Doug Burnett Articles
Shiraz – Saturday April 17I took the morning off and read in my room after breakfast. About 9:30 I got restless and I headed out to visit some of the mosques I wanted to see. They were located in and around the bazaar. I had a great morning and found all of the places I [...]
Getting Around in IranThe night I first arrived in Tehran I was met by a guy from the travel agency. He was holding a little sign with my name on it. He said, “Welcome. Come over here, I have something to show you.” He led me away from the throng to the far [...]
Myanmar 2001: YangonYangon – Monday, February 19
I took a trishaw to the Botatung Paya after breakfast. As I was walking around a guy stepped out of a little shop and called me over. The sign above his door said he was a fortuneteller. I had actually thought it might be interesting to [...]
Myanmar 2001: The mechanics of a trip to Myanmar1 US dollar = 450 Kyat
Boring but Necessary
The mechanics of a trip to Myanmar: visas, hotels and travel agents
The first step was getting a visa. I called the Myanmar Embassy in Washington D.C. and they gave me the URL of their web site (which has since closed) where I downloaded a copy of [...]
Amarapura, Sagaing, Inwa – Friday, February 16
In the morning I found my sore throat had changed into a runny nose, so I walked back to the pharmacy and bought some antihistamine. Well, at least my throat felt better.
When I got back there was a guy waiting for me in the lobby – [...]
Salay – Wednesday, February 14
I wanted to take another short trip out of Bagan today but had made no arrangements. After breakfast I walked outside the hotel gate and ran into Song Song again. By now he thought he was running my affairs. He always seemed to get his fingers into [...]
Myanmar 2001: Mt PopaMt Popa – Tuesday, February 13
With Song Song’s help, I arranged for a car to take me to Mt. Popa in the morning. The half-day trip cost $25. Song Song told me that the driver was his brother but I suspect he was using that term with the widest possible meaning. [...]
Myanmar 2001: MingunMingun – Saturday, February 17
When I stepped out in the morning, Mg Aye Lay was waiting for me. Our first stop was the pharmacy – again. I was making some kind of strange progress with my cold: the running nose was gone and now I had a cough. This being my third [...]
Myanmar 2001: MandalayMandalay – Thursday, February 15
To my great disappointment, I awoke with a sore throat. Usually if I’m going to get a respiratory infection, it happens just after I arrive or when I first get home. I have always blamed this on the hours spent in the poorly circulated air of a crowded [...]
Myanmar 2001: BagoBago – Sunday, February 11
At 8:00am my driver Jeffery arrived. He was a tall, handsome man in his early 30’s who spoke English with a thick Indian accent. He wore a crisp, white shirt and a dark, plaid longyi, the skirt-like affair that Burmese men wear instead of trousers.
We were [...]
