No Exit

First Trip Since Lockdown

noreply@blogger.com (Ron) — Wed, 04 Aug 2021 14:12:00 +0000

I have missed this.

noreply@blogger.com (Ron) — Sun, 11 Oct 2020 18:44:00 +0000

The Chemical Brothers

noreply@blogger.com (Ron) — Tue, 02 Oct 2018 16:35:00 +0000

The New View

noreply@blogger.com (Ron) — Sun, 08 Jul 2018 16:21:00 +0000

Sailing in Boston

noreply@blogger.com (Ron) — Tue, 12 Jun 2018 16:32:00 +0000

Thieves' Night

noreply@blogger.com (Ron) — Thu, 26 Nov 2015 11:54:00 +0000

"Do you know it is the thieves' night tonight?" the owner of the restaurant in Mandalay said as I was walking out the door. Hum, no I said. Is there a night assigned specifically to stealing I wondered to myself. He went on to explain. There is a festival that happens each 8th moon of the Burmese calendar. As part of this the Burmese play tricks on each other during the night. Moving bicycles, pottery, etc. A little less worried I moved on.

Mandalay is a huge city, the temperature is about the same as in Yangon, but it feels more bearable. The city itself is set up in a grid, but in a weird way. The numbers of the grid seem to be inverted, somehow it is all very disorientating. Mandalay is also a good example of what is happening in Myanmar. The city is part of a major trade route between India and China. In most other places the Himalayas divide the two countries, here they meet. As a result the population of Mandalay is now about 40% Chinese.

Mandalay is home to the last royal palace, or at least reconstructed bits of it. It suffered heavy damage during the Second World War. It also home to many temples, but for me temple fatigue had again set in and I visited only one: Kuthodaw temple. It has 730 white stupas that house the world's largest book, each stupa contains a part of that book.

The Dusty Road

noreply@blogger.com (Ron) — Wed, 25 Nov 2015 11:51:00 +0000

I needed to get from Bagan to Mandalay and there were several ways to do so: by boat, plan train or by bus. I arrived in Bagan by bus, a very modern coach bus. But it had a downside: the temperature, it was literally set to freezing. So I was looking for alternatives. Planes were not an option, they are not the safest form of travel in Burma. The trains unfortunately seems to have systematic delays. And the boats are rather slow, they take perhaps 11 hours for an 5 hour journey.

I approached one of the travelstores (less emphasise on store) to discuss options. They had an alternative: very modern minibuses. Normally I don't like them, because they are too small, but this time...ok, let's do this. Big mistake.

It turns out that the minibus was ok; plenty of room, not too cold. However it did not simply go directly from A to B. It made stops all over the place. So on what must be the most dustiest road in the world, the doors were open for about half the trip. People were getting on, getting off. Taking luggage with them that for some reason had to be placed next to them in the bus. Also the minibus seemed to be acting as a postal service; picking up and dropping of package. Combine this with people that were compulsively chewing (and spitting out) ateca nut with betel leaf during the trip and the picture was complete. No more minibuses.

Bagan

noreply@blogger.com (Ron) — Sat, 21 Nov 2015 11:48:00 +0000

Bagan, site of about two thousand temples. You can rent a bicycle or a horse and carriage here to go visit them all. Bagan also let you see how Burma is changing. More and more tourists coming in mean that there are ATMs here that allow you to withdraw in the local currency, there is a whole road lined up with restaurants started by foreign owners (French, British, Indian, ...) to serve real good food. In addition to the regular bikes you can now also rent electronic bikes and electronic scooters. The only thing missing is good wifi.

There are really too much temples here, so I found that going to on of them for the sunset is really the best option. You have a great view from on top of the temples and the light around dusk is really magical. There is so much dust in the air that the last rays of sunlight are scattered with gorgeous colours. Seeing Bagan at sunset or sunrise on top of a temple is really one the things to do here.

Yangon

noreply@blogger.com (Ron) — Wed, 18 Nov 2015 11:50:00 +0000

Myanmar. Burma. I was a bit anxious about coming here. Mainly because of the elections. The not being able to withdraw money from an ATM and walking around with crisp US dollar bills was ok. Also I knew that most accommodations would be overpriced and underdelivering. That infrastructure would be bad. All ok. Elections however are unpredictable; how would the military respond, and how would the people in the streets? As I was flying in, Burma had seemed to have made a first step towards democracy and I was curious to see if I would notice any of that during my trip.

Arriving in Yangon, formerly known as Rangoon, I noticed that I was trying to get a grip of the country. Somehow it felt that I had walked into a combination India, Thailand and Indonesia. I stayed it Chinatown, a bit outside the former colonial center of Rangoon. There was activity all around. Market stalls with fresh fruit, some selling fish or crabs. Men walking around in longyis, the Burmese form of a sarong, teeth red from chewing ataca nuts with betel leaves. Also more than in other places I noticed how many monks I saw.

The main attractions in Yangon are the Shwedagon pagoda and the old center. The latter is really a case of faded glory, many old colonial buildings in disrepair. The pagado is really something to see, especially after sunset when the place really comes alive. The pagoda itself is made up of some 8,700 gold bars at its base and some 13,500 bars for the stupa. In addition to that it is decorated with about 5,400 diamonds and 2,300 other precieus stones. In the eventing you can see people lighting up candles and incense all around the pagado.

In the end I didn't notice too much about the election, besides selling posters and calendars featuring. Aung San Suu Kyi. But perhaps that is already a positive sign.

Valencia

noreply@blogger.com (Ron) — Mon, 28 Sep 2015 15:47:00 +0000

Sail 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Ron) — Sun, 23 Aug 2015 15:55:00 +0000

Paris

noreply@blogger.com (Ron) — Sat, 23 May 2015 19:48:00 +0000

#Paris

noreply@blogger.com (Ron) — Thu, 21 May 2015 19:27:00 +0000

#Paris

via Tumblr http://ift.tt/1Any8es

#Paris

noreply@blogger.com (Ron) — Thu, 21 May 2015 19:27:00 +0000

#Paris

via Tumblr http://ift.tt/1Any9Pr

#Rotterdam

noreply@blogger.com (Ron) — Sun, 15 Feb 2015 22:16:00 +0000

#Rotterdam

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This is really starting to get silly.

noreply@blogger.com (Ron) — Wed, 03 Dec 2014 17:59:00 +0000

This is really starting to get silly.

via Tumblr http://ift.tt/1yN74k9

Panama Canal

noreply@blogger.com (Ron) — Wed, 12 Nov 2014 21:50:00 +0000

Panama Canal

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The New View

noreply@blogger.com (Ron) — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 12:29:00 +0000

Belgium

noreply@blogger.com (Ron) — Sun, 15 Jun 2014 15:07:00 +0000

Mechelen, a fun little town and home to the best dark beer in the world of 2012.

Natural History Museum

noreply@blogger.com (Ron) — Sat, 21 Dec 2013 16:55:00 +0000

I had wanting to go to the natural history for quite some time and even though I had been London quite often I never really got round to it. So, combining Christmas shopping (Bateel) with a chance to see the museum was an idea just too tempting to say no to. Unfortunately the weekend picked was also one with the most rain in quite some time, so I didn't get to see much of the city. The museum was nice though, I really liked the architecture of the building itself and to see the dinosaur skeletons is something that I can now finally check off my list of things to see and do.

Yarr!

noreply@blogger.com (Ron) — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 17:26:00 +0000

I had been planning to visit Panama to see canal, visit the nature reserves and to relax on the beach. A huge tropical storm was located directly over panama and didn't show signs of going anywhere anytime soon. So, the decision was quickly taken to changes the plans and divert. Hello Colombia, and hello Cartagena! Also got the chance to visit Andres Carne de Res in Bogota, which is great fun. It is a huge restaurant with several levels. The decor is surreal and most of the staff are dressed up. When I visited there was some sort of zombie theme, lots and lots of fun!

Happy New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Ron) — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 15:17:00 +0000

Berlin

noreply@blogger.com (Ron) — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 16:46:00 +0000

The last time I was here feel like a different era, the wall had fallen only a few years earlier and the entire city felt like a huge construction site. I managed to be in Berlin only briefly, the city feels different now. The place still feels like it is financially bankrupt (though better than in the nineties), but now the place just feels cool!

Best Rooftop Bar

noreply@blogger.com (Ron) — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 16:34:00 +0000

Above Eleven has got to one of the nicest restaurants that I have visited in a long time. The view is amazing, they serve some great fusion food and have, in my opinion, the best Maracuja Sour in the world (yes, strangely, it is served in Asia). I really loved sitting at a table overlooking the city at night, enjoying the warm night air and sipping on my pisco.

Religion, conversion and re-claiming it

noreply@blogger.com (Ron) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 02:41:00 +0000

I am near Chamula in Chiapas, Zapatista country. The church of Chamula is one of the most amazing and wonderful things I've seen. The atmosphere inside is very powerful and inspiring. The church is filled with candles, the air heavy with incense and the floors covered in pine with the occasional coca cola bottle. The story behind the church is interesting too and makes a good read.

When the Spanish came to Mexico, they set out to convert the local population, including this little town of San Juan Chamula. A church was built, a priest was brought in and conversion started. After a while though, the local population asked themselves why they needed an intermediary to talk to their saints and their God. As well as wondered why a church needed rules and instructions from this same intermediary. Things came to head when the local catholic priest insisted on the local population taking confession. The result, the confession stand was taken out of the church, into the main square and burned. The local priest was banned as well.

Now, the population of this town have found a mix between Christianity and their previous customs, cutting out the middleman (that is you, Vatican city) and practicing their faith without constraints. In effect going full circle.
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Location:Real de Guadalupe,San Cristóbal de las Casas,Mexico