“This is Burma, and it will be quite unlike any land you know about.” Rudyard Kipling, 1889 My 59th country was the mysterious land of Myanmar (Burma). This country has been cut off from the world for most of it’s existence, more lately by an inward focussed military regime. Sadly that regime has seen one of the richest countries in Asia slide into poverty. Average GDP per person is a mere $1000 per annum with a massive gap between people at the top and the bottom of the tree. Yet Burma was rich. The temples…
Asia
Tag Archives for Asia.
Road to Mandalay
“For the wind is in the palm-trees, and the temple-bells they say: ‘Come you back, you British soldier; come you back to Mandalay!’” Despite writing this very famous poem, Rudyard Kipling never stepped foot in Mandalay. This city 716 km (445 miles) north of Yangon (previously known as Rangoon) was the capital of Myanmar (Burma) from 1857 to 1885. At that time, the British annexed the country , exiled the royal family, made the country part of India and moved the capital to Rangoon. As per usual, with every city I visit I rate the city in comparison…
Burma (Myanmar) Bound
Off to my 59th country this week: Myanmar (Burma). We are following a fairly standard tourist trail. We fly into Mandalay in the North, then travel down to Bagan and then visit Yangon. It has been only fairly recently that travel has been opening up for tourists not travelling in tourist groups! So excited! Related Posts Any advice for Myanmar? My 58th country: Vietnam I visit my 57th country
MH370 Indian Ocean Day 2: No Trace
Despite a multinational force of planes and ships deployed in the southern Indian Ocean, 2600km off the Australian coast, no sign of the debris spotted by satellite has yet occurred. The search concluded at 7pm Malaysian time and will resume tomorrow Saturday (local time). Related Posts MH370 Search Update Australia MH370 Continues in two corridors MH370 Debris Found? (March 20) 26 countries now in search for MH370 (March 17) MH 370 Map: Two Possible Route (March 15) Sun rises on a new day in Malaysia (March 8) Malaysia Airlines Missing Plane (March 7)
MH370 still transmitting 7 hrs later
Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 sent its last hourly transmission to a satellite at 8:11 a.m. on 8th March, over seven hours after its last official voice transmission which occurred at 107am. The plane, it is believed, was still flying after Malaysia had first raised the alarm that it was missing. This map released by Malaysia shows two red lines representing the possible locations of the plane at 811am. Related Posts MH 370 Map: Two Possible Routes (March 15) Flying one week after MH370 (March 15) MH 370 Search Intensifies (March 9) Sun rises on a…
Jet may have turned back
Malaysia’s air force chief Rodzali Daud has suggested that the missing Boeing 777 jet may have turned back from its scheduled route to Beijing before disappearing. He stated “What we have done is actually look into the recording on the radar that we have and we realised there is a possibility the aircraft did make a turnback” Malaysia’s civil aviation chief, Azharuddin Abdul Rahman (pictured), advised a press conference that the search area had now been expanded, to include the west coast of Malaysia. According to armed forces chief Gen Zulkefli Zin there are now 22 aircraft and 40…
Malaysian Airlines Missing Plane [updated]
A Malaysia Airlines 777-200 flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing has lost contact with air traffic control. This flight was Malaysian Airlines MH370. It was a code share with China Southern Airlines. The plane is said to have been carrying 239 – 227 passengers of 13 different nationalities and 12 crew members. 160 of the passengers were Chinese nationals according to China’s Xinhua State News Agency. The 777’s serial number is 28420 / 404 and its registration is: 9M-MRO. It was delivered to Malaysia Airlines on 31st May, 2002. Apparently it was involved in an incident at Shanghai Pudong International Airport on 9th August, 2012, when the tip…
Happening Ho Chi Minh City
My first time in HCMC, Vietnam! When I visit a city, I like to rate it across some criteria which gives me a comparison. You can check other city reviews at the end of today’s post. Ho Chi Minh officially replaced Saigon in 1976, after the Vietnamese leader who asserted independence from France in 1946. Saigon was the capital of the French colony of Cochinchina from 1859 to 1945 and then the capital of the independent republic of South Vietnam from 1955 to 1975. Many of us associate Saigon with the long war in that…
Qantas is Back
21 days of compulsory negotiations between unions and company to follow. I will be interested in the outcomes! What the unions want: Transport Workers Union: 5 per cent pay rise per year, with an additional 1 per cent in superannuation (pension payments) protected against a rise in CPI. The Australian and International Pilots Association: 2.5 per cent pay increase, each year, for three years Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association : 5.33 per cent pay rise to cover wages plus additional allowances, every year, for three years. This, however, is not what the real issue is about. Qantas announced recently the…
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