The Thanaka seller at the market in Heho: the pieces of the lemonade tree are ground on a stone and mixed with water making a fine smooth paste that is a cream/pale yellow colour. The Burmese just rub it on their faces for sunscreen but sometimes apply it in careful patterns to make them more beautiful. We had leaf designs painted on our cheeks but on our pale skin it was difficult to see.

On the whole we highly recommend trying out all available forms of massage as the outcome is that you feel cool, relaxed and chilled out: although sometimes a bit bemused!

Slogans we have loved in Myanmar

Many a time we were very taken by the Myanmar version of English that we saw on billboards and signs: So here's a few:

1. Warmly Welcome and Take Care of Tourists

This one was everywhere and clearly put up by the government to encourage tourists - or was it designed to direct the Myanmar people to be nice to us!!??

2. Open Happiness

This was a Coke billboard depicting two people made of coke looking happy.

It's a lovely sentiment and my personal favourite, but it also has political significance as Coke has only just reentered the country, preceded by Pepsi a few months ago. Both companies withdrew from Myanmar due to the trade sanctions.

3. All respect All suspect

Above the security machine at Yangon Airport

4. Wear the crash helmet, save your life

Bright coloured helmets everywhere but often not done up securely.

5. Project for Afforestation of the Very Dry Zone

A worthy project in the dry Manadaly region

6. Make a Sweety Home with our Nice Furniture

Not exactly aspirational is it?

7. Your's Dream Near Place

This somewhat confusing slogan was for the Hotel near the Airport in Yangon.

8. Airline slogans:

Flying Beyond Expectations

Flying Beyond Your Dreams

or the more practical:

 We'll get you there safely

9. Outside every police station in Myannmar there is a large sign saying

May we help you?


And in Vietnam:

8. Taxi Exploitation prohibited

How exactly does one exploit a taxi??? We saw this at the Da Nang Airport.

9. Let's ease the pain of Agent Orange together

This was attached to a Donation box. It's sad how echoes of the War remain.

Still shopping and we really are dropping.......

 One would expect that we would soon despair of shopping in the extreme heat and humidity ...but one would be wrong!

For the past two days it has been an endless round of fittings at tailors where they now know us by their first names, eyeing off everyone else's purchases and dashing off to new shops,  ordering jewellery which are beautiful genuine fakes, trying on yet more clothes that stick to us in the heat, getting feet measured and shoes copied, buying silk lanterns we don't really need, and least of all visiting cultural sites. Well, some of us managed a visit to the famous Japanese bridge and a free Museum.

Of course these important activities were punctuated by frequent stops for cold drinks and refreshments to keep the flagging energy levels high: Vietnamese stuffed pork rolls on crisp baguettes ( thanks for the Secret Garden recommendation Ursula!), crispy Hoi An pancakes with peanut sauce, papaya salad with prawns, and beef wrapped in lot leaves....

We have devoured a number of iced coffees made from Vietnamese coffee and sweetened condensed milk working on the principle that the caffeine will keep us going.

Then when we stagger back to the Hotel we indulge in baskets of hot chips and fabulous passionfruit daiquiris. Oh, it's a hard life!

Of course various massages of feet and other body parts have helped lift our flagging spirits, and pedicures and manicures have helped us look more glamourous.

The only fly in the ointment is the weather forecast which is predicting heavy storms and a possible typhoon to hit sometime in the next couple of days. We're a little undecided as to whether this would be good or bad as we fly out tomorrow afternoon. Perhaps a few days stranded here would be OK? Or maybe not!!

Tonight we are off for a farewell dinner at the beautiful Red Bridge restaurant.

Your bargain shopper correspondent

Dianne

Tips for surviving and thriving in Myanmar

 
Here's a few tips for surviving in Myanmar: some serious and some ridiculous!

• Forget the hair products. Any aspect of your hair that you hate will be multiplied by a factor of 10 in the humidity. If you hate bushy hair that's what you'll get here. If you love straight hair your hair will go curly, if you want your hair sleek and shiny it will turn into straw and so on. If you quite like the colour of your hair, it will definitely go blonder. Get over it!! Who cares???!!
• And, as Kim has just pointed out, the results of copious wallowing sessions in the pool is green hair. Great! Also forget the natural bristle hairbrushes as they smell like something is dead in the bathroom
• Elmo face wipes: highly recommended by Kerryn
• Toddler sunscreen: as above (I think she got stuck in the babies aisle in the supermarket)
• Zip-lock bags with anti bacterial hand-wash in it: this applies to those travellers, like Kim, who bought the hand-wash in bulk and have had to decant it into something smaller. Mind you the security guys at Yangon Airport didn't mind her waltzing through with the huge pump pack, well over the required 100 mls! 
• DON'T DRINK THE WATER! Clean your teeth in bottled water only. There is very healthy e-coli in the water apparently.
• To keep your personal levels of good bacteria high take the new probiotic capsules and eat yoghurt EVERY day. I hate to boast (and touch wood!) but I have done this religiously every day and I am the only one out of 25 of us who hasn't been ill with some sort of gastric bug at all.
• Whilst on this theme: use antibacterial instant handwash before you put anything in your mouth including your fingers.
• And if it all goes to hell, travel with multiple GPs and/or copious amounts of Imodium, and two sorts of antibiotics (which you will need if the Gastro Stop is not doing the trick). Do go to a Travel health GP rather than a local GP who goes nowhere. (Fairfield Travel at the the GP practice on the ground floor of the RMH is great). 
• Bring Vegemite for replenishing the salt supply and Vitamin B  (not because you are homesick!) or salt tablets if you prefer. You perspire a lot! Lee has perfected the art of spreading Vegemite on Pringles:: soon to be seen on Youtube.
• Bring face mist for those times when you are sure you probably smell: clementine and basil from L'Occitane is highly recommended ( Thank you Kerryn : good to see that she did get past the babies aisle!).
• Damp face washers in a zip lock bag can also revive you at desperate moments
• Drink huge amounts of bottled water.
• Learn to say "Topi!Topi!" in a very firm voice : very useful for persistent peddlers, who are relatively few and far between in Myanmar fortunately.
• Learn to say a few words: thank you sounds like 'jesu-bay' and hello is 'Mingalabar'  (although if you get the wrong inflection you end up saying Indian instead of hello). Ask the locals as they will be happy to correct your appalling pronunciation. And a lot of giggling will happen too!
• Give up your coffee dependence as the coffee isn't great. Instead you can learn to love the '3 + 1 + 1 Coffee mix sachets': 3 parts coffee with one part creamer and one part sugar all in one sachet for your convenience. Fresh milk is not easily available. Or you can drink the local Burmese sweetened tea - not bad at all.
• Do travel with people you like because you can be sure that a as soon as you fall over, trip up a stair or look inelegant getting into the pool they will fall about laughing. Kerryn described a fall and slide on the slippery tiles coming back from the pool as her "imitation of a wet seal" whilst I laughed. SO helpful of me! In other words, best not to be too sensitive....
• Whilst travelling do remember that you can sound like a flock of seagulls and the Alan youtube clip with everyone yelling at each other and ignoring the presence of others: "Anne! Anne! Anne! Anne!...Jan! Jan! Jan! Jan!....." and so on. Particularly at the tailors we seemed to completely lose our social graces and just up the volume until we got the attention of one of our fellow travellers.In other words clear out if you see us comng!
• In lots of places if you are separated from your fellow travellers all of the stall holders and the cyclo/trishaw cyclists will be able to tell you exactly where they are so feel free to ask.
• Bring a decent hat that stays on your head in breezes from boats, monsoonal downpours and horse cart rides. It also prevents the peddlers trying to get you to buy one.
• Be prepared to use and enjoy a range of forms of transport. We had some very funny times piled into decrepit taxis  and being bumped around in small passenger trucks.
• A good sense of balance is also helpful particularly when climbing into and out of boats and other precarious forms of transport.
• Get fit before you come as I'm sure it allows you to handle the heat and humidity much better. And it will be hot, believe me.
• Bring DEET repellent : it will dissolve the leather in your shoes and is very toxic but if the mozzies take a shine to you, you will need it.
• Get a great tour guide: Omnahr was invaluable in getting us absorbed into the history and ways of Maynmar life. As we spent more time with her she felt more confident to discuss the political issues with us too, which we really appreciated. (She works for Exotissimo Tours which has a very good reputation.)
• Despite the changes occurring in Myanmar it's still a little dubious to ask challenging political questions too openly. Check out who you are asking and who is around you before launching in.
• As the guide books say: bring very new uncreased US dollars: old ones will not be accepted and there are no ATMs (yet). 
• Get temple shoes (ie any shoes that you can slip on and off easily), as when you are visiting multiple pagodas and temples in one day you will get tired of doing up buckles etc.
• Don't rely on the Internet working consistently as it won't (see previous blog). 

And did I mention don't drink the water?!

And bring your sense of adventure and your sense of humour - this is a country emerging from some dark times with comparatively few tourists so be tolerant and find the funny side of things that go wrong! Because they inevitably will!

As Kerryn says whenever somehting slightly dubious occurs " It's all a travel experience!"