One for the road...: February 2017

Myanmar Christmas and New Year! 2016-2017

Here is a little video of some of our adventures :)

Arriving in Yangon...Fint had a hotel limo van waiting for us at the airport...name plate and all in driver's hand!! Aircon, fresh lemongrass scented cool towels, cold water and the paper (which had a full page article on New Grange!) made our trip to the hotel very pleasant.

I could get use to this.... :)

Our (club floor) room at the Shangri-La was beautifully comfortable. The bed was huge and comfy, the TV had loads of good channels playing Christmas movies, the aircon worked without hitch and the water was always hot....it was a welcomed respite after long, hot days of sightseeing in this unique city. This was a wonderful trip of luxury and it was an amazing Christmas gift from Fint. Perfection...if one has to be away from family on the holidays...this is a good way to keep one distracted!! :)

We stayed in the Shangri-La hotel in Yangon, and it was beautifully and festively decorated for Christmas! We even had a surprise stollen delivered up to our room, gifted by the wonderful Shangri-La.

My stollen went so well with my morning coffee...and it didn't last long. :)

Fint and I decided to go all out and have a bit of fun by dressing up in Black Tie for Christmas dinner....Fint looked so handsome! We started the evening with some wine in the club room and then went down to the dining hall for a vast buffet dinner full of every Christmas food one could crave! We were also treated to the festive sounds of the sweetest choir singing all of our Christmas favorites with so much passion!! With the backdrop of the huge and very lit up Christmas tree, this is a Christmas memory that I will cherish for many years to come.

So many decadent deserts to choose from!!!

One happy Christmas loving girl here! :)

City View with Yangon River in the background.

As we were strolling around the city on the afternoon of our arrival, we came upon this beautiful Cathedral. Which, was hosting a Midnight Candlelight Christmas Mass. So of course we had to go. And we were not disappointed. It was a special way to spend Christmas Eve, my first midnight mass. And I think I'll make it a tradition every year coming forward! :)

Me with my lit candle...taking it all in...every cell in my being soaking in this memory. Christmas Eve Midnight Mass in Burma....not one bit of this memory is lost or wasted. This isn't something that I take for granted. This is what life is made of...all of these unique moments to be cherished and shared. Life is unique and surprising....Live is good.

Here are some photos of the Church....

Construction of this church began in 1886 and was completed in 1894.

Shwedagon Pagoda

One of the sites that I was most excited to re-visit on this trip was the Shwedagon Pagoda. This golden pagoda is not only stunningly beautiful, but it is also peaceful and dreamy with all of the people who we met along the way in such friendly spirits. It is the kind of place that makes you smile and just look around in awe. It was just as I remembered it...and we spent the whole day there, just as we did many years back, losing track of time and just living in the moment. This remains one of the highlights of our trip...and I hope to be able to visit it again in the future and wander with wonder around the imposing stupa with the warm marble floor under my bare feet and the warm sun reflecting the gold onto my face and bathing everything in a dreamy golden glow. It is a memory that will last a lifetime for me, I am very thankful and feel very blessed to have these experiences in my life.

Thank you love, for gifting me with such a rich and beautiful experience.

The master at work....

“So be sure when you step, Step with care and great tact. And remember that life's A Great Balancing Act.― Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You'll Go!

Evening Sun

The last of the sun rays bathing and striping the blue sky. Stunning.

Sunset...as beautiful as it gets.

Meeting friends along the way. :)

Oh the places you'll go...oh the people you will meet.

“It's opener, out there, in the wide, open air.”

― Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You'll Go!

My heart is full. :)

Monks strolling around the heights of the main stupa.

Burma sunset from the Pagoda

For more historic (something I'm not great at) information on this beautiful Pagoda rich in history please visit HERE . :)

Circle Train

Another of our favorite experiences from our last trip, that we were super excited to re-experience was the journey on the circle train out of the city and into the country side. And I am very thankful we got to take this trip again, as it is expected to see some big changes in the near future. (Side note: Our big camera broke and Fint had to take all of these photos with his phone camera....he worked some major skills and magic!!)

These tracks don't just take you to a destination or a stop on a map, these are time travelling tracks; that take you back in time to a bygone era. Once you are on this track, you are headed into the closest thing to the past I've ever felt...it is hard to put into words the feeling of this journey. It is surreal. It is raw. It is real. It is vivid.

Arriving at the train station in the hot Burma afternoon sun.

Buying our tickets....round trip please. :)

Everything is paused in history...I love that everything is still pretty much original. One doesn't have to use their imaginations to picture the way it looked...one only has to look around.

Waiting on our train...

And the journey begins....

On this train you will see all sorts of vendors and passengers...it is not just a treat for the eyes, but also for ll the senses...

We hopped off the train at a stop to visit a fruit and veg market. It was so vibrate and alive with colour and scents and sounds! Every fruit and vegetable is grown locally and sold in this market.

I know Fint enjoyed this trip!! His smile was so bright on the entire journey!

Working in the rice paddy fields.

Everything is fresh and locally sourced here.

Around Town

One thing that was noticeably different on this visit to Yangon, was the new and trendy restaurants and cafes sprinkled across the city!! On our last visit these types of places (other than the Strand Hotel) were non existent. So it was much to our surprise and delight that we had an abundance of excellent meals during our stay!!

Of course we had to enjoy a few cocktails and cigars in the Strand Hotel. Which, was even more beautiful then our last visit here do to a interior face-lift. It is such a stunning hotel...I was happy to go back a few times!

Having a cocktail with the ghost of George Orwell.

“We walk about under a load of memories which we long to share and

somehow never can.”

― George Orwell, Burmese Days

Some art by local artists at one of the Art Galleries we visited.

Lunch in the Governor's Residence

This residence now turned restaurant/hotel is stunning! The food is amazing, the gardens are immaculate and tropically lush and the teak mansion is impressive and beautiful. It was one of my favorite spots to eat, it was so pleasant and so quite and peaceful for being so close to the city.

He fits right in... :)

For more info on this beautiful hotel click HERE

Getting my longyi fitted. I picked up three of these beautiful traditional outfits...And I am looking forward to wearing them. :)

The beautiful red brick High Court Building.

Construction of this building began in 1905 and finished in 1911.

These photos were taken from the Maha Bandula Park in the city centre.

One of the most pleasurable evenings we spent was our first night arriving in Yangon. We made it to the Yangon Sailing Club for a cold beer sundowner. Very pretty spot...great sunset, great beer, a brilliant way to spend a Friday evening!

Just like home??? hahahaaa

Was this mug made just for him? Luck of the Irish!

Street Food

Sunset Boat Trip

We made our way to the harbour on one of our afternoon strolls in the city. And decided...how could we not take a sunset trip up the Yangon River!?! So we made our way over, found a boat that still had seats available, and cold beer, and climbed on board to a very precarious looking vessel and had an amazing evening, with a stunning golden sunset view!