Meet new people.
This and last year I have been talking about our trips to Myanmar to see the progress Nargis Library Recovery is making in getting books out to the people who have the least and need them the most. It appears we’ll be doing this every year around December – January when the weather is great and travel is not hindered by storms.
We visit temples and other points of interest, and we also visit a lot of libraries and schools. Those with interests in libraries, education and community development will enjoy this trip the most. It’s great fun and each year we learn a bit more about how things work, or don’t work, in Myanmar.
Closed for maintenance? Somewhere in the delta area south of Bogalay. There were working ones a hundred feet on up the trail.
The trip is not particularly strenuous. We’ve had a number of people in their late seventies and early eighties along with no more problem than anyone else.
The trip costs are paid completely by the travelers. Nargis Library does not contribute to these costs in any way whether it is a board member or other interested party coming along. This year the trip went from 8 December to 18 December and cost about $800 US per person exclusive of the airfare to get to Yangon. We also ask for a $200 donation to Nargis Library Recovery. This year three of our guests on our trip used that donation to finance the staff training and first two years of maintenance and staff salary of our new library at Thingangon. You can get bargains for both travel and helping out costs in Myanmar.
We’ll visit the delta areas, some of which need special permit. Enjoy traveling on the water in Myanmar
You can inexpensively add on a side trip before or after. The tour operator we used will work with you on this. In a future post I’ll tell you how this year Sue and I followed this trip with four nights at the Amata resort at Ngapali beach for about $130 per night. If it gets more luxurious than that we don’t need to know about it.
If you are interested post a comment here. If you require more details than I can answer here I’ll email them to you. Also, you can always get more information at the Nargis Library site.
Myanmar is like visiting Thailand fifty years ago. While we are working hard to change that fact, at the moment it makes for a very interesting trip.
So we are thinking of our next tour beginning in late November, 2011, taking advantage of the ‘off-season’ air fares, and completing the library tour in about ten days. Each year more people spin off on personal trips, such as the Ngapali trip described here.I first made it in January 1958 and have felt compelled to return six or seven times, generally with family and Yangon ‘family-friends’. Fare’s are still reasonable so let me know if you may be interested in joining us; john@nargislibrary.org, or call 425-697-5414