The Myanmar Government may have moved the Capital hundreds of miles North to Naypyidaw, but most business still takes place in once sleepy Yangon – now awakening to be the next Asian Tiger. However it is still Old Asia – gracious and spiritual.

Lord Buddha Meets Ganesh at the Military Pagoda.

The Time is 1920 – British Empire Architecture.

Yangon, and the whole of Myanmar, has a large Islamic population.

A delicious dinner of river prawns.

For adventures in Burma, CLICK HERE

Sule Wharf in the late afternoon , when riverboats load up with cargo and people, probably many times over their limit,for upriver journeys to Mandalay and Bagan.

Many rivermen live on their boats.

At Sundown the temperature was still 102 degrees ( 39 C ) so it was off to the Strand Hotel for an ice cold Myanmar Beer.

For adventures in Burma, CLICK HERE

After 12 days in Myanmar, ArcticTropic returned to the United States. There was an 8 hour layover in Singapore. Customs is very quick and a colleague gave a tour around the dynamic City – Nation.

The food is excellent – a combination of all Asian cuisines . For dinner we dined at the exclusive Tanglin Club, a bastion of Empire Days.

The next leg was 12 hours to Frankfurt, with great views of Afghanistan, Iran and Ukraine in the middle of the night. A quick breakfast in Frankfurt then on to freezing New York. The temperature was 25 degrees ( -5 C) with a 40mph wind. I had no coat after being in Myanmar where it was 107 ( 43 C) . Finally there was a late night arrival in Miami and the Myanmar journey comes to an official end.

ArcticTropic’s next journey takes place in late May – to Moscow,Siberia,Mongolia,China and Japan.

For adventures in Singapore and the surrounding region, CLICK HERE

Bagan is surrounded by tiny villages where life changes very slowly. On a silent electroscooter and GoPro strapped to my head I was able to coast through villages almost undetected quickly gathering everyday scenes. Since upload time is too slow here in Yangon , still clips will be posted for now.

Along the mighty Ayarwaddy. In monsoon season this spot will be thirty feet under water.

Water is hauled from a common well by oxcart.

1960s PLA Surplus.

More pictures to come, internet excrutiatingly slow. This much has taken over an hour !

For adventures in Burma, CLICK HERE

Shortly after sunrise I rented an electric motorscooter and set off to explore the searing hot plains of Bagan, and visit some of the thousands of temples built over hundreds of years – each a tribute to Lord Buddha.

Temples large and small stretch as far as the eye can see.

Along the way I came upon a ” Community Service Project . ” Local villagers dig a giant hole by hand, which will fill with water in the coming rainy season – attracting animals to drink there. Each person is expected to carry a number of loads equal to their age.

Lord Buddha is the Center of Life.

Styles changed throughout the centuries.

A $100 bill will get you 97 of these. 1000 kyat notes are used for everything and this stack will last a few days. Breakfast was 700 kyats – 70 cents. MOtorbike rental was 8000 kyats, a little over $8.

ArcticTropic has many more shots and incredible video. The hotel has wifi but upload speeds are like dialup , so video may not be uploaded until we return Stateside.

For adventures in Burma, CLICK HERE

Yesterday ArcticTropic arrived in Yangon, Myanmar ( formerly Rangoon,Burma ) after flying 25 hours from New York via Frankfurt and Singapore. After a delicious lunch we flew onwards to Bagan ( formerly Pagan ).

Baggage being unloaded from Air KBZ in Bagan. As of this writing it is 7:30 AM and off to explore the sacred temple city.

For adventures in Burma, CLICK HERE

The Hen

We arrived in Beijing at 5;15 this morning. After a day spent meeting
with our Beijing team, getting train tickets for Mongolia and getting
organized in general we went for an early dinner at Donghuamen Night
Market. On the menu – Tarantula.

Scorpion

Grasshopper

Pigeon

A walk through the market

The Great Helmsmen

Yesterday and last night’ s flight was upgraded to Business for the 10
hour Zurich to Beijing leg – Thanks Swiss !

FOR ADVENTURES IN CHINA, CLICK HERE

ArcticTropic recently came across a cache of slides from 1988 and scanned them. South Thailand is now Asia’s jetset playground , but 25 years ago was still a sleepy paradise. However fishing boats still bring in fresh ingredients for delicious seafood curry.

Ko Phi Phi Lae, the uninhabited Phi Phi islet,great for diving.

Beach on Ko Phi Phi Don – the bungalows were 50 Baht ( US $ 2 ) per night. Electricity was available from a generator for a couple hours each night, just enough to recharge my video camera batteries. When I returned in 1995, the same beach had been paved over with a multistory modern hotel – which was in turn swept away by the 2004 Tsunami. Apparently everything has been rebuilt since then.

A winding road though the limestone mountains near Krabi. Southern Burma is just now opening up to the outside world and will offer scenes similar to these.

Fisherman with the morning’s catch.

Lord Buddha gazes into the jungle.

FOR ADVENTURES IN THAI LAND, CLICK HERE

Hong Kong is not all high rises. Much of it is rural farmland close to Shenzhen in the New Territories. The Southern part of Hong Kong Island is reminiscent of  Hawaii. Just 20 minutes from the Shau Kei Wan MTR station via double decker bus is Shek O, an expatriate village by the sea.

At the end of a 2 km trail , there is a peaceful overlook upon this rocky point.

At night the Star Ferry is one of the best ways to see the incredible nighttime skyline of both Hong Kong Island and Kowloon.

FOR ADVENTURES IN CHINA, CLICK HERE

A word from a sponsor …………

All Points East has been offering exciting small group and family adventure holidays to South East Asia for over 10 years.  Whilst we recognise there are ‘must see places,’ we also realise that the modern day traveller has a desire to uncover each country’s best kept secrets – off the beaten track.

With exciting itineraries to Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Yunnan, Malaysia, Borneo and Sri Lanka, All Points East has a proven philosophy – to provide small group tours that ensure genuine interaction with local people.

Winners of the 2010 Tourism Authority of Thailand Green Award, we have a commitment to local communities and to ensuring that our tours have respect for the people and places we visit.

As much as possible we stay in smaller, locally run hotels and guest houses, eat in local restaurants and use local style transport.  Guides and agencies used are considered friends rather than business contacts.  In keeping with our commitment to the communities we visit, our group sizes are usually a maximum of 10, very occasionally 12.

If this style of travel is for you and you want to get to know the real South East Asia, we would love to show it to you.