Three Buddhas - Mrauk-U, Myanmar Burma

Budhhas - Mrauk-U, Myanmar Burma, originally uploaded by meckleychina.

Put together this collage of 3 Buddha images seen in Htukkanthein Temple in Mrauk-U Myanmar (Burma) on our 2009 trip. Although the images are very similar, each one has it's own distinct facial expression.
Collage constructed using picnik.com.

Breakfast - Breeze Rest House - Mawlamyine, Myanmar Burma

Breakfast - Breeze Rest House - Mawlamyine, Myanmar Burma, originally uploaded by meckleychina.

January 02, 2009

Our train pulled into the Mawlamyine Station about 3PM on Jan 1, 2009. We immediately found the ticket office and bought return tickets to Yangon on the 36DN train leaving at 6:00 AM, January 03. Tickets were $18 each and as usual we were treated like guests; invited to come around behind the counter and sit; and the very nice gentlemen gave us 4 very crispy clean USD in change.

Not very good transport from station to town and we spent 90 minutes or so haggling with moto dirvers, talking to locals, waiting for buses, taking a bus, and then walking 15 minutes in the very steamy late afternoon heat to the Breeze Rest House where we took a $15 room; no windows, no TV, but 24hr hot H2O from a in-line electric heater, AC, ceiling fans, 3 beds, fridge, tile floor and walls, a large bathroom, small desk and mirror but no chair, plenty of hooks and racks but no wardrobe.

The included breakfast is served on this 2nd floor balcony which overlooks the Salween. In the photo, Sun-Ling is enjoying the breakfast of coffee, boiled egg, and toast with butter and jam. There are two 2nd floor rooms which face the river, but they were both booked. Bummer.

After a shower we walked south along the riverfront promenade, watched the sunset, and ate dinner at a LP recommended restaurant: 3900 kyat (3.50 USD) for 2 glasses of Myanmar Beer, a tomato salad, fried spicy watercress (very tasty) and a bean dish.Sun-Ling enjoyed the breakfast of coffee, boiled egg, and toast with butter and jam.

A typical, for Mawlamyine, local bus, like the one we took into town from near the railway station.

The Noodle - Tengchong - Yunnan, China

The Noodle - Tengchong - Yunnan, China, originally uploaded by meckleychina.

Making soup one noodle at a time.

Usually handmade noodles are either stretched or shaved. This guy is shaving noodles right into a pot of boiling water. Marvelous!

For noodle soup I prefer the stretched; for stir fry, shaved. Yum, yum, yummy. ;-)

Goats - Carl Sandburg Home - Flat Rock, NC

Goats - Carl Sandburg Home - Flat Rock, NC, originally uploaded by meckleychina.

Last month we visited the Carl Sandburg Home at Flat Rock, NC. His wife Lilian raised and bred dairy goats whose descendants still live on the farm.

Heshun Village, Yunnan Province, China

Two weeks ago, the online version of The New York Times had a slide show on Heshun, a small town in China's Yunnan Province. We were in Heshun last December, so I made my own slide show on flickr. Hope you enjoy both slide shows!