Push cart and flower stalls
What if you were suddenly dropped down inside a culture quite contrasting to your own?
You don’t speak the language, the money is foreign to you, people look and sound different. Everything is colorful, noisy, and fragrant. You see smiling faces painted with a golden powder and foods you do not recognize. It is not overly crowded, yet seems to have a rhythm all its own.
Welcome to the marketplace and back streets of Myanmar…
Dried fish
Looking down
Motioning us to look at her nuts
Traditional face painting starts very young
Both fresh and cooked items are available
Smoking in public is common
Just past the marketplace we wandered down some side streets for a “behind the scenes” look of the neighborhood; where and how people live.
Colorful siding and woven walls
Open air
Simple furnishings
Shoes were removed before going upstairs
Construction zone
A couple of examples of local transportation:
It beats walking
Now that is a LOT of eggs to be carrying via cart
“A nation’s culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people” ~ Mahatma Gandhi
GRATITUDE MOMENT: Today I am grateful for so much, but especially for my health. I lost another friend yesterday to cancer. She put up a hard fight for over 12 years, but modern medicine lost this round. I met Shari online via the site Sparkpeople, and we became good friends even though we never met in person. She was a big supporter for me when I went through my radiation treatments five years ago, and I tried to return that support as her cancer worsened. I admired her spunk, love of reading and in-depth reviews she wrote and posted, as well as her deep love for her two cats. But most of all, it was her ability to “say it like it is” and dogged determination to live for as long as she could.
This morning I had a complete physical at UCLA where they did an EKG, took a ton of blood, checked me over for signs of skin cancer, gave me a couple of shots and sent me on my way. Hoping for and expecting great test results.
A Note From Abroad 
Lovely Photos. Brought back wonderful memories of a trip 2 years ago We loved Myanmar..
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We would love to return to spend 2-3 weeks in Myanmar. We just got a taste on this trip. Anything you would recommend for our “don’t miss list”?
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I had that culture shock moment when I first came to England 33 years ago. No golden powder painted smiles, but plenty of punks and I ended up marrying one! I survived my baptism of fire and I’m still here.
On a more serious note, I am very sorry about the loss of your friend and I wish you all the best with your tests: I hope it is all clear. Beautiful pictures of the market and the people who work there. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
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Fatima, marrying a local guy – what a way to jump in with both feet 🙂 Thank you for your kind words.
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Thank you for reading my latest post. I am also happy to discover your lovely blog. Looking forward to reading.
Lora by Lora
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Thank you Lora and welcome!
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Thank you for liking my blog post…I am so so happy to have found yall’s blog! Can’t wait to follow along and catch up on old posts-you guys are an inspiration 🙂 I am sorry to hear about your friend, and hope that your tests come back clear!
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Welcome Nola! So glad we can be an inspiration for you. We get pretty excited to share our travels and we are delighted to have you follow along.
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Hi Tim & Joanne,
Thank you for liking my blog – I am still quite new to this blogging malarkey, so it is really nice to hear from others, especially those that are having such exciting adventures!
Your photos are great! Good luck with next year’s planning!
Helen
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Thank you Helen and welcome to our site. Being new to the blogging scene can be a little intimidating at first, but it has sure become a wonderful sharing outlet for us as well as a diary of our travels. We are making some headway on our plans for 2016. So far two trips are booked. One is a return to SE Asia where we will explore Singapore, take a one week Princess cruise that includes Malaysia, followed with a land tour in Cambodia and Vietnam. The other trip will combine tours in both Morocco and Portugal. There is SO MUCH to see out there!
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