Friday is my charity day, so it will be good to take a little rest from teaching 'in-class'. My in-class teaching is all fine, but teaching online is (as I found out previously) a major challenge!

First, there is the electricity (or lack of it). Typically, the mains electricity stops multiple times throughout the day and evening. At school, the students don't bat an eylid as all lights go out and the OHP stops abruptly.

In the evening, I make sure my laptop and backup Android device are fully charged, and that dedicated powerbanks are within reach to power them or my 4 mobile phones (each with a different network SIM card to ensure internet connectivity without a break, in case one network stops. In practice, Atom and Mytel seem fast and reliable).

But I also have to contend with 'sanction' blocks against anyone located in Myanmar, and VPNs rarely help, since the VPN IP addresses are well-known. So no easy access to my wise or Halifax bank accounts, my YouTube premium account doesn't work, many websites simply block access from Myanmar or the known IP addresses.

Finally, there is the 'laptop snail block' as I call it. I experienced this problem when I was in Shan State a month ago. At certain times of the day, internet access from a laptop slows to a snail's pace, even if one is using a mobile phone hotspot. But direct access from a mobile phone browser still works fast! I'm not sure technically how or why this block is implemented. That's why I bought an Aldocube, large screen Android device with built-in SIM when I was in Bangkok. With this set-up, I can get reliable and fast access to zoom for my online lessons :)

After tonight's online lessons, I'll go down to a BBQ restaurant nearby. Since all street lights are off at night, one needs to take a good-size, rechargable torch (I have one that can be recharged, or by solar or by handcrank!). Plus there is an increased risk of opportunist thievery in the dark! I carry a collapsable metal walking stick and put my money into a shin wallet under my long trousers. I've never been mugged in my life, but other teachers at my school have fallen foul of speeding motorbikes grabbing bags etc as they go past.

I spent Friday visiting the print shop to run off a set of English vocabulary posters, and buying some basic supplies for my 'hostel' accommodation. On Saturday morning (today), I jumped into a bright yellow tuk-tuk and made the long journey to an orphanage that's located on the outskirts of south Mandalay, and in a very deprived area, behind an industrial estate. So you can understand that it was a bumpy journey.

The orphanage consisted of a few basic buildings, established about 12 years ago by a local monk to care or abandoned kids.

It was obvious that my donation of posters was not their priority! There were about 150 children at this home, all mostly under 5 years old. 47 of these children - according to the monk - were newborn or under 3 months old, and abandoned by their mothers.

Cynical me thinks that the locals may be taking advantage of the generosity of this monk to dump their unwanted kids on him, but it's not for me to say.

Interestingly, one young girl of 5 years old who was happily playing in the monk's room was fair-skinned and with long blonde hair. The monk explained that the mother was Burmese, but the 'Western' father had abandoned the mother when she became pregnant......

The monk told me that no foreigner had visited this childrens' home for at least 5 years, and they relied on local Burmese to donate food and diapers etc. When I visited, the few older children were having a free haircut by a local barber.

BTW, the young kids in the photo with thanaka faces had been meditating in a darkened room, and they looked like little white-faced ghosts peering out before the monk turned on the light!

All the kids seemed happy and well-cared for, despite the obvious lack of funding and amenities :)

Edited May 16May 16 by simon43

The nappy/diaper costs must be high! (I saw no reusable nappies). So I'll order up a good supply of reusable ones and useful bits of kit, such as teething rings etc.

(Most people donate money directly, but I rarely do this - I prefer to buy specific items that are needed, rather than having the carers p*ss away my money on beer.... - this is hardly likely to happen of course, but I'm a cynical old git...)

It's a hot and sunny Sunday morning - so I'm going to do my usual exercise (from my previous time in Mandalay), and that's to walk up Mandalay Hill.

I walk from my hostel accommodation, noting the many properties that have either been demolished after the earthquake last March, or are in a state of major cosmetic work. This house is no doubt strong on its concrete columns, but the infill bricks of the walls collapsed - so keep the columns and build again.

I'm at one corner of the palace moat, by the Hilton Hotel. It's just over 2km along each side of the palace and the pagodas on Mandalay Hill can be seen in the distance.

After a leisurely stroll to the hill, I reach the huge animal statues that guard the entrance to the steps up the hill. I have to remove my shoes and socks at this point, and a 1,000 kyat contribution means that the lady who looks after my shoes won't try to sell them in my absence...

There are many (many!) steps to the top of the hill. I have a large bunion and hammer toe on my right foot, a broken, deformed middle toe on my left foot, my right eye is not so good after a torn retina 5 years ago, and my bronchiectasis means that on a good day my lungs function at 50% maximum! So I take things slowly, puffing like a steam engine.

Along the way I see many cats basking in the sun, dozing dogs, and not-so-dozing young courting couples. Very few Burmese visitors and certainly no foreigners.

There are many resting places along the way, with Burmese language inscriptions. This word here is 'Mandalay'. It's a little difficult to read because there is some Pali characters (the lower subscript).

At the top of the steps I found a stall selling books and thanaka, as well as a much-needed bottle of cold water.

The view from the top of the hill is extensive, with the Irrawaddy river visible in the distance and hills beyond. But my mobile camera produces rubbish panoramic views, so I didn't bother to take a photo.

After a rest to catch my breath, I returned down the steps to retrieve my shoes. 2 men were polishing a golden coffin, prior to loading it into their hearse. (I have no idea if a body was inside that coffin!).

Edited May 17May 17 by simon43

Great to read this. I have been a number of times to the top of the hill, but was never able to make a decent picture of the surroundings because of the very bad air quality.

Have fun....

16 minutes ago, Halfaboy said:

Great to read this. I have been a number of times to the top of the hill, but was never able to make a decent picture of the surroundings because of the very bad air quality.

Have fun....

In fact, I have been pleasantly surprised at how good the air quality is this year, much better than previous years. (I took a panoramic photo today - I'll post it here if it looks ok!)

On 5/14/2026 at 1:15 PM, simon43 said:

But I also have to contend with 'sanction' blocks against anyone located in Myanmar, and VPNs rarely help, since the VPN IP addresses are well-known. So no easy access to my wise or Halifax bank accounts, my YouTube premium account doesn't work, many websites simply block access from Myanmar or the known IP addresses.

You perhaps need a service that utilises Residential IPs or Proxies.

Examples:

https://www.starvpn.com

https://www.starvpn.com/residential-proxies

https://www.mysteriumvpn.com

https://www.proxy-cheap.com

You'll need to do a little research to find a provider that fits your need.

15 minutes ago, IsmeUno said:

You perhaps need a service that utilises Residential IPs or Proxies.

Examples:

https://www.starvpn.com

https://www.starvpn.com/residential-proxies

https://www.mysteriumvpn.com

https://www.proxy-cheap.com

You'll need to do a little research to find a provider that fits your need.

I already use one - I use Proxy Wings that provides me with a private IP address, but like most VPNs, it's already blocked.... (the junta techies seem quite 'smart' and have covered all options...)

5 minutes ago, simon43 said:

I already use one - I use Proxy Wings that provides me with a private IP address, but like most VPNs, it's already blocked.... (the junta techies seem quite 'smart' and have covered all options...)

Proxy service doesn't encrypt your traffic. Probably leaking in other ways too: https://browserleaks.com

VPN better, especially one where you can change/rotate residential addresses.

On 11/21/2024 at 4:13 PM, simon43 said:

I'm living and teaching back in Myanmar again (I'm in the city of Mandalay again, where I note that the nearest fighting is only 13km away).  \

 

Anyway, I won't comment about the political situation, but I'll maybe post about my day-to-day experiences 🙂

 

So I'm teaching Science at an 'international' school in the city.  As I'm a scientist, and as I've been teaching science previously in Myanmar, the job is very easy and enjoyable.  In my first few days of class, many of my young students asked me my age (I'm going on 66 years old). I gave them a quiz a=25, b=45, c=65, d = 85 years old.  The majority of my students chose 45 years old!!  So they have already qualified for top marks in whatever exam they fail LoL...

 

I took a yellow tuk-tuk to the local Ocean shopping centre (neither tuk-tuks nor shopping centre existed 8 years ago when I was last a teacher in Mandalay).

 

Outside the shopping centre were 20 very large advertising billboards.  3 of them had adverts for clothes and food shops.  The other 17 had adverts for pre-schools, schools, colleges and universities.....

 

At the weekend, I walked once around Mandalay fort, (about 8km all the way round), and then up the hundreds of steps to the top of Mandalay Hill (see my photo).  When I used to do this walk 8 years ago, both sides of the steps were crowded with locals selling trinkets etc for the many foreign tourists.  Today, not a single seller and the only foreigner I saw during my walk around the fort and up/down the steps was myself....

 

 

 

 

I made four trips 92, 93, 96 and sometime with wife about 2010. Lovely people. It was a truly amazing place way back then. I didn't recognize Yangon in 2010.

Did you fly into Mandalay?

Tourists about?

I want to do some scavenging there.

When is the monsoon downpour?

Price of a simple room?

How's the electricity?

17 hours ago, simon43 said:

The view from the top of the hill is extensive, with the Irrawaddy river visible in the distance and hills beyond. But my mobile camera produces rubbish panoramic views, so I didn't bother to take a photo.

I found a picture with a view from Mandalay hill taken in 2009 with my Nikon D90 camera. You will see that the view in the distance was not so clear.

9 hours ago, IsmeUno said:

Proxy service doesn't encrypt your traffic. Probably leaking in other ways too: https://browserleaks.com

VPN better, especially one where you can change/rotate residential addresses.

Nope, no good at all. The vast majority of VPNs are known to the authorities. I could use Tor, but it slows down traffic too much. But for most of my internet connections, such as Zoom lessons, nothing is blocked :)

The main issue is not blocking by the Burmese authorities, but blocking by the UK, USA etc authorities, where their banks and popular websites block any internet traffic starting from Myanmar. Hence the need to use a proxy in eg Singapore. But if it's also a VPN proxy, then the Burmese authorities block it!! I have a proxy application installed on my Apache server in Singapore which I can use if required. Also withdrawing cash from ATMs using any UK debit/ATM card is not possible of course.

Edited May 18May 18 by simon43

(Messed up the quotation...)

Did you fly into Mandalay?

Yes, but AirAsia no longer flies from BKK, so it was an expensive MAI flight.

Tourists about?

No - I have only seen 2 elderly Americans in 7 days

I want to do some scavenging there.

Huh? Picking up road kill?

When is the monsoon downpour?

Just starting :)

Price of a simple room?

My room is free (provided by the school). I generally pay about $7/night at a registered hotel. It is very difficult to rent privately...

How's the electricity?

3 hours/day (usually at night). Most larger hotels have generators, but with increased ful prices, they don't like to switch them on. More and more solar panel installations on private houses.

Edited May 18May 18 by simon43

2 hours ago, simon43 said:

Nope, no good at all. The vast majority of VPNs are known to the authorities. I could use Tor, but it slows down traffic too much. But for most of my internet connections, such as Zoom lessons, nothing is blocked :)

The main issue is not blocking by the Burmese authorities, but blocking by the UK, USA etc authorities, where their banks and popular websites block any internet traffic starting from Myanmar. Hence the need to use a proxy in eg Singapore. But if it's also a VPN proxy, then the Burmese authorities block it!! I have a proxy application installed on my Apache server in Singapore which I can use if required. Also withdrawing cash from ATMs using any UK debit/ATM card is not possible of course.

Have you utilised a VPN with a residential address option or not?

Can I message you about some general tourism questions or post here or don't at all?

I'm thinking about visiting after the monsoon.

1 hour ago, StarOfLight said:

Can I message you about some general tourism questions or post here or don't at all?

I'm thinking about visiting after the monsoon.

Post on this thread so that all can benefit :)

Just had the weekend in Mandalay and for me Rangoon a far better choice if you plan a visit. I always stay downtown and heaps of interest within easy walking distance.

They still do the ”fashion shows” there? Haven't been in a while.

On 5/19/2026 at 9:07 AM, gargamon said:

They still do the ”fashion shows” there? Haven't been in a while.

I never really worked out those fashion shows :) I used to go to Lion Bar in Lammadaw in 2012, where there was a fashion show place upstairs. The problem was that having bought some flowers for a lady and getting her to politely sit with me, my total lack of Burmese language skills at that time, and her total lack of English language skills meant that no progress was made, except for her to politely excuse herself lol...

Today (Saturday 23rd May) I popped over to 'Pyilone' orphanage in south Mandalay to donate a set of my English vocabulary posters, and to see what other needs they have.

This orphanage houses orphans and abandoned kids, as well as those with only 1 parent (usually a father), who must work and cannot care for their offspring. 130 kids.

The posters were gratefully received, and I'll return soon to help with their other requestes - sanitary handwash, toothbrushes and toothpaste etc, as well as ringworm cream. You can see the novice monks have ringworm on their scalps - a very common problem but easily cured 🙂

1 hour ago, simon43 said:

I never really worked out those fashion shows :) I used to go to Lion Bar in Lammadaw in 2012, where there was a fashion show place upstairs. The problem was that having bought some flowers for a lady and getting her to politely sit with me, my total lack of Burmese language skills at that time, and her total lack of English language skills meant that no progress was made, except for her to politely excuse herself lol...

I never seemed to have a problem. Lots of action. Like all these countries, grunting and pointing generally gets you what you need.

26 minutes ago, gargamon said:

I never seemed to have a problem. Lots of action. Like all these countries, grunting and pointing generally gets you what you need.

'grunting' is not in my vocabulary... :)

Although it's more than a year since the earthquake, there are still damaged properties that have not yet been demolished - this property was near to Ocean Superstore as I travelled to the orphanage.

Edited May 23May 23 by simon43

On 5/17/2026 at 5:17 PM, Halfaboy said:

Great to read this. I have been a number of times to the top of the hill, but was never able to make a decent picture of the surroundings because of the very bad air quality.

Have fun....

here's on for ya from one of my trips
I yearn to return but not till i can freely travel all over again
anxious to do the Chindwin river trip and Chin state again

Hi Simon, not heard from you for a while. Is everything going fine ? Please post info on your latest adventures.

Hazard a guess his visa is up and no longer in country.

2 hours ago, Halfaboy said:

Hi Simon, not heard from you for a while. Is everything going fine ? Please post info on your latest adventures.

I sincerely trust you are well Simon, and not experiencing any adverse military action by the Burmese since the recent state visit of the self styled President of Burma to India and China.

You may be aware that the crisis in Burma was discussed in the UK Parliment after a motion was put before the House of Commons by Sir Jeremy Hunt on June 10th. 2026.

Hansard

• UK Parliament

• Hansard

• Commons: 10 June 2026

• Westminster Hall

• Myanmar: Human Rights

Myanmar: Human Rights

Volume 787: debated on Wednesday 10 June 2026

Edited June 17Jun 17 by Burma Bill

Sorry not to post for a week or so :) I had some 'issues' with the Burmese authorities over my educational charity work, which helps both young students and local teachers. Many of the local teachers resigned from their government school posts when the coup happened, and took to teaching online privately. Some have been arrested and jailed for doing this online teaching.

My charity resources are mainly aimed at helping local teachers 'teach' English in an effective manner, and I think the Burmese authorities suddenly realised that! In any case, they declined to extend my business visa for teaching at the school in Myanmar.. So I had to leave. Unlike Laos, I wasn't deported :) (Laos is a completely different matter and concerns a local 'idiot' police chief not liking my legal ham radio activities...). I can visit Myanmar at any time on a tourist visa, and I haven't been banned in any way from visiting the orphanages etc.

So right now, I'm back living on Koh Phangan, where I previously lived and taught Thai and English as a volunteer to the 70 or so young Burmese kids in the local community. Those kids are undocumented in Thailand, and were allowed to accompany their parents to Phangan when the latter moved here to work (building houses etc for the Israelis and Russians etc!). The kids are granted 'safe harbour' status by the local Thai authorities, meaning that they can stay but must not leave the locality where their parents live.

The number of such kids has now increased to about 280(!), and very few of them are able to attend any kind of school. Previously the Thai authorities turned a blind eye to unregistered schools for the Burmese community, but now they raid these, and arrest and jail/fine the teachers.... So now it's very difficult for me to do any volunteer teaching in a classroom because I don't want to endnger my visa etc to remain in Thailand. I've had meetings with the previous teachers, and they are going to promote the mobile app that I created yonks ago for Burmese students. That means I need to create another 350 short lesson videos that align with each lesson in the NUG government English school text books from grades 2 to 8!! I had already completed videos for grade 1.

So, making videos and putting them onto my app will keep me busy :) I would love to find legal way to volunteer teach 'in the open', but this requires a Thai NGO to sponsor me, and for some reason Thai NGOs don't seem keen to sponsor a volunteer who helps the Burmese community.....

I'm saving up some money to either obtain a DTV (because I have my online teaching of Cinese kids and my UK pension), or a 'retirement' visa. But it will take me about 10 months to save up these funds. In the meantime, as a legal way to stay in Thailand, I've signed up for a 10 month ED visa to study 'Advanced Thai', (since I already studied it yonks ago to MA level at Chula and speak daily at a resonably high level).

Once my annual visa is assured, I'll plan a trip back to Myanmar with educational resources etc, maybe to the big Sama orphanage just outside Naypyitaw...

Edited June 24Jun 24 by simon43

Happy to hear from you Simon. I was already 'a bit' worried about your well being. I think you are having an exciting life. Wishing you all the best with your activities and please keep us informed.

1 hour ago, simon43 said:

So right now, I'm back living on Koh Phangan,

Welcome back Simon, nice to hear from you again.

Take care and stay safe.

Thanks for the update Simon. Great that you are at least able to help these kids in some way. Sad that governments and NGOs will not help their people by facilitating your endeavours.