This has been something that I’ve been meaning to write about as it’s something that impacts me daily living in Myanmar. Here, discussions or observations about someone’s weight, age, and race are common place. They actually are topics of small talk with just about anyone–friends, strangers, taxi drivers, my students. From growing up in the … More Weight, Age, and Race in Myanmar–Small Talk
Hpa An is a town in Kayin State. It has a pretty laid back vibe, located right along a river and surrounded by mountains and a ubiquitous haze. There’s caves lined with buddhas and plenty of pagodas to explore. I arrived at Hpa An at 2:30am from Yangon and failed to book a hostel for … More Caves, Mountains, and Buddhas-Hpa An in Kayin State
After a great weekend trip to Mandalay, I was reading at Ostello Bello Hostel before my scheduled bus that was leaving Mandalay at 9pm. The bus to Yangon is about 10 hours long. While I was reading, I could feel my stomach starting to get upset. I knew immediately that I had food poisoning, as … More Food Poisoning Right Before 10 Hour Bus Ride
Sagaing was an ancient capital of the Burmese Kingdom, but today people visit the Sagaing Hill to see the golden and white pagodas dotted along the hill. The area is very foggy, so views from a distance of the hill aren’t great, but some of the pagodas are worth seeing. Soon U Ponya Shin Pagoda … More Sagaing Hill
The last Burmese king was King Thibaw who lived at Mandalay Palace. The British navigated the Irrawaddy River and captured Mandalay fairly effortlessly during the Third Anglo-Burmese War. King Thibaw was exiled to Ratnagiri India. During colonial rule, the Burmese viewed Mandalay as a city rich with culture and Buddhism, and the city housed many … More Mandalay-Home of the Last Burmese King
As a Southeast Asian history teacher, visiting Inwa was surreal. The city formerly known as the Court of Ava was the capital of the Burmese Kingdom from the 14th to 19th centuries. This was the capital of Burma during the first Anglo-Burmese War when the British East India Company invaded Burma. One of the reasons … More Inwa (Ava)-An Ancient Burmese Capital
In 2006, the government moved the capital of Myanmar from Yangon to Naypyitaw. The government began constructing the city secretly in 2002 and finished construction in 2012. There are two theories for why the capital was moved because the government did not provide a clear explanation. The first is that Yangon is located near the … More Naypyitaw-The Planned City Capital
The Ginger Globetrotter 