We took a twin-engine turboprop airplane from Mandalay to
Yangon. The flight was very smooth and an advantage of the slower aircraft over
a jet is that it didn't climb so high or so fast. Here is a view of central
Burma, referred to as the dry zone. They receive less than 39 inches of rain
per year, and most of that falls during the monsoon. We visited a couple of
weeks before the rains usually begin, which explains the sere appearance of the
landscape.
As the trip progressed we gained altitude and
could see a range of hills below us and a more impressive mountain range in the
background.
Looking back, I think the trip to Burma was good for several reasons. I enjoyed learning more about Buddhism. I learned how the concept of karma could transform a society. I got a chance to rest up before heading off to the pediatric neurosurgery rotation in Palestine. I saved 14 000 miles of air travel (compared with returning to USA and then making a round trip to Palestine.
This is a replica of one of the demon warrior statues found at the temple of the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok. There are twelve, and they are meant to protect men from evil spirits. The statues were initially placed in the arrival hall. This led to staff complaints that they were bringing bad luck to the facility, and the statues were removed to the international departure area. My only bad luck was an inability to stay on line with Boingo for more than three minutes at a time. We left Mandaly about 0900, arrived in Yangon at 1000, left for Bangkok at 1430. I had dinner with Chaiyan Kasorndorkbua, a veterinary pathologist and outstanding birder I met in Ames while he was in graduate school. After dinner I had a great opportunity to look over the airport before my Royal Jordanian flight (not Air Jordan, as I erroneously described it to one of my mates in Udon Thani) at 0030.
After twelve or so hours in the air and a refreshing fifty-five minute layover in Amman (that included a trip through immigration and security) I rolled in to Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv. The immigration and customs people were very pleasant. I waited for a bit for my ride. We made contact and he offered to get me a coffee before we left for Nablus. While he was at the coffee stand a nice man from airport security came up, wondering if the driver had given me anything (or done anything that might justify, like he needed a reason...oh, never mind). We sorted that out amicably and I was on my way to Nablus, a city in the west bank between Jerusalem and Nazareth. We rolled up to the Al Yasmeen hotel, famous for its reception area. In the winter you can see your breath. I checked in, had a bit of breakfast, took a shower and hit the rack.
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