Saturday and # 12 - A boat trip on Inle Lake from Nyaungshewe

Saturday at Jojoba:  
We did enjoy the movie Rocketman yesterday afternoon. One of the perks of being retired is going to afternoon matinee shows.  Less expensive and we can drive home before dark.

Coach improvements for the day = installing new windshield wipers, and checking tire air pressures.  Life is tough!

Next segment of the South East Asia:  # 12 - A boat trip on Inle Lake from Nyaungshewe. Warning, this is a long one!

Our son, Gil MacKenna, AKA Joko

When we arrived in Nyaungshewe, we celebrated our safe arrival, by having drinks at the rooftop bar of our hotel. 

From there we had a wonderful view of the lake and surrounding area in the fading sunset light.

Every day of this trip brought new experiences. Our boat trip, the next day, was no exception.

Joko had arranged for a Inle Lake boat tour through the front desk of our hotel. The boat driver met us, after our breakfast, at the hotel, and walked with us to the dock just a few blocks away.

There were many long boats lined up. Ours was the one on the lower right, with only three seats that each had a chair cushion, lap blanket, and umbrella. Some of the other boats had more seats, for larger groups. 

This type of boat is used for many purposes in addition to lake tours. The people in the boat above were locals, either men going to work or boys going to school. We also saw some transporting cargo.

From the dock at Nyaungshewe, we went up the river, past a residential area, and into Inle lake.  

Our boat was propelled but a puttering motor that sounded like it might die at any moment, and was steered by our driver perched precariously on the back. 

The air was cool, but the sky was clear and it promised to be a glorious day.

Once out on the lake, we watched fishermen balancing on the tip of their boats with large fish traps. We decided the two in the lower picture were visiting during their morning break.

From the lake we went up another river. There seemed to be many people living along it. I hope this was only a foot bridge across, but from some of the things we have seen it could have been used for vehicles as well!

I felt a bit voyeuristic as we passed these local women doing their laundry and washing in the river at the same time. Again I noticed their carry-all buckets and baskets contained personal products.


We docked at a pier below the Phaugn Daw Oo pagoda. 

This boatload of women, passing the dock area, were from a local clan that wear a distinctive head covering. They were among the vendors selling mostly woven goods at the complex.

When we got off our little boat, I asked Joko when we would have to be back for our return trip. He explained we had the boat for the day, and our boat man would watch for us and pick us up when we were ready.

Unlike the large urban pagodas of Yangon and Mandalay, with their fancy retaining walls and enclosed elevators, the hill below this pagoda was a rough area filled with hundreds of ancient vine covered stupas.

As we wanderd among them, we met this herd of Brahman cattle being moved by a single boy.  They are said to be very gentle, calm animals.

Some of the stupas were in very good condition. Some even seemed relatively new, or at least restored.

And some, like this one with an old dead tree on its top, were very old.

Coming back down, we went through a long covered walkway. 

It was very well maintained and provided welcome shade since the day was getting a lot warmer.

As we got closer to the dock area, the sides of the walkway were occupied by vendors selling many interesting locally made crafts.

This man had no arms and only one foot. and yet he painted intricate designs on a variety of bowls, cups and boxes.

These cups were made from the cut off bottoms of water bottles. If nothing else, Kudos for recycling!

The only things I usually bring home from a trip are pictures. Even before we moved into an RV, I was never fond of knick-knacks or souvenirs. But I did buy the two little cups in the image above. If you look closely you can see they were marked 5000 Kyat. That's a little more than $3. Joko wanted to bargain, but I wanted to pay full price, just because of the skill and determination that must have been needed to overcome such a disability. 

We had a nice little lunch at the cafe by the dock and then flagged down our boat.  One of the places we motored through on our way back were "floating gardens".  

In this area of the lake, farmers have created extensive artificial islands that are planted with  tomatoes, cucumbers and other crops. The islands are created by anchoring large bunches of water hyacinth from deeper areas of the lake with long bamboo poles. I guess it is sort of like reverse irrigation. Instead of bring water to the crops, they bring the crops to the water.

An entire community lives out on the lake in homes built on stilts. One thing I noticed about many of the structures in Myanmar was that they do not have glass windows. Instead they have shutters that close either side to side or from the top down.  

We also stopped at a little dock to visit a shop displaying weaving done by Kayan Lahwi women. It almost seemed like a human diorama for the sake of tourists, but this is how these women make a living, and I'm sure they help support their families by being looked at. In part their culture is part of their product.

The women of the Kayan Lahwi clan wear brass neck rings from the time they are about five years old. The rings do not really stretch their necks, rather they put pressure on the collar bone and rib cage to make their necks look longer. 

In this picture you can also see a whitish makeup on their cheeks. This is called thanaka, and is a paste made by grinding a special bark on a slate slab. It has been used for over 2000 years and is said to protect the skin from sunburn and keep it smooth and acne free. We saw its use throughout Myanmar.

I think we had a total Stupa overload. We motored back passing the Shwe Yaunghwe Kyaung Monastery without any desire to stop. 

As darkness fell, the sunset was reflected in the water below

At the end of another fine day, we relaxed again at the very plesant roof top salon. The roof and overhang were designed to give ample shade and protection from rain, and the walls were only waist-high.

On the wall ledges there were pieces of fresh ginger root about every three or four feet. I asked the bartender why they were there, expecting to hear they were an insect repellent. No, in fact, they were for good luck and keeping evil spirits away! 



Maybe I should keep a piece on the Alfa dashboard. 

We need all the good luck we can get.

One last picture:

We saw this contraption on the street when we went out for dinner. 

We guessed it was a "Honey Wagon".  I have to admire the creative constructions one can see around the world. 

Friday, and #11 A Back Road in Myanmar

Three more days until we take off for the summer!  Everything is ready, except for a last washday on Sunday. I will miss the Jojoba laundry prices, $1 per wash and $1 per dry. The machines are all in good order and very clean. Jojoba is home to the users and we like to keep it that way.

Although we are going to go to see Rocketman this afternoon, I will be spending a couple of hours this morning working on this, my next post.

#11 Driving on a back road in Myanmar:

There was not much traffic

We started our next day drive on a wide, newly repaired stretch of road. The wetness on this image was because they were still spraying water to keep down the construction dust. I'm not sure they will ever do center line or any other markings, but the ride was smooth.

Joko has been to these places on his many motorcycle trips he had taken in the last five years, so when he told us he was taking us on a back road to our next stop, we trusted his judgement.


It was a one lane, shoulderless track through the mountains. 

Oh My! One big trepidation was that large trucks also used it. 

We pulled over at the top of a hill at a little tea house. The dirt  parking area was quite large, and since we were only going to step out to take the picture above, Joko left the key in the ignition. 

Because it was a rental car, none of us was familiar with all of its features. One was that to start the car, Joko had to pass a security card over a reader in the windshield. This also unlocked the car.


What we didn't know, was that the car automatically locked itself, minutes after it was turned off. Joko had left the magic card and his phone in the car! Here we were, on a back road, seemingly in the middle of nowhere.

Then we got very lucky. He went over to ask the men sitting outside having tea if he could use one of their phones. They generously said yes, and he was able to call the rental company in Yangon for advice.

There were many sharp drop offs with not much shoulder.

  
It was unbelievable to us that he got a signal in this seemingly remote location. The company was able to unlock the car remotely, and we were on our way. The wonders of worldwide cell technology!  I wish it extended to some of the State Parks we have visited in the USA.

I didn't take many pictures, because I was just holding my breath as we went around curve after curve and was happy we didn't meet any oncoming trucks.

Joko did an outstanding job of driving.

But the battered condition of these barrels on the curve above, made me wonder how many times they had been hit.

We made it through just fine. 

I may have been a bit more worried than necessary because I was now sitting up front, and I have the road awareness of someone who rides around in a 35' motorhome instead of a big, heavy SUV!
Craig is used to my gasps and squeals, but I think I unnerved Joko a few times. I gasp and squeal in city trafic too.

There are no RVs there.

Next up: A boat trip on Inle Lake from Nyaungshewe

Thursday and #10 Pyinoolwin

Thursday, May 30 : Craig did his last volunteer job of the spring this morning, meter reading, here at Jojoba. This park was built by volunteers, and many of the things that keep down our operating costs are done by volunteers. This is a good thing.

I want to thank you all for the wonderful coments you left on my "To Blog or Not To Blog" post. It is the encouragement I needed to get going again. I wish I had kept up my blogging when my memories were fresh, but the pictures help remind me of the neat things we did.

The story of our Myanmar trip continues:

The inner walls of the Pagoda we visited in Mandalay were covered with mirrors. Some were being repaired.

This is NOT a "racial slur", but I truly think some of the workmen I saw were part monkey! OSHA would never approve this balancing job as safe. The man in red is barefoot!

Nicki left us in Mandalay to go back to work in Yangon. 

Pyinoolwin Jan 3, 2019

But, Joko had made such a great plan for us we felt we still had a "local" guide.

The weather continued to be cool and sunny. Perfect for outdoor sight seeing.










Our next stop was Pyinoolwin, where we spent some time at a botanical park.

So graceful!

Although there were many beautiful plants in bloom, the flowers in this piece are all fake. I guess they didn't want LOVE to fade. 🙂

We chose not to get lunch from one of the vendors even though the menu included a couple of "Western" items: Cheese Sandwish, and a Mini Barger.

After we checked into our hotel, we went off to explore the local market. The pictures speak for themselves.

Of course there were many nonfood items for sale as well. These markets can be found in every town. They are where the locals buy their food on a daily basis. On seeing this plenty, I understand Nicki's insistence that "Myanmar is a rich country." It may not be rich by Western standards, but the people do not go hungry.

To top off a facinating but tiring day, Joko and I went for a foot massage.

We opted for the full, clothed, body massage. Oh so good. I was too relaxed to take more than this one quick shot of Joko!

Much more to come!

Chores, and #9 of the Asian Trip series, On the way to Mandalay

It is the last Wednesday in May.  We are at Jojoba Hills, taking care of last minute jobs like washing windows and making decisions about some things that need to be left behind in our shed, or discarded.

I had this post ready to go when I stopped blogging.  As promised I will finish the story of this, the biggest trip we will ever take!

Happy New Year

New Year's Eve 2019!

After coming back to the Hotel from our balloon flight, we ate a third free breakfast, and then we all took much needed naps.  

Our New Year's Eve was very low key.  We left the parties to the younger set since such celebrations are long past our bedtime!  

The hotel did provide a very nice buffet dinner (free) at a civilized early evening hour, and after dinner Joko and Nicki went off to another hotel where they had been invited to a party.

image from the Web

New Years morning we were on our way to Mandalay. I like saying that! It seems so exotic.  Although it was only a little over 100 miles, once again the road was not a super highway, and we saw some very interesting things. 

Having Nicki along to read the road signs was a very good thing. Some, but not all, were also in English.

There were a few times we made wrong turns because there were no signs, but we always recovered.

In the smaller towns, including Bagan, there were far more motorbikes than cars, and they certainly did not share the same traffic rules. No one seems to have a "right of way", including pedestrians. We squeezed down narrow streets more than once, and from time to time a motorbike was moved to make room for our big bad SUV.  [From Craig] I think some natives thought we were with the government.  Probably some of them had never seen such a big black SUV as our son had rented.

When we wanted to park, we just did, if there was room.

I saw a lot of this type of truck in Yangon. Sometimes with people hanging on the back, or even riding on top. People movers for sure, but they didn't look very comfortable.

Along the road to Mandalay we passed a few small herds of cattle both being moved and in the fields. Since 90% of the population are Buddhist, eating beef is fairly rare. According to the internet, the government does not allow the legal export of live cattle, and strictly regulates any slaughter for animals under the age of 12. Most cattle is raised by small farmers for use as draft animals, and for milk. None of the above cattle seemed to be milk cows, but a few had calves at their side. They all seemed to be fairly young animals, and a single herder was able to keep them moving.

For lunch, we stopped at the Ave Maria Restaurant on the Myitnge River.

Joko had been there before on one of his many motorcycle excursions. He made his mother proud with how well he planned this trip. 

The weather that day was beautiful and we enjoyed watching a large group of tourists disembark for lunch, from a couple of small boats. 

Lunch was delicious and the service was excellent. The waitpeople and hotel staff in Myanmar were all so nice to us. They seem like a happy people.

Many of the rural homes do not have indoor plumbing, and I later learned people use the river to wash their clothes and to bathe. But I was a bit surprised to see this little basket of personal hygiene items (soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste) sitting next to the planter by the dock steps. I guess, someone took a bath before work. 



But do they brush their teeth in the river?

Next stop was the U Bein Bridge, which is the oldest teak bridge in the world. It crosses 3/4 mile of a lake. At this time of year the water level was low, and the bridge towered over the swampy waters on very old pilings. 

We started to walk out onto the bridge, but turned back when I became a bit uncomfortable. I know teak is very strong, and was OK where there were side railings, but some of non-railed places with slightly wider spacing and a bits of broken wood spooked me.

from the Web

We did not get a picture that showed the span or height of this bridge. This one, from the Web, was taken when the lake water was much higher. 

There were several structures down on the lake bottom near the farming fields. I assume they are abandoned and washed away each year when the lake level rises. The one with the green tarp roof looked particularly temporary!

Like the farmers on the river banks of Bagan, they use their bullock in the fields. I think the men in the water in the background are spear fishing.

Long boats with a shallow draw are used throughout the region.

This young man was working very close to the bridge. We wondered what he was netting.

On to Mandalay! But on the way we saw a parade of children that Nicki thought were about to enter a monastery or convent. It is a time of great celebration for the families, much like a Christian confirmation or adolescent baptism.

First came the parents or sponsors.

Next in line were boys on individual decked out horses.

The boy in the back, wearing white, was the honoree. We assume the horses and carriage were either rented or provided by the monastery for a sizable donation.

These bullocks knew their job was to pull these fancy golden carts.



I think the child in the first cart of this group was a little girl. Maybe that is why these carts are not painted gold and the bullocks have far fewer decorations. Or possible the parents have less money to donate.

And at the end of the procession came this musical truck with large speakers and costumed dancers.

Although we certainly didn't understand all that was going on with this event, we did appreciate and enjoy the happy and colorful atmosphere.

The day was not yet over!  
That's what happens when you stop for a parade.

We still had to get to our hotel and go see something Joko wanted to show us, the world's largest book:

Yes, another Buddhist Pagoda grounds.  In the 1860s the king of Burma feared the British would destroy sacred Buddhist texts. He had 729 marble slabs carved with the writings, and then enshrined each page in a white marble shrine built around the Kulhodan Pagoda. 

It is known as the worlds largest book.

Once again I was amazed.

We walked around the grounds and visited the Pagoda.

Later we drove around Mandalay and looked at the walls of the old royal palace that is now a military base. 

It had been a very busy day and once again we went to bed shortly after dinner!

Count Down To Summer 2019, or To Blog or Not to Blog!

Except for our January trip to visit our son in Myanmar, we have been quite content to stay put on our site at Jojoba Hills RV Resort near Temecula, CA since the end of October.



There really has not been much to post about. We have been quite healthy and at peace. Actually, "lazy" would be the best description of our days at Jojoba Hills.

With this to look at out our side window,  who can blame us!

The Spring weather has been terrific. There was a lot of rain, and in breaking the California drought, it caused a super-bloom of wildflowers.



A single California Poppy is a delicate bit of beauty.




When billions bloom it is a sight to remember.

We went for a hike in the poppy covered hills near Lake Elsinore, (about 20 miles from Temecula) a week or so before they peaked!  It actually got better than this! One weekend there were so many visitors they had to close the road and trails.

We took hundreds of pictures that day. This was one hillside where the poppies were intermixed with pretty purple flowers.

On another day we drove over to Diamond Lake (near Hemet) to their Wildflower Trail.

Although there were some poppies, most of these hills were covered by a sea of yellow blooms.

A view from the trail that would make a great jigsaw puzzle.

Sometimes you have to just look down at the weeds along the trail to see the magical shapes of nature.










I didn't finish the series of posts about our Asian trip, but I plan on finishing that story  as "second parts" to my regular posts over the summer. I was never quite sure writing about our trip really belonged in my RV travel blog, and got a bad case of "writer's block". 

So, on June 3 we will be pulling out again in the Alfa, and will be visiting Colorado, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Ontario, Michigan, and then heading back to California by way of Phoenix and Algodones, Mexico.  Being a very organized person, I have made reservations for most of the trip.  You can see when and where we will be on the side bar, to the right,  under Pages.
Click on: Summer 2019, Locations and Dates.

I hope I can get back in the groove of blogging.  After all, it is a great motivation to take and process our pictures. I do enjoy writing about what we are up to, and hope you will enjoy sharing our new adventures.

Great cheese and crackers!

[From Craig] Since Merikay isn't using the blog, I thought I would borrow it to tell as many people as possible about a great new snack combination that I just found.

Palmetto brand pimiento cheese spread would be even better, but it's not very available outside the Carolinas. We get Price's spread at our local Walmart in southern California.

I like most of Nabisco's many versions of Good Thins, but this one is my favorite. Most supermarket chains will have some versions. You shouldn't have to go far to find this one.

But it's the combination of these two that makes me send this. You will find that when you get these two together, you will alternate between cheese-dominated pieces and cracker-dominate ones.  When I find the perfect combination, it's like being transported to food heaven! 

Hope you like them too!

From Merikay:
I have just had a super case of blogger block.  I will get back to it soon!