After Myanmar

Today is 31. October
The last so many days we were in Myanmar.
I was not able to do something with my blog overthere because " access denied" .
Has probably to do with the military bloc everything they think is bad for their position.
People in Myanmar don' t talk about the political situation or they do it very secretly.
We found out that everything is OK for the Burmese as long as they do what they are told to.

On my own computer I already made text for this blog but it is not possible, today on the airport of Bangkok, to hook it on to their internetsystem.
After we are in Siem Reap (Cambodia) we hope to make a new add to my blog on our own computer, WITH pictures.
About the pictures: we made a lot of Bagan, which is the place where during the 10th. till the 13th. century, lifestandard is high (for those days) because of being able to crop rice twice a year and so make lots of dough (money or whatever they had at the time).
We both (Ankie and I) enjoyed our stay in Bagan very, very much. Very good choice.
It was awesome bcause of:

- the friendly people (especiall our guide was a great guy)
- we were driven around in a horsecart which was nice
- the views on the Irrawady-river (we had a sort of bungalow with river-view)
- a rivertrip we made one day at sunset (beautiful)
- all the stupa' s, pagodas, temples, monastries, etc. etc. you can see, visit and get in and on.
In 16 square miles there are almost 5000 buildings, big and small)
- not many tourists (because of the situation overthere; for us very nice, but not for them)
- very good food and drinks
- very good service everywhere
- monks everywhere (beats the South of Limburg)
- etc.

The weather was hot but...........we don't complain (it's the time of year and its warm overthere all year anyway).

Yesterday afternoon we visited a well known market in Rangoon.
Rangoon is nowadays Yangon because new government means new rules and, in Burma, new names too and a new Capital city and a new university - kilometers outside Rangoon - so students can't riot in the big city.
Even the largest river (The Irrewady) has got a new name : Ayeryewady.
The market - a covered one - sells almost everything from woven materials to sweets, from flowers to gems (Myanmar has lots of gems like rubies, saphires, amethist, etc.), wooden souvenirs to food (amongst - of which I have some dark pictures - deep fried cockroaches*).
When we were there the light fell out and the whole place turned very dark.

* people love them in Myanmar.

In the afternoon we visited the Dwe Dagon Pagode (a huge golden one) with lots of Buddha statues (hundreds and hundreds or not thousands) in all forms, designs, large and small.
We were there for more than two hours and we would not have missed this for whatever.

When we came back in our hotel there was no water and that was rather shitty because we wanted to shower of course.

In a few hours we fly to Siem Reap (Cambodia) to visit Angkor Wat (The temple of Angkor).

All is well here and warm.
Till the next time.

Back to Jerash

A week ago we were in Jordan. The first day we visited the city of Jerash. It is known for its roman arheological diggings. On e of the marvels of this site is a large square with pillars on the side.

Ankie made this movie of the square.

On our way to the floating market

On the way to the floating market Ankie made this movie.

Here you see Ankie on a small bridge near the fish nursery. The bridge is small but not too small.

Elepant riding

On the way back from the floating market we stopped for "elepant riding".

You could ride an an elepant, visit a fishnursery,

watch monkeys getting coconuts out of the palmtrees and see thai buffalo's.

Very !! interesting.

Another picture of the floating market.

"The floating market"

Lots of small boats with people selling food, souvenirs, clothing, sweets, drinks, etc.

Bangkok Floating Market

Yeasterday we visited the floating market of Bangkok.
It took us some 75 KM's to get there by minivan. I doubt wether it was THE floating market but there were lots of canals (Khlongs) with al kinds of boats and houses along the canals.

The whole trip was one circus of trying to sell us everything we could wish:
- elephant rides
- teak furniture
- souvenirs
- etc.

Last day in Bangkok

25th. Octobre 2009

We have been a few days in Bangkok.
The hotel is very good. Breakfast was a feast, every day.

In the neighbourhood of our hotel there are many small businesses like foot-massageshops (many westerners go there and Ankie did so too), restaurants, internet cafes, hairdressers, supermarkets, pharmacies, etc. etc. etc.
Furthermore there are hundreds of small stands on the sides of the streets selling all you want.

A few streets behind our hotel you can have massages with happy end in at least ten clubs in a row.
I must admit the girls look ravishing and lots of single men think so too.
Many guys walking around with thai-girls.
The restaurant we went to is some kind of meetingplace.
Girls and men come alone and some time later you see them leave, together.

The hotel lies rather near three very large shopping malls (Chidlom, Zen and Central World).

We have reconned the surroundings of the hotel. Of all the people you meet in the street at least one of the two has something for sale like:
- food (al kinds of cold and hot food, meat, fruit, drinks, sweets, etc.)
- toys
- maps
- clothing
- jewelery
- T-shirts
- souvenirs
- you name it and they sell it.

We had three times dinner in the same restaurant* because the food was OK there.
* Gullivers restaurant is only one 100 meters from the hotel.
Although it should rain every day for at least a few hours, we were lucky and did not get any rain
when we were outside.
The weather is very hot and humid though but we managed (had to wash our clothing every day).

It is now 13.30 and we will be taken from the hotel to the airport around 15.00 hours.
We fly to Yangon about 18.00 hours.

Angkor Wat

In one of the temples there was a "small" replica of the largest temple in Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

We will be there (Deo volente or insh'Allah or so) in a week.

You can see here what we are up to.

The temple of the walking Buddha

One of the temples we visited was the temple of the walking Buddha. Usually the Buddha's sit, lie down, stand or sit being very fat (lots of Chinese Buddha's are fat).

A walking Buddha is seldom seen, so...........................................

here he is.

As far as I can see it is just a standing Buddha with his legs apart.

As with almost every Palace, it is guarded by soldiers.

This one didn't want to look up, because he didn't want to be photographed. I had to bend my knees to look under his helmet. It seemed he was asleep.

In the temple of the golden Buddha there are lots a stuppa's. The stupa on the left resembles one of Shri Lanka.

The stupa on the right hand side has the typical form of a Thai stupa.

Ankies legs

I made a small mistake. Ankies legs were in the last picture.

Ankie (partly without legs) in a small gate in the temple of the large golden Buddha.

She looks happy and she is!!

This is one part of the "paintings" in one of the temples. Lots of temples have these sort of paintings made umongst other materials from silver and gold.

The painting shows a king. The monkeys are his army and the bigger the army of monkeys the better for the king.

The official Royal palace.

This palace is not really old (only 180 years or so) and it is only used for official purposes.

The king and his family live in some other palace and even there the king lives not there (here they hope only temporarely) because he is in hospital.

The king is 83 and rather ill.

We wish him good health and whatever.

The large golden Buddha.

In all the temples there are monks and every time they make a great picture.

On this picture you see chinese statues and they are just for decoration.

To be allowed in a temple you have to take off your shoes.

Today we went to three different places.

The Royal Palace (King Bhumipol's official Palace), the temple of the walking Buddha end some other temples.

In the last templecomplex there were lots of Stupa's, lots of buildings with buddha's in it and lots of praying people.

There is also a large golden Buddha (see the picture of the last message on this blog) which is so long that it is almost not possible to get it in one picture except on a picture taken from the feet to the head.