Published: May 15, 2008 09:31 am    PrintThis  

Local women take Asian tour well off the beaten path

Several local women recently traveled to the other side of the world, experiencing the cultures of Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, formerly known as Burma.

Sue Phelps, of North Andover, Sandy Evans, of Boxford, and Needham residents Patti Barrett and Sally Kane spent 18 days in Southeast Asia earlier this year, long before the recent cyclone that brought death and devastation to parts of Myanmar.

From water taxis and elephants to mountains, waterfalls and remote villages with no indoor plumbing, their trip was full of new experiences.

"We went on this adventure trip to Southeast Asia since it was an area where we had not traveled before, and wanted to experience what life is like in third-world Asia," said Phelps.

Long after the friends' trip, Myanmar was hit by Tropical Cyclone Nargis on May 3, killing thousands of Burmese citizens. The United Nations relief teams in the Irrawaddy Delta region of Myanmar report between 60,000 and 100,000 people dead or missing from the cyclone. The Myanmar government recently increased its official death count to 28,458, according to newspaper reports.

Phelps submitted some photos and a travel journal to share the group's experiences. Her travel photos show Myanmar before Nargis' destruction; it is known for its pristine lakes and more than 3,000 temples.

Her journal reads:

"We met our group (eight other women from Maui and Alaska) in Bangkok, Thailand, then departed for Cambodia. We visited the awe-inspiring Angkor Wat temple complex in Siem Reap, Cambodia; spent five days in Laos, based in Luang Prabang, but visited many remote villages, caves and waterfalls. Then we toured Burma for a week, including Yangon, Pindaya, Bagan, Inle Lake and Mt. Popa. We rode on water taxis, tuk-tuks, skytrains, elephants, buses, longboats, horse-drawn carts and domestic flights within Asia on second-hand Chinese planes that were ... well, scary, at best.

"We toured off the beaten path, visiting the home villages of our guides and were welcomed into their homes, including a traditional Baci [spiritual] ceremony in Luang Prabang on the eve of our departure from Laos. We toured countless beautiful temples, bargained shamelessly at markets, met and photographed the most wonderful, welcoming native people, dined on all manner of strange and wonderful cuisine, hiked to mountaintop monasteries, trekked to waterfalls, enjoyed ridiculously cheap massages and spa treatments and learned so much about this exotic, historical little corner of the world. Our group, composed exclusively of American women, was quite a novelty in Burma, as most Westerners had cancelled their plans to visit after the September demonstrations and violence. We were thankful for the opportunity to visit this beautiful country.

"We enjoyed all of the countries we visited. The more touristy sights were definitely worth visiting for their historical significance, but what made our trip more unique was the opportunity to visit the remote villages, most only accessible by boat, where our guides had grown up. We were welcomed into their homes and their schools, which was like stepping back in time, as most of the villages have no motor vehicles, no indoor plumbing, no medical care, and rudimentary schools, at best. Yet they were more than willing to share what little they had with us. The children delighted in (and never tired of) seeing their images displayed to them on the screens of our digital cameras."