Sad

Got up at 5 when there is less demand for the internet and managed to upload yesterday's. And now today's too.

A highlight of this trip was to be the large rock covered in gold leaf perched precariously on top of a mountain and held from toppling, so it is said, by one hair of the Buddha. Getting there involved a long journey from Yangon, a bouncing ride in a truck - 35 people crammed onto seven 15cm-wide tightly spaced planks - to part way up the mountain, then a hard steep walk up the rest which took me a strenuous hour (though fitter people do it in less).

All the way up are stall-holders, trying to ply the walkers with coke, tea, noodles, samosas. Many of the stalls, like this one, have superb views over the mountains but no customers.

When I finally got to my expensive hotel at the top (I'd decided to stay up there for Lonely Planet's promised spectacular sunset and sunrise) I discovered that the Golden Rock is spending 20 days being restored and is completely covered in matting. Not visible. I tried to console myself that for 1075 days in each 3 years tourists get to see just a much-photographed golden rock but only those of us who arrive in these special 20 days get to see the matting, but it didn't really work. And the sunset was unspectacular.