I must say that blogging is not an easy thing to do... I have started this blog way back the 1st quarter of this year, and I only had 2 posts on it. So here is the next post summarizing my first trip in Asia.
I started working as a Web Programmer in ASEAN Center for Biodiversity (ACB) in November 2009. And this is where my first out-of-the-country happened.
Myanmar (February 2010)
As the resource person/trainer for the Clearing House Mechanism project of ACB, I had the chance to go to this country. I stayed in Myanmar for 2 weeks with my boss, and I must say that every FIRST is memorable.
We took Singapore Airlines and had a transit in SG for Myanmar via Silk Air. We arrived at Yangon Airport and a local friend fetched us from there. We spent the 1st night at Yangon (former city capital) and before dinner, we visited one of the famous temples in Yangon. The next day, we traveled 6 hrs to Nay Pyi Taw, which is the new Capital of Myanmar. It was a rough road on the way so we ate lunch in one of the restaurant along the way.
Food servings in Myanmar are in small portions but there are variety to try.
When we reached Nay Pyi Taw, which is really beautiful city, we checked in at a very nice hotel and by luck, the hotel is owned by a friend of one of the officials (our contact person) so we got a discounted rate.
For the first few days, we attended the workshop in the Ministry of Forestry and after that, we were able to explore the city. Just 6 hrs away from Nay Pyi Taw, we also went to Bagan where the PAGODAS are EVERYWHERE! Here we visited a lot of Pagodas, Mt. Popa and the Irrawaddy River. Mt. Popa tour was very challenging since we had to climb up with our bare foot and there were monkeys everywhere. There are bells at the top and there is a belief that when you make a wish and ring the bells, your wish will come true. So I tried it out and I think, my wish did come true. We stayed in a five star hotel in Mt. Popa(courtesy of Uo Thaw) and my room(too big but really nice) has an old fashioned interior which I really appreciate. I also had a relaxing massage because I was too tired walking and climbing the whole day.
With my boss and a friend of ours who is a local.
One of the temples in Bagan built by a Myanmar ruler.
We took a flight back to Yangon because land transpo will take us at least 12 hrs and this is really exhausting. So from Bagan Airport to Yangon to SG to Manila. Woah! It was really tiring but overall, since this is my first time, I enjoyed everything.
Myanmar, the City of Golden Pagodas, is really nice. If you like exploring different culture, you should visit this country. The people are very accommodating amidst their very formal way of living (since Myanmar is a dictatorial country).
Travel Tips:
1. Have a local escort. I think it's the best to have someone from there since the security there is strictly monitored. So for foreigners, having an escort is advised.
2. Bring lip balm since it is very dry in Myanmar.
3. Barefoot. In order for you to go inside the pagodas/temples, you should be barefooted.
4. The food there is SPICY.
5. The exchange rate for the local currency there is big as compare to USD. So you will feel rich because a you have lot of cash.
6. Be careful with Monkeys in the temples, they grab things from you.
7. Sites to see: Nay Pyi Taw Temples, Bagan Temples, Mt. Popa, and the Irrawaddy River.
Photo taken in Nay Pyi Taw Temple.
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