A Long Day of Traveling

The distance wasn't so bad, but the unexpected complications with our trip from Bangkok to Bagan really threw us for a loop today. We started off in Bangkok where we took a plane to Mandalay in order to connect for a flight to Bagan. When we checked in, the lady at the desk had a LOT of questions about Kristen's emergency passport. She even spent 15-20 minutes on the phone with Myanmar immigration to ensure we would have no problems entering the country.

We got the all clear to go and got ready to board our flight...

Like many of the destinations we've traveled to recently, they always start out with a bus drive onto the tarmac to board the flight lol. It's actually kind of cool to get a 360 view of the plane before jumping on board.

We took off to Myanmar. It was a short 1 hour 20 minute flight from Bangkok which barely gave us enough time to read through the Myanmar travel magazine we found in the back pocket of the seat in front of us. We did manage to get a good view of the country out the window though...

Myanmar Immigration Holdup

Typically when you enter a country as a foreigner you pass through immigration by producing your passport, and sometimes a visa, depending on the country. This usually takes a total of maybe 3 minutes on a good day. But not today!.. I actually passed through just fine but Kristen has been having all sorts of issues thanks to her new emergency passport...

Yep, that's 5 people working to get Kristen through immigration. Apparently the computer systems are a little outdated here and they needed to change the passport number on her e-visa to her temporary/emergency passport. Aye ya ya!

Moral of the Story: Never leave home with a passport that only has a few full pages left. Especially when you plan to visit 9 countries in 5 weeks where you need full page visas!

Flight from Mandalay to Bagan

Our next flight would be a totally different set of issues. We entered through security and stepped up to the ticketing counter (yes, security was BEFORE the tickets lol). We presented the gentleman behind the desk with our passports and e-visas. He checked Kristen in and provided her with a ticket to board the flight. So far so good!

Next up was my turn. The same guy entered in my information from my passport, scratched his head, and called over a colleague to assist him. This wasn't looking good. He said he couldn't locate my information and would need my ticket number from our receipt where we ordered the tickets online. One little problem - we have no phone service (and there was no WiFi) so I couldn't even check my inbox.

After 30 minutes of watching this poor guy pound away at his computer's keyboard, and talking with several more of the airport employees, we realized that Kristen hadn't even purchased me a ticket! 🤦‍♂️ You see, I purchased all the hotels and Kristen was in charge of the flights. But she had a little faux pas with this one. haha 🤣 So we went by the ATM and pulled out 300,000 Kyat ($213 USD) which was a pile of money. I bought my ticket (which was $132) and we were ready to roll!

This was a super quick flight... maybe 25 minutes tops. And the view was beautiful from the sky. This place totally reminds me of Costa Rica, but less crowded. In fact, this is still unchartered territory for most Western tourists. It feels pretty special to be here before it becomes more developed. And I hope it never does.

We arrived at our hotel and were greeted by some very friendly faces. The people here have been so kind and helpful. We feel FAR removed from the world we left behind just hours ago in Bangkok. It's jungly, peaceful, and I would almost say magical. It really feels like nothing we've experienced before.

This is the same picture from the beginning of my post. But this time look closely up on the mountain behind the pool. See the golden pagoda!!? Everywhere you turn, these beautiful (and sometimes ancient) structures grab your attention, reminding you that you're far away from Western civilization. It's like we've entered into a world where time seems to stand still.

After looking around the property a bit, we got some dinner at the restaurant on the top floor of the hotel. By this time it had grown dark outside. The wind had also picked up, blowing away those pesky mosquitoes I had been contending with. :)

For dinner we started off with some beer-battered cauliflower which was perfect. Like I was telling Kristen, every time I try to fry up cauliflower at home it always turns out mushy. But what we had tonight had the perfect crunch. Our server also let us know that it was made using the local Myanmar beer.

For our main course, we both got the veggie burger. It's handmade with fresh mashed corn and lentils. It's also accompanied by french fries and their own signature coleslaw. It was one of those meals where you walk away saying, I'm stuffed!.. But it was worth it. 😋

Now it's time for some quick sleep before heading off in the morning to Nyaung Lat Phat Mountat 5:00am to see the sunrise over the many pagodas of Bagan. It's supposed to be breathtaking and you know I'll share it all with you guys tomorrow. Until then, I hope you guys have an awesome day!!

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