This is Burma: Uncertainty in Mon State

This begins the unplanned middle part of my trip which I had been worried about. I was changing my plans a bit. The original itinerary had me leaving Hpa An for Settse Beach, and after that, off to Ye. Well, I'll see Settse some day in the future, but it really would require quite a sidetrack from my general southernly direction, and I didn't really know how to get there anyway.

So, it was off to Ye instead.
 

The ride from Hpa An back to Mawlamyine was... umm.. interesting. The 'bus', which left every hour, was actually a pick up truck with some seats installed in the back and a canopy thrown over the top. I had begun my journey bright and early, and in the wind of the 'bus' zooming along at... err... 40 mph, I actually got pretty cold back there. Late December is mild in Myanmar.

I didn't know how I'd get from Mawlamyine to Ye, but these were the two biggest towns in Mon State, and I just needed to find the bus. My pick up truck driver was cool. He asked me where I wanted to go and then dropped me at the appropriate bus station to catch a bus to Ye.

As for what I saw in Ye, I'll leave that part of the story to those who watch the video. I got to meet Santa Claus.