84km, 28 to 33deg, fine with scattered cloud. After clearing the busy city of Bago we got onto a much quieter road, a handmade rough jobie. Although our bottoms got a workout we didn't mind as it was really interesting ride. The countryside was wet and low and a combination of rice paddies and fish farms, mostly paddies. It seemed to go on forever, as it turned out it was about 100km before we reached the other side. Accompanying the paddy fields and ponds were c...

95km, 28 to 36deg, cloud patches but fine. Breakfast of eggs, toast and tea/coffee was served up in a very grand looking dining area with fine furniture. The guides decided to bus us to a market-town about 20 minutes from the hotel and we spent an interesting half hour wandering around. The walk through the fresh/dried fish and meat areas really assaulted the senses. Nobody stopped for a snack, especially the two vegetarians who are with us. It was then onto the ...

105km, 29 to 40deg, 91% humidity, cloudy patches but fine. A few showers overnight made it a tad (more) humid early but it soon dried out. Due to the distance today we planned to ride away a little earlier than normal, but by the time we fiddled with the bikes we only got away at 7:45am. This part of the country was the capital of the old kingdom of Lower Burma, at its prime during the 9-11th century, although we saw no evidence from that period in our travels. F...

80km, 26 (feels like 32) to 35deg, 94% humidity. The Cinderella Hotel is used as a training center for new staff so at brekky you are surrounded by waiters who want to impress. They all practice their English on you and their uniforms are immaculate, although it's funny watching young boys trying to serve tea wearing oversized men's white gloves. (This city was the centre for British Rule when they were here so English is traditional). It was all for a fun experi...

94km, 29 to 34deg, fine and mostly clear. A much better sleep in a very nice clean bed. With the aircon set at 22deg I still had to stay under the doona. Brekky was mainly what we'd normally eat at an Asian restaurant back home; or a normal European cooked breakfast, accompanied by lovely fresh tropical fruit. They also served those yummy rice flour and shredded coconut pancakes like the ones we had in Ye. Either choice is just what is needed for a day on the bik...