R&R WITH FACE MASKS, PART 1 - BANGKOK AND MYANMAR

Two months ago today, Andrew and I stepped off a plane in Bangkok to begin a 3-week “R&R” in southeast Asia.  When we started making plans months ago to visit a few points in Thailand, as well as Yangon, Myanmar where our friends Nick and Chet, who we met in Belize, are now posted, coronavirus was but a blip on the radar.  As our trip approached, the blip had grown, and we’d seen and heard reports of folks throughout Asia now wearing face masks to try to ward off the virus.  We were undeterred, and our trip came to be dubbed our “R&R with Face Masks.”

Although face mask-free in this photo, they were likely in our pockets.

First stop, Bangkok for 5 days.  We spent our first day touring the palaces and temples along the Chao Phraya River.  We bought a day ticket for a ferry that went up and down the river, so we got started early to try to see a few sights before it got to crowded… and too hot.  We headed back to the hotel for a siesta in the middle of the day, and then ventured out again at dusk to see the city lights from the river.  We got off at the last stop and headed to a night market for dinner.  The markets and food courts of Thailand are truly a thing to behold.  These are not your average food courts – no Chik-Fil-A or Sbarro in sight.  They are convention center-sized with every manner of exotic food imaginable.  Coming from Zimbabwe, the experience was almost overwhelming.  I dare say coming from ANYWHERE would be downright jaw-dropping. 

First stop on day 1 - The Grand Palace

The Grand Palace is a huge compound of temples and other buildings.

Back on to the ferry, along with lots of longtail boat traffic on the Chao Phraya River.

Next stop: Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn) on the opposite side of the river.

Sunset on the river as we head towards dinner at a night market.

Easiest decision we had to make all day.

The next couple days we tooled around the city and got lots of practice on the metro.  We happened to be there on a public holiday, and at the front-end of what would become a full-on pandemic, so the air-conditioned, uncrowded metro trains were a great way to get around.  We visited a couple restaurants recommended by friends and colleagues, checked out some tourist attractions like Jim Thompson House, and strolled around several over-the-top shopping malls.  You know me, I am NOT a shopper, but the shopping malls were sensory-overloading spectacles, so even though I did zero shopping in them, they were still completely fascinating.

Iconsiam - One of the over-the-top shopping malls in Bangkok.  That's a Bellagio-esque water fountain show going on in front of the center at dusk.

On day 3, our friends Nick and Chet joined us in Bangkok and we had an amazing time checking out even more sights with them.  A longtail boat ride around the canals by day, and Michelin-star restaurants and sky bars by night.  Not a bad way to wrap up our time in Bangkok.

Heading out to tour the canals in a longtail boat - basically a long canoe with a rainbow-colored canopy and an outboard motor that looks like something out of Mad Max.

Couldn't come to Thailand without going for a spin in a tuk tuk.

We are so fancy.  Drinks at a skybar looking over the Bangkok skyline.

From there, we headed to Yangon, Myanmar to stay with Nick and Chet at their home for a few days.  They were fantastic hosts – showing us around their city, including a jaunt on the circular train, and organizing an evening street food tour by tri-shaw, a bicycle with a sidecar-like attachment.  

The circular train takes about 3 hours to make a loop around Yangon.  We didn't do a full loop, but got to see a lot of off-the-beaten parts of the city.

At nearly every stop, ladies would get on and/or off all while balancing enormous trays of food and snacks on their heads.  

Tri-shawing through Yangon's traffic?  Why not.

Stop number 1 of about 10 on our street-food-by-trishaw tour.  Good thing I wore stretchy pants.

The Sule Pagoda in downtown Yangon is fully lit up at night.

Still eating!  Burmese food is delicious!

Myanmar was a throwback in time.  Decidedly untouched by western influences (i.e., no Starbucks or McDonalds to be seen), it was quite a change from the sprawling high rises and modern buildings of Bangkok.  Men and women still wear their traditional sarong-like wraps.  Women wear thanaka – a face cream made from tree bark – and men chew betel nut – a concoction that stains their teeth reddish black.  We made some incredible culinary discoveries… like fermented tea leaf salad and a soup called mohinga.  Are you getting the picture that we pretty much ate our way through Myanmar? 

A night market in Yangon is a hive of activity to find all manner of produce...

...and meats...

...and seafood.  Lots of chicken feet and grubs too - but I spare you those photos.

Yangon's China town, still decked out for the Chinese new year.

Yangon's downtown streets and colonial buildings were a step back in time.

Just realized there is not a face mask in sight in this photo... but they were definitely around

Public water fountain, Myanmar-style.

Yangon and Myanmar get two BIG thumbs up - and we had the best hosts and tour guides, Nick (here) and Chet.

As well as our other host, Leif the dog.  :)

From Myanmar, it was back to Thailand for more cultural experiences… and more delicious food!  To be continued…