I took a 12 hour river cruise up the Irrawaddy River from Bagan, Myanmar to Mandalay, Myanmar. For $37 US I got breakfast and lunch and a very enjoyable trip. The seats were very comfortable and lots of room for your legs. Much better than any economy flight I have ever had. A/C in the below deck and beer on the upper deck.
Below deck.
Beer above deck.
The captain
Baby water buffalo and mom
There are many shifting sandbars on this river. This barge is stuck on one of them and 4 tugboats are trying to get it unstuck.
This butterfly flew next to the boat for about 5 minutes.
Stupa next to river
Dredging for gold
Need water. Just bring your oxcart down to the river and fill up.
Demonstration of how to put on and tie the local mens wear. Very similar to Bhutan mens wear.
Natural sunblock made from grinding the bark of small logs on a grinding stone with a little water added.
Luxury boat
They remind me of home.
Life on the river
Getting close to Mandalay
About $7 US
Flight from Mandalay to Tachileik, Myanmar on the border of Thailand where I am now.
Getting to Laos (where I am headed next) is not an easy matter from Myanmar. First I have to fly from Mandalay to Tachileik. No overland allowed at the moment. Then I have to walk across a bridge and go through customs on both sides. Then a Tuk Tuk to the border of Laos. Cross another bridge by mandatory bus. More customs, then a taxi to the harbor for the 2 day trip on the Mekong River in Laos to Luang Prabang, Laos.
The hotel where I am staying at the moment on the border of Myanmar and Thailand, is something else. Nobody speaks English. They do not accept debit or credit cards. Although I am still in Myanmar, they do not accept Myanmar money. Only Thai money or US. The menu is not in English. So I order by looking at the pictures! The internet is slower than snail mail. And I’m not sure if I am in an amusement park or a hotel. Photos of this will be posted tomorrow, maybe. Depending on the snail internet.
Peru - The Amazon 