Reflections on Myanmar

If three words could explain my Christmas 2013, they would be: buddhas, temples, and gold. Clearly this was an atypical Christmas holiday for me - rather than going home to snowy Colorado like last year, I decided to stay in Asia in order to go explore a country that's always been on my want-to-visit list: Myanmar [formerly known as Burma]. Luckily I had a trusty fellow explorer who was willing to go with me...Jordan! It was definitely weird to not be home with family on my favorite holiday of the year, but we made memories that will last a long time. It's quite an intriguing country on the brink of so much change, yet one that still retains elements of its dynamic past.

We started planning the trip back in September, so I had been anticipating the trip for a few months. We ended up using a tour company because it made it SO much easier to deal with the logistics of traveling domestically. Myanmar still has a weak infrastructure and it's difficult to book some things (like flights) online. [If you're interested in a tour company for Myanmar, we would recommend Sun Bird Tours]. Having the tour company organize everything also took the stress off of me! :)

Our trip lasted a total of 12 days - lots of time to explore various parts of the country. We visited five different main cities/sites, which made for a pretty busy trip! Here's a breakdown of the places through photos and comments.

Yangon: This city was the former capital of Myanmar [the capital was moved to the brand new city of Naypyidaw in 2005 for dubious reasons] and is still the commercial hub of the country. We spent two nights here total - one on the way in, and one on the way out. It reminded me of a mixture of Phnom Pehn, Dhaka, and Hanoi...a bit of a combo of South Asia and Southeast Asia. The first site we visited was the famous Shwedagon Pagoda, which is the pride of the country and is completely encased in gold leaf! On our last night, we did a walking tour of the downtown area, which is full of buildings from the British colonial era. Quite the contrast!

Posing in front of the golden glory of the Shwedagon Pagoda.

The Supreme Court of Myanmar - in the old British colonial building.

Kyaiktiyo: Our one-night stay up at the famous "Golden Rock" was quite possibly the most adventurous part of the entire trip. When we were organizing the trip, Jordan spied a picture of this golden pagoda online and we decided that we had to go! To get there, we drove four hours south of Yangon into the Mon State, which brought us to the base of the mountain that we then needed to scale! Our tour guide kept telling us that we would need to take a "mountain truck" to the top, and it was a hilarious experience. We were packed into the back of an open-air truck with about 40 local people who were on a pilgrimage up to the pagoda. Every time we went over a bump in the road, they let out a big yelp of excitement! It was a long hour ride. The rock itself is absolutely stunning. We arrived with the perfect amount of time to get sunset photos, and then we headed for our hotel because it got chilly when the sun went down!

Ready to head up in the mountain truck!

Here's our trusty truck!

The Golden Rock in all its shiny glory! Legend has it that the rock is held up by Buddha's hairs...I guess we'll never know!

As the sun set, the temperature dropped. Brrr!

Bagan: Bagan was the capital city of a former Burmese kingdom from around the 13th century. Many people call it the "Angkor Wat of Myanmar" because of its resemblance to the incredible temples of the Cambodian site. In some ways it is more stunning because of the sheer number of temples that are still intact - over 2,000! We spent three days exploring the various temple complexes and markets around the ancient city. The history nerd in me loved this place! It was a pretty cool place to spend Christmas Day.

Caught in the act! I couldn't resist taking a bazillion pics!

Some of the temples have been restored and are still in use - like this super shiny one!

It wouldn't be a great trip without a bike tour - our favorite!

Sunset over Bagan on Christmas Day

Mandalay: The name of this former capital of Burma exudes exoticism, but unfortunately the truth does not match the fantasy. We found the city to be pretty polluted and crowded, which was unfortunate because there were a lot of great sites around the city that we really enjoyed. Luckily we spent most of our time seeing these sites and managed to avoid the city itself for most of the daytime. This is where I found it to be most evident that Myanmar is still a developing country.

Hanging out on the famous U-Bein's Bridge - the longest teak wood bridge in the world.

A former monastery of King Thibaw - the last king of Burma.

The building in the background was supposed to become the tallest stupa in the world, but they gave up after only making it a third of the way!

View over the Irrawaddy River with Mandalay in the background.

Inle Lake: We were so happy that we ended our trip at Inle Lake as this was the most peaceful and serene part of the journey. From the airport to the hotel took about two hours because our hotel was literally on the lake - built on stilts - and the only way to get to the hotel was by boat. The local fisherman of the lake are famous for their unique way of fishing; they stand on one leg while paddling with the other. It was quite a sight to see! We had a great tour guide at the lake who did a wonderful job showing us around without making it too hectic - just what we needed at this point. She even took us to one of the vineyards in the area! Definitely a win in my book. If I could recommend just one place to go in Myanmar, I would tell people to go to Inle.

One of the local fisherman hard at work.

Touring around the lake on our own personal motorboat!

Posing with our super cute tour guide, Daphne. She was so tiny!

Our hotel on stilts! 

Last sunset at the lake. Those look like Broncos colors to me!

Overall, we had a wonderful trip where we learned so much about a country and culture that has been fairly inaccessible until recently. Right now seems to be an intriguing time in Myanmar's history as they try to figure out what direction the country will go - will they continue opening up to the world? Or will they revert to the isolationism of the past 50 years? Only time will tell, but if you have the chance to go in the next few years, you'll be able to catch the country before it hits the hight of tourism.

Restaurant Review: Noodle Flat

Now that winter weather (well...kind of winter-ish) has descended upon Taipei, it's time to tuck into some beef noodle, one of my favorite Taiwanese dishes. Luckily there's a great spot in Tianmu that's delicious, trendy, and absolutely affordable. Called "Noodle Flat," it opened a few months ago and has an easy to figure out English menu.

Easy-to-read English menu

Location: Just north of the intersection of Zhongshan N. Road and Dexing Road, Section 6 on the east side of the road. The outside is easy to spot as there is a plot of grass (strange I know) outside the front door. 

Modern looking exterior plus grass that is looking a little worse for the wear...

The dishes are simple and the menu isn't overwhelming. Jordan and I usually start with the mixed appetizer, which has a variety of traditional "small dishes" like tea eggs, seaweed, and pig ears. They also offer a bunch of different single dishes.

Mixed appetizer dish

I would definitely recommend their beef noodle soup as the meat is very tender and flavorful. It isn't a spicy broth like some places, but they have all of the traditional condiments so you can add additional spice if that's your jam. 

Yum...just looking at the beef makes me want to eat it NOW!

They have two different dumpling offerings: traditional and xiao long bao. The regular dumplings are yummy but nothing super special. The xiao long bao, on the other hand, are really good. They don't beat out Din Tai Fung's (let's be honest, what place could??) but for half the price and no waiting in line, they're a great deal. I don't have a pic, but I promise they're worth it. 

Traditional dumplings (a bit unceremoniously displayed on the plate)

If you're not in the mood for beef noodle soup, but still want to try Noodle Flat, they have different types of noodle dishes as well. Plenty of choice for everyone! Therefore if you're in the 'Mu and feeling the need for something new, this is a perfect spot to fill your craving!

MUN Trip to Shanghai

How did November go by so fast!?! I can't believe that December is only 2 days away. Luckily now that it's Thanksgiving, I finally have a few days off to catch up on my blog (and my life in general).

The first half of November was taken over by preparation for our first ever MUN trip to Shanghai (from now on I'll use the fun SHASMUN acronym to refer to the conference). I coached the team with my friend, Phil, and it was the first time TAS has ever sent 7th graders overseas! Thankfully, we also traveled with two 10th graders who did an excellent job keeping the 10 middle schoolers entertained and occupied (which allowed Phil and me to have some breathing room).

It was my first time in China, but we didn't actually have much time to see the city of Shanghai. When we arrived on Thursday afternoon, we took the kids sight-seeing...but unfortunately a brown cloud of pollution was hovering over the city, making it a bit difficult to see the sights. We did head to the famous Pearl Tower to see some of the city lights, but could only make out the tallest buildings. The kids were highly entertained by the glass floor on the outside of the tower, though!

After the first afternoon, the rest of the weekend was spent at Shanghai American School, Pudong Campus. Initially Phil and I were a bit nervous because we discovered upon arrival that most other schools brought 8th and 9th graders (and even 10th graders!!), but we shouldn't have worried. Our kids totally rocked the conference! They were some of the most prepared and confident delegates at the whole conference. Definitely proud teachers :)

Dressed up and ready to debate!

Fearless coaches

First day of the conference and we're ready to rock!

Exploring the SAS campus

Mentor and dedicated student - isn't it cute??

The Environment Committee

Compliments for our delegates!

Enjoying the double straws in our milkshake :)

Celebratory dinner on our last night

Posing with all of our rockstars and award winners :)

Parents + 10/10 Holiday!

October is flying by! I can't believe that it has already been almost 3 weeks since my parents came to visit...which also means that it has been 3 weeks since vacation time [and I'm ready for another!]. This time when my parents came, they actually stayed for 10 whole days versus the 4 days they ended up being here last time. [You may remember the disastrous flight delays they experienced the first time]. I was so excited to have them back when they could experience sunny October weather and also see my apartment fully decorated and set up - much more adult-like than the first time they were here!

We spent the first three days of their trip hanging out in Taipei since I still had to work. I did manage to take one day off, and we made the iconic Taipei 101 visit - which we somehow missed on their first trip!

How cute are they?

Luckily my parents were able to come at a perfect time for our 10/10 holiday weekend [woohoo four day weekend!], so Jordan and I decided that the best way to show them Taiwan was to go on a road trip around the island: first to Hualien and Taroko Gorge and then around to Kaohsiung. We rented a car in Taipei and hit the road early on Thursday morning...but unfortunately a lot of other people had the same idea as us! It took us quite awhile to get out of the city and onto the main highway, but once we were clear of the car cloggage, we picked up speed and were on our way to Hualien. The mountains we drove through were absolutely stunning.

Gorgeous view of the Qingshui Cliffs.

Feeling a little tired after 4 hours of driving!

Hi road trip buddy :)

Jordan found a perfect bed and breakfast for us to stay at that was right at the mouth of Taroko Gorge. Our first afternoon we arrived just in time to do a short hike so that my parents could get a sense of the beautiful surroundings. That night we introduced my dad to his first night market experience [an experience he avoided on his first Taiwan trip]. Last time we were in Hualien, Jordan and I found a fantastic seafood "restaurant" in the night market - definitely a must experience for Taiwan visitors!

Hanging out with the lions - RAWR!

A little bit sweaty, but enjoying the views.

A little bit of rain never hurt anyone, right?

Sweaty and ready for some giant grilled oysters!

Enjoying some much deserved beverages. 

Biggest shrimp in the world!!

We had a full day in Taroko Gorge on Friday, and luckily the weather was absolutely gorgeous - bright blue sky with sunshine! And conveniently for us, the buses were blocked from going all the way up the gorge...so no Chinese tourists for us! Total win.

We couldn't resist stopping on our drive up the gorge to capture this view at Swallow's Grotto!

We tried to get across that bridge, but they wouldn't let us :(

Yikes! Scary wasp sign!

Hanging out with dad!

Family pic!

Loving that waterfall in the background.

How cute is this pic? We captured the hand-holding moment.

Taking a rest before preparing to hike up LOTS of stairs.

Saturday morning dawned rainy and cloudy, which wasn't too big of a deal since we were piling back in the car to head down the East Coast Highway. We were all feeling a little sleepy after the big hike the day before, but as the sun started peeking out from behind the clouds about an hour in and we turned up the radio, the cameras came out! We stopped at some of the best views on the coast - all gorgeous and dramatic. I was pretty impressed that we didn't get lost until the very end of the drive, and I'm ashamed to admit that it was my fault :( But we still managed the whole drive in about 8 hours! Not too bad considering that we stopped for lunch and missed our turn to Kaohsiung.

One of my favorite views in all of Taiwan.

Right after we snapped this pic, the rain came down in sheets and we had to run for cover!

All of us were pretty tired after the day spent in the car, so we took our time in Kaohsiung easy. But we DID make sure to see the famous giant rubber ducky!

And there it is in all of its glory!

Couldn't resist getting this iconic shot :)

And of course we needed a duck selfie. Typ.

We dropped the car off in Kaohsiung and headed back to Taipei on the high speed rail - always a fun experience and one that my parents found impressive. [Why America can't figure out a similar system is beyond me, but that's another discussion!]. Unfortunately the last two days of their visit I had to go back to work, but by that point my parents were expert tourists and used the MRT to their advantage!

So now the question is, who will be the next visitor??