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      "body": "@@ -1083,40 +1083,8 @@\n  off\n- (see dangling chain in picture)\n . No\n@@ -1577,16 +1577,16 @@\n ylight.%0A\n+\n !%5BHa Gia\n@@ -3203,24 +3203,27 @@\n he road \n-was also\n+insisted on\n  snaking\n@@ -5719,17 +5719,18 @@\n , which \n-i\n+wa\n s from D\n@@ -7867,17 +7867,17 @@\n o Meo Va\n-n\n+c\n  and als\n@@ -8085,20 +8085,25 @@\n as  okay\n- and\n+, but was\n  getting\n@@ -13320,16 +13320,16 @@\n        %0A\n-\n   We obv\n@@ -13390,16 +13390,17 @@\n ee's 175\n+ \n cc bike \n",
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      "body": "As we were driving in to Dong Van for our first stop for the night, we found ourselves up against the clock. The sun was setting and we definitely did not want to be driving at night, so we were going as fast as possible on these mountain roads while still driving safely. Unfortunately, as the sun was descending the temperature was as well. This was the only time over the course of the whole bike trip that I was cold, but very cold I was, especially my hands which were uncovered and frozen to the handlebars. I remember counting each kilometer since we were about 30 away because I was so chilled.\n\nAt this point it was only Lee and I as everyone got separated and we even took a wrong turn that set us back about 10k, so we were now playing catch-up (or so we thought). But, about 6k outside of Dong Van I went to put my bike into gear after cruising in neutral down a massive decline for about 3k and my bike only revved and did not pull forward any. I slowly glided off to the side of the road to pull over and examine the problem and immediately noticed my chain had fallen off (see dangling chain in picture). Not broken, but had just come off of the hinges. I remembered hearing a funny sound a while back when putting my bike into neutral and now knew what it was. Lee pulled over and we attempted to act like we knew how to put the chain back on, but we didn't. Lee mainly just got his hands dirty from the oily chain and in about 3 minutes we surrendered and called Johnny, the man we rented the bikes from. Now we were losing against the clock and would not be getting in to Dong Van in the daylight.\n![Ha Giang 058.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmUxeayijUvnUiFBDyYR4uVVmzMvYMmq6cvNjnEfmxcEBs/Ha%20Giang%20058.JPG)![Ha Giang 059.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmR7rwu1PuxdWMFNQ7QsSvGNLXRB5UYeskQTMEUvQ3X95j/Ha%20Giang%20059.JPG)\nNot a bad place to be pulled over, but notice the sun is setting, also Lee's dirty hands after trying to fix the chain.\n\nLuckily we were so close to a city so Johnny had someone out to us in about 15 minutes. However, while we were waiting, we were passed by all of our friends, save Tamir who ended up being the only one in front of us when we thought we were last the whole time. Evidently, everyone made a wrong turn on this run and we were actually in second place, but now due to bike maintenance, last. We told each group of them the problem when they stopped and then encouraged them to move on into the city before it got dark and that we were okay and would be there later.\n\nIt was now pitch dark by the time the mechanic arrived and he was still able to fix it in about five minutes, the whole time without saying a word to us. When he was finished, he just called Johnny and handed me the phone. Johnny told me the bike was fine now, but he would come over again to my hotel to look at it in the morning. I said okay and Lee and I were off to make the treacherous drive in the dark down a mountain into Dong Van. This was terrifying because I knew a lot of these roads did not have guard rails and the roads were not lit up at all besides our own headlights and all of the other headlights that were coming at us and blinding us for a tremendously suspenseful second or two. The road was also snaking down in huge \"S\" curves from one side to the next. I was also still cold. I could only think of warm showers and a beer, which were both waiting for me in my not so distant future.\n\nUpon reaching our hotel, after what ended up being the scariest 10k of the whole trip, we happily parked our bikes for the night and checked in. I wasn't able to get my hot shower that I wanted as everyone was waiting for us to eat and was starving, so right away we headed to dinner. We found a place that had mediocre food (I mostly ate eggs and some pork with rice) and ended up drinking a ton of rice wine with some Vietnamese men.\n\nIf you don't know rice wine is the local liquor in Vietnam and most of it is home-made stuff that is put into empty water bottles and/or empty gas containers. (The water bottles did at some point have water in them, but I believe the gas containers were never used as a vessel for gasoline, but this is only speculation.) The stuff tastes horrible enough that the first time I thought I was tasting the remains of petrol, but now that I have had many types of it, I have learned that that is just what it tastes like. Rice wine is more or less disgusting and makes everyone pull the ugliest I-just-took-a-shot-face I have ever seen. Despite it's heinous taste, the Vietnamese love it and it is very, very cheap, so if you are drinking rice wine it means you will be having at least 5 shots. No one gets away with just one. Drinking rice wine with the Vietnamese is a commitment that I am not always ready for.![Ha Giang 063.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmQtdMKxmajXXvebC8tXyUmasJUrZfxVdoiasDkiz9A1DU/Ha%20Giang%20063.JPG)\n\nHowever, being on a bike trip calls for rice wine each night with dinner if not more after and when twenty Vietnamese men came walking in to the restaurant with \"cans of gas\" we knew what was going to commence. And so the shots began. First with everyone, then with just the men, then with just the women, then couple shots and this goes on and on with each shot being followed up by a handshake, which is tradition in Vietnam.\n\nThis was how each evening of this bike trip went: lots of pork and rice and eggs and at least one bottle of rice wine a night. By the end of the trip I was burnt out on oily Vietnamese food because out in the country Western food is not an option and the endless stream of steamed rice became more and more monotonous each meal no matter what the side dish.\n\nDay two we were told was the best run of the whole trip, which is from Dong Van to Meo Vac. However, Tamir, Lee and I wanted to take a side trip up to the Northern most point of Vietnam where you can look into China. The others wanted to get to Meo Vac early in order to see a market that was there, so our group split up unknowingly at the time that it would be for the rest of the trip.\n\nThe drive up to the border was absolutely stunning with huge karsts rising up sharply from valleys. We were mostly driving really high up for the first half and then the second half the road slowly descended so that we were driving down in the valleys with the mountains looming ominously above us.\n![Ha Giang 100.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmQCqRKmyEgAnf5iiWgRRXRm6M2KNEx4Lmd2YePJcnjRHN/Ha%20Giang%20100.JPG)\nWhen we got to the lookout point we had no idea which direction was China and kept asking, but no one seemed to know really. Eventually someone said, \"Over that hill,\" and that was enough for us. There was a massive Vietnamese flag (that you can see pictured) to mark their territory, but no real border or fence or anything was able to be seen. But whatever, I believed in my heart it was China.\n![Ha Giang 081.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmYqzJrLXpzESTJYriLf9mMhgwQALUzgsfcamvapq1jgH5/Ha%20Giang%20081.JPG)![Ha Giang 104.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmPJMvEB8hPKueQKShZzN7E3esQTYSCXhfNG1tKYtuPU6C/Ha%20Giang%20104.JPG)\nBy the way the person who took this picture, in order to get us and the flag both in it had to literally lay out on the ground (face to the cement), which she did without hesitation. We did not suggest she do that, but then another Vietnamese man decided she didn't go it good enough and sure enough he laid right on down as well and finally got what he believed was the best picture, which is pretty good.\n\nOn our way back to Dong Van to do the pass to Meo Vac, Lee and I got separated from Tamir. We kept stopping to take photos and could no longer see him in front of us. We decided he would probably wait in Dong Van, but when we drove through the city we couldn't spot him or his bike. After we tried calling him a couple times we just assumed he went on through to Meo Van and also set off on our way. About 18k in I got a phone call from him telling me he had come off his bike a while back  due to some gravel and a false sense of confidence and had also taken a wrong turn. He was  okay and getting his bike looked at in Dong Van and sounded a bit shook up on the phone. Lee and I pulled over for a bit to decide if we should go back or wait or what and here is where we happened to stop.\n![Ha Giang 100.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmQCqRKmyEgAnf5iiWgRRXRm6M2KNEx4Lmd2YePJcnjRHN/Ha%20Giang%20100.JPG)\n\nAfter calling Tamir back he said he could meet us in Meo Vac as he was not hurt and it was only about 30K so he would be there soon enough and didn't want to make us backtrack. Lee and I got back on the road again to turn the corner to the biggest valley yet and the reason why this pass has such the reputation. We were driving on a road that was way high up, stuck to the side of a series of mountains and we could see it snaking on around them for miles in front of us. On our left however, was a huge gorge with a river at the bottom that was crystal clear and a very vibrant blue even from so high up. We found a little look-out building and pulled over to snap some shots. Here is where I peed in one of the coolest toilets ever. You are at first in a tiny, nasty Vietnamese bathroom, but when you open the door and come out you are on the side of a cliff that drops straight down save the wall. A nice greeting after the smelly john.\n![Ha Giang 115.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmXu2A9P5Fgn9PJ4jhQikbLu5ACjtZZtuqK1niVZKCiG5E/Ha%20Giang%20115.JPG)\n\nOnce into Meo Vac, Lee and I found a bia hoi and ate various types of meat on sticks and waited for Tamir. Once he arrived, we booked a hotel and had a night of drinking rice wine and playing cards. \n![Ha Giang 127.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmXueRK6jvRTteRGCheWTJnUw3Sx3cJeNgp8FSZVvN5Pvm/Ha%20Giang%20127.JPG)\n\nThe next day the three of us drove from Meo Vac to Bao Lac and that was the end of our travels with Tamir. He separated off and went to meet our other friends who were visiting a waterfall, while Lee and I had a day and a half to make it back to Ha Giang (plenty of time), so we just stayed in this town for the rest of the night. Our little hotel overlooked a bright blue almost teal river and we decided that we would take an afternoon drive together on one bike, which could be fun.\n\nIt was finally hot and really sunny, which it hadn't been the last two days. We crossed a bridge and decided to follow the road that went alongside the river. It eventually started heading up and ascended a very large mountain to some great views, which made us so happy with our random choice of road, and it only kept getting better and better the longer we followed it.\n![Ha Giang 151.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmckQXsYoB37322oL74oQD5PSpFu7SZAchS5V5jc4kaUE1/Ha%20Giang%20151.JPG)\nWe noticed that there was barely any traffic and the poeple we passed seemed quite surprised to see us foreigners driving along, so we quickly figured out that we were off the beaten path and were doubting if this road was going to lead us anywhere. What we really wanted was a nice little restaurant to maybe have a snack and a beer before going back down the same way we had come up, which would be way nicer than just deciding to turn around at a random point. However, the further we took this road the more unlikely it seemed that we would find such a place.\n\nThe whole time we kept going up, up and up getting higher and higher by huge swooping 'S' turns, but eventually the road started to get bad (lots of potholes, rocks, gravel) and we started to think that maybe the road would just end. But, the desire for a beer motivated us forward. We kept going until we turned one small corner and we were suddenly nauseatingly high and a huge valley opened up below us. We stopped and stood in awe debating if this was the highest we had been all trip or if the river valley put us higher - it was a close call. It was definitely more dangerous because the road was worse and there were no guard rails, but it also felt like it was undiscovered so therefore the better road - Robert Frost would agree.\n![Ha Giang 179.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmXiMUgyvmHZ4w5ZUvCUNswHiXdCh3WiKEjsq9x7vBafYZ/Ha%20Giang%20179.JPG)\nWe decided to take the road just a little further and we drove in between two peaks to suddenly be very low again or at the bottom of the mountains instantly without driving down. We looked ahead to see what looked like the end of the road as it just hit a wall and that was it, but upon driving closer we realized the road went straight up the side of a mountain in very steep \"S\" curves. We were amazed that this road even existed, but sure enough when looking carefully we could see a bike here and there on the 12-turn path that led one straight to the top via cliff-face.\n![Ha Giang 169.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmWjyJXL8WmqNFc4Tf7b8bh7nno6wrs89M4sGa6YZ3U19X/Ha%20Giang%20169.JPG)\nThis is a zig-zag road up the mountain.\n![Ha Giang 153.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmabsRXb8pV3Djjbe92jEb1WvX5ZHLERFnquHYWDG2Sz57/Ha%20Giang%20153.JPG)![Ha Giang 172.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmNaukC2bmU7NmBWK5UEHveTPTmEDZztfCr5KG72g5ucSW/Ha%20Giang%20172.JPG)\nNotice the no guard rail sign. \n                                                                                                                                              \n  We obviously decided to do it and started the challenge on Lee's 175cc bike with the both of us on it. Lee had to keep it in first gear the entire ride up and with each turn we became noticeably higher and within four turns our confidence had sky-rocketed so that we now believed we were going to make it up this treacherous path when originally there was much doubt. But wait, what were all these bell sounds we kept hearing? We realized that all around us were mountain goats grazing away each with a bell around their neck, which added for an interesting atmosphere.\n\nAfter about 12 or so gruesome 180+ degree turns we finally reached the summit and lo' and behold we saw a tiny shack with a tiny window and a tiny Vietnamese man in it who was selling beer. We were beside ourselves! We couldn't believe it! This whole time nothing but rocks and plants and then finally at the top of this climb was this smiling little man. He was surprisingly just as happy to see us and even happier to learn that we spoke some Vietnamese. He may have never seen a foreigner in his life, who knows?! We asked if he had beer and he happily gave us one tall, warm bottle of Chinese beer. We took a couple pictures of the view and then helped ourselves to a large rock on his property to try out our earned gift amongst some chickens and buffalo. Despite the temperature, the beer was lovely. It had a very nice flavour which you don't often find in Vietnamese beer.\n![Ha Giang 161.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmcMc1qyAHpKbqfCf66DMQxXnaTkydFC96zAgtCyD84FyM/Ha%20Giang%20161.JPG)\n![Ha Giang 177.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmbHSkdZKKa3brmSRNyqWiBd31MtDSH2xd4rFYezSxH7WL/Ha%20Giang%20177.JPG)\nLee and I sat and stared down into our newly discovered valley and shared the bottle. After that success, we turned around and made the drive back down the face of that mountain, back through the road with no guardrails and back down to the beginning of our secret road that went along the river. And after parking the bike for the night, back to the bia hoi for more meat sticks and beer!\n![Ha Giang 170.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmXiPLDY3kzFA1TRDGmtbeorPH1AWw2ScnhN4YLUPXQmss/Ha%20Giang%20170.JPG)![Ha Giang 178.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmd5WXKiQoEYzuLt2j76BZhUBFHAoQwcdbCfwVS4g1gd5F/Ha%20Giang%20178.JPG)",
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      "body": "Congratulations @worldnomad! You have completed some achievement on Steemit and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :\n\n[![](https://steemitimages.com/70x80/http://steemitboard.com/notifications/voted.png)](http://steemitboard.com/@worldnomad) Award for the number of upvotes received\n\nClick on any badge to view your own Board of Honor on SteemitBoard.\nFor more information about SteemitBoard, click [here](https://steemit.com/@steemitboard)\n\nIf you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word `STOP`\n\n> By upvoting this notification, you can help all Steemit users. Learn how [here](https://steemit.com/steemitboard/@steemitboard/http-i-cubeupload-com-7ciqeo-png)!",
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      "body": "Thanks for sharing your adventures! Love reading it.\n\n\nUPVOTED\n\n*By the way, I started following you. I would appreciate your follow back too. Thanks!*",
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      "body": "In Summary. Nice one",
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      "body": "I can drive a motorcycle. Now, you might be thinking yes, we know, you live in Hanoi this entry is already boring, but don't be confused. In Hanoi, all the time, everyday - I drive a motorbike. Now, I can drive a motorcycle. What is the difference you ask, well, I am sure there are many specifics in Mr. Merriam-Webster, himself, but I am going to tell you what I personally have perceived the differences to be.\n\nNumber 1: It has a clutch - where the left hand used to just hang out on the handlebar of my motorbike or in my pocket if it was cold and I forgot gloves, it now has a job. It is in charge of the clutch.\n\nNumber 2: It can drive up hills without making you feel terrible for dragging it through such a distressing hardship. On a motorbike, if the hill is steep, I am crawling along at speeds that I could walk faster than all the while listening to the engine growl and groan and continuously threatening to give up not only on the hill, but on life itself. Once I finally coax it to the top, it is such an admirable feat to slowly roll over the summit and start to tip downwards as the bike and I  sigh with content and the wind is welcome again on my sweaty face. (Now we don't have these kind of hills in Hanoi, but I have taken my little Yamaha Taurus outside the city and this is what I have encountered.) A motorcycle is totally different. I can go up hills at whatever pace I want. \n\n\nNumber 3: I look entirely badass on a motorcycle and entirely mundane on a motorbike. I have inserted pictures to help you understand. This is the same bike in both pictures and notice how badass I look. This also translates to how I feel on each. I used to feel super cool on my motorbike when it was new and I couldn't think of any girl back home who knew how to drive one. I had successfully added a new skill to my set of skills and it was a cool one. Then, I lived in Vietnam for three years and driving a motorbike became quite routine because all of my friends here have one, so I am no longer anything special. But then, I made the leap to learning how to drive a motorcycle and boom! I once again felt cooler than other people. Now, this comes with a side effect that I didn't see coming. Once going back to my motorbike after driving a motorcycle for four days - I now do not only feel regular and bland, but also feel like a complete loser on it, nerd even. It suddenly seems tiny and more of a scooter than ever before. Plus slow. But alas, I must drive it as it is my own, and I do not own a motorcycle. ![moto1.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmS7MZYPAytU7CQgUWvSZnSTm3G7qFVxzswdAQcwjmpFrr/moto1.JPG)\n![moto2.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmS5YuTGC9qDLBMYQY7UJ7TPxHMoLhWCqDFfbPksBisW3w/moto2.JPG)\n\nThese are the three most standout differences to me personally. I am 100% positive that if you asked someone who is a professional at comparing the two, he would not agree with my top three. But, since this is my blog, this is what we have to work with.\n\nAnyways I have recently gone on a jaw-dropping motorcycle trip to the Northern most province of Vietnam, Ha Giang. I have been hearing many things about this formidable province ever since I first moved to Hanoi and was not about to leave the country without seeing it myself, so as it was my last vacation before the end of the school year, to Ha Giang I went. Along with one of my co-workers, my friend Kiley and her girlfriend and some other people I know from Hanoi and some other people who know the people I know from Hanoi plus my boyfriend.\n\nYes, I now have a boyfriend. This has not happened once since I started the blog which makes a lot of sense because I am quite a nomadic person and moving to new countries somewhat frequently does not always make for the perfect relationship. Well, I have now found someone who shares the same interest in travel as me and is open to moving  new places with me as well. I'm gonna give you some fast facts about him. ![lee.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmazNeP2mAAbRTGMivekrHi4hT58bBFFu384d1FmbkwHb4/lee.JPG)\n\n1. He is Irish and named, Lee. It took me nearly a month to understand him with ease after he first moved here, but now I know all the Irish jargon and his accent is much more manageable. It has even been Americanized a bit just like my accent has changed as well. I would have never noticed, but when I go back to America, my friends always do.\n\n2. He is 25, which is three years younger than me.\n\n3. I brought my parents to his cousin's (my good friend's) wedding in Ireland this past summer and they got to meet his entire family, which consists of one older brother and two younger sisters plus mom and dad. Our parents got along splendidly and they had a good time in Ireland.\n\n4. He is also a teacher here in Hanoi and works at a different international school than me.\n\n5. He is into sports and plays Gaelic football and soccer.\n\nAnyways, that is Lee. I imagine he will be in most of my blogs from now on. We have already been dating a year and have gone to five countries together: Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, Croatia and Ireland. Plus we have stood and looked into China together from a lookout point in Ha Giang, which leads us back to the bike trip.\n\nWe took an overnight bus from Hanoi to Ha Giang. These are awesome because they are tiny little pod-beds instead of normal seats. You stick you legs and feet down in a little cubby that actually goes under the person in front of you and then you can lean your seat back to a sleeping position or stay sitting up right. These buses have three rows of these (two on the sides by the windows and one down the middle plus there is a second level that is about head-height that you can climb up to with the tiny built in ladders provided. This photo is not from that exact bus, but from a different trip, similar bus.\n![bus.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmRU2cZK54BD5hfFDQrziyGYnrZPfDGwZUmSCKtQPyhscH/bus.JPG)\nOnce on the bus we get organized with blankets and start drinking some beers after happily noting a bathroom is located at the back of the bus. Soon all the \"beds\" are full, but more Vietnamese are getting on the bus. They proceed to lay down in the aisles that are comfortably padded and not dirty because everyone is required to take their shoes off at the entrance of the bus and put them in a small bag. So now, the bus is literally as full as it can be with everyone being able to lie down.\n\nI soon have to pee before the bus has even left the station so I step over some people carefully placing my feet on the bottom rungs of all the ladders and make the final stretching step into the bathroom. I pee  (nothing more) and then search for the flush. I press it, but no result. I didn't think much of it, as most toilets in Vietnam are to be desired and I have peed in way worse circumstances and in more broken toilets. So, I leave and strategically step back to my pod.\n\nSoon after, my friend Kiley also gets up to go to the bathroom, but while she is moving the box of waters out of the way that is purposely placed in front of the door (the box which I stepped on/over and didn't even notice or take it as a sign), someone yells from the front of the bus (the driver), \"No, no NO! Can not!\" I now realize that the toilet is out of commission and that I need to stop drinking these beers if I am going to have to wait for the bus to pull over to make a bathroom break. My friend Kiley pees anyway, knowingly playing the foreigner card or just blatantly not caring, and then soon the bus sets off.\n\nEventually, without too much difficulty, I was able to fall asleep in the little pod and miraculously woke up once there. The perfect travel. However, the bus arrived to Ha Giang at 4:30 AM, which was an extremely confusing situation.  I woke up when the subtle blue bus lights came on, but none of my friends were awake. About half of the bus had alighted already and the rest were all fast asleep. This made me wonder if we were at our final destination or not. I looked around and saw a bus station which told me that we had arrived, but why wasn't the driver waking everyone up? Finally my friend Kiley checked Google Maps and it said we were in Ha Giang, so the eight of us slowly meander off of the bus half delirious half uncertain still about the remaining 15 people sound asleep. Maybe they are allowed to just sleep until the morning on the bus, which we may have done if we realized that was an option. The bus driver honestly was giving zero fucks about getting the people off of the bus. We hopped in two cabs and checked in to a guesthouse until morning.\n\nThe plan for Day 1 was to drive from Ha Giang to Dong Van. It was about 140k. Sorry I no longer function in miles. Anyways, once awake the first thing we had to do was organize our motorcycles from Johnny, the guy we had called a week earlier to reserve them and who came on a recommendation from multiple friends. His place was right next door, which was not done by accident. Most of the girls rented motorbikes, but Lee, Kiley and I had reserved motorcycles. So as I was having a strong Vietnamese drip coffee across the street, Lee and I were scoping out which bike would be whose.\n\nKiley was learning how to drive a manual that day, which was quite ambitious and impressive, but she did great and was comfortable almost right away. I took one look at the available bikes and assumed Lee would get the massive orange bike as I probably couldn't even reach the ground if sat on it, but to my surprise the shorter, less intimidating bike was the faster of the two so Lee got the black bike, which was 180cc and I got the Orange Monster, which was 150cc. (I could touch the ground, but just my toes; I could not be flat-footed.) This bike was not a certain type of bike. I think Johnny just used many different parts from other bikes and kind of made a Frankenbike out of it, but it was awesome. It had thick tires with great treads perfect for the mountain roads, so I could go over any bumps or potholes with ease by just standing up and riding right over them. \n\nAfter we all strap our backpacks to the back of our bikes, the nine of us set off. We had met my co-worker, Tamir, in Ha Giang as he drove his own Motorcycle up from Hanoi - so now we are nine. \n\n We didn't all stay together the whole time because people drive at different speeds, but if there was ever a turn or anything tricky the lead person would stop and wait for everyone to catch up. Right away the scenery was stunning. I expected it to maybe be a little boring the first day, but no. There were already mountains crowded all around us staring down, threatening to fold right over and swallow the tiny road we were attached to like ants. But we could also see distant mountains looming off in the distance awaiting to be discovered in the next turn or pass.\n![Ha Giang 036.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmTgGCWZb7zWqAKuPBwKrNJY7gekkKLMNMU1dv9yps2zdp/Ha%20Giang%20036.JPG)![Ha Giang 049.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmXN4T2gvL3ajmi8q7gDQobzMLBCZ1hQxsV7JZbSPmNsdv/Ha%20Giang%20049.JPG)\n\nVietnam and (Nothern) Southeast Asia in general have very a specific type of mountain that I have never seen anywhere else which are so strikingly beautiful. There is always a sense of surrealism while existing as a tiny speck amongst them; unworthy of their presence, but yet they are a powerful force that still exhibits a sense of humble wisdom as if you are the honored guest. They still hold secrets that have yet to be exposed by tourism or photography. This makes you feel as if you alone have driven these roads and every turn a new gift to be unwrapped with your name on it.\n![Ha Giang 038.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmVbD4QomNgPYRDwbe7ZwVhTnrp1SVvETt6cvTCZkXNGop/Ha%20Giang%20038.JPG)\n![Ha Giang 056.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmNVSHUk7mrz7rYBbKZ16vvRnHyZm1m514Usxi626bBFFr/Ha%20Giang%20056.JPG)\n\n The mountains are all entirely green. There is no rocky or snow covered tips and the luscious vibrant green covers everything. Sometimes clouds or fog will block the tips, but this is only welcome as it adds to the fantastical landscape spread out in every direction. But, the most unique part about these mountains is how jagged they are. The rises can be skinny and individually rising out of a valley into harsh pointed peaks and the best part is that they are never ending. Layers and layers of jagged green mountains can be seen in every direction. \n\nThis proved true for all four days in Ha Giang province. Unfortunately the pictures I have just do not do it justice. I am unsure if my memories even do it justice. Only being there, lost in a sea of green, surrounded by neon rice paddies, happy farmers and waving children is the only true way to perceive the mountains in all their glory and grant them the respect they deserve.![Ha Giang 044.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmQZBVUHdW7HQxg2Xr2HCoy7cpmebWDp81x2H8Z5APTr5G/Ha%20Giang%20044.JPG)\n![Ha Giang 067.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmQjMDyJ6ArmZu2hokQ39uUNk8KVrKhssJYNVULMXxvXVR/Ha%20Giang%20067.JPG)\n![Ha Giang 075.JPG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmSXDZBUihZhmmKRatkTymnmdRUbA7WwJ9Xq2urzwtXsZu/Ha%20Giang%20075.JPG)",
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      "body": "This is a post from 2010 when I was living in Seoul, South Korea. I think it is relevant today with all the drama that is going on with North Korea at the moment. This is a glimpse inside what it feels like to live right next door to North Korea from a foreigner's perspective and how it feels to the South Koreans after 60+ years of living with a constant threat from up north.\n\n\"Erin, do you know what's going on over there?\" My Dad asked me over Skype 15 minutes before I had to walk to work. As much as I should be able to answer yes to this question I answer no assuming that the answer which was running through my head being, that it's warm enough to wear my exposed finger mittens instead of my encased finger mittens is probably not why he is calling to ask if I am in the know about.\n\nHe proceeds to explain to me that today is the day for war. South Korea is practicing some military exercises and North Korea is planning on retaliating if they do. Then, South Korea has announced that if they retaliate they will not take it lightly and are not being pushed around anymore. Also, this is all starting within the hour. They then proceed to tell me that CNN has announced that the Korean Peninsula is the most dangerous place on Earth right now. Weird. This all sounds pretty serious, but it is very hard to comprehend when you are living here, and when you went outside earlier today the only thing that seemed strange was how crowded Baskin Robbins was at 11 a.m. It doesn't usually get crowded like that until at least after 4 - what is the deal? Could the answer be war?\n(https://steemitimages.com/DQmR3uZQDyxSvxMT27bcciGvt583tw3nQF8VVf3oZmCmQVS/kor.jpg)\n\nMy parents are rather concerned, which they should be based on the news report, and convince me to pack this getaway bag to take to school with me. I have to leave in like ten minutes so this consists of me running around my room and throwing my laptop, cords, phones (both of them), chargers, ipods, my journal, a book for reading, my enclosed finger mittens (in case it gets colder), all my money and credit cards, and my passport in a matter of seconds. I throw on my clothes and just barely make it out of my apartment in time, ready to brave the streets of battle.\n\nNow that I am aware that Seoul could be on the brink of war I find myself prepared to see some chaos once outside my apartment. I notice two girls walking and laughing. . . nervous laughter? Can't be sure, so I scan them for some signs of distress. No getaway bags, no rushed speed, seems as if they don't know about the situation. I turn the corner in anticipation of deserted streets, or people running, blood curdling screams, maybe fires, but instead, nothing. Just the normal business men walking at their normal slow pace. I weave around them and the normal amount of cars and mopeds.\n\nI will admit my parents freaked me out and I probably exaggerated a city on the brink of war in my head, but I can't shake the uneasy feeling I have that accompanies me for my whole 20 minute walk to school. I keep checking the sky for planes and bombs. Can you see these things coming? What would be my plan if I did? Duck under this food cart, or run down into the subway? Should I hide out in some Baskin Robbins. . . is this the popular choice? What does one do in a war zone, armed with her own brute strength and weighed down by a large getaway bag? Duck and cover? Stop, drop and roll? I find myself not knowing the proper reaction to battle.\n\nAs I am contemplating these questions waiting for the crosswalk light to turn green I look at the people around me; my fellow peers in this distressing situation. Do these people have a plan? I wonder if the little boy next to me eating a red bean filled pancake with drool down his chin knows that battle could ensue at any moment. Or if the other girl about my age is considering what she would do if she spotted a missile in the air. The answer is that they weren't thinking about these things. Why are they so nonchalant? Is it because they have lived with this threat for so long and are used to it, or do they just think nothing will really happen? The light turns green.\n![kore.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmdAJCSFugrxgJ2cnVqYY2tdSF5cTm4A2ojbVCYhsPHVhV/kore.jpg)\n\nI get to school and check my email half expecting a message from the embassy instructing me how to evacuate the country, but it is not there.  I wonder where I would go if I had to evacuate. My friend Peter informs me that they bus everyone south out of Seoul and then boat us over to Japan and then fly us to Alaska or Hawaii and we are only allowed to take a 50 lb bag. Check - done and done. I'm ready for immediate evacuation. Then I realize a minor hiccup in the plan. My best friend, Lem, is not prepared for this. I decide right then and there that we can run back home weaving through all of the normal citizens participating in a normal day of life to grab her passport, maybe some snacks,  and then we'll bail.\n\n![rok.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmX4y3zPtvinxaz3KYjct2JUypyRk8bixD7M5etd5kzdJS/rok.jpg)\n\nI teach my first three classes waiting for some sort of I don't know - bomb, missile any sign of war, really, but it never happens. Finally, before my fourth class I find out that the practice drills were over and nothing happened. Did I overreact? I don't know - debatable. Probably the scenes I was picturing in my head which were mostly inspired from Hollywood, might have been a little dramatic. However, I am glad I did not empty out my bank account. \n\nCurrently, I am still stationed here in Seoul city, chilling in my room, planning on going to work tomorrow.  Am I living in a dangerous city - according to CNN the most dangerous in the world right now. Does it feel like it? No, not at all. Should I bail anyway? Who knows? I am currently talking it out with my parents. So, really I am teetering on the brink of war, but doing the daily grind. Packing getaway bags, but also booking tickets to Harry Potter.  Welcome behind the scenes to the war in Korea: the backwards chapter.![kor.jpg]",
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      "body": "This is a post from 2010 when I was living in Seoul, South Korea. I think it is relevant today with all the drama that is going on with North Korea at the moment. This is a glimpse inside what it feels like to live right next door to North Korea from a foreigner's perspective and how it feels to the South Koreans after 60+ years of living with a constant threat from up north.\n\n\"Erin, do you know what's going on over there?\" My Dad asked me over Skype 15 minutes before I had to walk to work. As much as I should be able to answer yes to this question I answer no assuming that the answer which was running through my head being, that it's warm enough to wear my exposed finger mittens instead of my encased finger mittens is probably not why he is calling to ask if I am in the know about.\n\nHe proceeds to explain to me that today is the day for war. South Korea is practicing some military exercises and North Korea is planning on retaliating if they do. Then, South Korea has announced that if they retaliate they will not take it lightly and are not being pushed around anymore. Also, this is all starting within the hour. They then proceed to tell me that CNN has announced that the Korean Peninsula is the most dangerous place on Earth right now. Weird. This all sounds pretty serious, but it is very hard to comprehend when you are living here, and when you went outside earlier today the only thing that seemed strange was how crowded Baskin Robbins was at 11 a.m. It doesn't usually get crowded like that until at least after 4 - what is the deal? Could the answer be war?\n(https://steemitimages.com/DQmR3uZQDyxSvxMT27bcciGvt583tw3nQF8VVf3oZmCmQVS/kor.jpg)\n\nMy parents are rather concerned, which they should be based on the news report, and convince me to pack this getaway bag to take to school with me. I have to leave in like ten minutes so this consists of me running around my room and throwing my laptop, cords, phones (both of them), chargers, ipods, my journal, a book for reading, my enclosed finger mittens (in case it gets colder), all my money and credit cards, and my passport in a matter of seconds. I throw on my clothes and just barely make it out of my apartment in time, ready to brave the streets of battle.\n\nNow that I am aware that Seoul could be on the brink of war I find myself prepared to see some chaos once outside my apartment. I notice two girls walking and laughing. . . nervous laughter? Can't be sure, so I scan them for some signs of distress. No getaway bags, no rushed speed, seems as if they don't know about the situation. I turn the corner in anticipation of deserted streets, or people running, blood curdling screams, maybe fires, but instead, nothing. Just the normal business men walking at their normal slow pace. I weave around them and the normal amount of cars and mopeds.\n\nI will admit my parents freaked me out and I probably exaggerated a city on the brink of war in my head, but I can't shake the uneasy feeling I have that accompanies me for my whole 20 minute walk to school. I keep checking the sky for planes and bombs. Can you see these things coming? What would be my plan if I did? Duck under this food cart, or run down into the subway? Should I hide out in some Baskin Robbins. . . is this the popular choice? What does one do in a war zone, armed with her own brute strength and weighed down by a large getaway bag? Duck and cover? Stop, drop and roll? I find myself not knowing the proper reaction to battle.\n\nAs I am contemplating these questions waiting for the crosswalk light to turn green I look at the people around me; my fellow peers in this distressing situation. Do these people have a plan? I wonder if the little boy next to me eating a red bean filled pancake with drool down his chin knows that battle could ensue at any moment. Or if the other girl about my age is considering what she would do if she spotted a missile in the air. The answer is that they weren't thinking about these things. Why are they so nonchalant? Is it because they have lived with this threat for so long and are used to it, or do they just think nothing will really happen? The light turns green.\n![kore.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmdAJCSFugrxgJ2cnVqYY2tdSF5cTm4A2ojbVCYhsPHVhV/kore.jpg)\n\nI get to school and check my email half expecting a message from the embassy instructing me how to evacuate the country, but it is not there.  I wonder where I would go if I had to evacuate. My friend Peter informs me that they bus everyone south out of Seoul and then boat us over to Japan and then fly us to Alaska or Hawaii and we are only allowed to take a 50 lb bag. Check - done and done. I'm ready for immediate evacuation. Then I realize a minor hiccup in the plan. My best friend, Lem, is not prepared for this. I decide right then and there that we can run back home weaving through all of the normal citizens participating in a normal day of life to grab her passport, maybe some snacks,  and then we'll bail.\n\n![rok.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmX4y3zPtvinxaz3KYjct2JUypyRk8bixD7M5etd5kzdJS/rok.jpg)\n\nI teach my first three classes waiting for some sort of I don't know - bomb, missile any sign of war, really, but it never happens. Finally, before my fourth class I find out that the practice drills were over and nothing happened. Did I overreact? I don't know - debatable. Probably the scenes I was picturing in my head which were mostly inspired from Hollywood, might have been a little dramatic. However, I am glad I did not empty out my bank account. \n\nCurrently, I am still stationed here in Seoul city, chilling in my room, planning on going to work tomorrow.  Am I living in a dangerous city - according to CNN the most dangerous in the world right now. Does it feel like it? No, not at all. Should I bail anyway? Who knows? I am currently talking it out with my parents. So, really I am teetering on the brink of war, but doing the daily grind. Packing getaway bags, but also booking tickets to Harry Potter.  Welcome behind the scenes to the war in Korea: the backwards chapter.![kor.jpg]",
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      "body": "I'm not gonna lie, I knew little to nothing about Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) before heading there last month. I was interested in the place because it came so highly recommended by many of my friends who have traveled there, but everyone seems to put this ticking time clock on it. They say things like, \"You gotta get there soon, or else it's going to be hit by tourism.\"\n\n\"Right now, it's amazing; off the beaten path and untouched by Western tourists,\" she said.\n\n\"I don't know how much longer it will be like that,\" they warned. This made me grow more and more anxious about not visiting with each month that flew by.\n\nHowever, by the time we got there, it was not too late. We seemed to have transported a bit into the past as well as into a culture very foreign to my own and what I have experienced so far in my travels. Myanmar is a place where I don't fit in. Everything about the way I look/dress/live is foreign to them if not flat out backwards.\n\nWestern style and popular fashion trends have not yet reached this country. Women walk around wearing a combination of colors and patterns that most likely clash or are overly loud with design both on their shirts and long conservative skirts. Think red checkered on top and teal floral on bottom just to give you an idea. The men also don't seem to mind any sort of mis-match either. They also walk around with long floor length skirts and, I'm assuming, whatever shirt they grabbed first out of their closet. They wear these \"skirts\" wrapped around either shorts or pants like a towel after a shower; most of them are some form of plaid.\n\nI at first thought they wore them for comfort and breath-ability, but Lee noticed one guy who undid the \"knot\" on his skirt and opened it wide to re-adjust it. Once opened, Lee saw that the man had normal pants on underneath. What is the point of that? We are unsure because layering up is akin to torture in this hot and humid country. We debated all week the purpose and then chalked it up to religion.\n\n![myan2.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmaDfXqDwcwhQ8natDMWpUoyadxmERWUmN7oAkBuQDf39L/myan2.jpg)\nOn top of the unique fashion trends, most people walk around with what looks like dried mud on their faces. Painting circles on their cheeks is most common, but some choose to color in the \"T\" zone and others cover the face entirely. This was also something we couldn't quite get a straight answer for as to why, and our tour guide said many different reasons, but mainly for beauty. He also informed us that it is actually wood, which was pretty much the last resource on Earth that I would have guessed it to be besides metal or magma. Evidently they ground the bark up from a certain tree and it gets turned into a paste, and then they sell it as a beauty product. I believe it also protects your from the sun, never-minding the tan lines. You see this most commonly on women and children, but men also don the paint as well. And, it is not just a countryside thing. Everyone is doing it, even in the capital.\n\nFinally, my least favorite feature of the 'Burmese look' is that most of the men are constantly chewing and spitting a dark red tobacco. I would say mostly the middle to lower class men do this. Our taxi drivers would always open the door and spit every time the car was stopped. Places like bus stops, train stations and just streets in general have splatters of red spit all over the ground and the teeth of these men are dark reddish black all day long. I am unsure if that is the actual tobacco or if they are permanently stained that way. All of the men who worked in our hotels, servers at restaurants or tour guides were not seen chewing the stuff, so I must assume it is a trait of the lower class. I'll take the skirts and face paint all day long. I like it because it reminds me that I am in a different place, but the spitting was horrid.\n\n ![myan3.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmUKK7DJpzNrY2HEQFT5QF42NzeoTndefiPPU4gDGFbRNr/myan3.jpg)\n\nAll of these things which are totally unique to Myanmar only are what makes this place so interesting. They do not listen to Western music or even popular Asian music trends like K-Pop (Korean pop bands, usually an all girl or all guy group). Or at least I didn't notice it at any of the bars and the 6 hour bus ride that left at 7:00 am immediately blasted local love ballads all the way down to the beach at levels that rendered my own music and earbuds useless. The droning of the singer still permeated my headphones leaving me with the option to damage my ear drums and listen to two songs simultaneously or just watch the same sad love story play over and over again to the background of slightly different melodies. Each time the guy fell in love with the girl, and they had a great time together, and he played guitar for her, and then she left him for another man. Oh, the heartbreak.\n\nIt's just a country uninfluenced by the West. I cannot say that for other countries I have visited in Asia. They are just doing their own thing and that in itself makes Myanmar a place to visit, but I will tell you more about what I saw there and the hidden gems that are hidden in this country.\n\n![myan1.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmfTTV4gakPwoZ1qLqt66TNZHvN9eLgKxqTeFd7JWRHDYP/myan1.jpg)\n\n![myan9.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmbP3mAqA8UMgtfFpiwBezLjkB2NLAkJZoT34DPaTyRFQu/myan9.jpg)\nThis is a country where religion is very, very prominent and every attraction listed is some sort of temple or pagoda. I probably saw 500 pagodas when I was there and this is not an exaggeration. Most of them were seen in Bagan, the religious capital of Myanmar, where it is said that even a widow can build a temple (i.e. she is very poor because she is a widow, but it is affordable enough to build a very tiny, tiny temple; many of which I have seen). And of course many wealthy families have built bigger temples there and then each former king has contributed his mark on Bagan by building one of the more elaborate and enormous temples with some of the biggest Buddhas I have ever seen inside all on account of his name and reign. Everyone wants their temple to be here on this holy land.\n![mayn10.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmPpQHzsnuMTXBTqjoMSD6apqZiofUvFV9neHsfmKLhpkt/mayn10.jpg)\nHere, Lee and I rented an electric bike because foreigners are not allowed to rent motorbikes and we drove around Old Bagan and New Bagan and went off-road to create our own tour through the holy grounds. The next day we got a tour guide who was a  20-year-old college student majoring in English. I must be getting older because when I first saw him, I thought he was about 14.\n\nThis is also a place very famous for its sunrises and sunsets over the vast landscape dotted with temples as far as the eye can see. At sunrise, maybe 30 hot air balloons go up with the sun which of course would be amazing to be a part of, but also makes for great pictures for us on the ground. Lee and I recently did a hot air balloon ride in Cappadocia, Turkey and didn't need to splurge again for another. It was actually more expensive in Myanmar than in Turkey. But anyways, this place is stunning. The sheer number of temples really creates an atmosphere that is a bit magical and you feel as if you have stumbled onto some secret that you're not supposed to know about. You can drive around silently on your e-bike without seeing people if you take the backroads and avoid the very famous temples. Not many tourist attractions can boast this feature. Most famous attractions that look beautiful in traveling magazines are most always overrun with tourists and vendors and so many things that remind you of the modern world instead of the ancient wonder it is, which makes it impossible to get the photo you want and the experience you thought you would have. But here, in Bagan, you still can until, of course, you go back into town.\n\n\nThe town of Bagan was probably the place which has been influenced the most by tourism in Myanmar and is the big hot spot for sightseeing. However, a place that usually is not visited by tourists is the beach. Even though Myanmar has a huge coastline that stretches all the way down its west coast and then turns into a peninsula at the bottom, most who visit do not make it to any beaches. This is mainly because they are so hard to access. As much as I found the blast to the past quite charming in many ways, the one way I found it inconvenient is getting around the country.\n\nThey have planes which are overly expensive or very, very long bus trips (not an official lie down sleeper by the way) that only leave from the two major cities: Yangon and Mandalay. All roads lead there so going form Bagan to the beach is unheard of, downright impossible, so we had to fly up to Bagan to save time, then take an overnight bus back only to get on another bus out to the beach and then take this bus back to the capital. This was the bus that was blasting the loud music. However, that was not the worst part about this bus; the worst part was the departure times. We had a choice of 6 in the morning or 7 in the morning. What the absolute shit is going on here? Who is benefitting from this schedule? I can't even get my free complimentary hotel breakfast. That is not even an option really - they should just have one bus that leaves everyday early in the morning. If they are going to have two, make the times different so people have options.  My experience traveling around Myanmar was having zero options all the time.\n\nSo, we luckily got on the \"later\" one and had to wake up at 5 in the morning in order to get to the bus station on time which happens to be an hour and a half outside the city. This is also what they said for the airport and a different bus station in another part of the city. Yangon - hour and half from everywhere, it's a 'geographical oddity'. Not surprisingly it did not take that much time, but I think the hotels just tell everyone an hour and a half because traffic can fluctuate so much in a city that has banned motorbikes. Cars = congestion. Hanoi is suffering from this same epidemic in the recent years.\n\nSo far, this holiday has been very early flights that get in at 7 am, overnight busses, early morning alarm clocks for another stupidly early departure time and despite the fact that I am on vacation, it is not a relaxing holiday. I hadn't slept in once yet and spent two evenings not in bed at all (one in an airport/one on a bus). I am not usually one to be so bothered by this, but we were tight on time so it was one bad nights sleep after another back to back. All these traveling times wouldn't be a problem if we had a couple of weeks here. We could spend more time in each place and leave when we felt like it, but, we were trying to do Bagan and the beach in one week. It didn't seem like much when planning, but ended up being more difficult than we thought due to the lack of transportation options. So, I was ecstatic to finally get to the beach and just chill out. No sightseeing, just beach/pool and more amazing curry.\n\nHowever, once Lee and I got off the bus, a slew of motorbike taxis were there to take us to our hotel. They asked us which hotel and we told them we hadn't booked one yet. (This is not uncommon for us to do - we prefer to scope the area out a bit and see where we want to stay. Plus, finding a room has not been a problem in the past.)\n\nBut today, \"All full,\" they said.\n\n\"Sorry?\" was my response.\n\n\"No hotel, all booked up,\" they kept insisting on telling me this.\n\nI was instantly skeptical because I knew this beach was not meant to be crowded. Its reputation was that you would have the beach to yourself, so how were all the hotels full? As I was debating this in my head, I couldn't help thinking about the one-time-departure bus that had already left for the day. If we truly can not find a hotel, that means we are sleeping on the beach tonight.\n![Myan.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmVXYGB4HVBQqUWwVajtFzm7rbmoChEYuxA7h4dNK4Wg1J/Myan.jpg)\n\nWe hopped on the two bikes and they agreed to take us around to many hotels to check. The first five we checked were all full. Finally, the 6th one said they had one room available for $30. This was a pretty high price for the Myanmar countryside and an especially high price for the room we were given. The hotel was still under construction and I do not think our room was officially ready for guests. On top of the hotel pool being built, our room also had no furniture besides a bed and one Little Tyke plastic table, no mirror in the bathroom or anywhere (I had to hold a phone up so Lee could put his contacts in), no wifi and the toilet didn't flush. This meant only number ones were allowed in this room and no way were either of us going to try a number two. I mindlessly flushed after peeing out of habit and it miraculously worked this one time and never again. Once the sound of the flush rang out, Lee shouted, \"You wasted the flush on a pee!\" I think the hotel charged us the rate of what the place will be like in the future when it is all ready and done, but not what it is now.\n\nThat day, we decided that we would go down to the beach and find wifi and look up hotel options on booking.com or agoda. Ours was okay for one night, but we had two more nights to figure out after that.\n\nTo our surprise, wifi was nearly impossible to find. We stopped in loads of restaurants and none of them had it. Finally, we started trying nice hotels and not even all of them had it. We finally found one that did an hour and a half later and once looking online we quickly realized that we would have to stay at a really bad place or a really nice place. All of the middle of the line places, which we would usually select, were all full. Since we had been so exhausted all week, we just wanted to relax, so we splurged on a $100 per night, very fancy hotel. It was amazing and further confirming my acceptance that I am getting old.\n\n![myan7.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmcwMk8knKtJGVeZKVPnuGu8ziyPEc7G3fsgiSpgaqaW9d/myan7.jpg)\nNgwe Saung Beach was exactly what we thought. It is the longest beach in SE Asia at 15 kilometers. It is also super wide and has perfect white, sand-box sand. All day long, when the sun was out, the beach was empty. We had so much space. Then, when the sun would start to go down, all of the Asian tourists and local tourists would come out and swim. This was perfect for us because it was happy hour and we would usually meander back to the hotel bar at this time to watch the sunset and all the people on horseback travel down the extensive beach.\n![myan8.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmRqHLTHMxb2z12W6fPkcnLthaAy7UUX8n3j3Wxn2TPft4/myan8.jpg)\nThe rest of our trip was perfect. I was truly very sad to leave. One of my friends who lives in Shanghai also happened to be at Ngwe Saung beach at the same time as us, so we got to meet up with him each day. Also, the beach was not very crowded, but there are just not that many hotels/bungalows there yet, so the rooms fill up quite quickly. We were lucky to get a place and ended up taking the last room even in the nice hotel, however, nothing ever felt crowded. The one bar we went to every night was called Umi. It was never actually busy, but they had a fire spinner each night including myself for a few minutes. (No, I do not know how to spin fire and no the bar did not necessarily allow me to do it, but I did for a brief moment after Lee had burnt his hand and passed it to Jon, who then burnt his hand as well and dropped it on the sand and then I picked it up and had the most success before it went out and the bar staff instantly put all of the fire spinning paraphernalia away.)\n\n![myan5.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmYstkruLCEd71PEbTYXtoYL22KYrGznpJ562ddaDtMYDh/myan5.jpg)\n![myan6.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmQm964jcwab3vzhYbKP4mxqPwuRmWaz3CpFigkMa27LA2/myan6.jpg)\n\nThe Burmese people were very friendly and helpful and I can't be positively sure, but I did not feel that I was ever getting scammed or ripped off there, which is really nice coming from a region where that is the norm, save Laos.\n\nTherefore, my final verdict is that I would also highly recommend visiting Myanmar as it was quite the experience and there is so much to see there especially outside of the cities. However, when I go back, I will make sure I have more than one week so that I can eliminate some of the stress and frustration I experienced getting around the country. There are still many things I want to see there and I knew I wouldn't be doing it all in this one trip, so I will return to see Mandalay, Inle Lake, any other beach and maybe go up north trekking into the jungle close to the border. Or maybe, I'll just go back to the Ngwe Saung beach.![myan11.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmXphhBrHmpLGEMgTE8NDErCHVCz8MJ2waUD6ZYscZ3p3N/myan11.jpg)",
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