The pre-race pasta dinner was an elegant affair under the stars. Unfortunately it was also under the rain clouds. The rain therefore prompted a mad dash to seek cover and wreaked havoc with the microphones and speakers set up for the course overview. Fortunately the rain stopped after dessert and we were able to crowd […]
It was a half-day tour today, with the promise of a pre-race pasta dinner and talk in the evening. But as it stands, the morning itinerary with Sheila and Thomas had us hitting five places before lunch. Let’s start though with a bit of Bagan background: Bagan is an archaeological wonderland, generally consisting of the […]
I’m having a moment… and not in a good way. My hotel room was I suspect “finished” the day I checked in. Sawdust, bits of plaster, and splatters of paint dot the room. Grouting is missing from the tiles and all manner of decoration remains undone. That’s all fine except the door handle came off […]
Today’s itinerary has us cruising the Irrawaddy River from Mandalay to Bagan. The Irrawaddy is the longest river in Myanmar, winding some 2000 kilometers. Our journey is 208 km and we boarded the boat around 6:30 AM. Our projected arrival time was 5:30 PM, with a one-hour stop for sightseeing at a local village. For […]
Previously on runkevinrun.com: Geographic background: MANDALAY is second largest city in Burma, known for its handicrafts and artisans. It’s the main trading center for the upper region of Myanmar and was the last capital of the Burmese kingdom from 1857-1885. The British finished their conquering “colonization” in that year with the capture of the last […]
With time zones and an early wake-up for a 9+ hour boat ride to Bagan, just a quick word on the American Thanksgiving holiday. I feel a little guilty about not being around but know I’m thankful for family and friends, for family who are friends and for friends who are family. I realize now […]
It’s been a long day and despite some hiccups with logistics (lunch took over 2 hours and cut into the “meat” of the sightseeing day, necessitating rushed, hurried, blurry photo opps at places that could have benefited from a bit more quiet contemplation), it’s been an interesting one. I’m going to try and write up […]
Dammit! There’s no Diet Coke or Coke Zero to be found at the local Grab N Go convenience store. It’s gonna be a long day, Mandalay. For you and me both.
A note on the Traveling RunnersBe (as in “Runners Be Crazy!” … although it’s really a retcon’d attempted to cover for a failed Traveling Wilburys riff): Albatros Adventures has assigned us into three groups – D, E, and F. I’m been too intimidated to ask what happened to the A, B and C groups. Perhaps […]
My impressions of Yangon are that it’s a weathered, wilted place. Heat and humidity coupled with various chaotic leadership choices have left this city feeling like one can’t tell if the area is being demolished or under construction. Tara had a similar comment about Kunming and it’s an apt description of Burma’s former capital city. […]