Myanmar....what a place!

Touching down in Yangon, Myanmar's bustling capital, you would think that you had gotten on the wrong plane and arrived in India instead. However, once you sleep off the jet lag and have had a chance to walk around, you see that Myanmar cannot be compared with any other place. The people are more than words can describe and the land is filled with beautful architecture, rolling hillsides, and a debilitating government that cripples the voice of the people, but cannot touch thier spirits.

Myanmar is often described as the land of a million pagodas. Well, that description is as accurate as they come.

The traditional way of rowing in Myanmar is to wrap one leg around the paddle, while using the other to keep steady as the boat chugs along. It really is an amazing sight.

Fortunately enough, I arrived in Nyeunshwe during festival time, so I woke up early morning, jumped in a mototrized canoe to witness this annual parading of the Buddah. There were about 8 boats in the procession, and each boat had a unifrom of which all rowers had to wear. The flag in the picture is a symbol of religion in Myanmar.

The Moustache Brothers are a highly contravertial group of men in that they make a living as comedians bringing satire to the current government of Mynamar. In 1996, two of trio were sentenced to 10 years in prison after having cracked a joke infront of the wrong people. Since 2001, they have been reunited and have a nightly show put on for tourists only, as they have been banned for perfoeming to anyone else.

Each day was spent trekking 15 km over an eight hour period. I must admit that the walks were easy considering the company and the scenery. What a magical land it was.

Although I was miles away from my family and friends, I graciously adopted by Than Tun, his wife and ten children. I was asked to spend three wonderful days along side this family, living in their home amid the mountains of the southern Shan state in Myanmar. It was an experience I will never forget.

Back home for a visit and a wedding!

Thanks for a wonderful three weeks everyone.....Congratulations Erin and Joe!

Say hello to the world for me.......Peace!

We were at Gabby's....hooray for Gabby's!

What a nice time I had in Guelph...thanks for a great weekend ladies.

Cambodia

There are only three pictures in this section as there were too many wonderful photots to choose from. For both Kim and I, Cambodia and its people had so much to offer in the way of culture, history, entertainment and warm hosptiality. We have left with nothing but warm memories from a country that has had to endure a horrific past.

One evening, we went out and had dinner, which was accompanied by a live performance of trditional Khmer dancing. The show was put on by young children whom had perfected the art of Khmer dance. The costumes were amazing and the skill possesed by these children was truly a work of art.

One of the major reasons to visit the temples of Angkor is to feast your eyes on the amazing 212 faces, all with slightly differing expressions, carved of stone in the Bayon Temple complex. They were truly an amazing sight!

We spent the day wandering around the amazing area of Angkor Wat in Siem Reap. The pictures don't bring justice to its beauty, but we did capture some of the quiet moments of the day on film.

Sorry for keeping you all waiting!

Since our last update, we have been lucky enough to visit the wonderful land of Cambodia where we met some fantastic people, whom despite their heartbraking past, have managed to come out with smiles on their faces and love in their hearts. We toured through the amazing temples of Angkor Wat, enjoyed the city life in Phnom Phen, chilled out on the beaches of Shianoukville, splashed with the few remaining Irrewadi dolphins left in the world, and braved the unpaved backroads of Rathnakiri ( imagine 8 hours with 8 other strangers packed like sardines into a Toyota Camry...Kim sat in the drivers seat with the driver while my face was stuck int eh armpit of a large Cambodia man, bopping head to the music coming from my Ipod we both listend to the whole way....fun fun fun) . All in all, the three weeks could not have been better and I think that its safe to say that we are both eager to return as soon as we can.