When we were Peace Corps Volunteers in Thailand, passing someone on the road often led to the above question being asked as we biked by one another. The stock answer was (wherever one was headed) "Bai 'lad khap" - "To the market."
So now where are we headed? Well, first we have some thirty hours of air travel ahead of us. That will bring us back to Bangkok for the first time since 2003, just in time to celebrate Heidi's birthday!
Then on Saturday we'll join the dozen others on our tour to continue on to Yangon / Rangoon for two days, highlighted by a visit to one of Burma's most important sites, the Shwedagon Pagoda with its gold and diamond-studded spire.
The next two days will be spent in Bagan, the first Burman capital settled in the twelfth century and today a stunning landscape of largely deserted temples and stupas spread over acres and acres, arguably one of the most thrilling vistas on the planet.
On to four days in Mandalay with visits to a number of nearby local spots, including another ancient royal capital, Amarapura, and U Bein footbridge, stretching three-quarters of a mile over Thaungthaman Lake.
Then we fly to Heho and on to a more mountainous region centered on Kalaw and its ethnic diversity. Our final stop before returning to Yangon will be Inle Lake where we'll skim over the waves to visit various villages and workshops along the lake shore.
The tour then moves on back to Bangkok, but we will stay on in Yangon for two more nights which will give us time for some more leisurely exploration on our own. Two additional nights in Bangkok, and finally back home we come, a bit exhausted (but likely not as tired as those who've endured all those pre-election ads we will have managed to miss).
Then on Saturday we'll join the dozen others on our tour to continue on to Yangon / Rangoon for two days, highlighted by a visit to one of Burma's most important sites, the Shwedagon Pagoda with its gold and diamond-studded spire.
The next two days will be spent in Bagan, the first Burman capital settled in the twelfth century and today a stunning landscape of largely deserted temples and stupas spread over acres and acres, arguably one of the most thrilling vistas on the planet.
On to four days in Mandalay with visits to a number of nearby local spots, including another ancient royal capital, Amarapura, and U Bein footbridge, stretching three-quarters of a mile over Thaungthaman Lake.
Then we fly to Heho and on to a more mountainous region centered on Kalaw and its ethnic diversity. Our final stop before returning to Yangon will be Inle Lake where we'll skim over the waves to visit various villages and workshops along the lake shore.
The tour then moves on back to Bangkok, but we will stay on in Yangon for two more nights which will give us time for some more leisurely exploration on our own. Two additional nights in Bangkok, and finally back home we come, a bit exhausted (but likely not as tired as those who've endured all those pre-election ads we will have managed to miss).
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