Morning sun, it's still early, a mild breeze blows around your nose. A perfect start to a perfect day. I hope so. Because today we have to drive to Bhamo on the Irrawaddy. The Irrawaddy It could be a sea that lies before me, but it is only a river, mighty, wide, the other bank...
Burmese Days - On George Orwell's Footsteps
It's past midnight and it's almost quiet. Except for the pithy sound of metal hitting metal. Be it wheels hitting rails, shock absorbers hitting whatever they are hitting, car walls hitting car walls, anything that somehow holds together and seems to be in danger of being torn apart. The Buddhist monk still looks stoically at his...
Mandalay – Mahamuna and the fat Buddha
After just 12 hours of sleep, I am ready to face fate, which means that today I will fearlessly plunge into the heavy traffic of Mandalay on my bike. Because fearlessness is the order of the day. Cycling in Burma is dangerous. Very dangerous. So I rent a women's bike with three gears, which is a blessing. The houseboy...