Today we are going to 3 places in burma Bagan Mandalay Inle lake. We first went to Inle Lake and on the first day we setteled in and had a rest then the next day we went on the lake on a boat. on the boat we stoped at a place whee they make silk and clothing and otherstuff like that. Then on the next stop we went to a silversmith there was lots of stuff made of iorn, alumuinion, and i think copper  Then we stoped at a cat jumpping monastry there were no cats (acept the sleeping one) that jumped there they hafalll moved. There i bought 2 cat sculpture my aunty nought me 1 and i bought another. After all that we went back yo our hotel called mingalar inn and slept for the night The next day we went on our way to Mandalay when we arrived we went to our hotel wich was full of nature and we went in we settled in and me and my mum stayed at the hotel and fiona went to look i side the burmese palace. Then at night time me and fiona went to a puppet show it was a bit diffrent then the other one i watched the last time i cameto mandalay but i still liked the same one with the 2 demons i am not sure what my aunty liked. Then the next ay we met this girl who really wanted to play with me and it turned out we were going on the same noat tomorow to bagan. Sowe would play there. Then later in the day we went on a huge bike ride it was 18 k long me and my aunty and another girl went o it. I gota sore bum i noe still have a sore bum. When we arrives at the 160 year old brige we walked across it and the tour guied toldme about a burmese legeond. Thwn we went back to the hotel on the way we saw a cat and it froze when it saw us and ran into the bushes. the next day it took all day for the boat to arrive at bagan and the whole day i got to play with the kid that wanted to play with me.we talked and played uno and loom bands. when we arrived we went to our hotel and slept. The next day fiona went on a balloon ride and we stayed at the hotel then later on in the day we went to a mountian called po pa and we had to climb a load of stairs and on the way there was lots of monkeys we went up and looked around then we went down when we went down a monkey attacked my mum and he wanted foodso we had to buy a load of food. For it to get of my mum. After all that we went to another mountian at a resort and had dinner there with that kid that i played with. She couldnt stay long because her dad was sick. so we ate dinner and went back. Then the nezt day we have to go home to Yangoon. But niw i have to say good bye so see you later! Bye.

My aunty fiona arrives

Today is the day befor my brother Zaw Zaw going to be a monk i cant wait! And it is also the day my aunty called fiona is comming to burma to join us so we we have to go qnd pick her up from the airport i cant wait for that etheir. When she arrived we took her to her to go buy her a one set for my brothers shimpu house wich was a bit of a drive. When we arrivede at the place we left fiona to get dreessed while we played with a cute puppy dog that i think lived there. After that we went to the hotel fiona was going to live in while she was here. She gave us some christmas present from my family in Tasmainia i got lots of choclate and i got lots of art stuff. After Fiona unpacked we went to go buy some shoes for the shimpu. Ichose purple that matches my burmese outfit then we took fiona to our arpartment she was very tired after she climbed all the stairs. Then we all tried on our outfits. my mum posted a pidture on facebook. Then we went to dinner at a thai reatrunt called thai 47 we met my dad there. Zaw Zaw at at the bar and it looked halarius as if he were trying to be like the people in the movies. After all that we took fiona to her hotel went to our home and watched some new doctor who episodes that my grandma gave me then went to bed. The next day we had to wake up early to be ready for my dad 3 uncles and zaw zaws shimpu (by the way shimpu is a whatburmese do to become monk.) We got in our new clothing and set off on the way we dropped off at the hotel to pick fiona up. And set off A few hours later we started the shimpu we made a donatian to the monks and went back inside the building and started the shimpu there was a awful lot of sitting wich would hurt your butt. then zaw zaw and my dad and 3 uncles shaved there hair i couldnt belive that my daf hid such a big head uder a tiny bit of hair. when it was all done we left the at the monastry and went with fiona to go get a gelato fiona got hazel and choclet igot orieo chese-cake and vanila cokkie and my mum got mint choclate. We had fun and now i am writing this in the icecream shop so see you next time bye!

Christmas in Yangon and our trip to Mandalay

On Christmas day me and my family went to have Christmas dinner at a really fancy hotel called the Shangrila, but we call it the Traders hotel. There was a buffet inside with lots of food. We had a nice time, but them my mum got sick and spewed up all the lunch. Santa gave me a blue Furby and a book and a mirror that looks like chocolate. Daddy gave me my own tablet.

After that went to my pwa pwa and poe poe’s house [Grandma and Grandpas] and we had presents for all of my friends and cousins. We gave them loom bands and sets of uno. A few days later we went to a place called Mandalay and we stayed at Hotel Mandalay in a big room. On the first day we met my dad’s cousin Uncle Aung Aung and we went out for dinner with him- I don’t remember where. The next day we went to a monetary an old Burmese King wanted to build but was never finished [by the way some of the Burmese Royal family are my ancestors]. In front of the unfinished building there were two huge Burmese lions called Chinthe which you can see from the other side of the Irrawaddy river. They were broken from a huge earthquake and only there bottoms survived.

Later on we went to the world’s 2nd biggest bell at Mingun. Me and Zaw Zaw got to ring it. It was pretty loud. Then we walked past some shops and my mum saw a mini thanaka set [Burmese make-up] and bought it for me, but then I lost it. But before that we went to a monestary where my great grandfather was a monk and paid our respects to his memory. Later on we went to a traditional puppet show. My favorite part of the show was where two devils who killed alot of animals but they started to fight each other after there were no animals left, and it was really funny because they kicked each other and sat on each other and it was really funny. And at the start of it there was a horse that was going crazy.

The next day we went to the Burmese palace which was destroyed by the British army. The walls are 2 miles each side so in total it would be 8 miles around it.

We had to go through a special entrance for foreigners only that the army was guarding. When we got I side the palace we saw lots of soldier homes because the soldiers of Burma decided to move in and occupy the palace compound. We drove further we finally reached the palace, we had to take our shoes off. Inside there were 2 statues of the king and one of his wife’s Queen Supayalatt, sitting next to each other. Then we saw the Burmese royal bed where they slept. Then we came across the meeting table where the king and prime ministers resolved problems. Ten we went to the watch tower. It was huge. And at the top you could see all the buildings and houses of the royal family and where they kept their slaves. Then we went back and saw the royal dagger and shoes and staff, his crown, and lots of other stuff. Well that’s all I did in those 3 days so see you next time! Note: Sorry for the huge wait there wasn’t any internet anywhere that we traveled.

A visit to Southern Shan State

One day we went to southern Shan state through a valley and mountain range, near a river. It took us 13 hours to drive 500 miles. On the way my dad accidentally ran over a village puppy. When we finally arrived we went to the hotel we were staying at on the top of the mountain. It was really windy and there was also a swimming pool. We unpacked and went to dinner. We were sooooo tired when we got back, so we went to bed. The next morning it was New Years eve and there was a fire lantern festival all over Shan state.

Thabyekan Village

One day we met up with some friends from Australia who had come to Burma and we went together to donate some things to the school in my great grandmothers village. The biggest thing we did was pay for a new floor to put in the classrooms. There are so many of my relatives in that village I can’t remember their names. We also donated pencils, pens, sharpeners, school books, balls, cups, and some food. This is because around half of the kids are so poor that they can’t bring lunch to school. We paid for our relatives cooked heaps of fried noodles for all the kids, and they all got some soy milk and some sweet snacks. They were really happy and ate a lot. We also ate the same food. It was delicious. We took a bus organized by my mums friends, because we needed to bring many supplies to the village. On the way there we stopped at a market to get some steel cups and we looked around the market. Another place we stopped at was the pottery shop to get the water pots and stands for the classroom, and we looked at a furniture shop and ordered new desks and chairs for the school because the old ones were falling apart. Then we arrived and my mum told me that one of my cousins is in that school- he was very shy. I met the principal of the school as well as my great grandmothers younger sister who was very old. We waited until lunch time to give out everything. When we did it was the first bit of school was over by then we had given all the books out to the 550 students. We watched the kids walking home with their new books. Last year my mum and everyone else donated computers and a TV but they are not very good at using them to teach the kids. In the next few months my mum will visit there and train the teachers how to use that stuff to help teach the children different things. This kids were really happy to have some balls to play with at school. Many kids don’t have toys or books and they have to walk to school for almost an hour every morning and then again after school. In their spare time they have to help their parents on the farm or at the house.

After all that we went to my grandmas sisters house and she gave me and zaw zaw a ice cream. We cooled off a bit and then we left. When we go back we had dinner at a fancy restaurant called Monsoon with white table cloths and lots of waiters. Then we went to a shop called Pomelo and it had lots of art work like sculptures, paintings, handmade dolls, bags, dresses, and lots of colorful paper mache things too. Poor people learn to make the items in the shop and they can get a good income for that.

Our trip to Kyaik Htee Yoe in Mon State

We went on a trip to Kyaik Htee Yoe for a couple of days at a resort with a swimming pool and a mini zoo. At the zoo there was a white squirrel that someone caught in the jungle nearby who had been running in circles so much it fell in a tired way. My uncle and aunty came too. Then the next day we woke up when it was still dark and went to a sp

ecial rock that is balancing on top of a mountain called Kyaik Htee Yoe pagoda. There were also bells that if you rang them they are supposed to they give you good-luck. My mum bought a big bell and the man wrote all of our names on it in Burmese. We didn’t tie it to the fence but are going to take it home with us and hang it at our house to remember our trip. My dad told me in the old days the villagers below the mountain tried to take it down because they were worried it would fall down and destroy their houses. They couldn’t do it. My dad said the rock is magically balancing there because of some magnetic power. We had to take a bit truck up the steep mountain to get there. It took 45 minutes. The road is only one way so you have to wait sometimes for the trucks coming down to get out of the way.

Shwedagon Pagoda

Today me and my family went to a famous pagoda called Shwedagon Paya. It is very, very old and 300 metres high covered thick with gold. At night it shines very brightly. When we arrived there were two huge lions guarding the entrance [they are actually lions mixed with dragons called chinthe!!!] to the pagoda. Then we got to the entrance we had to take off our shoes. Then when we got inside there were lots of Buddha images guarded by chinthe. Buddhism is a popular religion in Myanmar/Burma. When my dad was little he used to sweep the floor there. We walked around together and because I was born on a Saturday I had to pay my respects to the dragon Buddha by pouring water on top of it three times and then praying three times. We walked around then we decided we should go home.