Re: Summer 2015 | Page 60

W H E R E W E ’ V E B E E N . . . Myanmar “What would you like to do?” asked Sin Bo, our guide. At half five in the morning and after two seven-hour flights and a lengthy queue at immigration, it seemed like a daft question. We’d been up for 24 hours and although still dark it was a lot warmer here in Yangon than the England we’d left behind. A shower was top of my list, with perhaps a small snooze? “Ah, sorry,” said Sin Bo. “It is too early to check into the hotel.” So that’s how we found ourselves at a temple housing a colossal, 230ft long statue of a reclining Buddha in the pre-dawn of our first day in Myanmar. Surreal? Definitely. But a much more memorable beginning to our adventure than a shower, especially for my partner, Norm. Our arrival day coincided with his 50th birthday (Sin Bo had turned up to meet us with a bunch of balloons). And at least we got to cool our feet down – you have to take your shoes and socks off before you go into a temple. 58