Travel Guide - ThePointsOfLife

Bad Bandwidth in Bagan

thepointsoflife

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January 2, 2015

All the effort spent building 2000 pagodas has not been reciprocated by building a reliable WI-FI network in Bagan.

Instead, the city has focused on price gouging tourists for bug infested hotels for over $30 a night and jacking up the entrance price for the sites from $15 a month ago to $20 per person now.

If you haven’t made it to Myanmar yet, I suggest coming as soon as possible. The country is definitely understanding the fundamentals of supply and demand and are not apologizing for it.

For all the organic, Whole Food readers who will say, “You’re supporting the local economy, its people,” then you’re naively believing the funds go into the locals’ pockets. (And milk shouldn’t cost $8/gallon.)

Tourist fatigue has set in Myanmar especially in Bagan where the haggling, my favorite past time, has taken on a darker tone with vendors and horse cart drivers (the local taxi) refusing to negotiate because “We know you have the money.”

Well they aren’t getting it from me regardless of how price inelastic the demand for pagodas.

Still the best way to see Bagan and avoid the scammers is by bicycle which can be rented for $1.50 a day. I have no cycling skills so let’s see how this ends up. Most likely with the horse cart driver reprimanding me for not employing their services.

The Press in Mandalay

thepointsoflife

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January 1, 2015

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The press in Mandalay is at a crossroads. The country is on the cusp of modernization while simultaneously stuck revering antiquities of the past.

The preceding is not a reference to the infinite shrines, an unrivaled creation of man unlike any other in the world. It is an attribution to the outdated railway system, the dilapidated buildings of the city, and the isolationist policy of a country hesitant to reveal itself to the world.

The city Mandalay was the last royal capital of Burma before its annexation by the British and devastation during World War II. Today, it, and many of the cities throughout Myanmar are shells of their former selves. Traffic congestion, rampant poverty, and a crumbling infrastructure muddy the mystique of the Land of Golden Pagodas.

Despite political progress, Mandalay’s pales in comparison to the advancement of its powerhouse neighbor. When nightfall comes, the city literally goes dark. But for the lights from the whizzing of motorbikes, it would be next to impossible to know that you were situated in the economic hub.

In the heart of the city there is an absence of street lights and intermittent Internet leaving little faith that true change is on its way. On the way out of the city, there’s a state-of-the-art airport puzzling visitors as to where this country will go.

Burma or Myanmar, no matter the reference, the future of what will happen here is anyone’s guess.

Happy New Years from Mandalay

thepointsoflife

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December 31, 2014

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Top places to spend New Year’s according to critics are the following:

1. Times Square New York

2. Sydney Opera House Australia

3. The Strip Las Vegas

Scroll, scroll, scroll.

#68569 Benghazi, Libya

Scroll, scroll, scroll.

Keep scrolling.

Where is Mandalay?

I have no idea but it has to be somewhere at the very bottom. There is absolutely nothing to do or see here besides drunks crashing on motorbikes, rocket-propelled fireworks, and random people walking around with no place to go.

I was back in the room well before midnight plotting where I would go next year.

Get on the Bus to Mandalay [Bay] sic

thepointsoflife

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December 30, 2014

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Like a Spike Lee joint I got on the bus then onto another bus then onto another bus to go from Ngwe Saung back to Yangon to the bus station then to Mandalay.

The trip took almost a full 24 hours. I left the beach town at 10am and am about to pass out with a room overlooking the bay of Mandalay.

This is where the comparisons of Las Vegas’s Mandalay Bay and the real town of Mandalay end. There is no bay in the city of Mandalay. Vegas made it up and nobody cared to call them out for it as they were too busy enjoying the wave pool.

My initial impressions of what I’ve seen left me disappointed that a name as cool as Mandalay could have a town that doesn’t live up to its Vegas billing.

Here’s the view from my hotel. It’s slightly different from Viva Las Vegas.

So What We Get Drunk…

thepointsoflife

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December 29, 2014

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“So what we get drunk, so what we smoke weed…”

While Waka Flocka may not be on the ballot for 2016, his message shouldn’t be disregarded. No, I’m not endorsing marriage a juana but I am saying “so what” since we’re all having fun and we don’t care who sees.

Relaxing on a beach in Myanmar with a bottle of Myanmar reminds me that the complexities of capitalism need not inhibit the pursuit. Entrepreneurial ideas come to life when you are relaxed when you are carefree. Implementation of them? well that’s a different story.

Either way, a toast to those who say “so what” cuz that’s how it’s supposed to be…”livin young and wild and free.”

Better yet, how about my latest freestyle rhyme: I pour my own beer, sip my own cup, put my hands up…cuz I don’t give a f!@k.

No smileys people, no smileys.

Harbaugh, Suh, & Ngwe Saung

thepointsoflife

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December 28, 2014

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Harbaugh, Suh, and Ngwe Saung. That’s my Sunday/Monday here in Myanmar.

If you don’t have Ngwe Saung on your fantasy team then you need to Google it now. Everything you want in a pick can be found in NS. The drawback may be speed since it took 8 hours to get here even though it’s only 110 miles away from Yangon.

As for Mr. Harbaugh let’s see if he actually comes to Michigan and saves us all from the hell we’ve endured for far too long. As for Suh, let’s see if he can do his rendition of Michael Vick and deliver the Lions a win at Lambeau.

CNN Breaking News?

thepointsoflife

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December 28, 2014

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CNN is the worst. The news agency loves its slogan, “This is CNN”. Now, that trademark has taken on a whole new meaning confusing reporting for nonsense. Look to Twitter for CNN Breaking News that is more click bait than ‘extra, extra’.

Today, QZ8501 went missing en route from Surabaya to Singapore and every update from CNN’s broadcast starts with dramatic music, huge bold letters, then a repeat of the following details: it is too early to tell what happened with the flight.

Furthermore, and I know CNN isn’t the only one guilty of this, but why is it necessary to break down the lives of the passenger by country then point out that no Americans were on board?

Today one of the reporters clumsily said that the Obama administration didn’t consider this mystery as big a priority as aviation disasters of the past like MH370 because it was an AirBus, a French made plane, and because no Americans were listed on the manifest.

Really?

Finally, the media is trying to clump three flights with completely different circumstances to paint a picture of chaos in flying to and around SE Asia. Let’s understand that MH370’s disappearance, MH17’s fate, and QZ8501’s unknown status are all unrelated events.

CNN in its general insensitivity continues to cite all the flights together as if somehow they are related.

Breaking News: 162 People are missing.

That should be the story.

They Got the Golden Arches, Mine Is the Golden Arcs

thepointsoflife

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December 27, 2014

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More gold than a flight on Emirates A380. Welcome to Shewdagon Pagoda. The last stop of my Yangon tour should be your first.

Gold, gold, gold as far as the eye can see and even WI-FI for uploading selfie stick photos. While the commercialization of this historic landmark is not too pronounced, there were a few things that made it a bit tacky. The most obvious was the slot machine lights behind the individual Buddhas.

I suggest going first thing in the morning, something I put off doing and never did to avoid the rush of crowds and more importantly to be able to see the pagoda as it is meant to be seen, a place of worship.

Fitting in Yangon

thepointsoflife

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December 26, 2014

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The Flight of the Conchords episode where Murray advises Bret and Jermaine to prominently carry a map of New York and avoid the main streets for back alleys to ensure their safety is the same mindset I have as a tourist in Yangon, Myanmar.

Nothing says outsider than someone that isn’t dressed in local attire. I ditched the kahkis for a longyi, a Burmese sheet of cloth and immediately blended in.

I’m sure the jade necklace and bracelet with the designer impostor Ray Bans went a long way to convince the Burmese that I was one of them. After all I did receive plenty of warm smiles.

Let's not forget about the traditional giant white camera. — Let’s not forget about the traditional giant white camera.

Merry Christmas from Yangon

thepointsoflife

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December 25, 2014

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Merry Christmas from Yangon!

Not quite because I’m delayed in Bangkok but I thought I’d send out what may be the last blog post of the year depending on WI-FI availability.

I’ve set up a tentative itinerary for my Myanmar experience while waiting for my flight to take off. It includes a few nights in Yangon, a beach on the Bay of Bengal, New Year’s in Mandalay, some river cruise to Bagan then onto somewhere else.

Hopefully somewhere else is not back to Mongolia but who knows what will happen.

Merry Christmas to you and Jim Harbaugh.