Late leaving the hotel this morning and it was my fault. I was accused of stealing two hand towels from my room. What on earth I'd  want two hand towels for I'll never know - my cases are overflowing as it is. I'd used the towels the day before to wring out my washing before I hung it up and they'd not been replaced. After quite a time in negotiations, we were finally allowed to leave. 

We set off along the Old Burma Rd , winding up and down mountain passes , through forest of pine trees, rhododendrons and azaleas heading north east for Dali. The trip was to take around seven hours but that wasn't to happen!

At Pupiao we encountered the fall out from an accident further up the road. At the time of our arrival people had already been waiting for three hours. The traffic was horrendous, no-one could move in either direction. We made the most of our predicament by having lunch - our mandatory nine bottles of beer, a tomato and egg dish, broccoli and cauliflower, some flower or other (not bad) and pork and would you believe, hot chips!!! To top it off, we helped Judy eat her birthday cake which was googy but nice.

All this took time but not enough. The traffic was still at a standstill so the wait continued. To help fill in the time Jeff and I played "500" with Ross and Ross. And we were winning! I had the most fantastic hand, couldn't be beaten when we were called back onto the bus, prematurely as it turned out. Eventually the driver was able to ease the bus through the traffic and onto the other side of the road. Dodging around heavy transports and buses we slowly, slowly headed for Dali. 

Mountains soared while the floor of the valley was covered with all kinds of crops, including mangoes, bananas, sugar and lychees	The farm houses looked prosperous and well kept, with neat gardens and hedgerows

Finally we reached the highway and were sailing along at an most respectable pace when the driver pulled to the side of the road. A flat tyre! That wouldn't have been such a trauma if the driver had tools for all occasions. He didn't and it took two hours and numerous helpers to finally change the tyre. Needless to say the guys on the tour were beside themselves but their assistance wasn't sought.

Day 16 and time for reflections. The hotel at Dali is, as usual, an excellent one - a good place for reflection on the trip so far. 

While on the plane from Sydney to Singapore I read some articles in a magazine provided by Singapore Airline.

• Internet access is only available through one computer in Yangon's  CBD. I had no trouble sending an email home. Computers may not be as numerous as in Australia but there's more than one!

• International mobile phones don't work as the country has yet to establish roaming agreements with anyone. A break from the inundation of modern technology was actually a welcome thing. It was amazing - no0one walked with their hand glued to their ear.

• Myanmar may be cosmopolitan but shorts, mini-skirts, bare shoulders and chests are frowned on particularly in religious settings. And so it should be - tourists must respect the rights and beliefs of the people in whose country they travel.

As stated previously, I felt very much at home in Myanmar. I loved the people. They are so friendly, open, innocent and trusting. I wonder how I'll be feeling when next I take time to reflect.