Hello Banana Tour Wrap Up

At dinner in Kinpun, otherwise known as 'basecamp', I was served by three women and assigned a human fan because the power was out. The fan was a 16 year old Burmese girl that alternated between fanning my feet and my arms. At first I felt bad and asked her to stop, mili-seconds later I was scratching some rather large mosquito bite related welts. Thankfully she started fanning me again immediately. Kinpun is the basecamp for a trip up to the Golden Rock on Mt. Kyaiktiyo. Most Burmese try to make a pilgrimage here at least once in their lifetime. I met a very nice retired Burmese UN officer who came all the way from London before she 'kicks the bucket' to see the rock.

Someone called out "Hello Banana" on my way up which makes me think that Lagui must have been here not so long ago. My trip to Myanmar has become the Hello Banana Tour thanks to a very persistent young lady on the boat to Bagan. She wore a bouquet of bananas on her head which she was trying to sell to us by repeating "hello, banana". That's all we (Lagui, Francisco and Mauro) said to each other for the next two weeks to amuse ourselves.

I leave for Thailand the day after tomorrow. Bangkok scares me. I am now taking suggestions on things to do and see (especially villages) in Siam.