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Asia - Burma - Burma One: On the road to Mandalay…- part II
Michael Meadows
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Leaning over to check how fast we're going - 150 km/h - I notice for the first time that the taxi driver has fallen asleep at the wheel. Behind us, the road stretches out straight and long, and I wander how long it's been since he nodded off. We nudge him gently, with a cautious hand hovering over the steering wheel in case he wakes with a start. Instead, he wakes slowly, almost lazily, and then grins sheepishly as he winds the windows down and turns the radio up. This proves insufficient stimulation, so he speeds up even more - 175 km/h. 'To keep awake', he replies to our raised eyebrows, as if it's perfectly reasonable and should have been obvious. A surprisingly-cold wind shrieks through the cab in close-fought competition with the latest Thai pop sensation, as we hurtle through Bangkok's pre-dawn darkness toward the airport. Assuming I survive the taxi ride, I will soon be in the air, heading toward a South-East Asian country I have always been fascinated by - Burma/Myanmar...
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Another sunset shot from U Bein bridge, (outside Mandalay) |
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Henk (Netherlands), Soe Soe, me, our driver & Brian enjoy a beer near the U Bein bridge. |
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Piling back into the ridiculous little Mazda pick-ups that serve as taxis here. |
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One of the Moustache Brothers struts his stuff, (and his admittedly-impressive moustache!) |
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Without question, the visitor the brothers are most proud of is Aung San Suu Kyi. (Inspirational leader of the National League for Democracy & a Nobel Peace laureate, currently under house arrest.) |
