town | Blue Lapis Road

DAY 3 (8/8): FINAL NIGHT IN NYAUNG-U, Myanmar, 2017.12.25

In the evening, we returned to Sanon Restaurant in Nyaung-U for dinner. After dinner, we walked to the commercial street of Nyaung-U. Souvenir vendors, hotels, pubs and restaurants lined up along Thi Ri Pysitsaya 4 Street, which, as our guidebook described, provided simple nightlife to the foreign tourists. Foreign tourists concentrated on a few of the restaurants that served fusion cuisine (Chinese, Thai and Myanmar). The decor were mainly causal and colourful. For us, the most eye-catching scene was a traditional umbrella showroom with a variety of colourful and translucent umbrellas lighted up from behind.

We passed by the Sapada Paya once again at the road intersection on our way to Sanon Restaurant.

Simple Christmas decorations lighted up building facades along the main road of the town.

Another satisfying meal at Sanon Restaurant.

Most shops along the main street in Nyaung-U offered e-bikes hire for tourists.

It was about 9pm and most tourists had already returned to their hotels.

Some shops offered contemporary bags and accessories with a Burmese touch in design.

Some were still checking out the souvenir vendors.

The most attractive shop was an traditional umbrella store.

Several local children circling around a fire reminded us that Bagan was still a less privileged rural area in Myanmar despite recent development of tourism.

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Blog posts on Myanmar 2017:

Day 1: Yangon, Myanmar
DAY 1: INTRODUCTION OF A SHORT BURMESE CHRISTMAS VACATION
DAY 1: WALK TO 999 SHAN NOODLE HOUSE
DAY 1: SULE PAGODA
DAY 1: COLONIAL ARCHITECTURE
DAY 1: BUSTLING STREET LIFE
DAY 1: GOLDEN WORLD OF SHWEDAGON PAGODA
DAY 1: A PLACE FOR PEOPLE, Shwedagon Pagoda
DAY 1: EVENING MAGIC OF THE GOLDEN SHWEDAGON PAGODA
DAY 1: A FESTIVE NIGHT

Day 2: Bagan
DAY 2: SHWEZIGON PAGODA, Nyaung-U
DAY 2: HTILOMINLO AND UPALI THEIN
DAY 2: ANANDA PAHTO
DAY 2: SUNSET AT OLD BAGAN
DAY 2: SILENT NIGHT IN NYAUNG-U

Day 3: Bagan
DAY 3: MAGICAL SUNRISE, Old Bagan
DAY 3: NYAUNG-U MARKET, Nyaung-U
DAY 3: SULAMANI TEMPLE
DAY 3: DHAMMAYANGYI TEMPLE
DAY 3: THATBYINNYU TEMPLE
DAY 3: NAPAYA, MANUHA AND GUBYAUKGYI, Myinkaba
DAY 3: SUNSET No. 2, Old Bagan
DAY 3: FINAL NIGHT IN NYAUNG-U

Day 4: Farewell Myanmar
DAY 4: FAREWELL BAGAN FAREWELL MYANMAR

June 17, 2018 | Categories: Bagan, Myanmar, Myanmar 2017 | Tags: Bagan, Burma, Myanmar, Nyaung-U, restaurant, Sanon, shopping, Thi Ri Pysitsaya 4, town | Leave a comment

DAY 24 (3 OF 3) – REFLECTION, PARATY, BRAZIL

Just like Venice, Paraty is unique during full moon when the high tide comes in the floodgate, flooding some areas of the historic centre. Our visit didn’t coincide with the full moon, but we did get a taste of the beautiful reflections in Paraty from the daylong rain that flooded the streets.

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Read other posts on Paraty, Brazil
Day 23.1 – Sea, Paraty
Day 23.2 – Town, Paraty
Day 23.3 – Night, Paraty
Day 24.1 – Rain, Paraty
Day 24.2 – Thai, Paraty
Day 24.3 – Reflection, Paraty

Next Destination – Sao Paulo, Brazil
Continuing on our journey from post Day 25.1

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South America 2013 – Our Destinations
Buenos Aires (Argentina), Iguazu Falls (Argentina/Brazil), Pantanal (Brazil), Brasilia (Brazil), Belo Horizonte & Inhotim (Brazil), Ouro Preto (Brazil), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Paraty (Brazil), Sao Paulo (Brazil), Samaipata & Santa Cruz (Bolivia), Sucre (Bolivia), Potosi (Bolivia), Southwest Circuit (Bolivia), Tilcara, Purmamarca, Salta (Argentina), Cafayate (Argentina), San Pedro de Atacama (Chile), Antofagasta & Paranal Observatory (Chile), Chiloe (Chile), Puerto Varas (Chile), Torres del Paine (Chile), Ushuaia (Argentina), El Chalten (Argentina), El Calafate (Argentina), Isla Magdalena (Argentina), Santiago (Chile), Valparaiso (Chile), Afterthought

November 1, 2013 | Categories: Brazil, Day 21 to 30, Paraty | Tags: Brazil, destination, flood, historic, journal, must see, Paraty, photo, Rio de Janeiro, South America, things-to-do, town, Travel, water | Leave a comment

DAY 24 (1 OF 3) – RAIN, PARATY, BRAZIL

The weather got worse over the night. It was rainy and chilly pretty much the entire day. We gave up the idea of taking any boat trip or going to the nearby beaches. Because of the Atlantic, Paraty could get rainy at times, especially during the summer. As a result of the rain, we had a relaxing day at our guesthouse to update our blog. I (Angela) also found time to do my first watercolour painting. We did, however, venture out to the historic centre for a seafood lunch.

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Read other posts on Paraty, Brazil
Day 23.1 – Sea, Paraty
Day 23.2 – Town, Paraty
Day 23.3 – Night, Paraty
Day 24.1 – Rain, Paraty
Day 24.2 – Thai, Paraty
Day 24.3 – Reflection, Paraty

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November 1, 2013 | Categories: Brazil, Day 21 to 30, Paraty | Tags: Architecture, Brazil, destination, journal, must see, Paraty, photo, rain, Rio de Janeiro, sea, South America, things-to-do, town, Travel | Leave a comment

DAY 23 (3 OF 3) – NIGHT, PARATY, BRAZIL

In the evening, the historic centre was not as lively as we thought it would be. Nevertheless, under atmospheric lighting, Paraty presented its colonial charm as if we were walking in history.

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Read other posts on Paraty, Brazil
Day 23.1 – Sea, Paraty
Day 23.2 – Town, Paraty
Day 23.3 – Night, Paraty
Day 24.1 – Rain, Paraty
Day 24.2 – Thai, Paraty
Day 24.3 – Reflection, Paraty

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November 1, 2013 | Categories: Brazil, Day 21 to 30, Paraty | Tags: Architecture, Brazil, destination, journal, must see, night, Paraty, photo, Rio de Janeiro, South America, things-to-do, town, Travel | Leave a comment

DAY 23 (2 OF 3) – TOWN, PARATY, BRAZIL

We walked leisurely in the pedestrian-only historic centre. Paved with large uneven stones, most streets in the old town were designed as a channel with its lowest point in the middle for drainage. We walked by a house at which its owner was painting the main doorframe in green, one of the several colours commonly found on doors, windows and shutters in Paraty, while the walls were mainly whitewashed.
We walked by Casa da Cultura (House of Culture) and saw some interesting figures wearing colourful masks standing on the balconies overlooking the street. Housed in a historical mansion, the Casa da Cultura serves as a small cultural hub in Paraty. We saw some displays of knitted art and photography. The big surprise came when we went to the upper level and found an exhibition of traditional paper masks and a school group just about to finish their mask-making class. The kids were having fun running around the room and putting on the masks they made. The mask display and the playful kids brought us a moment of brilliant colours in this rather greyish afternoon.