Way Overdue Post

I've fallen down on the blogging job. I totally admit that. The excuse I'm using -- and sticking with -- is that trying to use the internet in Myanmar was a nightmare, and the reason the last blog post came out so crummy was that I wrote it first then copied and pasted when I had a connection. That doesn't seem to work for some weird reason so I can only write when I'm online. Like now.

Which means that out of a fifty day trip I'm on entry #3 and it's day 23. I will spare you the catch-up and instead point you at the Dining for Women blog site which will give you the overall gist of the trip as written by myself and 3 other travelers. If interested, go to diningforwomen.org, click on the BLOG menu item at the top, then on the right side of the blog page click Travel under Quick Links.

Whether you read that or not, there are a few things that I left out that I want to cover here. Myanmar is a fantastic country and I fell in love with it and its people, but I have the following bones to pick:

1. Toilet paper as napkins. The Burmese make multiple uses of toilet paper -- as paper towels, as napkins -- and when one's hands are wet, toilet paper just doesn't cut it. It merely disintegrates and remains as little white polka dots stuck to your fingers. Often there's a helpful attendant (hoping for a tip) in the restroom, unrolling the toilet paper and handing it to you. Then when she sees it's stuck all over your hands she unrolls more and hands that too you too, with a big, big smile. I'm not sure that this isn't a joke on tourists.

2. Crepe paper as toilet paper. It's grey, it's stretchy, it's in some places but not all. But wherever it is, it's no place for a party. At least it doesn't stick to your fingers.

3. Dogs. They're everywhere. A gazillion strays. And most of them seem to be nursing litters. The Darwinian rule of natural selection means that those who survive have a very keen car sense, as they lay in the street just inches from passing cars yet don't seem to get hit much. And unlike most dogs in my life, these have almost zero interest in humans. One of our travelers is a vet, and as she said when we traveled together to Nepal, there is a "generic dog" that emerges when they're left to breed indiscriminately -- 40-50 pounds, short, beige coat, small pointy ears, curly tail. That's what 90% of the dogs look like. And healthy they are not. Sometimes kind people throw their leftover rice to them, but their ribs stick out like aspiring models. Most Burmese who keep pets keep indoor cats, and there are many fewer of these roaming the streets. But the whole concept of spay and neuter has not yet been adopted by the general public, so the problem is only going to get worse.

Other than that, the country is (out of the main cities) very beautiful, and the people on the whole are still very friendly and open to visitors. They even have billboards to help them remember (I wish I had a picture!) that say something like "Be helpful and friendly to tourists!"

They're doing a good job.

PS -- I have just discovered that I cannot share the photos I've taken here without using an app that my little computer cannot download. Sigh. I will look into this further but for now will post sans photos.

Auspicious beginnings

Mingalar ba! 

This is the Burmese phrase for hello, or more precisely, "auspicious to you all." And auspicious indeed is how my journey has begun. I took great satisfaction in leaving my house in Portland by walking out my door and to the bus stop, which connected me with the train to the airport. As in 'the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.' Mine. On my own, to see what this journey brings.

Those of you who know me well will be shocked to hear that I even left early (auspicious #1) and didn't wait for the bus/train combo that would have gotten me to the airport with just a bit over an hour, my normal approach to life. Having lots of time reduces stress! What a concept!

My only traveling companion was my carry-on suitcase, which I have named Sienna due to her color. In the end I did manage to cram everything in there and get it zipped, but it was the type of zipping that occurs after the holidays when you're trying to put on your skinny jeans. It took awhile. I was very glad that the zippers seemed to be up to the task and I could keep my commitment to myself to only bring carry-on (auspicious #2).

Once at the airport and all checked in, I settled down to wait for boarding, when the agent at the desk announced that they were looking for volunteers to give up their seats. I was out of my chair before she finished speaking, and was first on the list for the offered $300 voucher. Wait the 4-hour layover time in Portland or wait it in LA? It didn't matter to me. In the end, I walked away with travel money for the future and was still in LA in plenty of time to make my next connection (the big auspicious).

While on this PDX-LA flight, I was seated next to a wonderful young man named Justin, and we ended up in an engaging conversation that continued the entire length of the flight. Turns out he was not originally scheduled for that flight either. It was one of those connections that made it seem natural to give him a hug as we were leaving the plane, and exchange email addresses. I have never, ever, hugged anyone I've been seated next to. I mean, really, have you? 

I am now just about to land in Yangon, 32 hours after walking out my door. I'm working on my little iPad mini with keyboard, my favorite new toy. How cool is this?

Auspicious indeed.

The Countdown

It's been on my list for far too long to get this blog started. I leave in 5 days and am nearly paralyzed by the endless tasks, which instead of shrinking seem to be multiplying like springtime bunnies. Mix my high level of excitement about this trip with too much to do, and you get, well, me. Obsessing in the middle of the night instead of sleeping, for instance.

Where am I going, you may ask?

Well, falling under the category of Dream Job, I'm taking a group of women to Burma (Myanmar) for two weeks. These women are all members of the nonprofit that I work for, Dining for Women (diningforwomen.org, for any of you that haven't either been indoctrinated or bored silly of me talking about this group yet). I'm their Travel Program Director. (Did I say Dream Job?) We're going to visit one of the organizations that we've supported in the past, Girl Determined. More about this as time goes on. Back to me.

After the group ends, I'm taking the plunge to travel on my own for a month, to Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. Nope, I've never been to any of these countries, except a six-hour layover in Bangkok in 2011 during which my friend Susan and I did a whirlwind taxi tour of the downtown area, visiting a spectacular temple but then dumped at a tourist tchotchke store, much to our disappointment. Since I actually left the airport, I allow myself to count Thailand among the countries I've already visited. Some may call this a low bar.

Optimist (or perhaps fool) that I am, I've made a commitment to myself to only bring one carry-on suitcase for the seven-plus weeks I'll be gone. For the past two weeks I've just been throwing things to bring on top of this little satchel, and am amazed to find that I actually believe I'll be able to cram it all in there. We'll see. I haven't tried to zip it yet.

I'm also a bit mortified to find how anal I've become about details and getting things set up ahead of time. Long gone is my "let's just get over there and see what happens" mentality. Does this mean I am old? I must say though that I get great satisfaction from having all my proverbial ducks in a row so I can count them. Over and over.

But I guess this is a good quality for a trip leader, no? Let's hope the travelers think so...