i moved about a block away to the chinese-owned may shaw guesthouse. i got my new room, showered, then went outside to meet tun tun win, the "guide" that i got yesterday when i went to the schwedagon pagoda. he showed me chinatown and then we grabbed a crowded bus to the vegetable market. i bought another pair of pants (250 kyat, about US$2.50) from a place that specializes in police uniforms. i also got a large gym bag (450 kyat) to put all my souvenirs in, which i will leave at the may shaw guesthouse in storage until i return to yangon. it feels good to have a light load again. they sell insects to eat here too, but some how i'm reluctant to try the jumbo grasshoppers, they don't look sanitary. i also sampled the burmese version of betel nuts, wrapped up in a leaf with a layer of lime and some added spices, the betel nut vendor gave me one for free just to see my reaction when i chewed on it.
grasshoppers
tea offering (chinese temple)
street meat fondue
lime
chestnut?
assorted vegetables
mango season
ginger mountain
dried fish
dried betel nuts
banana season
in the afternoon i came back to the guesthouse and went to sleep. i woke up in the evening with a splitting headache, suffering from a hangover due to the dehydration. i went outside looking for food, saw a sign that said "EAT" which turned out to be thai-chinese restaurant runned by indian people. i had some grilled chicken which tasted like tandoori and a bowl of fat thai noodles. when i returned to the guesthouse, my headache was still there, but with the air conditioner on and the tv turned to HBO, i soon forgot all about that.
sule paya seen from the front of hotel
drying my shirt