It's Christmas, so it must be time for a vacation with my younger daughter! And this year, joined by her roomie, Stephanie, we headed for Myanmar - the land of a myriad of temples!
Having fun walking downtown with the girls ~
~ and then this happened!!! My Oma used to say that it was good luck if a bird pooped on you.......Not sure I agree with her.
We had the most delicious street food in Yangon - The three of us were the only three unaccompanied women within eyeshot. And we were drinking beer - such harlots!!!!
We picked what we wanted from the shelves outside, it was then taken inside/outback? to be cooked, and served at the tables in the street out front. It was all so yummy!
Later in the evening, we headed to a rooftop bar to enjoy this lovely site: the golden glow of the stupa, Shwedagon Pagoda.
Our next stop was over in Bagan, the land of the myriad stupas!! We started out riding bicycles ~
But I had a.... wobbly bike - seriously, the handlebars were so loose that when I turned right, the wheels went left. I tried to just be a good sport about it, but then I took a spill. Ouch.
Luckily, our hotel also had some e-bikes! That's right, we spent the next several days exploring the countryside on motorcycles!!!!!!
Well, sort of.... I sure loved mine, though!
We had a grand time seeing these old temples, all scattered across a huge swath of land~
Of course, there were always things to buy...
Still lovin' the motorcycle!!!!!!
We were treated to a little facial art - A local stone is mixed to a paste and applied in natural designs
Since we entered the stupas barefoot, we noticed that we each had excellent manicures!!!
One of the more interesting side trips we made, was to a local business where women dyed local wool into a bevy of colors!
More for sale...
The sunsets were particularly beautiful ~
My favorite sliver of moon ~
Our hotel in Bagan had a delightful Christmas eve set up for us, including yummy cocktails
...decorations...
... and a show!
And of course, Santa found us!
Everyone joined in on the Christmas carols!!!!
One of my favorite moments, was when we, with the help of some young kids who saw us wandering about, climbed atop a stupa to watch the sunrise ~
And then, we watched as the hot air balloons lifted above the land of stupas ~
Our days were not without some misadventures - like when Christina's bike needed repairs and some kind people called a local mechanic for us!
Back in Yangon, we walked around enjoying the sights before our boat trip, and trip to a local winery
We took it upon ourselves to try several varieties!
Another one of our favorite trips was a boat ride past some local fishermen!!!
Along the way, we stopped into a village shop where we saw how the fibers could be removed from a lotus flower in order to then be spun into thread that can be used to create the most gorgeous lotus and silk scarves!
After another long day, where better to relax than back at the winery!
The next stop on our journey through Myanmar, was the coast! We had our own little apartment in Ngapali Bay - gorgeous views, great food - loads of fun!
And it was here that we brought in the New Year - dinner and dancing on the beach in the moonlight ~ Here's to 2015!!!
Having fun walking downtown with the girls ~
~ and then this happened!!! My Oma used to say that it was good luck if a bird pooped on you.......Not sure I agree with her.
We had the most delicious street food in Yangon - The three of us were the only three unaccompanied women within eyeshot. And we were drinking beer - such harlots!!!!
We picked what we wanted from the shelves outside, it was then taken inside/outback? to be cooked, and served at the tables in the street out front. It was all so yummy!
Later in the evening, we headed to a rooftop bar to enjoy this lovely site: the golden glow of the stupa, Shwedagon Pagoda.
Our next stop was over in Bagan, the land of the myriad stupas!! We started out riding bicycles ~
But I had a.... wobbly bike - seriously, the handlebars were so loose that when I turned right, the wheels went left. I tried to just be a good sport about it, but then I took a spill. Ouch.
Luckily, our hotel also had some e-bikes! That's right, we spent the next several days exploring the countryside on motorcycles!!!!!!
Well, sort of.... I sure loved mine, though!
We had a grand time seeing these old temples, all scattered across a huge swath of land~
Of course, there were always things to buy...
Still lovin' the motorcycle!!!!!!
We were treated to a little facial art - A local stone is mixed to a paste and applied in natural designs
Since we entered the stupas barefoot, we noticed that we each had excellent manicures!!!
One of the more interesting side trips we made, was to a local business where women dyed local wool into a bevy of colors!
More for sale...
The sunsets were particularly beautiful ~
My favorite sliver of moon ~
Our hotel in Bagan had a delightful Christmas eve set up for us, including yummy cocktails
...decorations...
And of course, Santa found us!
Everyone joined in on the Christmas carols!!!!
One of my favorite moments, was when we, with the help of some young kids who saw us wandering about, climbed atop a stupa to watch the sunrise ~
And then, we watched as the hot air balloons lifted above the land of stupas ~
Our days were not without some misadventures - like when Christina's bike needed repairs and some kind people called a local mechanic for us!
Back in Yangon, we walked around enjoying the sights before our boat trip, and trip to a local winery
We took it upon ourselves to try several varieties!
Another one of our favorite trips was a boat ride past some local fishermen!!!
Along the way, we stopped into a village shop where we saw how the fibers could be removed from a lotus flower in order to then be spun into thread that can be used to create the most gorgeous lotus and silk scarves!
After another long day, where better to relax than back at the winery!
The next stop on our journey through Myanmar, was the coast! We had our own little apartment in Ngapali Bay - gorgeous views, great food - loads of fun!
