fantasia festive menu

The end of my Myanmar adventures takes us south, to Dawei on the Andaman sea. It's all about the water. We splurged on a fancier hotel for this pool. It, and the amazing shower, were worth every penny.

How did we get here? First by flying back to Yangon, and being overwhelmed by the rudeness of city people, after weeks in the countryside.

 I had a pretty good tea leaf salad at the airport, between flights.

This airport lending library made me happy, even though I couldn't read any of the newspapers.

 An hour later, we landed in Dawei. Everything about the town felt different, especially the weather.

 The hotel is brand new, on the grounds of a historic older hotel.

Dawei is part of a special economic zone, and they clearly have grander ambitions of weddings and conferences. For now, it seems like there were no more than 20 foreigners here.

For dinner last night, we discovered Tavoy Kitchen, with an extensive vegan menu and the wonderful family that owns it. We went back today for a snack that turned into lunch as they helped us with bookings, including a driver to the beach.

Everyone else had the same idea. But you could still find your small island of calm and float in the water.

Little kids greeted us in giggly hysterics. We saw no more than 20 white people all day. Moms shyly welcomed us calling out "Mingalabar." Teenaged boys playing soccer just ignored us.

 It was not a bad Christmas afternoon. Burmese dress modestly everywhere, including the beach. Women in long pink satin skirts and blouses waded out to take photos.

 Sunset was a brilliant shade of flamingo pink.

Afterward, we ate the festive meal in the hotel restaurant, which was mostly hits for $12. Delicious Caesar salad. Pumpkin soup. Red garoupa with vegetables. And this surprisingly delicious Christmas pudding, which we agreed was what fruitcake wants to be. A free glass of wine was undrinkable; we had mojitos with Havana rum instead. 

Tomorrow: off to explore Dawei Peninsula. Hope your Christmas was sweet and serene, wherever this finds you.