OLIVER JOEST

Tag: Sabbatical

  • Rollercoasters

    Rollercoasters

    My last stop in Myanmar surprised me so much. My travel fatigue was blasted away by Yangon in an instant. The city bursts many colonial style buildings and sometimes feels like Budapest or Barcelona when I strolled through the alleys and streets. The rollercoaster ride of my emotions culminated in a 14Km day long stroll…

  • Worshipping Ganesha

    Worshipping Ganesha

    The night I came back from the monasteries I watched the movie “Victor Frankenstein” in a small tea shop across the street of my hotel. When I left, the sound of drums and flutes came to my ear. I walked down the alley only to find me in a procession of Hinduists worshipping a truck loaded…

  • Lotus Weaving and Cheroot Cigars

    Lotus Weaving and Cheroot Cigars

    People on and near the lake produce a variety of goods that are not be found elsewhere in the world. Shops spin and weave a yarn made out of Lotus fibers. The fibers are manually collected from the stems of the lotus flowers and the process is very laborious. The price of the fabric produced…

  • Pagoda market on Inle Lake

    Pagoda market on Inle Lake

    Southeast Asia really is a gem to see loads of local markets. When we explored the Inle lake we were able to visit one of the bigger local markets on the lake which takes place near the Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda on Saturdays. Fishermen are selling their catch of the day as well as local farmers…

  • One day on the Inle Lake

    One day on the Inle Lake

    I arrived to Nyaungshwe with an overnight bus from Mandalay. From where it is just a short boat ride to the lake. I found a nice english speaking boatman on the jetty and despite another delay through our accompanying disease I managed to take the tour. The day on the water reminds me of times…

  • Mandalay to Bagan sunrise cruise

    Mandalay to Bagan sunrise cruise

    Traveling on the Ayeyarwady river from Mandalay to Bagan is one of the tours in Myanmar that I found really worth the money. Even though the boat trip costs about 55 US dollars. I found it to be worth every cent. We were picked up by a very polite and friendly Burmese taxi driver at…