We arrived in wet rainy Bagan, Myanmar.  Undeterred by the wet weather, we decided to spend a day exploring the pagodas that Bagan is famous for.  We hired e-bikes and enlisted the services of a local guide who took us around the area.  It was the first time we used e-bikes and realized what fun these vehicles provided.  When we returned to the hotel after a great day of e-biking about, we were drenched from the rain and the random splashes sustained on our e-bike adventures... we desperately needed to get out of our wet clothes and take a shower.  The first member of our family that was lucky enough to snag the shower emerged only to realize that the bath towels had not been replaced by housekeeping!  Luckily each of us travel with our lightweight Turkish towel and were therefore able to pull them out and use them as bath towels.  Our next challenge was to pack these wet towels as we were departing early the next morning.  Lucky for us, Turkish towels dry quickly even in very humid wet weather and we were therefore able to pack our towels that were dry and crisp for another day's adventure. 

It was our first visit o Myanmar as a family.  The last time my husband and I visited Yangon was in 1998.  What a different city Yangon is now!  I was offered a few tips for packing for our trip from friends who had visited previously.  One of the best tips I received is that we should definitely bring along a sarong to enter the pagodas as there were strict regulations for not exposing knees or arms when entering the pagodas.  This is where our Turkish towels came in really handy.  Each member of our family selected their favorite Turkish towel and packed them in our carry-ons and in my case, my tote bag - yes, they are that lightweight!!  The towels emerged as soon as we got onto our Singapore Airlines flight to Yangon.  They were used as blankets while we enjoyed the inflight entertainment on our 2.5 hour flight to Yangon.  Upon arrival at Yangon, we checked into our hotel and were eager to visit the Shwedagon Pagoda.  We arrived at the entrance to the Shwedagon Pagoda and the attendant pointed to my son's exposed knees. He was wearing a pair of shorts that did not cover his knees.  Out came his Turkish towel which he promptly wrapped around his torso.  That saved the day and our family was admitted into the Pagoda.  We enjoyed our visit and our first day of adventure in Myanmar.