Revisiting Myanmar

I'm always recalling my trip to Myanmar.
With nearly 10,000 dead from the cyclone, I feel for the people of that country. There some of the nicest people in all the world.

The following is from the CIA factbook, "September 2007 crackdown on prodemocracy demonstrators, including thousands of monks, further strained the economy as the tourism industry, which directly employs about 500,000 people, suffered dramatic declines in foreign visitor levels. In November 2007, the European Union announced new sanctions banning investment and trade in Burmese gems, timber and precious stones, while the United States expanded its sanctions list to include more Burmese government and military officials and their family members, as well as prominent regime business cronies, their family members, and associated companies."

Something's gotta give here. Things can't get much worse.

What's the Best Place I've Ever Visited?

I think by far the most interesting trip I've ever taken was to Mayanmar.

Check here for all the postings on this exotic land.

Cartagena de Indias

Cartagena of the West Indies, or Cartagena for short is a Columbian destination, but it's flavor is purely Caribbean.

Spaniards came here in the mid-1500s and made havoc with the place, slowly torturing the native people (the Mocanáes) that were here.

Cartagena was a slave port,one of two in the region. Slavery was outlawed in 1852.

Today many of Cartagena's inhabitants are descendants of the African immigrants.

This highly spirited places offers some of the best architectural and people photo-ops I've seen in this part of the world.

I've wanted to come here for a very long time and am glad I made it.

Is it safe?

Yes, there's some tension here between rich and poor, perhaps a little more pronounced than some other Latin American cities.

Today was interesting as it rained buckets, so much so the streets were flooded. The rain failed to dampen spirits, as many of the men built bridges with planks of wood and milk cartons, and physically helped people step across the street. Smiles percolated as people crossed both among the men helping and the people crossing.

In Galapagos, All that is Fecal Matters

While in the Galapagos, I came to the realization that nature holds no bars when revealing itself to the throngs of tourists that go there.

You see the Galapagos iguana in this pic? If you look closely you'll figure out that it has just defecated. See the mockingbird by the iguana? It has just finished up sucking up the watery stool of the iguana.

Disgusting to some? Yes (all in my tour group moaned a miserable yuck just after the mockingbird did its thing). An act most necessary for the mockingbird's survival? Yes, again.

There's very little water on many of the Galapagos islands, making it vital for the birds to get it from anywhere they can, even from what comes out of the iguana's rear end.

Amazon Lick

So what's going on here in the Amazon? This is a flock of parrots being scared off from a lick by a hawk.

A lick is a place where these birds go to eat dried up mud and have a bath afterward.

Usually licks are found on canyon walls where the red earth of the amazon is exposed. Birds chew the dried up mud because it's a digestion aid.

Magic Mushroom

The Amazon is a must-see, must visit, forget-your-fears-about it type of place.

Before you go, know:

1. Schools of Piranahs don't attack you if you fall into the river.
2. Andacondas don't grab and choke you while you hike in the forest.
3. Malaria won't get you every time. (My doc prescribes me antimalarial meds, taken once a week starting a week before I go and ending four weeks after).

Those and other myths kept me from visiting this place for years. I'll start my little Amazon post section with a harmless mushroom (that is if you don't eat it).

Quirky Quito

Odd Quito architecture.

In some ways Quito is a scrappy little city, where a mismash of architecture meets the soaring heights of the Andes.

Not to be fooled by the San Diego like plan of the city (an if-there's-space-put-up-an-anything-type-of-architectural style); Quito is happening-- tons of upgrades in the Colonial section and hip-and-cool scene developing in the new city.

A great example of how well the renovations work in Quito can be seen in the Patio Andaluz. The place is spotless, the food in the restaurant unique. The only drawback in the colonial section turning upscale is the tripling of prices for a meal.

For a better deal, turn to new town, an area busting with dining possibilities (and thriving nightlife. The restaurants are a quarter of the cost of an American style hotel or a newly refurbished hotel restaurant in the colonial section. Think total tab of $15-20 for two for dinner. The scene varies from all-in-one
Internet/cafe/phonebooth/bakery restaurants to shops that cater to the rough-and-ready Andes/Amazon tour set.