And it's not just the monks who collect food

Across all of Asia the monks rise at dawn to walk barefoot across towns, cities and villages to collect food from the devout. I neither travelled barefoot (let's not forget the orthotics), rise at dawn (I'm just not a morning person) or obviously am a monk!! However there were so many times when I was treated to a meal, or a tea and as always I come away from this absolutely incredible trip with a spring in my step knowing that the world is full of the most amazing, kind, thoughtful and generous people. 

Interestingly I had a long conversation with a Burmese guy now living in New York whilst I was waiting for a coach.  He noted, as he had been away for ten years, that Myanmar had changed beyond recognition. Even a year ago people would have been too scared to speak to travellers for fear of reprisals from the military. Now under the ever present guidance of Aung Sung Suu Kei, she is asking everyone to embrace travellers and make them feel truly welcome to this incredible country. These are such wise words, as across the globe travellers are spreading the word of this incredible country and its wonderful people, and this is really powerful. The recent visit from President Obama put all eyes on Myanmar - just to witness his over zealous embrace of this gracious woman!  Even though he was only here for a few hours, the significance of the visit is huge. 

My travels are all about the people first and the places visited take a second place, and this is definitely the order!  My thanks to everyone who made the trip so special, to the National league for Democracy household who gave me a flag, to the woman on the bus who brought me lunch, to my excellent guide in mawlamyine, who was an amazing guide for two days and made a special trip to take me to the bus station with a Christmas card to present!,  to the man at the bus stop who was so interesting, to the boat drivers, cycle rickshaw drivers, the teachers who invited me into their schools,  the monk in Mandalay who gave me some cakes, the women at the noodle shop who gave me lunch, my tuktuk driver who waited with me at the train station for an hour, as the train was delayed, to everyone who I sat with and then let me take their photo - here's a huge 'jay-zu ding ba-de' - thank you.....

I asked my wonderful guide when I was in the south what I should do to support the democratic movement when I returned home and his advice was to spread the word as to how wonderful Myanmar is and get as many independent travellers coming, as this will make a huge difference, in both opening up the country and bringing in money that will increase entrepreneurship - so come, come to the most amazing, welcoming and stunningly beautiful country.....
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Is it wise to fly with an airline that has just had a major crash ?

Checking out my next travel options I was not too thrilled to discover that my next bus journey would be 15 hours to get back to Yangon! So I decided to fly and the only option for the time that I wanted was with Bagan Airlines, whose plane had recently crashed up north. What's the chances of lightening striking twice? Anyway as I write this I am back in Yangon and all is good - and I am relieved that I am making the most of this extra time by heading to a local park where there is a huge concert, celebrating Independence Day and you've guessed it - I am the only traveller here !!!! 

Life on the lake

The whole focus of heading to Inle lake is to explore life on the lake, so I took a boat with drivers for the day and I have to say it was one if the best travelling days ever!!! The river is fascinating, teaming with bird life, amazing fishermen, using the same fishing methods to fish as they would have hundreds if years ago. There are temples, towns,  markets and newly opened restaurants all round the lake and you could be here for days discovering all that is to explore,, but the usual room supply and demand has meant that I only have two night, but I am amazed that mrs Jasmine in Mandalay even managed this!!!! 

So after a day of getting on and off the narrow boat and sitting in the sunlight, we were all knackered and needed to be revived by a cold beer and beautiful sunset!!!  The next day we headed to a local market on the nearby shore line and then checked into a guest house in town and biked up to the local vineyard to have a wine tasting session and watch sunset over the lake from the hills - stunning!!! 

I've found paradise

This wasn't too hard, as I was staying at the paradise Inle resort, which was a taste paradise. Reached only by boat,  it is a resort on the lake completely on stilts and water locked. I felt like a VIP arriving by boat and then checking into my bungalow to rest, after dozing in reception until my room was cleaned! 

So after a really lazy day I was watching sunset from the sun lounger when I got chatting to two other solo travellers and it was then when we started to celebrate new year - a few beers and a few more whiskies made sure that we were fully toasting 2013 in style! 

Chasing monks

Killing time before I had to head to the train station to catch my ten o'clock train,  I walked up to the main intersection and saw the nuns walking around the town collecting their evening offerings of rice from the devout across town. Of course I stopped and took some pictures and by the time they got on their transport out of town they were all waving - what lucky timing. 

Burma, as most of its neighbours, is such a religiously devout country. Christians live alongside Hindus, Muslims but are small communities outside the ever present Buddhist faith, with golden temples on every hill, glittering in the sun and across all the land. 

It is so important to remember that the 'saffron uprising' in 2007 was led by the monks. They formed the 'All Burma monk alliance' and marched daily across all the major cities protesting against massive price rises and the militarily dictatorship. Predictably this ended with thousands of monks being jailed.

New year - another new destination

With the days ticking on I decided to leave Mandalay, having visited the tourist haunts and experienced both sunset and sun rise at the amazing U Bein bridge - the longest teak bridge in the world and at dawn and dusk it's traversed by monks and locals alike, which makes great photos!!! 

I boarded my bus for inle lake at 730 and was sitting next to a young lad, who together with his friends were passing round whiskey to start the journey. I soon fell asleep and when we had our first food and comfort stop I realised that my neighbour had been sick all over the bus floor!!! So I saw new year on the bus heading east and was dozing all the way - just as I did last year when I was travelling from Gwalior to Agra, I decided to celebrate on the 1st. However it was a shock to the system to reach my destination at 3am and in the pitch black find a shared minibus and head into town. Again there is a huge problem of over demand and I was the only one out of a dozen to have booked, so we all slept on chairs scattered around the travel agency office until the sun came up and then whilst the others left in search of a room, I left in search of a lemon sugar pancake to revive me!

No sorry inle lake is full

The massive increase in visitors to Myanmar has left popular towns drowning with tourists and not having enough accommodation.  Last year one million visitors came to Bagan, an increase from the previous annual figure of three hundred thousand! Now the government has passed a law to allow tourists to sleep on the monastery  floor if they cannot find accommodation. 

The government has also forbidden motorbike taxis in many cities, so it is pedal power that rules. 

I spent my first afternoon in Mandalay at a travel agency sorting out my passage and accommodation at Inle lake, as new year has meant that this really is peak season. It's all down to mrs jasmine to sort this out whilst I have a race to catch sunset at the amazing ubein bridge, Another photographers paradise!!! 

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Only one?

And that's the question that I have been asked the most on my travels!!!  I think that there are so many tour groups that pass by and I can definitely see for myself that there are not many solo independent travellers that you do stick out, but it also opens up so much opportunities.

Even in the second largest city, Mandalay where tourists flock I was asked this all the time. 

Getting lost in the back streets here was amazing, I even balanced a whole tray of food on my head - clinging on with my hands for stability, but the women can carry this with ease without holding on to it.     Mandalay is a big commercial town, which is disappointing in first arrival, but like anywhere else you walk away for the centre and explore small temples, drink tea with the locals and travel on the back of motorbike taxi's, racing through the traffic lightless four way junctions all across the grid system in the city - truely terrifying!