Fox Trotting

The pool at the Strand Hotel It's been a while since I wrote anything, so I thought my handful of loyal followers (aka the best aunts in the world) were deserving of an update. Brice and I had the loveliest adventure while he was here in December/January and there are so many pictures I can't even begin to think about what to put here, so you will just have to wait until I am home.  Since he left I have not been doing a whole lot but with Steph's prompting, I've been trying to remember to take a few more photos. Lanterns up in Chinatown for Chinese New Year I'm still boxing on Mondays and I started French lessons on Thursday and Friday evenings, so my weeks have been flying by. Usually on the weekends I find time for a drink or two with friends, go to pilates and just chill. I have been on a bit of a murder mystery tear since the new Louise Penny came out at Christmas, also reading the new Inspector Rebus and one of the Vera Stanhope books.  I thought

As promised, here are a few highlights from my weekend in Myitkyina. Once again I was very lucky to have Seng Myaw with me as she was an awesome guide! Another one of our colleagues, Thet Thet Wah, was also in Myitkyina for work that week and for a long time it has been her "dream trip"to visit Indawgyi Lake where there is a pagoda in the middle of the lake. So she organized a car for us to take and Seng Myaw and her friend came along as well. We had to get up extremely   early so that we could make it to the lake and back before Thet Thet Wah caught her 5 pm flight. However, the views at sunrise were so spectacular I could almost forgive her.  Me (and my always handy Maasai travel blanket), Shwe, Seng Myaw and Thet Thet Wah The town where we stopped for some breakfast  A ride that was supposed to take 3 hours took us 5... so we arrived at the lake around 10 am, and I was in for quite a surprise. My Myanmar friends had purchased some popcorn f

Sneaking out onto the tarmac at Heho Airport for a sunset photo. (by sneaking I mean no one batted an eye) The last month has been quite busy! Evelyn and I travelled to the coast to Ngwe Saung with Tara as she was doing a triathlon. It was a six hour drive there and back on Saturday and Sunday but man was the afternoon of quiet at the beach nice. The water was so warm and I got to dip my toes in the Bay of Bengal!  Ugo and Evelyn at the Yangon Sailing Club for Friday drinks In Ngwe Saung Spectacular sunset over the Bay of Bengal After returning back to Yangon on Sunday, I then left for Taunggyi on Monday morning with my colleague Seng Myaw.  Seng Myaw and I spent the week delivering training on the IDLO's sexual harassment in the workplace policy at the different Rule of Law Centres. I had a lot of fun getting to see each ROLC location and it was nice to see everyone again. Taunggyi (where I went for the balloon festival) is located in Shan state,

Last weekend, Evelyn and I travelled to the beautiful city of Taunggyi in Shan State for the Fire Balloon Festival. Thadingyut marks the beginning of the Festival of Lights for the entire following month, known as Tazaungdaing, ending at the full moon in November. The lovely people of Taunggyi and the surrounding area have decided the best way to celebrate the end of the Festival of Lights is to have a week-long fire balloon contest.  From the pagoda at the top of the mountain above Taunggyi. The city below is on a plateau and about 1400 m above sea level.  It was so lovely to be out of Yangon and breathing this wonderful fresh air.  It does get cool at night, so it was also nice to wear jeans and a sweater for a change! The Festival grounds at night  - more human-powered carnival rides! You know those pretty small paper balloons you always see people in Thailand lighting to send floating into the sky? Ya - the Fire Balloon Festival is like that but done Myanmar styl