Myanmar take two...

Back to Bangkok. Fix my sandles. Off to Myanmar again - second time lucky!

Now, going to Myanmar was great for food. Amazing Indian cooked in front of our eyes...

Great for random moments like earth houses in lime green with giant teddies...

But it was actually about connecting with the Steiner kindy initiative there in the Shan State.

I only found out about this initiative whilst in Laos and my journey began by reading an article and grew to us all being welcomed by a network of amazing and wonderful people. It was serindipidous to say the least. 

The initiative is supported by the international Waldorf association and an amazing and experienced teacher from New Zealand.

It was an overwhelming and wonderful experience.

I can't really say much about it except up say that for many years I have been looking for a way to contribute to something outside of our privileged world and perhaps I have been lucky enough to find it.

The funny thing is that when you try to give you end up feeling bestowed with the most lovely gifts life can offer.

Those of you who donated money to me - most of it went to this initiative and it is a wonderful and worthy thing I hope to tell you more about.

We lived in a nunnery for over a week and were taken into people's lives in ways that are once in a life time experience that I will forever be grateful to have had.

For my boys to play with the "little nuns" as they are called, each evening, for Wimitja to teach cross stitch to a monk, to eat in countless people's houses, to be gifted food, fruit and kindness from people so often. People living so differently to our privileged ways.

To visit kindys working with Steiner education, to work 12 hour days with the project field worker who was a gorgeous warm amazing woman who shared her stories and life with me for seven days straight while her husband cared for her little boy Wan Li.

Ah, it goes on. And on. Filled with all kinds of living goodness.

Perhaps a slide night is needed, but till then a few photos to share all the warmth and love that this experience brought our family.

Uncle Barry and Na...

The flight to Ubon to visit uncle Barry and Na seemed totally fine until we were about to land - flying low towards the airport through the rain, looking at the roof tops and roads, nearly about to land when the plane pulled up so steeply and quickly. Todd and I looked at each other over the kids heads and thought all the kinds of thoughts you can imagine. Such a situation. 

The plane went up so steep - steeper than I have ever seen a plane go and for soooo long.

There was no announcements and the plane kept flying for 45 minutes! With no announcement! 45 minutes!

We joked to the kids about how the pilot had changed his mind and was taking us to the beach instead.

I was so happy when we finally landed in heavy rain - massive flooding it seems - but still no announcement!

The airport was awash. I wash awash with relief!

So was the car park! Na met us and we loaded into the ute with Barry and Na and all our bags! Drenched and cosy!

Back at Barry and Na's we chatted and Todd showed Barry how to listen to the football online!

Na taught me to cook! I was so lucky to have such a generous and gorgeous woman to teach me - and all her sisters, cousins, sister in laws as well!

I learned how to make larp first - this is us making the sticky rice powder.

We all went out for lunch one day to one of Barry and Na's favourite places. Na took a hoard of her neices and nephews. She is a generous and big hearted woman.

Here are the hoard in the ute back with our two...

We then went to the market and Na got a little of EVERYTHING for us to try!

The kids loved looking after Kinyin who tended to think he was just fine actually!

Back to eat the larp we made and more...

I learned to cook sticky rice - something I will be forever grateful for!

Oh yum!

Na got us a few different fruits from the market to try which when her family tasted were announced to be terrible. So the next day her sister in law went to the forest and picked fresh for us!

Then in the moments before leaving everyone realised that Kinyin loved banana and sticky rice in banana leaf so people dashed in all directions to get coconut, banana leaves, and quickly teach me how to make them...

I mastered the fold! They were steamed in time for leaving and we took a bag full on the plane!

While I was busy in Na's cooking school Kinyin found an old stick and a cracking game of cricket began with Uncle Barry as a wild, hilarious and unpredictable umpire!

Everyone took us to the airport. We are so blessed with good people in our lives.

I am once again blessed by amazing, strong and wise women who tuck me under their wing and into their world...

Thanks Uncle Barry and Na - we wouldn't have missed it for anything!

Pyin Oo Lwin botanical gardens...

One of the big reasons Pyin Oo Lwin is a tourist attraction - with huge numbers of mainly Burmese tourists coming - is because of the botanical gardens that were established back during the times of the British.

We headed off in bikes again - it was lovely riding around the town...

To the gardens. The first thing we saw were beds full of dahlias!!!

Then as we went in the huge gardens were more and more impressive!

They included a house full of dinosaur fossils...

An area full of fossilised trees which are often polished up here and sold as decorations.

Huge bamboo forests - everything was immaculately kept...

There was occasional rain bursts but nothing put off the hoards of visitors from Myanmar - we were pretty much the only locals.

As such the boys were asked to feature in oodles of photos with people. 

There were long board walks through forests...

Massive bird averies with amazing birds...

Some gibbons and one had a teeny tiny baby that must have only been days old. We didn't get a good photo.

Some of the trees were massive.

Then back to our little blue room.

Meeting a friend on the way.

Big friend!

Verandah cuddles while trying to avoid mozzies...

Then afternoon tea and more photos with very friendly complete strangers!

Lovely days!

Myanmar!

We flew in to Mandalay which is in the north of Myanmar.

Straight away you feel like you are somewhere different. After becoming so familiar with Laos and having been there before anyway, and after a big city like Bangkok where it can feel like you are almost anywhere sometimes, this was a new feeling. It felt like travelI!

The men mainly wear longyi - an almost floor length skirt. Women wear a long skirt as well. All are very beautiful. People also wear a face paint or make up called thanaka. It is made from a ground bark. Many people wear it. A lot of women but many men and children too.

Our first meal was on the way to the hill town we were headed to Pyin Oo Lwin. It was a fabulous Burmese meal - you order a curry or two and get enough condiments to sink a ship! Totally delicious! This photo was when we thought everything had arrived but actually there were about five more bowls! They kept refilling any we ate as well - it was an amazing introduction to food here.

We travelled right up and up to the town, switchback after switchback!

After the quiet of Laos where we didn't hear a horn or see anyone yell or run for two months it was quite a shock to get here. People rush around and yell and the horn is used constantly as a way of working out overtaking, pulling in, etc.

We stayed at a lovely guest house called the Golden Gate. It was recommended by the people who work on the Steiner Initiative here in Myanmar. But more on that later...

The guest house folk here are bagging up green tea! You can see the face paint here...

Pyin Oo Lwin is a hill station. Cool and in the days of the British was quite a retreat for the important folk. So there are loads of old colonial buildings in various states of repair and disrepair.

Of course it is all about the street food - this was some sort of delicious coconut bread with a lovely syrup...

Cows everywhere!

Myanmar, and particularly Pyin Oo Lwin is very multicultural. Big influences from India, China, Thailand and more. The ethnic groups within Myanmar are also extremely diverse. Many languages and many scripts to say the least. 

We were visiting this temple when we heard the Muslim call to prayer...

The markets were a feast for the eyes as well - tea....

...rice...

...the leaves for betel nut chewing so beautifully arranged...

Another part of the colonial hangover is the horse and carriages that are everywhere!

Myanmar has both monks and nuns but they can be much younger here than we have seen else where. 

The smaller one of these boys was smaller than Kinyin!

There are tea shops everywhere. Very Strong tea poured over sweetened condensed milk. Mix and enjoy (well Todd does) with pastries with sweet bean fillings, or pakoras, or ...

Oh the lovely discoveries of travel. We are lucky folk!