After flying for over two days – from Miami to New York to Frankfurt to Singapore to Yangon – ArcticTropic then boarded an Air KBZ ATR 72 prop plane to Bagan. I arrived Friday late afternoon on March 14,2014. The temperature was a dusty 104 ( 40 C) when I got off the plane. In the next few days it would get up to 107 in the day, then down to about 78 at night.

A combination of a silent electric scooter and a GoPro strapped to my forehead made for great stealth shooting (video) opportunities. Village inhabitants did not realize my presence till I was already gone.

Baby Burmese.

Crab Curry.

Houseboat.

Next Stop – 1948 !

Offerings To Lord Buddha.

Burmese is written in one of the 19 Sanskrit alphabets.

Next Stop – 1648 !

Searing heat bakes the riverbed,now 20 feet above the current waterline. By August this spot will be under 20 feet of water.

Lunch Break.

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

Below are some Mongolian food pictures. The food is hearty and hot – perfect for the eight month winters where temperatures can drop to 60 below zero.

Goat Porridge – milk and meat from just outside the ger.

Kumys – mildly alcoholic ( less than beer ) fermented horse milk.

Horse.

Mutton Dumplings.

For adventures in Mongolia, CLICK HERE

In addition to our adventurous evening at Donghuamen Night Market we encountered and ate some rather unusual items at traditional restaurants throughout the country. Above – frog viscera – still alive – about to be flash boiled – delicious once cooked.

Snake ( On The Left )

Pheasant

Donkey – Tastes a lot like ” Mongolian Beef ” in Chinese restaurants in the US.

Turtle – Absolutely Delicious !

Snout

A first – a meal so spicy I could not finish it !

Skipped This Entree.

FOR ADVENTURES IN CHINA, 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

Though it is mid October temperatures in Bulgaria are springlike, in the upper 70s during the day.

A view from my hotel, high above the city.

This woman has seen history – has lived under Ottomans,Russians,Germans, Communists and now under a free regime.

Haggling the price down a few Stotinki.

Behind the ancient doors. Quirky wireless connection in the Hotel Lepzig here in Plovdiv makes it impossible to upload more pictures at the moment.

At the end of a business trip to Western Argentina, followed by the flight over the Andes,ArcticTropic took an overnight excursion to Valparaiso ( known as Valpo to the locals) . Only about 2 hours from Santiago, and 4 hours from the slopes of Portillo, the city is in some ways reminiscent of San Francisco, without the freezing fog in the summertime.

A Miami bound ship is loaded with containers of wine.

Cool winds freshen the city , offering relief from inland summer heat.

The Hotel Reina Victoria.

Reminiscent of an old train car, this 100 year old funicular climbs ta mountainside overlooking the Port of Valparaiso,Chile on a beautiful summer’s day.

The sky becomes back as night from a forest fire that burned 60 houses and temporarily closed the road to Santiago.

The icy South Pacific never goes above 58 degrees ( 17 C ), as the Humboldt Current flows directly from Antarctica.

A delicious seafood stew , Parihuela, at Restaurant Caruso.

Artistic Graffiti is everywhere.

NIghtlife picks up around midnight and goes till dawn. Bar Cinzano is a throwback to the 1940’s but there are many electro-dance clubs around.

A nightclub singer at Bar Cinzano – straight out of the 1940’s.

Valparaiso is the main Pacific port for the Southern Cone – to China, Australia, the US and even Europe via Panama.

The Chilean Navy’s main base of operations – extending from Peru to the Antarctic and out to the middle of the South Pacific.

FOR ADVENTURES IN ARGENTINA, CLICK HERE

After a brief stopover in Buenos  Aires, it was time for ArcticTropic to move on to a week of business meetings in São Paulo. I decided to go by way of Montevideo , Uruguay. Buquebus Hydrofoil from Puerto Madero to Montevideo and early the next morning TAM to GRU . Though the 100 mile ,3 hour trip ( with Wifi and Duty-Free) seems to be at sea, the ship is , in fact, crossing the world’s widest river mouth – the Rio de la Plata. When we arrived in Montevideo at mid day , the entire Uruguayan Navy – all 8 ships- was out in full force to celebrate Uruguay’s 200th Independence Day. !

In the Old City, little has changed in the last 150 years.

Montevideo is probably one of the quietest capital cities on Earth. Uruguay has 35,000,000 head of cattle and only 3,000,000 people.

A DAy of Celebration.

Where the Father of Evolution began his Antipodean Journeys.

The aroma of the world’s best cuts of meat is everywhere in the windy streets. On Saturday , hundreds of diners gather at the port for excellent parilla.  ( Pa-ree-sha)

Vegans Beware !

Sweetbreads.

Portside Streets.

Colonial Street Signs.

Holy Water in a Giant Clamshell.

Peace.

Patrimony.

Edeficio Salvo.

Hotel Palacio – $40 US per night. At 3 AM, it’s time to move on to the airport.

ArcticTropic was the guest of  Doña Pipa  Cabañas in Barreal, Calingasta in western San Juan Province for two nights and a day. The Inn is owned by two brothers , Ramón and Diego Ossa Federico. Ramón runs many eco and adventure tours through Explora Parques – which leads excurions to four National Parks spread out over thousands of square miles – some of the trips last several days. ArcticTropic made use of limited time by going to nearby Parque Nacional Leoncito.

The Posada is comfortable and casual – reminiscent of being in the Western United States, but with delicious Argentine food and wine.

THe rooms are simple and quiet – bu there is wifi !

ArcticTropic took a bike ride up one of the dirt roads in town on a beautiful spring morning.

Riding is also offered – with Western saddles.

A healthy and tasty dinner awaits in the restaurant – welcome protein after a long day trekking and riding. It is open till midnight.

What’s For Dinner Tonight ?

Before

After

Any thing that walks, flies,swims or slithers is considered food.

A Muslim Uigyr Restaurant in Shanghai featuring the cuisine of Xinjiang.

Drunken Venison .

Delicious Pigeon Head at Bao Lu in Shanghai.

Giant Crab at Norman’s Seafood in Shanghai – RMB 4000 – about $ 600 each.

Delicious Duck Tongues.

FOR ADVENTURES IN CHINA, CLICK HERE