2018 Thailand and Myanmar Boris and Yammy fix

Girls on the way home from school Marbles Exorcising house to get rid of bad spirit. Black dog and pig must be killed and eaten. Group  of ladies keeping us company during tea. Ben, the Brit in balloon session with kids. Charming the ladies as well  T

1. Eng tribe woman. Married women chew betel believing that dark colour of teeth and lips shows strength... 2, 5.  Tribal Shaman. Large scar on chest which he said was self inflicted in his youth because he believed he was possessed by a demon. 3. Older lady very much into sales. Followed us around with bracelets in hand. 4. Serene Palong woman modelling her own hand loomed clothing and distinct e metal belt.

Our guide was from the Akha tribe and we visited his family in his home village, as well as Eng and Palong villages in the hills just outside Kyaing Tong.  Our guide, Eric, said it was customary to bring token gifts. He bought them with money collected from us...laundry detergent and packages of MSG! Warmly received in the villages with thanks and handshakes. The visits were relaxed. Eric had a good rapport with all tribes and answered our never-ending string of questions. We had lots of laughs with the locals. This was partly due to one of our group, Ben, a free spirited extrovert Brit with an uncanny ability to learn to count from 1 to 10 in any tribal language within 2 minutes...a real ice breaker with the kids. The women were charmed by his warmth and sense of humour. Our guide encouraged us to feel at home and take pictures. Not certain how I feel about what has been referred to as " human zoo" tourism. We asked permission to take photos and most villag...

The road to Kyaing Tong is heavily patrolled for 2 reasons. It's in the middle of the Golden Triangle where the borders of China, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand meet. In the past this was the centre of  opium production and sales. Although this has been reduced dramatically it is still an area of cross border drug trade and human trafficking. To complicate things it has been an area of ethnic conflict between the Shan tribe and the military. On the surface all is quiet now. We flew here from Kalaw to avoid the road. Tourists are required special permits to travel this  long section of road that requires an overnight en route. The area is no longer closed to western tourists so the local population is trying  hard to figure out what appeals to them. The number one draw is hill tribes. You can't do homestays yet and you must go with a guide.

Pics around my favourite village in Myanmar. Warm days cool cool nights.  Great market. It's a rotating market that lands up in each village every 5 days. We lucked out and witnessed the recent total lunar eclipse here. The lovely little downtown temple was glowing with candles to mark the full moon. Will have to send a couple more photos separately. Seems too much for internet here at the moment.

On Boris's birthday we did a half day bike tour with a guide. He took us to a small relaxed market away from the intensity of the big downtown market. Lots of birds are thrown into the pot. The guide pointed out there are 2 types of chicken...the lean Burmese kind and the fat and juicy looking Chinese kind. He says the Burmese type are tastier. Fish is often dried. The pasty looking stuff is thanaka.It's made from ground tree bark and used by most women and children and many men as well. It provides some sun protection, but is also a make up applied in different designs of your choice...a sort of personal style. The Burmese find it very attractive and it also makes the skin feel very soft.  The eggs in the photo are encased in lime. Some sort of chemical reaction happens that cooks the eggs and then the lime acts to preserve them. Sticky rice is mixed with sesame and sugar and sometimes banana ( looks red) to make dessert. Boris has photos to follow...