On the tracks

On our last day in Yangon we set out on the local train which circles the ever expanding city. After reading a few reviews online, we knew our final goal of circling the city might not come to fruitition; trains are known to only go a few stops before stopping and or backtracking and never making it all the way around Yangon. Well, never worrying about where we might end up, we set out for the train to see what was outside the city center. We were quite hopeful when we passed stop after stop still traveling north, but like all good things that come to an end, so did our ride. As the train squeaked to it's final stop and most passengers exited the rickety train, we sat hopeful and waited for our return ride home.

What we got in the meantime was an excited group of kids in the train next to us laughing and smiling at the weird foreigners stuck on a train in the middle of no where. The photographic bunch filled our hour with laughter and welcoming smiles. Then like a trusty old car, the engine started and we we're heading south back to the city waving goodbye to all the Burmese kids we just met.

Colonial Rangoon

Taking our first steps into the Yangon International airport had us ripe with excitement. Only a few weeks earlier we had quickly told our friend Cit-ta's mom we were considering going to Burma. Not really knowing anything about Burma we had no clue what would lay ahead. To be honest we probably wouldn't even have come out here if she didn't get the ball rolling. Before we knew it she was on the phone calling the embassy to see their hours and what paperwork we needed to apply. Two hours later we had our letter of intent written and printed ready to be dropped off.

So here we are, a month later in downtown Yangon, a city of over 4 milion with one of the greatest concentration of British colonial buildings in the region. What catches your attention at first is the wide boulevards, then the lack of the usual Asian traffic: where are the motorbikes? The story goes; A top govermental official collided with a motorbiker then banned all motorbikes from Yangon. I guess that's what happens when you have a corrupt military running your goverment.

The few days we spent in the city had us wondering the random avenues looking at the beautiful but dilapidated archicture, shopping from street front book vendors, visiting inner city temples and soaking up all the lovely smiles and inquisitive looks from locals. Within a few hours of arriving we knew this country was going to be special. Although, we still had no real clue what lied ahead.

Hey, Pulau Weh!

Still to this day, after all we've seen Pulau Weh is still one of my favorite islands. Just off the northwestern tip of Sumatra; Pulau Weh is beautiful, tranquil, and cheap. We snagged a rustic bungalow amongst the jungle with an unobstructed view of the ocean for less than eight dollars a day. (The last photo in this post is looking out from our deck). Most of our food was cooked by Mama, the sweetest old lady I've ever known. The quantity of food was beyond American portions for barely over a dollar. 

So what actually makes this island better than all others, I think a few things. Being a mostly muslim populated island drinking is expensive, so there are almost no bars on this island. Unlike our nights in Koh Phangan and Koh Phi Phi the evenings are quiet and peaceful which lends itself to wonderful conversations around Mama's dishes. Muslims also don't really go swimming too often so the beaches are almost always deserted. Lastly, the island is small enough that you can rent a motorbike and see the whole island in just a few short hours, soaking up the rays on deserted beaches. Need any more reasons to quit your job and live here for a few months? I don't think so...

Our furry cousins

After being in the Jakarta area for a couple weeks we decided to fly north to Sumatra to see some of the only oragutans living in the wild. Let me tell you orangutans are amazing creatures that are unbelievably flexible, and can manipulate a tree like no one's business. We got to the little town where all the treks are organized and signed up to go the next morning. While on a seven hour trek we we lucky enough to see two sets of mothers, each with two babies. One of the moms got so close to us (the guide gave her some sugar canes) that we could hear her chewing! 

Ch-bodas Waterfall!

One of our reasons for heading out to Bogor, Cibodas, and Cianjur was for the easy access to beautiful nature. We settled into our place in Cibodas and we headed out early the next morning to hike up to the Cibodas Waterfalls. I believe it was three or four waterfalls in total. While the hike was a little streneous, it wasn't too bad, unlike the actual condition of the trail, which was falling apart at the beams. Like the one I just happened to fall through. Don't worry though, I was fine and back up on the trail in minutes.

It was certainly all worth it in the end. The waterfalls were beautiful, and on a plus side it was missing the usual trash that has a tendency to spoil beautiful sites in Indonesia. After soaking up the mist and snapping our photos we headed back down the mountain to enjoy some food. As we're sitting chatting to a restaurant owner we realized we had stickers from Seattle all over his shop: Huskies, REI, Mighty O Doughnuts. After chatting for a while he told us his brother had lived in Seattle for a few years and was a chef at one of the sushi restaurants in Belltown. Small world.