Konad Nails

In a corporate world, maintaining a professional image can sometimes mean a boring wardrobe.  Lucky for me, the company policy have yet to establish rules on what color nail polishes I can wear.  Imagine life with the boring nudes, pinks, and reds!!  I heart my mint green, turquoise, and orange polishes!

Happy Feet

Summer is here and it's time to wear those pretty flip flops and sandals.  How embarrassing it would be if your feet is all cracked and full of calluses!  I definitely noticed a thickening layer of calluses since my trip to Myanmar since I basically had to walk everywhere bare-footed.

Lemon Chicken

I cannot believe I have not yet posted the recipe for lemon chicken.  If I have to pick my favorite Chinese dish, this will be it!  The closest recipe I ever posted was the Sweet & Sour Pork, which shared the same sauce base.

Myanmar / Thailand Trip Recap (16)

In addition to highlighting some of my favorite places to visit, I felt it will help some of you out there if I provide some recommendation on food in Bangkok as well.  Please note that this list may not be the most current as it's a compilation of two separate visits and the quality might have declined as well.

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Day 17 to 20 - Yangon - Bangkok - Macau

Our host took us to the delicious mohinga place one last time before dropping us at the airport.  We boarded our plane to Bangkok with no further incident.

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Day 15 and 16 - Chaungtha - Yangon

After going to the beach for one last time and bidding farewell to the nice owner, we boarded the 10 am bus to return to Yangon.  The return trip took about 6 hours since the bus stopped twice for souvenir shopping (it's just a snack shop) and a lunch break.  Instead of Chaungtha, Chaungtha (the driver said that song is only played when the bus arrives at Chaungtha... :S), the driver played a Burmese comedy, which was quite funny even though I didn't understand a word.

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Day 15 - Ngwesaung

After breakfast, we met with our drivers and headed to Ngwesaung :) We drove through small villages, woods, crossed 3 rivers, and saw crabs in action on the beach.  It was definitely a highlight of the entire trip and I highly recommend it to any adventurous souls out there.

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Day 14 - Chaungtha

Since we arrived at 3am, the hotel can't really check us in but they were nice enough to let us rest in the employee quarter.  I pretty much crashed on the cushions laid on the ground but the A/C was so cold it kept waking me up.  We decided to turn off the A/C after a while and opened the door even though the staff warned us about the mosquitoes.  No joke!  The mosquitoes almost ate us alive but too bad for them since I brought with me 2 bottles of mosquito repellent and my electric mosquito racket.

Copa Steakhouse

Taking a little break from uploading my never-ending Myanmar / Thailand trip... (I am almost done, I promise!)  Let's talk about food this post :)  (no pun intended - haha!)

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Day 12 to 14 - Yangon - Chaungtha

We spent the next two days exploring more of Yangon with my aunt's family and eating more of the delicious Burmese food.  Pretty uneventful yet relaxing.

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Day 10 and 11 - Inle - Yangon

After a relaxing afternoon back in the hotel, we are ready to head out again.  As I was anxious to return before sunset, I politely declined the guide's offer to dine at a local restaurant instead of the overpriced hotel... I guess I'd rather be cheated on food than to be attacked by lizards again...

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Day 10 - Inle

After a disappointing breakfast at the hotel, we took the boat and started our sight-seeing in Inle.  Since Inle is basically a large lake, transportation is mainly by boat.  Inle is also home to the Intha people, and other minorities.  The Intha people are mostly fishermen and are known for practicing a distinctive rowing style which involves standing at the stern on one leg and wrapping the other leg around the oar.  From young kids to old men, this unique rowing style can be seen all over the lake.

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Day 9 - Inle

Our time at Mandalay finally came to an end and we boarded a plane to Heho.  Our guide warmly welcomed us at the airport and immediately, I told her if I don't want to go to Pindaya, what are my options.  Pindaya is mainly famous for its limestone caves called Pindaya Caves where thousands of Buddha images have been consecrated for worship over the centuries... I can't see how this would impress me after being disappointed at the Pyin Oo Lwin cave...

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Day 8 - Pyin Oo Lwin

After many days under the scorching sun, we spent the day in Pyin Oo Lwin.  At an altitude of 1070 meters and 42 miles from Mandalay, it was a hill station and the summer capital during the colonial period.

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Day 7 - Mandalay

We rode a boat to the town of Mingun after a delicious buffet style breakfast at the hotel.  The main attractions here are the Mingun temple, Mingun Bell, and the Hsinbyume pagoda  (yes - more temples!)  Our guide also took us to visit a local elderly home.  It's funded straightly on donations and it's completely free to the tenants.  Even though it might be a scam, we still left a donation.  (Let karma take care of the rest.)