More Photo Updates - Playing Tourist Around Mandalay

And the fun continues...

Still in Pyin Oo Lwin, we headed to the famous waterfall.  Having lived in the south Pacific it was quite a let down.  

This guy was enjoying the cool water, though.

These folks saw me taking a photo of the man in the water and came up to take my photo - they're all related and live in Mandalay.

View of Mandalay from the road coming down the mountain.  POL isn't far but the road is all switchbacks as you climb to a much higher elevation.

I cut these roses down so they'd fit in my mug.  They cost a whopping $.80 for a dozen.

My assistant teachers are awesome and made this bulletin board.  First grade has come a long way from Dick, Jane, Spot and Puff.

We celebrated Sally's birthday with a cake her mom brought.  She also provided balloons and hats for the kids.  She brought a bunch of bananas and rambutan for the teachers and I and a beautiful piece of amber for me.  It's believed to bring good health when you wear it.

I needed something notarized and shipped back to the USA.  I was told only the highest ranking attorneys could do it.  I had an appointment and expected an office but the attorney works out of his home.  The man working/kneeling is a junior attorney.

This is the 81 year old married attorney.  He asked me out as he notarized the documents.

The process included a seal.

Friday night I had the best meal I've had in Mandalay at Mr. Barbecue (on 71st at 31st).  You choose a table then walk over to select what items you want.  The food is then grilled and brought to your table.  I thought it was ironic that the dishes were sealed while there were flies crawling all over the food.  I didn't mind since I figured it would be cooked.  And, I ate a lot of flies when living in Samoa.

I enjoyed dinner with Glenn.  We met when he and his mom visited Samoa in 2012.  We've stayed in touch and finally reconnected.  He came to visit me in Mandalay for 4 days on his way to vacation in Phuket with his family.  He's originally from Taiwan and attends Michigan State.  We ordered a ton of food and ate it all.

In the foreground are grilled green peppers - similar to poblanos.  At the top of the photo is a plate with (from left) potatoes, a type of nut and mushrooms.  It's a bit ironic, the first time I tasted these large nuts was in Salelologa, Samoa, with Glenn.  They're delicious, by the way.

Chicken stuffed with vegetables and grilled.

Two giant prawns.  Unbelievably good.

Did I mention we ordered a lot of food?  This is a list of items we bought.  All the food, two draft beers and 4 large glasses of freshly squeezed fruit juice (grape, orange, watermelon) came to a whopping $21.  I'll be going back to Mr. Barbecue frequently!

On Saturday, Glenn and I enjoyed breakfast at a tea shop then headed to the monkey pagoda.  We drove past rice paddies on our way.  

We stopped on our way and bought bananas and sunflower seeds for the monkeys that live at the pagoda.  A monk said there were over 1,000 of them.  To get to the pagoda, head out of Mandalay on 35th and turn right onto the Pynn Oo Lwin road (35 dead ends into it).  Take the first left toward the rice paddies and follow it to the pagodas.  It's about a 10 minute drive from the main road.

The monkeys loved the bananas and took them from our hands. 

Saving his banana for later.

In addition to the monkeys, there are pagodas, built on a steep hill.

I don't speak enough Myanmar to know exactly what she was saying but the gist was clearly that she wants Glenn as her boyfriend.  Several people spoke to him in Myanmar, assuming he was a local.

I met these kids at the monkey pagoda.  We now have photos of each other.

Very close to the pagoda is a monastery.  Our taxi driver took us there because I'd said I was interested in mediation and they offer classes there.  I was quickly surrounded by kids and discovered they're orphans who live at the monastery.  I plan to go back and take crayons and puzzles and teach them some English.  They seem to have a good teacher already and all knew how to count and the abc's.

After our morning at the pagoda and monastery, we headed to Diamond Plaza.  We decided to try VIP Korean Barbecue, which is across the street from Diamond.  It was good but not what I'd call authentic Korean food.  This fish was delicious.

Speaking of Korean food, I bought this package of "ramen-like" noodles recently.  Couldn't resist the description.  Glenn said he's had it before and it's good but a bit on the sweet side.

After lunch, shopping at Diamond and a break to have some fresh fruit juice, we went to get pampered.  We went to a typical local beauty salon (although salon is really stretching it).  I think Glenn was a bit leery but he was up to give it a try.  We both had the hour-long shampoo/massage combo that is typical here.  In this case, while one person (woman for me, man for Glenn) shampooed us and massaged face, head, neck and shoulders, another person massaged the rest of us.  That included walking on us (after the shampoo was over and we could lie on our stomachs) and doing some serious stretching stuff.

Next came the foot and leg massage, which was heavenly.  The two hours of pampering cost $9 each.  We were having so much fun we forgot to take photos.  At one point during the foot massage I was laughing so hard I almost wet myself.  I'm really going to miss Glenn.

Our next stop was the Yandarabon Hotel, where Glenn was saying.  It was now after 8:00 p.m. and we were going to the rooftop restaurant for a drink, dinner and the free puppet show.  The food was only average but it's a lovely setting and the free puppet show was terrific.  At sunset, they offer free run sours to enjoy as you watch the sunset.

After the show and dinner, Glenn walked me out to our waiting driver.  It was sad to say goodbye but I look forward to seeing him again.  With any luck he can meet me in Malaysia at Christmas.

Update in Photos

I've been slow in posting lately.  Partly because I'm lazy and I've been busy, but mostly because the internet has been even worse than usual lately.  Rather than boring you with a long narrative of my recent adventures, here are some photos of what I've been up to.

Mickey D. at Don Mueang airport in Bangkok, giving the traditional sign of respect.

Taro isn't just popular in the South Pacific.  It was sold out at the MacDonalds in the Bangkok airport.

I sold my chairs to a new teacher and replaced them with these.

I've gone all uptown.  Bought this microwave from a teacher who moved on to China.

This was the start of a powerful storm.  The view from my kitchen window.

My Saturdays usually start with breakfast at a typical Myanmar tea shop, followed by grocery shopping and a shampoo and massage.  Life is very good in Mandalay. 

Made a day trip to Pyin Oo Lwin, about 1 1/2 hours away.  Up in the mountains, it's cooler and absolutely beautiful.  The town is small and lovely and I plan to spend a lot more time there.

View from a pagoda in Pyin Oo Lwin.

People in Mandalay take my picture occasionally but it was crazy in POL.  This family took my photo with them as a group and with each individual.  It was fun. 

Between photos, I admired this Buddha.  Made of marble, it is covered with gold.

Outside the pagoda.

At the caves, which felt like part amusement park and part shrine, this guy was trying to sneak a photo of me.  I noticed him and smiled and motioned for him to take my photo while I took his.

Nuns on vacation, posing in front of the cave.

The cave is filled with religious statues.

My POL traveling buddies.  From left, Cat (USA), Kannaki (Singapore) and Rialda (S. Africa).  Fellow teachers.

Great First Week of Summer School

Maybe I'm counting my chickens before they're hatched, since it's only Thursday night, but so far the first week of summer school has been great.

I think we're in the honeymoon phase.  The kids are excited about all things new and so well behaved.  Or maybe it's because they're technically second graders, more mature and know the rules.  In either case, we're all having fun.

The daily schedule is different than the regular school year and focused on reading, writing and speaking in English.  And fun.  While a few kids have vacationed and spoken no English for a couple of months, many have continued to study.  It was gratifying this morning when we were talking about parts of speech that most of my students from last year remembered the difference between nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs.

One challenge is that it is hot.  Triple digit, humid hot. All staff but the foreign teachers do not have the luxury of air conditioning at home.  That makes it hard to sleep.  And yet, they continue to smile and work like crazy.  The rainy season was supposed to arrive in June and help cool things off but we're still waiting.

Another challenge, for me, is Justin Bieber.  I'm not a fan but the kids are.  And, before school, I play a variety of classical and popular music while the kids work on puzzles and homework.  The Biebster is very popular with the younger set.

I started Monday morning with a cold and am happy to report that I'm feeling much better. Did you know that first graders move constantly?  They are filled with energy.  They talk, they fidget, they sing and dance.  That's a lot for a senior citizen to keep up with.  The cold didn't help.  But I held my own, even dancing along to the Biebster.  And One Direction.  And a couple of other groups I don't know the names of.  I don't dance well but I have great enthusiasm.

One change for summer school is that one day a week I have lunch with a team of kids.  We "dine" in the classroom and I remind them of their manners.  The first group went really well.  They were fascinated by the leftover tuna casserole I'd brought for lunch.  They agreed it looked and smelled disgusting.  That was an opinion delivered by kids eating tiny fried whole fish, heads and all.

On Wednesday, I opted to go shopping in a taxi right after school rather than waiting for the bus to leave later.  I'm glad I did.  I was able to stop and custom order a stool for my classroom ($18), buy my groceries and get frozen food home still frozen.

Sadly, the mind games at the grocery store continue.  We had cheese, then we didn't.  Then we did.  Now, it's very limited again.  Mozzarella but no cheddar.  We had pasta but now we don't.  We had bacon but now it's gone again.  But there were lots of olives.  I didn't buy any because I have an unopened jar but what if they're gone by the weekend?

In any case, the week has been a success.  The kids and I have a new schedule which seems to be working.  In my cards and games club, I have kids in both groups I teach who are addicted to playing Uno with me, which I think is great fun.  Just one question.  Is it bad to teach first graders to talk smack about playing cards?

A Saturday in Mandalay

I spent yesterday with two fellow teachers.  I woke up with a cold but that didn't deter me from cleaning my apartment.  The advantage of living in a studio apartment is that it's pretty fast and easy to mop the floors and clean.

The other teachers and I hopped into the air conditioned taxi at 9:45 a.m.  Our first stop was a tea shop for breakfast.  We each had a meal and two of us got take out and the total bill was $3.60.

We spent the next several hours shopping.  First was for lamps.  The brand new teacher was a bit surprised that she had the choice of only two floor lamps, but I assured her that they were the only floor lamps in Mandalay.  They used to have three but I bought one.

Next, we moved on to shop for chairs.  I had two chairs I really liked.  But, I sold them to the new teacher with the plan of replacing one with a similar chair along with a rocking chair.  We stopped at the first store where I quickly purchased and arranged immediate delivery of a chair.  Then we headed a few blocks away to buy the rocking chair.  That's when the fly entered the ointment.  I'd checked out the rockers the week before and was very excited.  They weren't exactly what I'd dreamed of in terms of looks but were comfortable.  And, for only $20, they were perfect.  I sat, I rocked, I was ready to buy.  But then I discovered that there had been a miscommunication.  They weren't $20 but rather $120!  During all of the shopping, our driver served as negotiator and interpreter.

I now owned a single chair rather than the matching pair I'd had previously.  After shopping for a few vegetables at the nearby market, we headed back to the store where I'd bought the single chair.  Bummer, they didn't have another chair to match the one I'd bought.  The new teacher offered to return my original chairs and to take the chair I'd just bought but I told her a deal was a deal.

We went on to a grocery store where we stocked up on basics plus bread at the adjoining bakery.  I bought flour, sugar and other baking essentials along with a king size flat sheet to make a reading fort for my kids at school for less than $25.  Our driver conveniently hovered so he could carry our purchases to the car.

Next we went next door to the food court to but food for take away.  I went for a couple of pieces of rotisserie chicken.  It was expensive, at $1.50, by Myanmar standards.

We drove a couple of miles up the road to find another shop where they sold rattan furniture, hoping to find a foot stool for the new teacher.  We found the store, which didn't have the foot stool but had chairs exactly like the one I'd purchased earlier.  I was able to have matched set again, at a lower price and it would be delivered today. The new teacher was disappointed they didn't have a foot stool but the other teacher said she had one that she didn't really use and was happy to sell.  We were all happy.

Our last destination was my favorite - Style Star - the beauty salon/spa.  We spent two hours being shampooed, blow dried, massaged and pampered.  All for $6.50.  They assigned my favorite employee to me and she was amazing. I gave her a 500K ($.50) tip.  Tipping is not usual here.  Last week, she tried to give it back. This week she was happy to accept it.  She massaged me from head to foot for two hours and thought a 50 cent tip was huge.

On our short drive back to the school we talked about living in Mandalay.  The new teacher expected this to be a "hardship post". It is not.  We have all the creature comforts we want.  There are luxuries we couldn't afford in the United States, like two hour massages.  And, the people are so friendly and helpful.  Our taxi driver not only helped with driving, shopping and ordering in the restaurant, he also helped carry our purchases up four flights of stairs.  One of the new school security guards also helped carry my new chairs upstairs.

It was another great day in Mandalay.  Now I hope I can get rid of this cold before I greet the kids on Monday.

Last Weekend Before School Starts

The last week was busy, trying to get every detail finished before the kids arrive Monday morning.  It did not help that there's no deadline for parents to enroll children.  Three kids signed up for first grade yesterday.  One mother, the day before, spent an hour in the office arguing that her daughter had to be in my class.  I had her last year and all her friends will be in my class this summer.  But, I had more kids than the other teacher so Admin was reluctant.  They sent me an email and of course I agreed to take her.

In addition to getting the classroom and lesson plans ready, there was some socializing.  I wore the traditional longyis the last two days.  They were gifts from the cleaning ladies who attended my ESL class this summer.  The ladies were very happy that I wore them and I got many compliments from local staff.  Longyi skirts are exactly the same as the puletasi wrap-around, floor length skirts that I wore in Samoa.  Much cooler than slacks.

One of the cleaning ladies brought her small photo album to show me.  A few photos of her family and several pictures of her wedding and a few photos of her and me.  I was touched that she wanted to share and added me to her album.

Later in the day one of the local staff gave me an impromptu hug and said "I love you!".  The feeling is mutual.  These people work so hard, in very difficult conditions.  They live with fewer creature comforts than I had in Samoa.  Yet they display genuine smiles and laughter all day.  I may have written about the day a couple of weeks ago when I had a bad day at school.  No big deal, just a frustrating day.  As I was whining to myself, leaving my air-conditioned classroom to walk 2 minutes to my air conditioned apartment, I glanced over at the women carrying bricks on their heads at our construction site.  They'd been doing that steadily for eight hours, in the sun and 100+ degree temps.  I have nothing to complain about.

I'm off now for a day of shopping and luxury. We'll start with breakfast at the tea shop.  Then shopping.   I sold my two wonderful chairs to another teacher.  I'm going to replace them with one just like them plus one that is similar but a rocker.  I also need to buy a sheet to make a "reading fort" in the classroom.  Then, my Saturday favorite time - a couple of hours at the salon getting a massage, shampoo and blow dry.  $6.50 of luxury.

Life is good in Mandalay.

More Food and Shopping in Bangkok

It's Saturday afternoon and I'm pooped.  It was a great day - started with a long Skype call with an old friend, followed by a few hours of shopping and sweating at Chatachuk Market.  Happily, I found both the shoes and the decorative hand-made paper I was looking for.

Before heading back to my room for another shower and a rest, I stopped in at Terminal 21.  I picked up a few more groceries and then headed to Sunrise Tacos to pick up my last Mexican meal this trip.

On this trip I ate Mexican food (twice), Italian food, Arabic food and seafood (twice).  Other than sticky rice and mango, no Thai food.  Just too little time.

Here are some photos from the weekend.

MBK Mall.  Mandalay has a very long way to go to offer a comparable shopping/dining experience.

My lunch.

Food court at MBK where I had the shrimp.

It was a long walk down a rather dingy hall to the toilets.

But once there they were clean and modern.  This is the toilet's control panel.

Excellent pizza from a Japanese restaurant at Terminal 21.

Durian cream puffs.  Wrong.  Just wrong.

Peaceful park outside Chatachuk Market.

Arabic lavash sandwich for lunch at the market with a Coke Light.

The market was very hot and very crowded.  No sign of the coup.  This local tv news crew were filming the place where I'd just bought lunch.

A More Cheerful Bangkok Update

No, this isn't related to the current coup.  I just posted a rant about things I found annoying yesterday.  I thought it would only be fair to list the things that made me smile yesterday.

• As I was standing on the clean, cool BTS train yesterday on my way to the MBK mall, a young Thai man, replete with piercings and tattoos, touched my arm to get my attention.  He offered me his seat.  I declined but thanked him for the offer.  His parents should be proud of his good manners.
  
• MBK mall smells like food.  It is wonderful.  Every floor has restaurants and there's a large, outstanding food court on the fifth floor.  The best place for delicious smells is on the 4th floor, 4B to be precise.  A row of women was busy making Thai tacos.  Small crepes filled with egg, whipped cream and other stuff.  You can shop for cell phones and DVDs while smelling sweetness.
  
• BTS, malls, restaurants are all cold.  They keep the air conditioning on full blast.  That is a beautiful thing when it is so hot and humid outside.
  
• Terminal 21 mall was nice enough to have Sweet City while I'm here.  There are over a dozen businesses who specialize in desserts feature their goodies throughout the mall.  More good smells.
  
• A Japanese restaurant in Terminal 21 makes delicious pizza.  I came out of the theatre and wanted to get something for dinner and didn't want to walk far, since I was carrying a backpack full of groceries.  I was leery of the idea of Japanese pizza but was pleasantly surprised.  I don't know the name but it's located on the 4th floor of Terminal 21.  I don't think there are too many Japanese restaurants offering pizza there.
  
• I love that you can get a cheap massage pretty much anywhere.  After a few hours of walking around MBK mall, I was happy to pay the high (for Bangkok) price of $12 for an hour massage.  Mostly legs and feet with a bit of shoulder, neck and head tossed in.  Comfortable chair, relaxing lighting and music.  Heaven in a mall.
  
• I like that since I'm about a foot taller than most people here, even in crowds I can see where I'm going.
  
• I love that even if a person here doesn't speak English (and most in the tourist speak at least a bit) they try to help.  I had a completely non-verbal conversation with a man yesterday.  It involved much smiling, nodding and "y'ing" - put hands palm together and bowing your head to show respect.  It was also fun.
  
• I love meeting new people from around the world.  I talked to one guy from the Bahamas.  Another from Germany.  A couple from England who now live in Australia.  It is not lonely to travel alone.
  
• I love that Chatuchuk market is waiting for me.  The weekend market is open and I'm anxious to get there and hopefully find some shoes, before it gets too hot.
  
• I love that I can Skype in Bangkok.
  

Ok, time to stop typing and head to the market to find more things to love.