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Travel to Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) – Coronavirus Travel Restrictions
AsiaMiddle EastUnited Arab Emirates

Travel to Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) – Coronavirus Travel Restrictions

Dubai is (currently, as of August 29, 2020) one of the only places that is currently somewhat open for international visitors and tourism. The only requirements are that the traveler has a ...
COVID-19 Rapid PCR Test for Travel – Istanbul International Airport
AsiaMiddle EastTurkey

COVID-19 Rapid PCR Test for Travel – Istanbul International Airport

These photos are from the main international airport in Istanbul. We didn't visit the other airport, so we can't be sure that testing is also being done there, but I've heard that COVID-19 ...
AsiaMyanmarSoutheast Asia

Amputations and Revelations

Last night and often, the neighbors fight. Not just the neighbors to the left, but the neighbors to the right. And the neighbors who live diagonally across the street from us fight too. Last ...
The Pirate at the Window: From the Shores of Southeast Asia — By Jennifer Shipp
Southeast AsiaThailand

The Pirate at the Window: From the Shores of Southeast Asia — By Jennifer Shipp

Stories are spherical like planets. I orbit around my story, once a comfortable, well-explored habitation of warm caves and tall trees. But now I’m a satellite in outer space, watching the ...
As the World Turns — By Jennifer Shipp
AsiaMyanmarSouth AsiaSoutheast Asia

As the World Turns — By Jennifer Shipp

Every morning John and I go for a jog together. During the first month of our tenure here, it was over 90-100 degrees Fahrenheit during both the daytime and nighttime hours, but now the air ...
Grace — By Jennifer Shipp
AsiaMyanmarSoutheast Asia

Grace — By Jennifer Shipp

 Some stories are like lotus flowers; they bloom in layers with each new set of petals adding a transformative shape to the whole. It’s hard to tell these stories, because they aren’t linear ...
Before and After Life in Bagan, Myanmar — By Jennifer Shipp
MyanmarSoutheast Asia

Before and After Life in Bagan, Myanmar — By Jennifer Shipp

I’ve given myself just enough time to write about 1000 words about Bagan and our lives at the moment. I’ll probably write more than that, but I have other things to do and I need to get on ...
AsiaMyanmarSoutheast Asia

Quarter Festivals in Bagan, Myanmar – By Lydian Shipp

This month I’m constantly reminded of county fair season and the yearly parades that I grew up with in western Nebraska. Of course, there’s the Thadingyut candle festival that takes place ...
Rabies Encounters: On Caring for Random Sick Animals in Developing Nations
AsiaMyanmarSoutheast Asia

Rabies Encounters: On Caring for Random Sick Animals in Developing Nations

So, I have this problem. It’s a sort of an obsession or a compulsion that has to do with sick animals. If I see one, I always think that I can take it home with me, take care of it and it ...
Bagan, Myanmar: eBikes, Scooters, Tuk Tuks, and Taxis — By Jennifer Shipp
AsiaMyanmarSoutheast Asia

Bagan, Myanmar: eBikes, Scooters, Tuk Tuks, and Taxis — By Jennifer Shipp

The transportation options in Bagan and in Myanmar are important. In Guanajuato, Mexico, where we’ve lived for the past 3 years, taxis and buses are available, but most of the time we walk ...
Adventures in Burmese — By Jennifer Shipp
AsiaMyanmarSoutheast Asia

Adventures in Burmese — By Jennifer Shipp

Yesterday was a long day. We’d decided to try to get air conditioning installed in John’s and Naing Naing’s office space, a necessity in a country that hits over 90 degrees+ every day of the ...
Lydian and Naing Naing: In Myanmar — By Jennifer Shipp
AsiaMyanmarSoutheast Asia

Lydian and Naing Naing: In Myanmar — By Jennifer Shipp

Some stories are like lotus flowers; they bloom in layers with each new set of petals adding a transformative shape to the whole. It’s hard to tell these stories, because they aren’t linear. ...
EuropeSpainUncategorized

Transit Without Visa in Spain as a Myanmar Citizen – By Lydian Shipp

Spain is a major hub for flying to and from Ecuador, Mexico, and other Latin American countries, so when we learned that it’s possible for Myanmar citizens to transit through Spain, we were ...
Bagan, Myanmar: Notes on Learning Burmese…
AsiaMyanmarSoutheast Asia

Bagan, Myanmar: Notes on Learning Burmese…

So it looks like we’ll be spending quite a lot of time in Myanmar which means that it could be helpful to learn Burmese. The language, so far, has not been totally impossible to learn, at ...
Bagan, Myanmar: Housing and High-Speed Internet — By Jennifer Shipp
AsiaMyanmarSoutheast Asia

Bagan, Myanmar: Housing and High-Speed Internet — By Jennifer Shipp

During the first two weeks of our time here in Bagan, Myanmar, we needed to find a house to live in, furnish it, get Internet (we hoped for higher speed Internet than what was available at ...
Bruised Banana