Yangon

I know it sounds strange, but the prospect of a 15 hour trip back to Asia fills me with complete delight! Even when the PA system on Thai Air announced a non-functioning entertainment system - no problem. Follow the sun and you get to the Golden Land...Burma, or Myanmar as it is now named. Our first, third and last days were in Yangon - the first 2 times at the Strand Hotel, which is the archetypal colonial haven - frozen in time, western food only, a long bar, wooden fans and only 29 rooms. In other words: heaven. Yangon is a bustling city, crazy busy but frozen in time. Sidewalks are never the answer, as Case kept saying...they are uneven and broken and splattered with betel juice - people opt for walking in the street instead. The buildings have a faded colonial grace, some with plants growing out of them. The mix of people is quite diverse: Indian, Chinese, Burmese, Arabic: the food reflects that and you could find anything at any time: we had Biyriani the first day, Chinese street food (meat on sticks) the second, and high tea at the Strand on the last day.