another trip with Eicher G80... to Myanmar & Cambodia..

Quite rare nowadays to have a group of workplace friends staying connected almost 20 years after they left the company that they worked at.

They say..... once an Eicherite always an Eicherite. That is something that I cherish, as Eicher was my first workplace after IIT-M.

We call ourselves the G 80 group ....group of guys who were with Eicher in the '80s. As a group, we continue to take time out and head out on national or international holidays together as Eicherites.

We just completed another wonderful holiday together to Myanmar and Cambodia. From 30 Nov till 11 Dec 2016. Visited Inle, Bagan, Mandalay and Yangon in Myanmar and Siem Reap (Angkor Wat) in Cambodia.....

These countries are amazing!! Despite troubled legacies and a lot of turmoil in the past, the people are so simple, humble and very welcoming. The infrastructure is amazing and even puts India to shame.

They do depend on tourism heavily (especially Siem Reap in Cambodia) and we saw a huge amount of western tourists. In Myanmar it was largely western tourists, but in Siem Reap Cambodia we saw a fair bit of Asian tourists too. The Angkor Wat monuments showcase the ancient (9^th – 12^th century) influence from Hindu kings from India and the gradual shift to Buddhism.

Both these countries are easily accessible from Indian cities via flights transiting through Bangkok. Wide variety of hotel accommodations and very professional guide / tour agents. Largely non vegetarian local cuisine but vegetarians will not be inconvenienced at all as they have a fair bit of veg options. Their willingness to flex and provide veg options is very welcoming. Their palate tends to favour non spicy food lightly broiled / steamed. Lightly salted and spiced.

Very economical places to stay in and can be visited even on a thin budget. A wide spectrum of options from typical backpacking to luxury resorts.  We used the services of Myanmar Golden Images (in Myanmar) and Makara Travels (in Siem Reap, Cambodia)

In Mynamar we stayed in plush resorts like Pristine Lotus Spa Resort at Inle ( http://pristinelotus.com/)  , Aureum Palace hotel , Bagan ( http://www.aureumpalacehotel.com/bagan.html) , Sedona hotels in Mandalay and Yangon (http://www.sedonahotels.com.sg/mandalay/)    & (http://www.sedonahotels.com.sg/yangon/) . We used airconditioned buses to commute to the various sites and air travel between Yangon-Heho(Inle) , Heho(Inle)-Bagan, Bagan–Mandalay and Mandalay-Yangon. Our stay at Inle and bagan were more refreshing and we got to experience the Myanmar lifestyle. Mandalay and Yangon were more of pagoda hopping ... pagodas and more pagodas !!!  Myanmar truly is a country with a zillion pagodas!!!

At Siem Reap, Cambodia, we ventured off the beaten track and avoided the big Hotels, to stay with The Rose Apple Boutique Bed&Breakfast, a wonderful quaint setup owned and managed by Tim Blondeel and Sophearit and efficiently managed by young Dara.  (http://www.theroseapple.com/html/bedandbreakfast.php?p_lang=en) Truly a piece of paradise!!! Very close to the Pub Street and Night Market... happening places as the sun goes down. 

We also ventured to travel locally in a series of tuk tuks... a wonderful contraption of a locally fabricated four seater hitched to a two wheeler. Very safe,comfortable and airy. See images of tuk tuks here :: (http://www.angkortuktuk.net/tuktukservices.htm)

Our guide in Siem Reap Ms Ara of Makara Travels is a very special person and she took extra care of our very large group of 24 from India.

Have posted pictures in two albums on Flickr and on Facebook ... one for Myanmar and the other for Siem Reap (Angkor Wat), Cambodia. Enjoy the trip virtually through these pictures.

Would be delighted to help anyone considering travel to these destinations and wanting any inputs.